One round down, three more to go.
The 2023 NHL playoff field has been cut from 16 down to eight, as the second round of the postseason is set to get underway.
The first round had it all. The record-setting Presidents' Trophy winners blew a 3-1 series lead. The defending Stanley Cup champions lost to a club playing in its first playoff series in franchise history. The three-time Eastern Conference champions were knocked out by a team that snapped a 19-year playoff series drought.
With all the chaos in the first round, the result will be a new, fresh champion. Out of the eight teams still in the hunt for the Cup, none have won it all in the last 16 years.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS
With the second round getting underway, the Sporting News ranks the remaining eight NHL playoff teams.
Power ranking the 8 remaining NHL playoff teams
1. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers sure look like the favorites out in the West. Edmonton rolled over Los Angeles in six games as the Kings had no answer for the potent Oilers offense. Jay Woodcroft's team averaged 4.17 goals per game and the power play contributed nine goals, clicking at over 50% in the series.
It's hard to one-up Connor McDavid, but Leon Draisaitl was the best player of the series. He scored seven goals in the series, leading all skaters in the playoffs, and is tied for second in points with 11.
The defense and Stuart Skinner looked suspect at times, but at least this Oilers team has shown before that they can shut it down in their own zone, unlike Edmonton teams of the past.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
They did it. They finally did it. Take your first-round exit jokes somewhere else (Minnesota maybe?) because Toronto is onto the second round.
The Maple Leafs won their first playoff series since 2004, knocking off the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning. Three overtime victories in Tampa Bay helped the team set up a date in the second round with the Panthers.
The "Core Four" of Toronto - Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares - produced over half of the Maple Leafs' 23 goals against the Lightning and over half of the team's points. The Toronto stars are shining brightly in 2023.
3. New Jersey Devils
The East needs to watch out. After looking shaky in their first two games, the Devils settled in and took it to the Rangers, winning the first-round series in seven games. The club used its speed to kill New York in transition, earning its first playoff series win since 2012.
The story of the first round was the emergence of Akira Schmid. The 22-year-old rookie ended the first round with the best goals-against average (1.39) and save percentage (.951) out of all goalies, while also leading all goaltenders in shutouts with two.
MORE: How Devils goalie Akira Schmid turned the series around vs. Rangers
Goaltending was the one question mark for New Jersey heading into the postseason, outside of its perceived lack of playoff experience. Both of those concerns seem to be no longer.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes won their first-round series as expected - shutting down the Islanders' limited offense while getting just enough goals by Ilya Sorokin. Carolina took care of New York in six games, reaching the second round for the fifth consecutive season.
Rod Brind'Amour's club averaged 2.67 goals per game while allowing 2.50. The offense was already a concern heading into the playoffs with the losses of Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov. Now, the Canes are without Teuvo Teravainen as well.
The Devils' offense is a lot more potent than the Isles', so Carolina is going to have to rely even more on its defensive structure to contain the speed of New Jersey.
5. Dallas Stars
The Stars entered the postseason as one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they did not disappoint against the Wild. Dallas held Minnesota to just 14 goals over six games, finishing with the best goals-against average in the first round, allowing just 2.33 goals per game.
Playoff Jake Oettinger is back. The Stars goaltender was sensational in the Dallas crease. Roope Hintz continues to be one of the more underrated players in the league, leading the first round in points with 12 and adding five goals. Tyler Seguin came out of nowhere and produced four goals in the series.
Dallas' chances at a Cup are legit, as long as it continues to receive excellent goaltending and depth scoring.
6. Vegas Golden Knights
There was only one team to finish their first-round series in less than six games, and that was Vegas. The Golden Knights completed a gentleman's sweep of the Jets, defeating Winnipeg in five games to set up a second-round date with Edmonton.
Coming into the series, it was unclear how their goalie would be, but Laurent Brossoit stepped up and performed well in the Vegas crease. Mark Stone put up eight points in five games in his first games since mid-January.
The problem with evaluating the Golden Knights' first-round performance is that their opponent was considered one of the weakest teams out of the playoffs clubs, lost two of their top players during the series, and in the words of Jets head coach Rick Bowness, showed "no pushback." We'll get a much better idea of how legit Vegas is going against Edmonton.
7. Florida Panthers
Not many believed they could do it, but Florida, in fact, did it. The Panthers stunned the Bruins in the first round, storming back from down 3-1 in the series to knock off the record-setting Presidents' Trophy winners in seven games.
MORE: Bruins loss to Panthers extends Presidents' Trophy curse
Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour were instrumental in Florida's first-round success. Tkachuk had five goals and 11 points in the series, while Montour led all defensemen in the first round in goals with five, including the game-tying goal in the final minute of Game 7.
The Panthers may not be the most talented, but they proved in the first round you can win with grit and determination. They bullied the big, bad Bruins and will look to inflict the same pain on the Leafs.
8. Seattle Kraken
Knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champions is enough of an accomplishment, but to do so in your first playoff series? That's remarkable.
The Kraken took down the Avalanche in seven games to win the franchise its first postseason series. Seattle took advantage of the fact that Colorado was decimated by injuries and received literally no scoring from its bottom six.
The concern going forward is the scoring for the Kraken. After finishing as a top-five offensive team in the regular season, Seattle averaged just 2.57 goals per game against Colorado. Now without 40-goal scorer Jared McCann to start the series, the Kraken are going to have to rely on the entire lineup to produce again if they are going to break through the Stars' defense.
2023 Stanley Cup odds
According to Sports Interaction, the Maple Leafs are now the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, entering the second round at +366.
Odds provided by Sports Interaction
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +366 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +416 |
| New Jersey Devils | +550 |
| Dallas Stars | +602 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +653 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +700 |
| Florida Panthers | +1030 |
| Seattle Kraken | +1100 |
