Analysis: Time for the divisional finals of the NHL playoffs – will surprises Florida and Seattle continue to rumble, how many lives has Carolina ruined?

Half of the playoff teams are gone – the other half are plunging into the divisional finals, which begin Tuesday night. Here are the pairs with compact analysis for each duel.

The second round of the playoffs is also what the NHL podcast is all about this week.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Toronto Maple Leafs (2) – Florida Panthers (wild card 2)

2022/2023 regular season: Toronto won three games, Florida one. Goal difference: Leafs–Panthers 15–10

The starting position: Florida accounted for the first round super shocker. Not only did the team go from 1-3 to an overtime victory in game seven, the “Comeback Cats” did it against Boston, which had just finished the best regular season in NHL history. Florida’s confidence is at an all-time high.

Toronto exorcised its demons and won a playoff series for the first time in 19 years. That the victory came against Tampa, who won two of the last three titles and dominated large parts of the match series, showed that this Leafs is ready for great deeds.

What determines: The team that does a better job of adjusting after the mental storm they’ve been through the last few days at least gets an early offense. It could very well be that the charge goes out evenly and both teams are totally ready to give everything from the first drop.

Toronto has more elite talent than Florida – Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, O’Reilly and Rielly are a sextet that Florida can’t match. The Panthers’ only players in the absolute elite category are Matthew Tkachuk and Alexander Barkov. It should weigh heavily.

The old truism that the best players must be the best players for the team to succeed determines this series – with a slight modification: Toronto has more top players. They are also all ready to be their best selves.

Here’s how it goes: The Leafs are incredibly determined and won’t let the Panthers catch them by surprise. Not even Matthew Tkachuk can change that. Toronto on – and does not need seven games. The icing on the cake is that the Leafs take home the goalie duel.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

Carolina Hurricanes (1) – New Jersey Devils (2)

2022/2023 regular season: Carolina won two games, New Jersey two. Goal difference: Devils–Hurricanes 13–12

The starting position: Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns made it to the second round for the Carolina Hurricanes. The team is punctured by long-term injuries and the goalscoring coughs as usual. Weak Islanders weren’t a real gauge – but the Devils will be.

Young and fast New Jersey was the regular season “newcomer of the year”. In the first two games of the playoffs, it looked like the team needed to mature to play winning playoff hockey. Then things turned around and the Devils won four out of five games against Rangers’ star team.

What determines: Carolinas skadeavbräck ​​går inte att lappa till. Andrej Svetjnikov, Teuvo Teräväinen and tilting goal cannon Max Pacioretty should be needed. Dem får Hurricanes Klara sig uta och blir kraven på Sebastian Aho mänskliga.

The Devils have a sharp young top duo in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Nevertheless, the biggest strengths are that the team has half a dozen forwards who can decide, an extremely good blue line defender in Dougie Hamilton and a tough and fast-paced game system that supports the squad’s profile.

Former Hurricanes players Dougie Hamilton and Erik Haula are guaranteed to be matched up against Sebastian Aho, who they know inside and out. The Carolina star doesn’t need to fail to be too lonely against the Devils.

Here’s how it goes: The Devils’ depth in the attacking game will be overwhelming for Carolina, who will probably generate shots, but the goals trickle in too rarely. Additionally, New Jersey appears to have found a goaltending diamond in Akira Schmid. Carolina wins a maximum of two games before the summer vacation begins.

CENTRAL DIVISION

Dallas Stars (2) – Seattle Kraken (wild card 1)

2022/2023 regular season: Dallas won two games, Seattle one. Goal difference: Stars–Kraken 13–10

The starting position: The Kraken roared against the reigning champions Colorado, first by taking the lead in the series, then by not being knocked down by Colorado’s strong comeback – and finally by winning “game seven”. Seattle rolls on with four elusive chains.

Dallas convincing against Minnesota. For long moments, the Wild had an apparent advantage in the rink, but the Stars decided with their strengths: sharp goal shooting, murderous power play, patient defensive play and high-class goaltending. 4–2 should really have been 4–1.

What determines: Against Colorado, the Kraken scored the first goal in all seven games and thus started their own game system with the cooperation of the entire five in the center. But if Seattle thrives on a match picture where work is rewarded, then Dallas is just as comfortable with that kind of ice hockey.

The difference is that where the Seattle is a machine that gets power from all four cylinders, the Dallas also has a torquey team engine, but with more horsepower. Roope Hintz, Jake Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are simply better than the Kraken’s best players.

Perhaps the biggest advantage Dallas gets from having a goalkeeper in Jake Oettinger almost guarantees that Seattle has to work terribly hard for every goal. Oettinger’s routine level is very high – the top level sky high. And he is at his best when it matters most.

Here’s how it goes: The Kraken fought the air out of a top-heavy Colorado. Against Dallas, evenly distributed determination is not enough. Dominating both offensively and defensively, the Stars advance after picking up the decisive fourth win in game number five. At home in Dallas.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Vegas Golden Knights (1) – Edmonton Oilers (2)

2022/2023 regular season: Edmonton won three games, Vegas two. Goal difference: Oilers–Golden Knights 18–14

The starting position: “Finally, McDavid vs. Eichel!” The first playoff meeting between the first and second draft pick from 2015 is what the NHL media is trumpeting before the series. Not a little comical, one might think from this side of the Atlantic. What has Jack Eichel accomplished, like?

Among other things, McDavid has been elected the league’s MVP twice (third to come), won the scoring league five times, the shooting league once and averages 1.49 points/game during his career. Eichel has never even come close to winning anything and is averaging 0.94 points/game.

If you forget this PR stunt, it will be a series of matches between two teams that did not allow themselves to be surprised in the first round. Vegas got away easily against lousy Winnipeg, while the Oilers showed strong character and squad depth against really tough Los Angeles.

This determines: Vegas cannot, as the Kings could, line up two of the league’s best defensive forwards against McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. As much as the Oilers have improved as a team, it’s always going to be stopping the monster duo to beat Edmonton.

You can talk as much as you want about team integrity and that everyone has to contribute, but unless Vegas succeeds almost perfectly against Draisaitl and McDavid – who can now rely more than before on their support troops – there are two players who decide this series.

Draisaitl accounted for 7+4 and McDavid for 3+7 in six games against the Kings. Both were incredibly good, but especially McDavid not even close to a level he himself was happy with. Against Vegas, the superstars will have more time and space – and that’s enough for the Oilers.

Here’s how it goes: Edmonton overcame the worst hurdle in its own division when it beat the Kings, who are designed to face McDavid and Draisaitl. Against Vegas, the duo scores a total of 12-15 goals and that decides the decision. Oilers further with 4–2.