NHL First Round Superlatives: MVP, Most Disappointing And More
The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is just about over, as the rest of the league awaits the result of Game 7 between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. With that, the second round officially begins on Saturday with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Philadelphia Flyers .
In the transition between the next stage of the post-season, let’s reflect on what a wild set of fixtures it was in the first round.
Here are superlatives from the opening round of the playoffs, including MVP, most disappointing player, unsung hero, and the best game between two teams in the first round of post-season.
MVP: Jackson LaCombe , D, Anaheim Ducks
HM: Brandon Hagel , Matt Boldy , Frederik Andersen
There were several impressive outings in the first round by multiple players, but Jackson LaCombe takes the cake for me when reviewing what he accomplished.
First, his Anaheim Ducks knocked out Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers - back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists - in six games as the underdog in this matchup.
On top of taking the assignment of shutting down the Oilers’ captain, LaCombe led the Ducks in scoring with nine points in those six contests. Only Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl has more points in the playoffs than Anaheim’s No. 1 defenseman.
LaCombe was heavily relied on by the Ducks and coach Joel Quenneville. The 25-year-old averaged 27 minutes of ice time, recorded a point in every game but Game 5, and finished the series with a plus-six rating.
Most Disappointing: Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators
HM: JJ Peterka , Anze Kopitar , Thomas Harley
The answer for the most disappointing player of the first round could almost be a unanimous decision. Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk finished his playoff campaign with zero points to show for it.
In a 4-0 sweep to the Hurricanes, Tkachuk was a non-factor, all while averaging 21:31 of ice time.
You could say it wasn’t for a lack of trying, which is true. The Senators were snake-bitten and, for whatever reason, couldn’t get the bounces to fall in their favor. But the truth is, the team’s best players didn’t get it done. And ultimately, that’s why the Sens burned out the way they did.
It doesn’t help that, beyond the on-ice performance, there have been rumors about Tkachuk’s commitment to Ottawa. So this poor performance is just salt in the wound for him and the Sens.
Unsung Hero: Taylor Hall, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
HM: Logan Stankoven, Alex Lyon , Peyton Krebs , Rasmus Ristolainen
Taylor Hall really could have been considered for the MVP honor on this list, but being the unsung hero is probably the best fit for him, since he isn’t considered one of the star players in Carolina. However, it’s not completely out of the ordinary for Hall to have a productive playoff series.
At any rate, he completed this series with a whopping seven points in the four-game sweep against the Senators. Those seven points were made up of two goals and five assists, nearly averaging two points per game.
The Hurricanes’ second line of Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake owned the Sens. They finished as the top three scorers for Carolina in this series, combining for seven goals and 16 points.
Best Game: Boston Bruins Vs Buffalo Sabres, Game 1
HM: MTL v TBL - Game 1, DAL v MIN - Game 4
Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres was electric for so many reasons.
First, this was Buffalo’s playoff game since 2010-11, and fans went all out with pre-game antics and tomfoolery. The hype building up for this series opener was impossible to ignore, and once the puck dropped, it turned into a game to remember.
Boston earned a first-period lead and doubled that early in the third period, making it 2-0 Bruins for the remaining stretch of the game.
As the contest continued to wind down, it looked as if it was going to be a disappointing reunion for Buffalo in the playoffs. However, beyond the halfway mark of the period, momentum shifted.
Sabres center Tage Thompson scored their first goal of the post-season, followed by his second of the series just under three minutes later. Now the game is tied.
Then, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson scored less than a minute after Thompson’s second goal, and the KeyBank Center erupted. Later, with an empty-net goal by Alex Tuch and a power-play marker from Bruins’ David Pastrnak , Buffalo won the game 4-3.
What a way to announce Buffalo’s return to the post-season.
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