Lessons Learned from Round One

As is almost always the case, the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs did not disappoint. From upsets to overtimes and everything in between, the first round of the post-season showcases so much of what makes playoff hockey such a spectacle. However, while eight teams did advance in their quest for the Cup, eight other teams are left to wonder what went wrong. 

But it's not just the teams eliminated in the opening round that ought to do some soul-searching. There are lessons to be learned by the 16 teams that didn't even qualify for the National Hockey League's second season. And that includes the Vancouver Canucks who fell a dozen points shy of Winnipeg in the chase for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. 

With that in mind, here is a lesson teams like the Canucks should learn from each of the clubs sent to the sidelines after just one round of this year's playoffs.

NY RANGERS: consistency. While the Rangers managed three victories in their series with New Jersey ultimately, they were no shows in their four losses including a 4-0 shutout in Monday's deciding contest. The Rangers appeared to take their foot off the gas after racing out to a 2-0 series lead with opening wins on the road. Give the Devils their due. But the Rangers -- a team built to win now -- are proof that you need more across the board to get out of the opening round. 

TAMPA BAY: goaltending. While Andrei Vasilievskiy remains one of the best net minders in the game, he wasn't up to his usual standards against Toronto. And being the second best goalie in a high-stakes series, generally isn't good enough to get through to round two. Vasilevskiy posted a 3.56 goals against average and 87.5 save percentage in six games against the Leafs. Those numbers are nowhere close to his career playoff averages of 2.37 GAA and 92.1%. 

BOSTON: battle readiness. In the end, a record setting regular season meant nothing for the Bruins. And perhaps that was part of the problem. The Bruins hadn't played a game with any heft or significance all season. Perhaps they got lulled into a false sense of security while their first round opponent Florida had to scratch and claw just to climb above the playoff bar. Florida found a way to up its game as the series went along while the Bruins looked like the weight of expectations based on their regular season caught up to them. 

NY ISLANDERS: youth movement. There is certainly value in having veterans with playoff experience on the roster. But in today's NHL, youth is being served and the Isles simply don't have enough. Noah Dobson was the only Islanders skater under the age of 25 to appear in all six games against Carolina. And the Isles didn't have a forward under 30 record more than two points in the series. Playoff hockey requires speed and skill and the Islanders roster lacks both. It's an older group that underperformed when it mattered most. 

MINNESOTA: star power. No team averaged fewer goals per game in these playoffs than the Wild (2.33). As team, they managed just 14 in their six-game loss to Dallas and one of those was into an empty net. To make matters worse, they mustered just one goal over their final two games and three goals over the final three. The Wild was the lowest-scoring team to qualify for the playoffs, so goals had been an issue for much of the season. But the team's one true star Kirill Kaprizov was held to just one goal -- his only point -- in the series. And to make matters worse, it was the first goal of the series. The Wild tried, unsuccessfully as it turned out, to beat Dallas with its best player held off the scoresheet after the first period of the series.

COLORADO: depth scoring: Mikko Rantanen scored seven goals. Nathan McKinnon had seven points. In the end, it didn't matter because it wasn't enough to get the defending Stanley Cup champions past the upstart Seattle Kraken. The Avs top players were heard from throughout the series. The team's depth scoring was completely non-existent. Outside of the big guns, only three other Colorado forwards scored in the series. The Kraken, as they have all season, got goals from 11 different forwards.

LOS ANGELES: penalty killing. The Kings knew going into their series with Edmonton that special teams would be key. They learned the hard way just how important penalty willing would be against the best regular season power play in NHL history. The Oilers scored on nine of their 16 power plays in the six-game series (56.3%). The Kings went 7 for 21 on their own power play and still got outscored by two. When your opponent is better than even odds to score with the man-advantage it puts too much pressure on the team to play a penalty-free game. The Kings couldn't do it -- and that's when much of their trouble started.

WINNIPEG: injuries. There were a number of reasons why the Jets bowed out to the top-seed Vegas Golden Knights in five games. But for the Jets to have had a shot at the upset, they needed all of their available star power. And that was never the case. Nikolaj Ehlers started the series on the shelf and was later joined there by Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele. Even with a full line-up, the Jets likely didn't have enough to get past the Knights. But it was a reminder that playoff hockey is a battle of attrition and the teams that go the furthest generally have good health and usually a sprinkle of good luck.

There is no one-size-fits-all blueprint for winning the Stanley Cup. No two series are identical and the storylines change the deeper the playoffs progress. But after watching an exhilarating opening round, this much is clear: the next time the Vancouver Canucks qualify for the post-season, if they get a consistent effort and good goaltending along with production from their stars, depth scorers and young players combined with good health, solid penalty killing and are ready to hit the ground running as the stakes ramp up, well then, they should be in good shape for the challenge that awaits.