Wednesday was a wild night of playoff hockey as five of the eight first-round series got underway. On Thursday night, the other six teams join the party.
Here are some storylines to watch ahead of the second night of post-season hockey:
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals, Game 1
7 p.m. ET, CBC
It’s amazing what can happen in a year.
Twelve months after the Maple Leafs finished the season in the league’s basement, they are now getting ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs—and that starts Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
To say the Maple Leafs are an underdog in this series would be an understatement. In fact, exactly zero of our Sportsnet Insiders picked the Maple Leafs to win more than two games.
As we all know, few things in playoff hockey are predictable and that’s what the Maple Leafs are counting on.
“We’ve got an opportunity just like they do,” head coach Mike Babcock told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re going to put our skates on just like they do. We’re going to Washington and we plan on winning.”
Transferring the pressure onto the shoulders of his opponent is a smart strategy for Babcock considering the Capitals have struggled in the playoffs during the Alex Ovechkin era. Since the 2005-06 season, Washington has made the post-season nine times but have never gotten past the second round.
If the Maple Leafs want to slay the mighty Capitals, they will be doing it without Nikita Zaitsev, at least for Game 1. The rookie defenceman suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s season finale and is considered day-to-day.
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 1
8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet
Few teams want to match up with the Blackhawks in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs—perhaps least of all the Predators. Nashville has gone up against the Central Division heavyweights twice (2010, 2015), with Chicago winning both in six games before going on to capture the Stanley Cup.
In a salary-cap era in which dynasties are that much more difficult to establish, the Blackhawks are the closest thing we’ve got.
Going into the season, the Predators were a popular choice to reach the Stanley Cup Final after making a splash in the off-season. But after stumbling out of the gates, Nashville never seemed to harness the kind of momentum that many expected. As a whole, the team remains a favourite in the stats community and is considered a darkhorse to go all the way.
If anyone knows what the Blackhawks are truly capable of, it’s Predators netminder Pekka Rinne. He was in net for all 12 of Nashville’s playoff games against Chicago, and at 34 years old there’s a chance this could be his last post-season series against the club.
Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Ducks, Game 1
10:30 p.m. ET, CBC
The Flames are the final Canadian team to get in on the playoff action, and they’ll be doing it in an arena they haven’t had much success in.
Calgary hasn’t won a playoff game in Anaheim since Round 1 of 2006.
The Flames have been on fire (pun completely intended) since the start of March, winning 10 of 14 games that month but only won once in four games in April. Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau will be counted on for offensive production, but rookie Matthew Tkachuk could be the difference-maker the Flames need.
The Ducks have quietly hit more than 100 points for the fourth straight season and won their fifth straight division title. Veteran players like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry took steps back this season, but younger guys like Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell were able to pick up the slack.
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