The second round is off to a roaring start. I’m surprised Colorado beat Winnipeg so easily and I thought Nashville would have given Vancouver a harder series. I, and most NHL fans, are happy that Dallas knocked Vegas out of the playoffs. Dallas does have their hands full with Colorado now…especially after they lost a 3 goal lead to lose in overtime.

Florida laid an egg in their first game against Boston (5-1) but bounced back tonight with a 6-1 win. Florida is favored in this match up and this rebound shows they aren’t going to be a pushover.

The Rangers and Carolina have had two fierce games with the Rangers winning both 4-3. In the first game, the Rangers dominated the ‘Canes with their special teams. Scoring two powerplays in 23 seconds is like watching a lion playing with their food. Rangers went 2/2 on the powerplay and were also perfect on the penalty kill. It was a hell of a start to the round.

Last night’s game was much closer with the Rangers playing what felt like a step behind the entire game despite scoring first. Carolina answered quickly and then took the lead, but the No Quit In New York squad pushed through to a double overtime win with their special teams again dominating. 2/7 on the power play and another PK shutout. Carolina is 0-10 on the powerplay. Igor stood on his with 54 saves. Trocheck was a monster all night, giving the ‘Canes fits and ending the night with the game winning goal. Lafreniere broke out as well with the first two goals for his team.

It’s been an incredibly physical series so far…Igor being taken down behind the net was the most egregious hit of the night. Rempe putting Carolina on notice on the next shift by stopping just close enough to Anderson to bump him did make me smile. They got the message.

Carolina is going to be rabid tomorrow night on their home ice. There’s no way they aren’t completely readjusting their special teams because if they don’t, it’s a wrap. At the same time, the Rangers can’t rely on their special teams to win every night. It’s not sustainable. They have to be better 5 on 5 and keep working on curbing the turnovers. Last night was terrible, mostly because Trouba was a hot mess for whatever reason. Carolina is way too good to leave such good opportunities like that to score.