In this post, we’ll take a look at the playoff performance of the teams ousted in the second round of the 21/22 playoffs. The postseason gives us incredibly small sample sizes, where puck luck and hot and cold streaks can really have an impact. I’ve already looked at the teams ousted in round 1, so the focus in this post is the four teams that lost out in the second round.
Calgary Flames (PAC1)
The Calgary Flames escaped round 1 by the skin of their teeth as they survived a scare from Jake Oettinger’s outstanding performance in the Dallas Stars’ net. They dominated the Stars at 5v5, particularly later in the series and Jacob Markstrom was also very good.
The Flames met their arch-rival, the Edmonton Oilers, in the second round and things got wild in a hurry. The Flames finishing had a huge correction in game 1 in an 8-6 win. Unfortunately, so did their goaltending which ended up being their downfall. The Flames once again dominated at 5v5 and had a slight advantage on special teams but Markstrom wasn’t able to regained his form from round 1. A 5v5 save percentage of 84.3% in round 2 simply isn’t good enough.
St Louis Blues (CEN3)
The St Louis Blues faced the Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Wild generally controlled 5v5 play, but the Blues powerplay was hot. With the finishing/goaltending battle near even, it was the Blues edge on special teams that led to their series win.
The Colorado Avalanche awaited the Blues in the second round after sweeping their first round series. The Blues continued to struggle at 5v5 against the Avs and their powerplay continued to keep them close. Once again, the finishing/goaltending battle was relatively close until late in the series. This time, the stronger 5v5 game prevailed.
Florida Panthers (ATL1)
The Florida Panthers faced the Washington Capitals in the first round. They were the stronger team at 5v5, creating more scoring opportunities as well as putting up strong finishing and goaltending numbers. They struggled mightily on the powerplay, unable to put up even one powerplay marker in the series, while the Capitals powerplay was lethal at the other end. In the end, special teams wasn’t enough to turn the tide on the series and the Panthers moved on.
Up against the two time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in round 2, the Battle of Florida was more of a one-way rampage. While the Panthers maintained a small edge in 5v5 play, Andrei Vasilevskiy put up a wall in the Lightning net. Florida entered the series with a cumulative goals scored above expected rate near 1 and it finished net negative just 4 games later as the Panthers were swept from the playoffs.
Carolina Hurricanes (MET1)
The Carolina Hurricanes faced the Boston Bruins in the first round. While the Hurricanes were the top seed in the division, the Bruins were one of the top 5v5 teams during the regular season and it showed in the series. The Canes made up for it with strong finishing and goaltending, particularly early in the series. A goaltending change by the Bruins helped, but it wasn’t enough and the Canes prevailed.
The New York Rangers were the Hurricanes second round opponent. A much different regular season story from the Bruins as they struggled for much of the season at 5v5 and Igor Shesterkin’s heroics in goal were a regular story. It was more of the same in this series, as the Hurricanes gradually gained ground in 5v5 play but couldn’t figure out Shesterkin. Unable to finish against arguable the Vezina nominated Shesterkin, their season came to an end in game 7.
