Last shift: who will finish the season in the second round of the Stanley Cup

There are eight teams left in the second round of the Stanley Cup, and in almost every one of them, except Buffalo, Russian hockey players play a significant role. Kirill Kaprizov, Andrey Svechnikov and other leaders are entering the decisive stage of the playoffs, where the cost of a mistake increases dramatically. Izvestia analyzes the pairs and evaluates the chances of teams reaching the conference finals.

"Carolina" – "Philadelphia"

Carolina experienced minimal difficulties in the first round with Ottawa. The best regular season team in the East closed the series in four matches and clearly did not turn on full power. The only disappointment was Alexander Nikishin's injury. The defender suffered a concussion in the fourth match after being hit by a crushing force tackle. The other day, journalist Todd Gibson reported that the Russian had returned to full-fledged training without restrictions, but Nikishin was not ready to help his team yet.

However, even without Nikishin, the Carolina squad looks much more balanced and dangerous than the Flyers. Head coach Rod Brindamore has spent years assembling the current core and meticulously training the players to fit his model. It should be noted that she faltered in the playoffs, but, as a rule, against more skilled and experienced teams who know how to extinguish the Hurricanes' strengths: high tempo, vertical hockey, and an abundance of shots.

Philadelphia returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and continues to search for its identity. Its leaders, mostly young players, are just getting used to cup matches. "Carolina" looks more harmonious in them. And that's why I have to close the series in five or six matches without too much trouble. The first game confirmed this opinion. Andrey Svechnikov's team won 3-0.

Izvestia's forecast: 4-2 in favor of Carolina

Buffalo – Montreal

From the longest series of the first round, which ended after the start of the Carolina–Philadelphia showdown, not only the fans benefited, but also Buffalo - Montreal defeated Vasilevsky and Kucherov against Tampa in the seventh match. The Sabres closed their series with Boston in six games. They haven't conceded more than one goal in the last four games in regular time. This highlights not only the Bruins' problems offensively, but also the phenomenal goaltending performance of Alex Lyon, who took the number one spot during the series.

Buffalo puts on extremely energy-intensive hockey, aimed at lightning-fast puck selection and high-quality pressure. It worked against Boston, but against Montreal, speed alone won't be enough.

The Canadiens don't mind playing on opposite courses themselves. Martin San Louis has plenty of fast strikers who can pick up the pace and keep it up throughout the match. First of all, they are Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkowski and Nick Suzuki. The fifth sniper of the team, Ivan Demidov, who limited himself to only one assist in the series with Tampa, can also shine. The Canadiens are better prepared for the second round and have more cup fighters in their squad. Meanwhile, Buffalo is recuperating before the second round. A loss of game tone can also play against the Blades.

Izvestia's forecast: 3-4 in favor of Montreal

Colorado vs. Minnesota

It's not for nothing that Colorado is considered one of the main favorites for the Stanley Cup, so Los Angeles simply didn't notice the avalanche in the first round. Colorado was particularly strong on defense, with Scott Wedgwood conceding only five goals in four games. Minnesota had a much more difficult time — the rivalry with Dallas initially seemed equal and justified its hopes. Moreover, the Wild showed character — they lost in the series 1-2, but went on.

The upcoming series is presented through the rivalry of two of the brightest defenders of our time — Kyle Makar and Quinn Hughes. The latter showed himself more clearly at the Olympics, taking gold with the US national team. But now it will be much more difficult for him — Makar's "entourage" is much more solid. A lot will depend on Kirill Kaprizov, who is still looking great in the playoffs. However, in the first match, the Russian was left without points (but Vladimir Tarasenko scored), and his team lost 9:6.

Izvestia's forecast: 4-2 in favor of Colorado

Vegas – Anaheim

The transformation of Anaheim under the leadership of Joel Quenneville is perhaps the main opening of this NHL season. Yes, you can blame a lot on the weakness of the Edmonton goalkeeper and defensive line, but it's worth going through the team with Connor McDavid in the squad. The Dax team is a symbiosis of young stars Gaultier, Lacombe, Leo Karlsson and experienced fighters like Killorn, Terry and John Carlson, while the main star is Quenneville, who, after a forced rest, has put together a cool team again.

Vegas suffered with Utah, but the Golden Knights' noticeable superiority in player selection took its toll. The Mammoths do not have such stars as Marner, Aikel, Stone and Dorofeev in attack. So in the series with Anaheim, this should have an impact. John Tortorella led Vegas at the end of the regular season, while managing to improve the team's game. The Knights have a much higher safety margin.

Izvestia's forecast: 4-2 in favor of Vegas