The stage is set for an epic Stanley Cup Final between the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers and East champion Florida Panthers. Here are seven questions to ponder ahead of Saturday's Game 1 in Sunrise, Florida.

Can McDavid escape Barkov, Forsling?

The Kings, Canucks, and Stars all attempted to slow down Connor McDavid, but the best player on the planet prevailed series after series. With 31 points in 18 games, he enters the Cup Final as the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite.

Staring back at him starting Saturday is the shutdown duo of center Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Gustav Forsling, who have owned offensive dynamos throughout the playoffs.

Barkov and Forsling's most common opponents in the first three rounds were Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, Boston's David Pastrnak, and New York's Mika Zibanejad. In other words, no easy shifts. Yet, in the 112 five-on-five minutes Barkov shared the ice with those players, Florida managed to outshoot the opposition 64-31 and tie 3-3 in goals. Forsling's 156 minutes against them yielded even better results: 95-54 in shots and 6-4 in goals.

Those are eye-popping numbers considering the sample size and quality of opponents. That said, McDavid's line with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins presents a more complex and taxing challenge. If Barkov and Forsling can tie the McDavid line on the scoreboard, Florida likely wins the Cup.

Neither Panther will try to intimidate McDavid with brute physicality. However, Barkov and Forsling can keep up with the Oilers captain through strong skating and stick work. Barkov is elite at knocking pucks out of the air and off opponents' sticks, while Forsling is phenomenal at closing gaps with his feet.

On the flip side, McDavid is capable of making anybody look human.

Will Panthers showcase offensive versatility?

Panthers scorers use many methods to burn teams. They were the only squad to rank in the top three this season in chances generated off forechecks, cycles, and rebounds, per Sportlogiq. Through Round 3, they led all conference finalists in rush chances, displaying yet another strength.

Florida's best forwards are tenacious, rambunctious, and savvy. Smart passes that Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell slung toward the net set up big goals in the East final. Sam Reinhart buries all kinds of chances because he hounds the puck and stays ready to fire it.

The Oilers' heightened defensive commitment has led to good results. Compared to the 2023 playoffs, they're surrendering fewer five-on-five goals (2.51 per 60 minutes, down from 2.67), shots on net (24, down from 29.2), and dangerous chances (10.2, down from 11.9), per Natural Stat Trick.

Florida will aim to expose two weak links. Defensemen Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse struggled mightily together and have been outplayed when paired with other partners.

Can Edmonton overcome disadvantage in net?

If you were to poll 10 scouts about the two starting goalies, most would likely say they'd rather have Sergei Bobrovsky on their team.

Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner with a .906 save percentage in 87 career playoff games. This is his second straight final appearance. Stuart Skinner has significantly less experience and a blah .891 save percentage in 28 playoff games.

Nevertheless, there's a decent chance Skinner - who's fresh off an impressive third round - outshines Bobrovsky in this best-of-seven set. Bobrovsky will be facing an attack that could very well exploit his biggest weakness. The league-average save percentage on shots off the rush is .871. Bobrovsky's mark is .789, having allowed 12 goals off the rush. Edmonton's terrifying in transition.

Will Oilers PP, PK both dominate?

The Oilers' special teams are unreal. Among clubs that won a round, crossing a minimum threshold for games played, they rank in the top five in both categories going back nearly 50 years.

On the power play, Edmonton's preferred combination scores from every angle and distance. McDavid, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard are responsible for 18 of 19 Oilers PP goals. In Game 6 against Dallas, McDavid's dangling set up his own brilliant backhand tally and Hyman's snipe to the top shelf.

Suddenly impenetrable, Edmonton's penalty kill is 46-for-49. It blanked the Kings and Stars and hasn't been beaten since Game 3 of the Canucks matchup. The Oilers are the third playoff team since the dawn of the Original Six era to compile a 10-game kill streak, per Stathead. Dallas was frazzled by the puck pressure Edmonton forwards applied.

The Panthers have two reasons to be hopeful. Their own stellar PK has tied opponents 2-2 in Barkov's shifts (he scored shorthanded in Round 1 and assisted on another in Round 2). They're also adept at drawing penalties - Barkov, Tkachuk, and Lundell all rank in the top 10 league-wide - and could stockpile enough PP opportunities to finally beat Skinner.

Will Verhaeghe come through again?

Carter Verhaeghe is one of the top stories of the final. A 2013 third-round pick of the Maple Leafs, he spent the first four seasons of his pro career in the ECHL and AHL. He found stability after signing a two-year, $2-million deal with Florida in 2020 - and he's been dynamite in the postseason ever since.

Through 17 games this year, Verhaeghe leads the club with nine goals and is second with 17 points. He's third among all playoff skaters with 42 slot shots, according to Sportlogiq. A good chunk of those have featured the speedster unleashing his patented wrist shot from the left faceoff circle.

Verhaeghe, 28, scored the overtime goal in Game 3 of last year's Cup Final. It was his lone goal in five games against Vegas and the Panthers' sole victory. Florida needs its not-so-secret weapon to lead the charge against the Oilers.

Will Bouchard control games?

Over four NHL seasons, Bouchard's evolved from frequent scratch to supplemental piece to scoring weapon to two-way force. The young defenseman's growth, stimulated by his partnership with Mattias Ekholm, differentiates these Oilers from versions of the squad that fell in earlier rounds.

Bouchard and Ekholm have crushed stiff opposition all spring. Edmonton has outscored foes 18-9 and owned 63% of dangerous scoring chances in their 298 joint five-on-five minutes, the NHL high. No top pair spends more time buzzing in the offensive zone and less time chasing the puck.

Bouchard's 30th point (he enters the final with 27) will set a new high for defensemen this century. He's no longer a power-play merchant, though his confident quarterbacking and heavy slap shot boost Edmonton's main unit. His even-strength output in these playoffs puts him in prime company.

Is Florida's forward depth untouchable?

Florida's talented third line, which combines grit, vision, and a killer finishing instinct, united against the Rangers to net the series clincher. Lundell's shot block led to a clearance, Eetu Luostarinen forechecked to force a giveaway, and Vladimir Tarasenko accelerated to the crease to bury Lundell's feed.

Swapping two mid-round draft picks for Tarasenko enhanced Florida's depth. The veteran sniper was the seventh Panthers forward to score a postseason game-winner. Lower in the lineup, the Panthers have more stingy or energetic wingers - Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo displaced mainstays Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg - than can fit on the fourth line.

Much of Edmonton's supporting cast (Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, Corey Perry) has been absent offensively in the playoffs. Only two depth forwards (Connor Brown and Adam Henrique) chipped in multiple points against the Stars. The murky injury status of Evander Kane, who's stuck in a seven-game goal drought, doesn't inspire confidence that he can solve this outage.

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Narrow Game 7 wins by the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars finalized the NHL's second-round playoff matchups. These key questions will influence what happens in the next phase of the Stanley Cup chase.

Florida Panthers
Can Barkov and Forsling put clamps on Pastrnak?

Florida scores and defends as well as anyone. The Panthers boast strong goaltending and special teams. On paper, they're much scarier opponents than the Bruins.

If the Panthers lose this series, it'll be because Sergei Bobrovsky gets outdueled by Jeremy Swayman; they can't convert on the power play (special-teams performance can be so hard to predict series to series); and/or they can't contain David Pastrnak, who's fresh off scoring in overtime of a Game 7.

Pastrnak is the element the Panthers have the most control over, and Florida has the personnel to limit him. No. 1 center Aleksander Barkov and No. 1 defenseman Gustav Forsling did a masterful job of holding Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov to three five-on-five assists in the opening round. The Panthers' shutdown guys excel at knowing when to defend a star forward with brute physicality and when to use hockey IQ and stick work. They can frustrate stars to no end.

That said, Pastrnak shouldn't be discouraged entering Round 2. The Czech sniper scored five times in seven games in last year's Florida-Boston series, and the underlying data slanted heavily towards the Bruins during Pastrnak's five-on-five shifts. Florida will look to flip the script this time.

Boston Bruins
Can Coyle and Zacha make a significant impact?

An interesting stat circulated on social media a couple of weeks ago: The Bruins' top centers, Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha, combined for 119 points in the regular season, which was five points clear of the combined total from the top centers in 2022-23, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

Impressive, right?

Perhaps, but some context helped dispel the idea that the Bruins don't miss Bergeron and Krejci. The score was 101-76 when Boston's top centers were on the ice at five-on-five this year. Last year: 104-52. Sorry, the duo with a 67% goal rate is more impactful than the 57% one.

The first round offered additional context, as Coyle and Zacha failed to contribute anything meaningful. The Bruins were 1-2 with a 47% expected goals rate in Coyle's five-on-five shifts, and 3-4 with a 44% expected goals rate in Zacha's. The centers combined for zero goals, four assists, 12 shots on goal, 13 blocked shots, 49 hits, five minor penalties, and a 45% faceoff win rate.

That's not nearly good enough. Boston's forward group isn't deep, and the Bruins need Coyle and Zacha to step up.

New York Rangers
Will elite special teams provide edge?

Despite rocking similar five-on-five scoring rates, the Rangers and Hurricanes generate offense differently. Carolina's a forecheck team that dominates territorially, and New York's a rush team that only needs a few grade A scoring chances to convert thanks to its sharpshooters.

Then there's special teams. Both clubs ranked in the top five in power-play scoring and penalty killing during the regular season, then continued to execute at a high level in Round 1. But does one team have a minor edge?

Yes - and it's the Rangers. This was the case before Game 1, and New York delivered in the opener by scoring early in two power-play opportunities.

A few factors tilt the scales. The Rangers have the better goalie (Frederik Andersen is playing well, but Igor Shesterkin's the superior netminder). Carolina's without one of its best penalty killers, injured defenseman Brett Pesce, until at least Game 3. And New York scored eight power-play goals in seven games the last time these teams faced off in the playoffs (2022 second round).

That final stat may seem a bit flimsy given the two-year gap and the fact that an overmatched Antti Raanta was in Carolina's net. However, New York's top unit has just one new member in Vincent Trocheck. He, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox look primed to terrorize the Canes once again.

Carolina Hurricanes
Can Svechnikov keep asserting himself?

The Hurricanes acquired Jake Guentzel ahead of the trade deadline to inject finishing ability into a forward group primarily consisting of playmakers and disrupters. To go on a deep playoff run, Carolina needs a buzzing Guentzel.

Equally important but not mentioned enough: Core members Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov must also drive the attack. Svechnikov, who missed the entirety of last season's run to the Eastern Conference Final due to injury, is especially important. He's a walking X-factor.

And, to Svechnikov's credit, he dominated in Round 1 against the Islanders.

The 24-year-old recorded a goal and four assists while finishing first on the Canes in shots on goal (15), tied for second in shot attempts (30), and second in hits (15). Built like a truck and welcoming of the emotional and physical chaos of playoff hockey, he put on a clinic for power forwards.

"It felt like every time he was on the ice he was a force. ... I thought he was our best player, really, throughout the five games," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said to sum up Svechnikov's performance.

Vancouver Canucks
Is best yet to come for Pettersson, Hughes?

Elias Pettersson's low shot count in the opening round - he put eight of 27 attempts on net - curbed his impact against the Predators. A bobbled pass in the waning minutes of a scoreless Game 6 reaffirmed that his timing and rhythm were off.

To Pettersson's credit, he prevented a clearance later in the shift, slickly sidestepped a check, and helped set up Pius Suter's series-clinching snipe. He had three assists in the matchup, but his goal drought reached nine games. Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller were more noticeable, opportunistic, and influential.

Nashville targeted Quinn Hughes for physical punishment, catching Vancouver's captain with a team-high 20 hits. He still produced five assists and set up Boeser's clutch Game 4 equalizer with a nifty puck retrieval and dangle. To beat the Oilers, Vancouver needs Hughes to dominate possession.

Three Canucks goalies won games in Round 1. They advanced when rookie Arturs Silovs manifested a 28-save shutout. No matter who's in net, dynamic performances from every star would make another triumph possible.

Edmonton Oilers
Will they break even at even strength?

Outrageously proficient on the power play, the Oilers also killed each penalty they took against the Kings. Over five games, the goal count was 13-13 at even strength and favored Edmonton 9-0 on special teams.

Connor McDavid versus a shorthanded defense is an unfair fight. Lethal shooters and an expert puck-tipper, Zach Hyman, surround the greatest passer in the sport. Edmonton's power play might cool, but there's no reason to think it'll crater. That means the Oilers just need to level the five-on-five battle.

The Hyman-McDavid-Adam Henrique top line heavily outchanced the Kings, while Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, and Dylan Holloway buried multiple goals. Defensively, the Oilers got burned by a few bad bounces and quick strikes off the counterattack, but Stuart Skinner (.910 save percentage, one shutout) enjoyed his best postseason round. So far, what's not to like?

Dallas Stars
Can they stop Colorado's whirlwind attack?

The Stars rallied to eliminate the Golden Knights while essentially deploying five defensemen. The No. 6 option, Nils Lundkvist, averaged 2:50 of ice time in Games 3-7. He was caught flat-footed and beaten to the net for an easy tap-in on Vegas' only goal of the rubber match.

To pick up the slack, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Chris Tanev shouldered major minutes. Tanev, a crucial trade addition, crushed his Stars playoff debut by helping them own 66.7% of high-danger shot attempts and 100% of goals (5-0) in his five-on-five shifts, per Natural Stat Trick. He neutralizes offense and instills calm.

Those qualities will be tested by the Avalanche, whose relentless pressure, applied on the forecheck and in transition, created crises for Vezina Trophy shoo-in Connor Hellebuyck. The Avs' 28 goals against the Jets were an NHL high through five playoff games since 1995, per Stathead. Eight Colorado skaters tallied a point per game or better. To avoid being blitzed, the Stars' go-to defensemen can't get fatigued or rattled.

Colorado Avalanche
Will heavy workload tax Georgiev?

Skeptics argue that Alexandar Georgiev led all goalies in wins this season because his team is a wagon.

Georgiev's .897 save percentage across 62 starts was a career low. Yet he won 38 games while receiving the most offensive goal support in the NHL, relaxing as the Avalanche potted 3.61 per 60 minutes.

That sounds luxurious, but Georgiev deserves credit for becoming a workhorse. Before joining Colorado, he averaged 26 appearances over five years as the backup to Rangers royalty - first Henrik Lundqvist, then Shesterkin. Over the past two seasons, only Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros spent more time in the crease than Georgiev. Counting the playoffs, he might have to cross the 82-game threshold to raise the Cup.

Georgiev shook off a disastrous beginning to the Jets series to record a .932 denial rate in Games 2-5. His next opponent, Dallas, creates and converts a lot of prime scoring opportunities. With another strong showing, Georgiev could dispel the notion that he's Colorado's most exploitable - and maybe only - weakness.

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"Come on over," Burns, then in his early 20s, told his boss.

Risebrough found out early on a tour of Burns' house that, yes, his young defenseman did in fact have an area sectioned off for snakes. Burns knew "everything" about the limbless reptiles and hired a local snake expert to care for them.

"This whole thing was the most organized zoo you've ever seen," Risebrough recently recalled with a laugh.

Risebrough's interest was piqued again when the tour led to three high-end bicycles. Burns explained how one was built for speed, another for climbing hills, and the third for paved roads. The GM's eyes widened further when he spotted multiple electric guitars upstairs - seriously?!

What made Burns remarkable then - and still to this day - is that his off-ice interests don't fully define him. He's far from a sideshow, winning the Norris Trophy in 2017 and finishing in the top three in voting two other times. Now a member of the Stanley Cup-contending Carolina Hurricanes, Burns hit 1,400 games played this past weekend. The 39-year-old ranks sixth among NHL defensemen in career shots on goal, 10th in goals scored, 14th in points, and 15th in games played.

Throughout the season, theScore tried to speak with Burns about his accomplished career, his personality, and his many interests, which fascinate teammates and fans alike.

"Do you understand why people think you're interesting?"

"No. No. I think, no. No, I don't," Burns said with a sheepish laugh.

This reflection came at the end of a three-minute walk and talk from the visitor's locker room at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena to the Hurricanes' team bus. His answers were short, and it's an understatement to say he's reluctant to talk about himself.

That's not true about those who know him, though. We asked almost 20 people who've been around Burns throughout his hockey journey to explain and describe what makes him unique. As Alex Stalock, a former San Jose Sharks teammate, put it, "I'll always have endless things to say about him."

(Note: Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.)

'He's always playing so aggressive'

Burns has long been viewed as a rover because of his playing style. He helped revolutionize shots from the point, favoring half-slap shots, snap shots, and wrist shots over full-windup slap shots before his peers did. Burns' 64.5 mph average shot speed this season is in the 90th percentile across the league.

Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes teammate: Pretty much every shot comes off his stick hard.

Doug Wilson, former Sharks GM: His snapshot from the point is as powerful as most slap shots.

Micheal Haley, Sharks: In hockey, we say, "Put it in your pocket." His pocket, apparently, is huge. Whether his arms are extended, whether the puck is closer to his feet, he has the ability to get it off so quickly and with such power.

Brenden Dillon, Sharks: We'd always joke in San Jose that he didn't have a safety on his hockey stick. That thing was shooting no matter where the puck was on his stick.

Stalock: Leaving the rink, there were some days when your collarbone was sore because he wasn't holding back when he shot. When he scored, everybody in the rink knew. He'd come up to me after practice and, in classic Burnzie fashion, he'd be like, "You know you're not playing dodgeball, right? You know you're trying to stop the puck?"

Risebrough: Back then, it was slap shots, half-slap shots. Nobody was wristing the puck from the blue line. Nobody. Only Burnzie. It was because of the velocity and the quickness. And now, how many guys take a slap shot from the point? Nobody does anymore. They're all wristers.

Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: He has a very powerful shot for a guy with a short release. From the same position, he can do a shot-pass where he's looking for your stick. Sometimes, you read him and deflect or tip the puck. Sometimes it's luck, where you're in the right place at the right time. It's good to be aware when he's out there, because you know it's coming.

Paul Martin, Sharks: He's the best I've seen as far as getting pucks through to the net.

Todd Reirden, Houston Aeros (AHL): If the puck is coming from low to high in the offensive zone, he has the ability to one-time pucks or change shot lanes to wrist pucks through.

Stalock: He can pick the puck up off the wall and shoot it in one motion. Him and (former Sharks teammate Joe) Pavelski had such a unique chemistry, with him finding his stick in the slot.

Jari Byrski, longtime offseason skills coach: I built these custom boards so that when you pass off of them, the puck is coming to you in different locations. Almost from the beginning, we didn't practice the perfect pass or shot. Then he worked on quickly adjusting the body and releasing the puck.

Matt Irwin, Sharks: It's a rare combination of skills that he has. Some people might have the size but not the skating, or the skating but not the size, or not the hands and the shot to go with all that. He's got the whole package.

Risebrough: You can really get the wrong impression of Brent in some ways. He plays this enthusiastic game. He does unusual things because of his athletic ability and can recover because of his skating ability. He looks a little bit undisciplined, so to speak. But he's not that way at all. He's super focused on whatever he is doing.

Several interviewees noted how Burns' offensive exploits overshadow his strong defensive work.

Kurtis Foster, Wild: One thing as a defenseman that's tough to do is play super aggressive. A lot of guys are worried about getting beat all the time. I watched Burnzie play the other night. In Year 20, he doesn't hold back.

Dillon: If he's going to pinch, he's all-in. If he gaps up on a forward, he's all-in. If he's going to the corner to get into a physical battle, he's all-in. Combine that with being 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. His long stick. As a defenseman, you appreciate how hard it is to play against a big guy like that.

Reirden: He's like Chris Pronger in terms of how (Pronger) used his stick and the range and ability he had to cover large amounts of space on the ice.

Nick Schultz, Wild: For those guys who play so many minutes, your positioning is so important. I think a lot of that came from having Jacques Lemaire as a coach earlier in his career. Being a recent expansion team, we had to play well defensively. Stick positioning was big - where you were on the rink and taking away passing lanes.

Martin: By the end of my time in San Jose, he was a shutdown D-man. He gets attention for being an offensive defenseman. Maybe he doesn't get the recognition as a solid, shutdown defender.

Wilson: He took great pride in competing and trying to stop the other team's top players. I don't think he gets enough credit for that.

Martin: Sometimes he will run outside the dots or make a risky defensive play you don't expect. But more often than not, he ends the play early by causing a turnover.

Foster: Everything has a thought and a reason why he's doing it. He won't necessarily crush guys, but he's always playing so aggressive that guys don't have time to make a play.

Haley: As a coach now in junior, I reference aspects he brings. A lot of times with the D, I'll say: If you guys turn on a Carolina game, you can hear Burnzie calling with his little Tarzan scream when he wants the puck.

Slavin: He talks a lot off the ice - and doesn't stop talking when he's on the ice. He's always trying to help me out.

Martin: Heck, I think the whole rink could hear him call for the puck. He's always hooting and hollering.

Slavin: Sometimes he's talking, and sometimes he's yipping like a coyote. It depends on what mood he's in.

Martin: Sometimes I had to be like, "Hey, quit yelling! I know you're over there."

'He could have played either position'

A multipositional, late-blooming skater out of the Toronto area, Burns spent his NHL draft season as a member of the Brampton Battalion. He began the 2002-03 Ontario Hockey League season far down the lineup.

Stan Butler, Battalion coach: My thought process was simple: It's hard to find good right wingers. Big kid, good hands, can skate well. Why not right wing?

Adam Henrich, Battalion: His story's actually amazing. He was on the fourth line. Our team was pretty good, and then we had a lot of injuries going into the playoffs. He jumped onto the first or second line. When you talk about making the most of an opportunity, that's what this kid did.

Butler: People thought he might go in the second or third round.

Risebrough: The debate I had with the chief scout was why we should pick him high. He said, "Athletic. Tall. I don't know if he's going to get heavier, but he has great skating ability." There was a brief mention about him formerly playing defense, in the context of, if there's something you don't like about him as a forward, it's probably teachable.

Butler: Then, as the biggest surprise of all, he makes the NHL as an 18-year-old right winger.

Foster: What gave him the ability to stick as such a young guy and play both roles was his skating power. He was a big man who could really move, and he had this confidence with the puck. He wasn't afraid to make a mistake.

Risebrough: He was playing forward for us and he was doing alright. We were happy with him. Big, strong guy going up and down the wings. We were near the end of the season and our team wasn't going to make the playoffs. We had an injury on defense. You'd normally call somebody up, but our minor-league team was right in the playoff hunt. I'm thinking, "Am I going to take the best defenseman off their team before a critical game?"

Risebrough discussed the issue with Lemaire. "Well, don't call anybody up, I'll just put Burnzie on defense," Lemaire told the GM - and that, right there, was the catalyst for a permanent role.

Risebrough: Jacques didn't even know about the history of Brent's time on defense. He just assessed the player and figured he should put Burnzie on defense. And he was great. At the end of the year, Jacques said, "We should think about keeping this guy on defense. He'll develop more because of the minutes he's going to play." It's history now.

Though Burns has been a D-man for the majority of his NHL career, he occasionally subbed in at forward over his 11-year run with the Sharks and rarely, if ever, looked out of place.

Wilson: The only reason we moved him up is he had an injury at the time. He had trouble pivoting and had to get his groin and hip area fixed. He wanted to keep playing. He didn't want to let the team down. But he could have played either position. There are very few guys who could do it to the level he does.

Schultz: He's just a versatile player. He can skate. He can be physical. He can handle pucks. He has a little bit of everything.

Byrski: I always saw him as a defenseman because of his mobility, size, agility, demeanor, personality, passion.

Scott Hannan, Sharks: You look at how he plays on the blue line and the aggressiveness he portrays. He pinches a lot. He's in people's faces. That allowed him to play forward with the same type of mentality.

Foster: He made stuff happen that left you speechless on the bench. I remember there was a game where he had a shootout goal. He did a move like Pavel Datsyuk. We were all blown away.

Few players switch from forward to defense as young pros. Even fewer dominate for decades at that new position. In his late 30s, Burns continues to log serious minutes (21:46 per night). He's played in 830 consecutive games, tying him with Andrew Cogliano for seventh on the all-time ironman leaderboard.

Haley: When I think of ironmen like Burnzie and Keith Yandle and Patty Marleau - guys I played with - it's their conditioning. Burnzie likes to try different stuff. He's not always conventional. He likes to do a lot of grappling. He's always stretching. He's doing Pilates. He's always taking care of his body.

Tomas Hertl, Sharks: I can say the same thing about Jumbo (Joe Thornton), Marleau, Pavs. They do massages. They work out every day. They try to eat healthy. You need some luck to avoid big injuries. All of these guys did everything to be in great shape and play in the league for a long time.

Stalock: At his house in San Jose, he had a facility in his backyard that had a sauna, cold tub, therapy room, gym.

Devan Dubnyk, Sharks: He's very methodical in his routine.

Stalock: People see him at 7 p.m. every night. He's the finished product then. They probably think he must be blessed with talent, which he is. But every day he's shooting a couple hundred extra pucks, scooting around, and getting better at whatever he wants to get better at on the ice.

Butler: He's right up there with another defenseman I coached a long time ago in Prince George of the Western League: Zdeno Chara, who's running marathons now. Both of those guys, I don't want to say they're "freaks of nature," but you know what I mean.

Wilson: Elite-level fitness. Nobody trains harder than him. And then his toughness and fortitude. He was like Jumbo and Marleau: He didn't want to miss games. Their love for the game is they didn't want to let their teammates down.

Schultz: Anybody who's played understands how much of a grind it is to play an 82-game season. In San Jose, they had good teams and played deep into the playoffs a lot of years. That's a lot of miles on the body.

Haley: It's not like he's playing on the outside. He's a D-man who's bumping and grinding. He plays with his body, blocking shots.

Hertl: The best leadership he shows is his work ethic.

Aho: He's an older guy who's gone through a lot in his career, and yet he's still one of the first guys out there for practice.

Dillon: It's insane. This is a guy who plays 25-plus minutes a night. He plays against the other team's top line. D-zone. O-zone. A physical guy. He's really checking all the boxes. For him to stay as healthy as he's been, that's a tribute to how he takes care of himself.

'So childish in a good way'

Not many NHLers would pose naked alongside a teammate for a magazine photoshoot. Or cheerfully refer to themselves as a "goofy donkey." Or, in a crazy turn, find themselves fighting off a biting cheetah during a special behind-the-scenes zoo experience on a day off on the road. But that's Burnzie, a character known to amuse and befuddle teammates and coaches.

Dubnyk: Our first day, we were in Scottsdale, Arizona, for training camp. Everyone's showing up at different times. Burnzie had driven there. He's set up in the parking lot. He's got a Traeger grill in the back of his truck. He's sitting on a lawn chair smoking meat. That was Day 1 of camp. He'd ride his bike to the rink. A lot of quirky stuff.

Foster: He's got a magnetism about him. Guys gravitate toward him. He really can be a guy in a dressing room (who) everybody respects and wants to be around.

Hannan: He's messing around with you all the time. He's such a character in the room.

Dillon: I sat beside him for six years. In the morning, he'd talk about the politics from the night before or the basketball game or the football game or the hockey highlights. We had so many things that we were able to chat about.

Stalock: He didn't change his personality at the rink or away from the rink. Brent Burns is Brent Burns 365 days a year.

Wilson: He was just real. Every day, I'd walk into the building and I'd hear Burnzie and Jumbo. The energy, it was almost childlike.

Stalock: Their voices carried, and it just put a smile on your face. You can go through bag skates, you can get yelled at by coaches, but if you have a tight group that likes to have fun, you can get through those trying times. And, of course, when you're winning, it makes everything so much better.

Schultz: He's probably one of the most interesting guys you'll ever talk to or come across.

Slavin: But he's also one of the nicest. He truly cares about all of the guys. He wants what's best for everybody.

Stalock: What I found from him that I try to impress on young guys is to be yourself. Don't try to be anything that you're not. That's one thing Brent has such a good feel for. He is who he is. What you see is what you get. There's 23 different personalities in a locker room, so to go into a room and feel like you can be yourself and act like a kid at times but also be a professional, to me, as a young pro, it was very refreshing to see.

Burns is restless and insatiably curious. He reads, surfs, cycles, camps, and noodles on the guitar. Other passions include knives, pirates, reptiles, tattoos, wine, pizza, and the military. Friends struggle to keep track of his hobbies.

Stalock: Oh, God. There's 100.

Dillon: I lived at his house for four months while his wife was renovating my condo. I got to see in-depth the everyday life of the Burns family. Karate. Cold tubbing and (a) sauna in his backyard. Pool days. Video games. There wasn't an activity that we didn't cover together.

Schultz: One summer, he traveled around in his six-wheel camper and was riding his bike out of the back. He's open to anything.

Dillon: You'd tell him, "Hey, we're going to golf as a team tomorrow." He's like, "Ah, I haven't golfed in over a year." He'd come out and have the best clubs, the best outfit, a hilarious get-up, and he'd shoot really well.

Byrski: When he commits his interest in something, there's no halfway through it. He'll get down to the core.

Dillon: It was similar with martial arts. How much can a guy who plays hockey for a living really know about it? But we'd be joking around on the trampoline with the kids, and then he'd have me in a headlock in the backyard on the grass with our shirts off.

Haley: Our soccer warmups were intense. I was a fighter, but most of my bruises came from soccer balls to the head. You couldn't do anything with Burnzie that doesn't turn into a competitive game.

Slavin: He loves to learn. He loves to have fun. He loves to grow as a person.

Wilson: He's fascinated by things. He's accomplished a lot of different things in his life that you wouldn't say would be typical of a hockey guy.

Dubnyk: I'd sit on the stationary bike with him after the game and ask him questions about the ranch he has in Texas. He's got zebras and wildebeests.

Irwin: He seems to have an unbelievable setup with exotic animals. Things you wouldn't think you would have as a pet, so to speak. I'm not quite sure if "pet" is the right term.

Dillon: Most people on their off day watch TV shows. He's looking up what new animal he wants to get for his ranch.

Hannan: You'd talk to him about what he has to do to feed and breed them to help the livestock maintain stability. It's amazing, the depth at which he goes into it.

Wilson: We got him a special gift (two antelopes) for his 1,000th game. It was the first time we bought an animal for a player to celebrate 1,000 games.

Foster: He had a little Komodo dragon (at his Minnesota home) at one point. He was feeding it different animals. It made going to visit suspenseful and interesting.

Henrich: Guys in the OHL would go to movies. Burnzie would go home and read "Harry Potter." Now he's into snakes. He beat his own drum, which I respected.

Foster: You know what's funny? All the pictures and videos I see of him now, he always has an Army backpack. I don't know what he's got in it.

Stalock: I'm sure he has all of his rehab tools in his bag. He never let us take a peek in there.

Irwin: It was a mystery, always. When I was in San Jose, it was a big, green camo backpack. I know he had a coffee machine. A foam roller.

Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes: No matter the road trip - like, if you go to New York for one day - he has six luggage bags. He's got his coffee machine. He's got his blender.

Stalock: We sat close to each other on the plane. The seat next to him was for his luggage. We'd be flying somewhere close - to L.A. or something - and he'd walk up with the fruit tray from the back. Guys would be playing cards, and all of a sudden, you'd hear the grind: Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr. You look over and Burnzie's blending a smoothie in his seat. It's like, "You have to be kidding me! What do you have in that bag?"

Jarvis: He's got bags I can probably fit in. I don't even want to know what's in there. Yeah, he's a character.

Haley: A giant, hairy kid. His outlook on life is so childish in a good way. I think that's played a huge part in his longevity and why he's so good at his age. He loves to play the game of hockey and games in general.

Risebrough: He gets personal satisfaction in the process of doing things, not just the end result. Some people who are detail-oriented can drive you crazy because they're so intense and they want everything in a perfect way. Burnzie's not like that. There's a detail element, but he's doing it with a spirit of improvement and enjoyment.

Irwin: He's interested in so many things outside of hockey. It makes him a unique individual you want to be around. You want to hear the stories. You want to have an ear to the ground on what makes Burnzie tick.

Burns' hairiness is iconic. Fans can spot his bushy beard from the nosebleeds. His eccentric look, intensified by a wide gap in his teeth, is symbolic of his goofiness and rugged playing style.

Hannan: When you look at that, you're like, "That's a hockey player."

Risebrough: He looks like an unkempt bed.

Foster: Everybody knows who he is because of the beard and the teeth.

Dubnyk: That's him in a nutshell. Missing teeth and the big beard, it fits his personality. He's always smiling and making jokes.

Hannan: He's such a big personality and guy. The beard became a persona. Almost like a superhero.

Dubnyk: It's really weird to see a picture of him early on in Minnesota with no facial hair.

Dillon: After we went to the Cup Final in 2016, he'd been growing that beard for two months in the playoff run. Maybe Mrs. Burns was a big fan. He kept it as a lifestyle beard.

Dubnyk: I don't know if he'll ever get rid of it. His kids would probably cry if he shaved it off. They'd think he's a different person.

Foster: He looks scary with the big beard, but he's the farthest thing from it.

Hannan: He's a guy who takes the day as it comes. He has a lot of energy and zest for life. That was contagious with the Sharks.

Butler: When I watch him now, he's the same person he was when he was 17, minus a few tattoos and a lot less hair on his head.

Stalock: He's got the hair that changes every year. With Brent, something that hasn't changed in 20 years is his love of not only the game, but also his teammates. Every teammate from Minnesota to San Jose to Carolina would say how incredible a person he is. It extends to his family, too.

Foster: He's a family man who cares about other people. My older boys are 12 and 10. They love the NHL. When they have friends over, it's one thing they show them right away: "Look who sent us a Christmas card!" They're like, "Oh, my God. Why does Brent Burns send you a Christmas card?" It shows how good he and his wife, Susan, are. We were lucky to call them friends for a long time.

Schultz: Most kids, you're a byproduct of your parents. Burnzie's mom and dad are wonderful people. I remember his dad coming into the Xcel Energy Center during practice. His dad was running stairs with a black leather Minnesota Wild bomber jacket on. Absolutely leaking.

Slavin: His dad came to the rink as he was settling in here in Raleigh. His dad's sitting there riding the bike in the workout room. He's got his headphones on and he's air-drumming the heck out of that bike. I guess he's a drummer? So he was just at home. He was having a concert there by himself.

Dillon: He loves his family so much. The time he puts in at home with his two daughters and son, I feel like he's there as much as he possibly can be.

Henrich: You look at a video of his 10-year-old son's team in Carolina. He went on the ice, wore his full equipment from the NHL, and was doing the drills with them. I started laughing because most guys wouldn't do that.

Slavin: Two summers ago, his boy Jagger was with us, and we're out there during one of the captain's skates. We're working on tipping pucks. Jagger gets in front of the net, and I'm thinking Burnzie will just float them into him. No, he ripped them as hard as he would have if Jordan Staal was standing in front of the net.

Haley: He only has one speed, and it's "go."

Slavin: Jagger got in front of one shot in the wrong way, and it hit him right in the private parts. You're thinking, "Oh, man, here come the tears." But Jagger just popped back up and was like, "Gimme more!" That's exactly how Burnzie would react, too. He plays through everything. He just grinds.

'Lots of hockey left in him'

Burns, the NHL's third-oldest defenseman, is the only active skater who debuted before the 2004-05 lockout. A championship still eludes him. Deep postseason runs with the 2016 Sharks (reached Cup Final), 2019 Sharks (lost in West final), and 2023 Hurricanes (swept in East final) didn't deliver the ultimate prize.

Wilson: When we acquired him, I said, "Brent, there's a couple of goals we have for you. One is to win a Stanley Cup and one is to win a Norris Trophy." He's won the Norris Trophy. I wanted to see Jumbo and Patty and Burnzie win because of everything they've done for the game.

Martin: 100%. He'd be at the top of the list. Pavelski is another one. As far as guys who I played with and enjoy watching, Brent definitely has earned the right to raise the Cup.

Risebrough: A lot of good players don't get that moment. A lot of them are in the Hall of Fame. Ray Bourque played how many years, and then finally got the Stanley Cup. You hope it happens. But it can't overshadow what you've accomplished throughout your career.

Reirden: He's going to be remembered as one of the most physically gifted defensemen to play in this era. He's opened the eyes of the NHL in terms of creating offense from the blue line. You see that in the up-and-coming defensemen who are high-end offensively, whether we're talking about Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes. One person who started that transition was Brent Burns.

Hannan: I think it's going to be harder to reproduce his longevity moving forward. The game's gotten faster and quicker. You get to a certain age and it's hard to keep playing in the league, let alone contribute at a high level. Obviously, he's a physical specimen.

Wilson: He's got lots of hockey left in him.

Dubnyk: He's still one of the best defensemen in the league. There's no reason he won't continue to play.

Henrich: I did the same training as him in junior. Burnzie would stay on the ice for five hours to do drills he was taught. If you love hockey and stick with it and don't let your position in the lineup or external things bother you, Burnzie's a good indication that anyone can have an opportunity to make it.

Stalock: There are people who shape you and steer you in the right direction as a young pro, as far as what's acceptable and how to have a long career, and Brent's one of those players.

Martin: I enjoyed my time with Brent. I was fortunate to play with Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Kris Letang, Brian Rafalski - a lot of really good defensemen. That's probably why I got to play for as long as I did. (Laughs) He's up there with some of the best to ever lace 'em up.

Hannan: I like to tell the story of the last game of my career. It enveloped everything. We had a lot of camaraderie. In the last game I played in the NHL, we were going back behind the net. I was yelling at him, "Time! Time! Time!" He thought I said, "Man on!" He turned, ripped the puck out of the zone, and accidentally hit me in the face.

Stalock: There were so many Burnzie stories where you're just like, "What the hell are you doing?" There's story after story with that guy.

Hannan: I had a goal in that (last) game from Burnzie passing me the puck back door for a tip-in. After the game, he and his wife called me on FaceTime. There were always jokes about the size of my head. He was like, "I can't believe I missed that thing." I'm like, "Burnzie, you cracked my orbital bone in three spots!" His wife starts punching him in the arm and calling him an idiot. He starts laughing.

Haley: He's a 6-foot-5 sasquatch, but he's like a child.

Hannan: That's the type of guy he is: He wanted to call me right afterward and see how I was doing because I was at the hospital. We still had that goofiness. That was my last year in the league. I got a chance to play with Burnzie and that brought a lot of joy to the game for me.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer.

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Stanley Cup race has been winnowed to four teams. The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final (Game 1 goes Thursday) as the Vegas Golden Knights square off with the Dallas Stars for Western supremacy (series starts Friday). Expect these key players, two per squad, to influence who emerges from Round 3.

Note: Statistics are updated through the second round. Tracking data is courtesy of Sportlogiq.

Jonathan Marchessault

Marchessault, the Golden Knights' franchise leader in goals and points, didn't score for seven games to open the playoffs, despite firing 23 pucks on net.

Bound to get rewarded, he bagged five goals on 23 shots over the next four outings. Marchessault's natural hat trick in the Round 2 clincher, which extinguished the Edmonton Oilers, showcased his wicked release and willingness to storm the crease.

Every Vegas forward line can attack with speed, strike off the cycle, and expose the opposing defense's vulnerabilities. The top trio - Jack Eichel between Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev - is the tip of the spear. Edmonton got outscored 7-1 in this combo's five-on-five shifts, according to Natural Stat Trick. Marchessault leads Vegas and ranks in the top 10 league-wide in slot shots, scoring chances off the rush, and individual expected goals.

Marchessault is one of six holdovers from the Golden Misfits expansion team that stunned the sport by surging to the 2018 Cup Final. He's delivered six multi-goal efforts in the playoffs since that year, the third-most in the NHL in the span, per Stathead. The chances he generates and finishes might lift Vegas to victory in another monumental game.

Adin Hill

Laurent Brossoit's injury could have sunk Vegas last round. Instead, the opposite happened.

Hill - one of five netminders the Golden Knights have deployed in 2022-23 - replaced Brossoit partway through Game 3 and sparkled from that moment onward. Hill recorded a .934 save percentage against Edmonton, and he stopped 5.56 goals above expected, per Evolving Hockey.

The former Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks backup compiled a .915 save percentage over 27 appearances for Vegas in the regular season. Shelved in March with a lower-body ailment, the Oilers series was Hill's first action in two months. He celebrated his 27th birthday last week by starting in the playoffs for the first time.

Logan Thompson remains out with a lower-body injury. Jonathan Quick, the aging former Conn Smythe Trophy winner, was one of the NHL's shakiest goalies this season. Despite his inexperience, Hill is the Golden Knights' best healthy option. They can win the West if his sterling play persists.

Miro Heiskanen

Cut on the cheek by an errant deflection, Heiskanen rocked a face shield for most of Dallas' seven-game slugfest with the Seattle Kraken.

Figuratively if not literally, Heiskanen looked fine. He skated for more than 30 minutes in Games 4 and 7, even though neither contest went to overtime. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard is the only other player who's done that in regulation this spring.

The Stars lean on Heiskanen in all situations. He tops the playoffs in average ice time at even strength (23:33) and overall (28:15). Trailing Bouchard, Heiskanen ranks second among NHL blue-liners with nine assists and seven power-play points. No defenseman has won more puck battles at five-on-five than Heiskanen. He's also first at the position in blocked passes, third in stick checks, and seventh in zone denials, spoiling chances before they materialize.

A grizzled vet at 23 years old, Heiskanen has competed in 60 playoff games over five years. He's absorbed more hits - 61, or 4.69 per night - than any player in this postseason, per Natural Stat Trick. Heiskanen's stamina will be tested when he and 38-year-old partner Ryan Suter are tapped to contain the Marchessault line.

Max Domi

Patrick Kane - Domi's former Chicago Blackhawks teammate - changed squads at the trade deadline. Timo Meier, Ryan O'Reilly, and Vladimir Tarasenko all joined prospective Cup contenders, as well. Ultimately, Domi outproduced each of these marquee acquisitions when it counted.

Domi was Chicago's top scorer when Dallas dealt for him in March, trading Anton Khudobin and a second-round pick. He's driven offense in the playoffs in a complementary role. Domi's 11 points have all come at even strength, tying him for the league lead in that phase with the likes of Florida's Matthew Tkachuk.

Domi intercepted a breakout pass and continually moved the puck up ice to assist three Joe Pavelski goals in the Kraken series opener. He sniped to the top corner and hustled to score into an empty net in Game 4. Domi also snapped back 57.1% of his draws across Rounds 1 and 2 to help Dallas lead the postseason in faceoff percentage.

Jason Robertson, the Stars' perennial 40-goal man, didn't find the back of the net against Seattle and only has two playoff tallies. But Roope Hintz has racked up nine goals, and Pavelski has eight. Slightly down the lineup, Domi's breakout has heightened Dallas' offensive ceiling.

Sergei Bobrovsky

This is the Panthers' first conference final appearance since 1996. It's also unfamiliar territory for 34-year-old Bobrovsky, a historically up-and-down goalie who won the Vezina Trophy twice in his 20s but in his 30s has failed to live up to a mammoth contract. But "Bob" has been fantastic in the postseason.

Bobrovsky, who took over the crease after Game 3 of the first round, boasts a .920 save percentage in 10 contests. His goals saved above expected rate (0.21 per 60 minutes) ranks second among the 15 goalies with at least six games played. The Russian's signature outing so far: Game 2 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he turned aside 35 of 37 shots, including a handful of grade-A looks.

Carolina presents a different challenge than the Maple Leafs or New York Islanders. The Hurricanes rely on a relentless forecheck, launch shots from all areas of the offensive zone, and have made a habit of capitalizing on opponents' turnovers by counterstriking quickly off the rush. This smothering style could be trouble for Bobrovsky, who struggles with rebound control.

Sam Reinhart

The Panthers tend to keep Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov apart during five-on-five action. Why? The team's best players can each drive their own line.

Reinhart fills the same catalyst role on a highly effective third line alongside a pair of Finns - center Anton Lundell and left winger Eetu Luostarinen. Somewhat quietly, the ultra-smart Reinhart is tied for the team lead with six playoff goals.

Luostarinen-Lundell-Reinhart has won on the scoreboard (4-1 edge in goals) and territorially (3.7-2.8 expected goals) through 94 five-on-five minutes. The line's generated 11 scoring chances off the cycle, the most among Florida trios and fifth-most overall. The chemistry was palpable on the Game 3 overtime goal against Toronto, as Luostarinen set a pick for Reinhart on the zone entry, Reinhart rimmed the puck to Lundell for a give-and-go, and Reinhart finished with a wraparound. Game 2's 2-1 goal played out similarly.

Reinhart didn't appear in a single playoff game for Buffalo over his first seven NHL seasons. Now he's up to 22 after arriving in Florida via trade in 2021. An excellent two-way winger, the 27-year-old is hiding in plain sight on the Panthers' depth chart - a star in the bottom six. He's an East final X-factor.

Brent Burns

"We love to chuck a good biscuit on net," Burns said moments after the Hurricanes clinched a second-round series win over the New Jersey Devils.

It was a perfect soundbite from the eccentric and electric defenseman.

Burns is a true reflection of Carolina's blue line, which contributed 59 goals in 82 regular-season games for a league-high 22.5% of the team's offense. In 11 playoff contests, the group of large defensemen has pitched in another seven.

Burns, who scored 18 goals while appearing in every regular-season game, has two tallies in the playoffs. He ranks first and second among blue-liners in shot attempts (101) and shots on goal (42). He's fired a shot on target from the perimeter 37 times and from the slot five times. Carolina's team-wide breakdown probably follows a similar pattern - more quantity than quality.

Put another way, the Canes' defensemen are heavily involved in the club's shot-happy attack. And Burns, acquired with salary retention last offseason from San Jose for an underwhelming package, is the straw that stirs the drink.

Jordan Staal

The East final matchup pits an offensive team (the Panthers) against a defensive team (Hurricanes). That contrast will be especially apparent during Staal's shifts, as he'll be tasked with neutralizing either Tkachuk or Barkov.

Staal, listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, is one of the strongest players in the NHL. This helps him win faceoffs (53.4% success rate over his career) and, more crucially shift to shift, frustrate opponents. Just ask Jack Hughes, who Staal schooled at even strength in the second round to the tune of a 4-0 edge in goals, 47-25 edge in shot attempts, and 6-1 edge in inner-slot shots.

Of course, the Panthers' stars aren't carbon copies of Hughes. Tkachuk's a 6-foot-2 agitating power winger, and Barkov's a 6-foot-3 cerebral distributor at center. Both of them are capable of pushing back against Staal's strength.

There's also a Staal family storyline. Jordan's brothers Marc and Eric will suit up for Florida, albeit in depth roles. The Thunder Bay, Ontario-based family - which crazily had a fourth brother, Jared, make the NHL - surely will be torn.

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The New Jersey Devils prevailed in Game 7 on Monday night to become the eighth and final team to win a first-round playoff series. These questions, one per Stanley Cup contender, will shape what happens in Round 2 once the puck drops Tuesday.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Can 'The Factor' be an X-factor?

Ryan "The Factor" O'Reilly was brought in at the trade deadline to add another weapon to the Maple Leafs' center position, help shut down opposing top lines, and assume the daily been-there-done-that role within the dressing room.

O'Reilly's importance to Toronto's success will rise as the postseason progresses, and Leaf fans hope the right O'Reilly shows up to start Round 2.

The 32-year-old was an X-factor to start the first round. He triggered a mini-comeback in Game 1. He scored the game-tying goal with a minute left in regulation, then won an offensive-zone faceoff to earn the primary assist on the overtime marker in Game 3. He forced a turnover ahead of the opening goal, then won the O-zone faceoff before the tying goal in Game 4.

O'Reilly was far less impactful to close out the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He went pointless in the final three games and posted brutal underlying numbers, including an 11.7% expected goals rate at five-on-five in Game 5. He generated zero offense and lost 11 of 13 draws in Game 6.

While there's a chance O'Reilly continues to sputter, the smart money's on O'Reilly bouncing back. This is a Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup winner who seemingly never gets rattled. When he's on his game, he does just about everything right when he doesn't have the puck. He finds ways to contribute.

Florida Panthers
Can Florida stay out of the box?

The Panthers took the most minor penalties out of any team in the regular season and then tied the Devils for most minors in the first round with 32.

Facing a physical opponent in the Boston Bruins over the maximum number of games definitely skewed the numbers. Plus, it's hard to argue with the on-ice results, especially since some of the Panthers' top guys - Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour - tend to perform best when physicality's ratcheted up. Case in point: Tkachuk paired 109 points (tied for sixth in the NHL) with 123 penalty minutes (tied for fourth) during the regular season.

Series win or not, averaging 4.6 minors a game is an unsustainable brand of hockey. It'll eventually come back to haunt them. It's fine if the Panthers' identity is soaked in battle-hardened grit, but controlling the sticks would go a long way; 20 of the 32 infractions were trips, slashes, cross-checks, hooks, and high sticks.

Boston capitalized on 11 of its 27 power-play opportunities for a killer 40.6% rate. Florida can't give Toronto's power play, which ranked second in the regular season and boasted a 28.6% rate in the first round, that many chances to heat up.

Carolina Hurricanes
Who'll generate offense?

The Hurricanes are the most predictable team in the playoffs - and possibly the entire NHL. They don't cut corners in the work-ethic department. They backcheck and forecheck like crazy. They control the game by funneling a ton of pucks on net from virtually any spot on the ice and by stopping the opposition from doing the same. And they do all of these things very well.

Even if all goes according to plan, though, the Hurricanes need to score goals.

Against the New York Islanders in Round 1, Carolina potted 2.67 goals per game, the third-lowest rate among the eight remaining playoff teams. They also sat seventh in "quality chances," according to Sportlogiq. (The metric counts only grade A and B scoring opportunities, filtering out grade Cs.)

The Canes addressed a lack of finishing talent in the offseason with the acquisition of six-time 30-goal scorer Max Pacioretty. But Pacioretty's been hurt all year, fellow sniper Andrei Svechnikov has been sidelined since March, and neither is expected back in the playoffs. Losing Teuvo Teravainen in the Isles series was another bit of bad luck; he's out indefinitely after undergoing hand surgery.

Indeed, the forward group has been decimated by injury. It wouldn't just be nice if offensive drivers Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Martin Necas received a helping hand from the likes of Stefan Noesen, Paul Stastny, Jesper Fast, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. They flat-out need goals from unlikely contributors.

New Jersey Devils
If Meier returns, can he end drought?

Timo Meier, the Devils' prized midseason acquisition, took a thunderous hit from Jacob Trouba in the third period of Monday's Game 7. He didn't play another shift but did return to the Devils' bench. Coach Lindy Ruff didn't have a postgame update on Meier's status, putting future availability in question.

If Meier isn't OK, New Jersey might be in trouble. If he's able to play, the Swiss forward can continue generating offense better than almost anyone in the postseason. Meier went nuts during five-on-five action in the first round, registering the most high-danger shot attempts (16), second-most total attempts (49) and expected goals (2.58), and third-most shots on goal (25).

You'll notice there's no mention of how many goals he scored. That's because somehow, after pumping multiple pucks at the net virtually every shift, Meier failed to slip a single puck past New York Rangers superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin. His goalless drought includes three regular-season games, too.

There's no doubt Meier's puck luck should turn sooner than later, particularly with the Hurricanes' goaltending tandem - Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen - casting a smaller shadow in the crease. Will Meier even suit up, though?

Vegas Golden Knights
Can Stone pull a Kucherov?

Acting within NHL rules, Vegas skirted the salary cap by activating Mark Stone from long-term injured reserve the moment the playoffs started. Stone was a minus-3 in his first game back from back surgery, then burned the Winnipeg Jets for three goals and eight points over four ensuing victories.

He produced like Nikita Kucherov, whose return from hip surgery in the 2021 postseason notoriously enabled the Tampa Bay Lightning to play "$18 million over the cap." Kucherov's league-high 32 points in 23 playoff contests sparked the Lightning to a second straight championship. Playing without him all regular season, Tampa Bay had amassed the NHL's eighth-best record.

The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division and put up 111 points, a franchise record, even though Stone was shelved from mid-January onward. He turbocharged Vegas' offense in Round 1. Beyond assisting on all four of linemate Chandler Stephenson's goals, Stone scored on a drive to the net and via multiple snipes from the high slot.

Availability is paramount at this time of year. Stone delivered against the Jets by skating for 20 minutes a night across all situations. Vegas outscored Winnipeg 8-1 in his five-on-five shifts from Game 2 onward, per Natural Stat Trick. Will he dominate a stronger Canadian opponent?

Edmonton Oilers
Can this power play be contained?

Edmonton's historically successful power play scored on 32.4% of its regular-season attempts. The Oilers made that proportion look paltry against the Los Angeles Kings. They scored on nine of 16 opportunities to capitalize at a whopping 56.3% rate.

The main quintet of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard produced eight of the goals. Bouchard picked up points on each tally by crushing shots from the blue line - one ricocheted in off of Hyman's chin - or deferring to the superstars on either side of him. McDavid's seam passes to the right flank teed up Draisaitl for one-timers, and the Edmonton captain scored twice himself from the left faceoff dot.

This will be a key battleground in Round 2. The Oilers didn't get many whistles against the Kings, drawing the second-fewest penalties per 60 minutes among Round 1 squads. The Golden Knights limited the Jets to 12 power-play tries, yet let in five goals in that phase. The shooting gallery will open whenever Vegas visits the box.

Dallas Stars
Is Hintz a budding Conn Smythe candidate?

Overshadowed by 109-point linemate Jason Robertson this season, Roope Hintz broke out in Round 1 by menacing the Minnesota Wild in every situation.

Hintz's eight points on special teams - he recorded seven on the power play and bagged a shorthanded breakaway goal - tie him with Bouchard for the postseason lead. At five-on-five, the Stars outscored the Wild 4-2 in Hintz's minutes and trailed 7-5 on aggregate when he sat. Hintz and Robertson clicked instantly with Tyler Seguin after Joe Pavelski's concussion midway through Game 1 forced head coach Peter DeBoer to shuffle his forward lines.

Hintz was Dallas' seventh-leading playoff scorer when the club rocketed to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Now he's an offensive linchpin. A speedster at 6-foot-3, Hintz leveled up as a shooter in the past couple of years, ranking 18th league-wide in goals (74) since the start of 2021-22. He'll now be expected to elevate the Stars - with or without Pavelski by his side.

Seattle Kraken
Will Grubauer keep shining?

Masterful starts from Philipp Grubauer, the former Colorado Avalanche netminder, bookended the Kraken's seven-game victory over the reigning Cup champs.

Grubauer stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Seattle-Colorado opener, then denied 33 of 34 on the road Sunday to seal the mammoth upset. He held the fort as the Kraken scored first in all seven contests. The 2004 Maple Leafs were the only team that had done that in postseason history.

Goaltending was one of Seattle's weaknesses this season, though Grubauer was markedly better than partner Martin Jones. His .895 save percentage didn’t impress, but Grubauer was passable relative to shot quality, saving 4.94 goals above expected as tracked by Evolving Hockey. His first-round stats - .926 save rate, 3.76 GSAx - ranked near the top of the league.

Dependable in the playoffs, Grubauer has maintained a .922 save percentage over 36 starts since 2019. Dallas wunderkind Jake Oettinger (.944 save percentage over 13 career starts) has the next-most playoff experience in the Western Conference bracket. The Kraken ranked second behind Toronto in Round 1 in blocked shots per 60 minutes, suggesting they'll commit to helping Grubauer win this goalie duel.

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Tampa Bay versus Dallas is all that's left to be played in the NHL's bubbled postseason. Here, theScore's Nick Faris and John Matisz preview the series and predict who will hoist the Stanley Cup.

Prediction

Faris: Lightning in 6

Resilience has been the Stars' defining postseason trait. They're in the final despite a minus-2 overall goal differential that hardly befits a conference champion. Eight of Dallas' 13 playoff victories have come via comeback, and maybe that shouldn't surprise anyone. Earlier this season, coach Rick Bowness' charges won five straight games after trailing in them.

How the Stars manufactured their run is a great story, but let's not allow their tightrope act to overshadow Tampa's pluck.

The Lightning won a five-overtime game in the first round, triumphed in five of six OT affairs, and just beat Dallas' Eastern Conference doppelganger, the stingy Islanders. No NHL club has won more postseason games in Jon Cooper's seven seasons behind the bench, and now his team is the favorite to win this year's Cup showdown after rebounding from four gutting setbacks - Game 7 defeats in the 2016 and 2018 conference finals; a missed postseason in 2017; and that first-round sweep against Columbus last year.

Dallas won a lot of close games in earlier rounds by outgunning Calgary and Colorado and by restraining Vegas' offense, but neither chore will come easy in the final. The Lightning have peerless star power, depth, and a Vezina Trophy finalist whose playoff save percentage is .931. Where other powerhouses faltered, Tampa has spent its stay in the bubble backing up how good it is on paper.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman have credible Conn Smythe Trophy cases entering the final. Even with Steven Stamkos sidelined, the Lightning form an enviable vanguard in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy, the only goalie among the conference finalists to bear his team's entire playoff load.

To get a sense of the authoritativeness of how Tampa has controlled play, consider this nugget from Natural Stat Trick: of the 17 Lightning skaters who've appeared in at least 17 games, everyone but Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn has positive shot attempt and expected goals percentages. Hedman has been on the ice at five-on-five for 22 Lightning goals and only four against. The big defenseman averages 26:31 of ice time, so opponents have a little over half the game to make up the difference.

No one's done that yet because the Lightning tick every box. Past dominance is no harbinger of success to come, but the series can be distilled to this: Tampa's playoff goal differential is 59-42, and it'll take Dallas' greatest trick yet to negate that imbalance.

Matisz: Lightning in 7

This matchup boils down to a team of destiny meeting a team of undeniable talent. And though it's tempting to bet on the feel-good Stars, the darlings of the postseason, this is the Lightning's series to lose.

Let's face it: Dallas is a strong but flawed squad surfing an exhilarating wave. The Stars must play flawless hockey to win four of seven games against a juggernaut like the Lightning. While that certainly could happen in spurts - hence why I'm calling for seven games - it seems highly unlikely it'll combine for a series victory.

Why? Well, Dallas' postseason has unfolded in a way that's a little too good to be true.

For starters, Anton Khudobin has started 18 of 21 games because No. 1 goalie Ben Bishop has been injured. A 34-year-old career backup, Khudobin has played fabulously, posting a .926 even-strength save percentage. He's a serious contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy should the Stars pull off the upset. But it's fair to wonder if the dam is about to break with Khudobin facing such a stiff test.

Tampa's attack, led by a dialed-in former Hart Trophy winner in Kucherov and the transcendent Point, is uber skilled, versatile, and tenacious. The Lightning boast more natural finishers than the Golden Knights and Tampa can throw quality forwards over the boards for a full 60 minutes, even with Point hurt and Stamkos' continued absence confirmed for Game 1. Khudobin will require plenty of help from Dallas' five skaters almost every shift of this series.

The Stars beat Western giants Vegas and Colorado fair and square, but they also hit a streak of good fortune. The Golden Knights uncharacteristically failed to capitalize on a boatload of scoring chances, and the Avalanche dealt with a rash of injuries. In both series, the Stars were outplayed and outshot at even strength. They won thanks to timely snipes, which is fantastic and often necessary to advance far in the playoffs. But relying on the likes of Joel Kiviranta and Denis Gurianov for clutch scoring is less than ideal and not exactly sustainable, especially against a good defensive club like Tampa.

Standout blueliners Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg have been stellar and dependable during this run. However, you can't say the same about the team's stud forwards, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Benn broke out in the third round, and Seguin's stat line of two goals in 20 games doesn't tell the full story, but, overall, the Stars' best players up front haven't been their best players. This is a major cause for concern heading into a Cup Final in which Dallas is facing a mismatch at forward. The Stars need everybody playing their best.

Inspired by Bowness' quest for his first Stanley Cup, Dallas is a worthy conference champion. No doubt. But the other conference champion barely leaves any room for error, and the Stars have proven time and again this postseason that they're prone to error, in some way or another.

Series X-factors

Faris: Seguin and Khudobin

As I see it, two developments could optimize Dallas' shot to steal the series.

It's a testament to the outlandishness of this Stars run that they've gotten this far with Seguin, their only player to clear 40 points in the regular season, stuck on two playoff goals and tied with Radek Faksa for eighth in team scoring. Seguin's production in 2019-20 was a disappointment - he finished well below the point-per-game pace he perennially flirts with - yet he was easily Dallas' most potent creator.

Seguin's playoff shooting percentage at five-on-five (5.7) barely differs from his regular-season mark of 5.6, but he's about the only key Stars player not riding a hot shooting streak right now. Without knowing if he's playing hurt, it's evident Dallas could use his offensive juice to counteract Kucherov and Point.

The other scenario that could boost the Stars' fortunes: Khudobin standing tall enough to usurp Vasilevskiy as the postseason's best goalie. Khudobin was money against the Golden Knights - his save percentage was .950 across five games - and his recent performances suggest he's peaking at the ideal time. Just as Carey Price shut down Pittsburgh in the play-in stage and Thatcher Demko nearly eliminated Vegas in Round 2, the blueprint is there for a sterling netminder to get into the heads of a superior offensive team.

Matisz: Point and Cirelli

Stamkos' availability for the series remains up in the air. That sucks for the Lightning, but the captain's return would be found money for Cooper considering the forward has been absent all postseason.

Stamkos, then, is not much of an X-factor. Tampa has proven it can win without him. Can they beat the Stars without top-six centers Point and Anthony Cirelli, though? Hard to say, which is why the health of Point, the 24-year-old with 25 points in 17 games, and Cirelli - who scored the game-winning goal Thursday to clinch the Eastern Conference title - is so important to the flow and feel of this series. Even if one is 80% healthy, it matters.

Point is ostensibly dealing with a groin injury. Thursday's Sportsnet broadcast showed him using what looked like a massager to ease the pain between shifts as the Lightning finished off the Islanders. He missed two games in that series. He's hurt. It's a matter of how much he's hurting.

Cirelli, meanwhile, missed a portion of Thursday's game with what appeared to be a knee injury. He collided with Islanders forward Anders Lee in the second period, left, but returned for the third period and overtime. Re-entering a heated contest doesn't necessarily mean he's at full health.

Tampa's extremely deep at forward, but if whatever's ailing Point and Cirelli worsens, forcing one or both out of the lineup, the Lightning could be in trouble. Including Stamkos, that's three of their top four forwards.

Talk about a potential opening for the underdog Stars.

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Four teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, and the storylines that contextualize those club's pathways through the NHL bubbles are plentiful.

The two secure zones have kept COVID-19 at bay, with no positive tests reported since teams gathered in Edmonton and Toronto six weeks ago. Now the Golden Knights and Avalanche are squaring off for the Western Conference title, while the Lightning and Islanders have joined them at Rogers Place to determine the Eastern Conference finalist.

Here's a rundown of six league-wide trends catching our attention this postseason.

Chaos has reigned

Counting the play-in and seeding stages, the events so far have made this much clear: Whichever club captures the Cup will deserve the honor not only for withstanding the mental strain of the bubble, but for also emerging triumphant from such a chaotic tournament.

Let's recap the weirdness chronologically. The unique format enabled each conference's lowest-ranked team, the Canadiens and Blackhawks, to qualify for the first round after seismic upsets - Montreal of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Penguins; and Chicago of Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and the Oilers. Both of those upstarts won on the first night of games. The second night featured Nazem Kadri winning the Avalanche-Blues seeding-round game from the foot of the crease at the last possible tenth of a second.

Only one play-in series went the distance, and that matchup was plenty hectic. Columbus and Toronto combined for three shutouts and two overtime games in which the losing side blew a 3-0 lead - the Blue Jackets in the last four minutes of what could have been a series-clinching Game 4 victory. They turned the tables on Toronto in Game 5, then immediately played the fourth-longest playoff game ever, a five-OT slog against the Lightning that set individual save and time-on-ice records.

No best-of-seven has concluded in a sweep so far, which is rare, and for a time it appeared this would be the first postseason of the salary-cap era to feature no Game 7s in Rounds 1 or 2. Instead, the Islanders, Stars, and Golden Knights blew 3-1 series leads concurrently before averting collapses in Game 7s, one of which was played as the second of back-to-back contests. Vegas-Vancouver advanced that far because Canucks backup goalie Thatcher Demko denied 123 of 125 shots over his first three starts since March.

Colorado's Game 7 defeat to Dallas was the only playoff contest in which Nathan MacKinnon didn't record a point. Meanwhile, there were zero points to Andrej Sekera's name before he assisted on Joel Kiviranta's OT winner - the finishing touch on the NHL's first Game 7 hat trick since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1993. Decent company for the Finnish rookie, who grabbed the spotlight in only his third game in the bubble.

And Tampa just dropped eight goals on the typically airtight Islanders, the most in a conference-final game since 1992. What twists and turns lay ahead? - Nick Faris

Defensive teams are winning, and scoring

Heading into this unprecedented restart, many, including us, wondered what the on-ice product would look like and which types of players and teams would shine after nearly five months off.

You could talk yourself into the highly skilled, star-driven squads - such as the Penguins and Maple Leafs - plowing through the competition since talent doesn't suddenly get rusty. You could also make the case for structured and disciplined teams - like the Coyotes or Blues - thriving in chaotic times.

Well, a few days into Round 3, the Stars and Islanders - two of the best defensive clubs in hockey, playing under Rick Bowness and Barry Trotz, respectively - are among the four squads still standing in a 24-team tournament. Supporters of the old adage "defense wins championships" can gloat.

Dallas, which trailed only the Bruins in regular-season defense, is exceptional at forcing opponents to shoot from the perimeter. New York, which ranked ninth, suffocates and frustrates the opposition with its tireless forechecking and backchecking. Both clubs crowd the front of the net to block shooting lanes, doing a tremendous job of insulating the goalie. And when pucks manage to squeak through all the bodies, rebounds are swept away.

(Side note: The Golden Knights and Lightning are strong defensively, too. But, in terms of playing style and team identity, both are under the "well-rounded, surefire Cup contender" label, and not in the "defense-first, fringe Cup contender" category.)

Interestingly, an unrelenting attack is propelling the Islanders and Stars to great heights since the restart (Game 1 of New York's series against Tampa Bay notwithstanding). The Islanders have bagged 3.3 goals per game (about half-a-goal better than their regular-season average) while scoring four-plus goals seven times in 17 playoff games. Dallas, meanwhile, has notched 3.2 tallies per game (also about half-a-goal better than the regular season), while scoring four-plus goals eight times in 17 contests.

In a league obsessed with flash and dash, a pair of blue-collar teams are excelling. - John Matisz

Depth has eclipsed star power

When the Avalanche, Canucks, and Bruins were eliminated, it meant that 22 of the league's top 25 regular-season scorers would be excluded from the conference finals. A 23rd player, Steven Stamkos, might miss the whole postseason because of injury.

Apart from Max Pacioretty, the only such stud who's healthy is Nikita Kucherov, a fitting exception given that the Lightning are the lone finalist who really buck this trend. Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are terrific players who drive Tampa's success. Though the prowess of Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and Miko Heiskanen is undeniable, the Golden Knights, the Stars, and, certainly, the Islanders have won on the strength of collective contributions.

This phenomenon cuts two ways. On one hand, consider the reams of household names and perennial all-stars whose teams exited the playoffs early.

Crosby, Malkin, Draisaitl, McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Jonathan Huberdeau, Roman Josi, and Connor Hellebuyck didn't make it out of the qualifying round. Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Carey Price, Sebastian Aho, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Ryan O'Reilly were gone before Round 2. The most recent eliminations included the David Pastrnak-Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand trio, Vancouver young guns Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, fellow Calder Trophy favorite Cale Makar, and MacKinnon, who still tops the playoffs in scoring.

In their stead, unlikely names have shot up the goals leaderboard. Bo Horvat continues to lead the NHL with 10 markers in his 17 games. Kadri left the bubble with nine. Denis Gurianov and Joe Pavelski pace Dallas with eight apiece. Alex Tuch's eight are the most for Vegas. Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau have each registered at least seven for the Isles.

For all but Pavelski and Pageau, these totals are significant career playoff highs that are benefitting their clubs greatly. - Faris

Goalies, goalies, goalies

A piece of trivia to impress your hockey-loving friends: Tampa Bay is the only conference-final team to have used just one goalie during its 2020 playoff run.

Vasilevskiy's dominance in the Lightning's net is not without precedent, but it runs counter to what's unfolded elsewhere. Stars backup Anton Khudobin has already appeared in 15 games, filling in for Ben Bishop, who has been unfit to play for the majority of the tournament. The Islanders, meanwhile, have rotated between Semyon Varlamov (15 games) and Thomas Greiss (four games, including Game 1 of the Eastern final). And, of course, Robin Lehner has started 12 of 16 Golden Knights games, a controversial development that's relegated future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury mostly to backup duties.

The abundance of back-to-back games, several No. 1 and No. 2 options sidelined for various reasons, and Boston's star netminder Tuukka Rask leaving the bubble in the middle of a series combined to create some unexpected goaltending storylines.

In the 2019 playoffs, five of the final eight teams used two goalies, while the other three used one. This time around, five of the final eight teams have again used two goalies, but two teams have used three. That's four extra playoff goalies in 2020, and there's still plenty of hockey left.

Goalie depth was really put to the test in the Western Conference's two second-round series, as 30-year-old journeymen Pavel Francouz and Michael Hutchinson started six of seven games for Colorado, and Demko almost single-handedly took Vancouver to the conference finals after Vezina Trophy finalist Jacob Markstrom was ruled unfit to play.

Given all of this, perhaps Vasilevskiy should be garnering Conn Smythe Trophy buzz. - Matisz

No rest for the wicked

In the lead-up to Aug. 1, the first day of meaningful NHL games during the restart, there was this notion that some teams were playing with house money, and that decision-makers within certain front offices couldn't possibly take the results from this postseason at face value.

There had been a long layoff, and the postseason now featured 24 teams involved with this weird qualifying round. Some assumed the reality of participating in a pandemic postseason would reduce the typical offseason fallout.

Yet the last few weeks have proved the opposite. Teams were in fact taking the results very seriously.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford didn't brush off his team's poor showing in Toronto, which ended after a 3-1 series loss to the Canadiens. He fired three assistant coaches and then acquired Kasperi Kapanen in a seven-piece blockbuster with the Maple Leafs.

Washington fired head coach Todd Reirden after the Islanders dismantled the Capitals in five first-round games. The Caps had captured the Metropolitan Division title before the hiatus, yet they never seemed to find their groove in the bubble. GM Brian MacLellan clearly thought Reirden was at least partially responsible.

The Panthers pulled the plug on Dale Tallon's decade-long reign as GM following Florida's unceremonious exit. A four-game series loss to the Islanders, in which the Panthers scored seven goals, was apparently the last straw for ownership. Tallon may have been on a short leash coming out of the hiatus, but the disappointing result prompted a shake-up.

It'll be fascinating to watch the Bowness situation unfold in Dallas. Promoted from assistant coach to head coach last December, Bowness is still working under an interim tag. It's possible Stars GM Jim Nill is simply waiting for the end of the postseason to negotiate a proper deal. However, there's still a chance Bowness isn't brought back for 2020-21, despite the team's success since the restart. - Matisz

Quick hits

Here are a few statistical nuggets of note.

• Goal scoring: One major question entering the playoffs was whether the abrupt return to play would give shooters or goalies an advantage. By now, any such built-in edge has evened out. These playoffs have featured 5.57 goals per game, down from 6.04 in the regular season. The 2018-19 playoffs also yielded 5.57 goals per game, down from 6.03 that campaign. It seems scoring always declines this time of year, whether the Cup's awarded in June or September, and with or without fans.

• "Home-road" splits: We can officially declare the home-visitor distinction a bubble nonfactor. The nominal host, whose coach gets to dictate line matchups through the last change, has won a mere 52 of 115 games (45.2%) through Monday's action. Some record distributions appear totally random, too. The Canucks went 7-2 as the away team and 3-5 at "home." All three of Tampa Bay's losses have come as the home club, and the Stars hold a losing record (3-4) as hosts. None of those squads were deterred from authoring standout runs.

• Fighting: According to Hockey Fights, 14 sets of combatants have traded blows throughout the playoffs, the most of any postseason since 2013 (15), and nearly quintuple last year's total (three). Of those 14 fights, eight took place during the play-in and seeding stages, suggesting some players were inspired to cast aside the gloves following the restart in an attempt to provide an early spark. Matters have mostly cooled over time, with only three fights recorded since Aug. 14, a few days into Round 1. - Faris

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Hockey is officially on hold.

The NHL followed the NBA's lead on Thursday afternoon by suspending its season in an attempt to avoid contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. The decision comes after two Utah Jazz players tested positive for the virus, and it marks a sharp escalation in the NHL's response to the outbreak, which until now was focusing on distancing players from the media and curbing contact with fans.

The main concern here is the NHL doing its part in the broader effort to curtail the virus. Games are rightfully an afterthought when steps can be taken to minimize public health risks.

Still, this indefinite postponement raises hockey-specific questions about everything from this year's Stanley Cup chase to the ceiling of the next salary cap. Whether the league can continue the season, and how that might be structured, will shape the resolutions to those issues.

Here are four major storylines to ponder as the hiatus begins.

The playoff picture

Before play was suspended on Thursday, there were between 11 and 14 regular-season games remaining for each NHL team. The race for the final postseason spots in both conferences is now on pause, with no definite word on how, exactly, the timing and length of the schedule will be affected.

Depending on when the NHL decides it's resuming play, the league could opt to go in one of these directions:

• Pick up where the schedule left off, play the full remaining slate of games, and push the start and end of the playoffs back.

• Play an abbreviated number of remaining regular-season games, then begin the playoffs closer to the original start date.

• Cancel the rest of the regular season and hold an impromptu wild-card tournament to settle tight playoff races.

• Cancel the rest of the regular season and award playoff positions based on the current standings.

Let's say the postponement lasts several weeks, past the planned end of the regular season on April 4, and the NHL decides that last scenario is optimal under the circumstances. These would be the first-round playoff matchups based on points percentage:

That's a pretty enticing slate. The Leafs would hold onto a playoff spot and aim to beat the Lightning to earn their first series victory of the Auston Matthews era, and the memory of a Columbus sweep last season is still fresh for Tampa. Elsewhere, Pennsylvania rivals would square off, and the Capitals would meet the Hurricanes in a rematch of last year's first-round series.

Currently, the fight for the final playoff spots is airtight, so several clubs could be forgiven for crying injustice if the regular season were cut short. The Winnipeg Jets (.563 points percentage) and Minnesota Wild (.558) sit a hair outside of the Western wild-card slots. Out east, the Hurricanes (.596) and Islanders (.588) aren't completely clear of the Blue Jackets (.579), Panthers (.565), and Rangers (.564).

This discussion is speculative for now, as figuring out how to proceed will be difficult for the NHL until there's a sense of how long the lull is likely to last. In a statement, the league said its primary objective "is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup."

To that end, TSN reported Thursday the NHL has asked each team to note which dates their home arena is available through the end of July. Possible overlap with rescheduled NBA games and concerts may complicate that exercise, but the request at least indicates a belief play could stretch deep into the summer if necessary.

An aside on the starkest possible outcome here: The NHL season has ended without a Stanley Cup champion being crowned just once. That occured in 1919, when the Stanley Cup Final was abandoned on the eve of its deciding game because of an influenza pandemic that, within days, killed Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall.

Scheduling ripple effect

The NHL calendar is rigid. Seasons begin and end around the same time every year, and signature events like the All-Star Game and draft always fall within a narrow time frame. The schedule is neat and tidy with no surprises.

Nothing is neat and tidy after Thursday's announcement, which means there will be a ripple effect on the league's 2020 calendar. A few key questions to ponder:

Will the NHL hold its scouting combine?

As of now, probably not, due to travel concerns and the sweaty, intimate environment the fitness-testing portion of the event creates, which runs counter to recommendations from health officials.

The combine, which is scheduled for June 1-6 in Buffalo, isn't essential to NHL business. It's one part of a wider prospect talent-evaluation process. Teams could conceivably conduct the interview portion of the event via phone or video.

Will the NHL hold its entry draft?

Almost certainly, though it's possible that instead of being held at Montreal's Bell Centre on June 26-27, the draft takes place online and/or at a later date. Unlike the combine, the draft doesn't technically require any in-person contact.

However, the event generates significant buzz for the league. So, unless the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate and business around the continent completely halts, the 2020 draft should occur at some point.

What about the offseason and beyond?

This is where things get tricky and super speculative.

If the current season resumes in a couple of months and not a couple of weeks, the flow of the offseason will be disrupted. Does free agency get pushed back if the playoffs leak past July 1? Are training camp and the preseason prior to the 2020-21 campaign - which together eat up the entire month of September - in jeopardy of being shortened? If there's a lengthy layoff followed by a postseason that goes long into the summer, something's got to give on the scheduling front.

These won't be easy conversations between the NHL and NHLPA, especially with the owners and players sometimes coming to the table with competing interests.

Next season's salary cap

This pandemic has led to an unprecedented economic situation globally, let alone in the sports world. There's no playbook here for professional sports leagues like the NHL.

No matter how the global economics play out, pausing the NHL season for any length of time is going to hurt the bottom line. Commissioner Gary Bettman's projection of an upper limit for the 2020-21 salary cap had been between $84 million and $88.2 million. Throw that projection in the trash now.

This year's upper limit ($81.5 million) is a better benchmark for the time being, though the length of the NHL's season suspension will ultimately determine how much damage is done to the league's annual revenue of about $5 billion. Spring is especially important, with the hectic two-month postseason driving fandom.

And the salary cap is strongly linked to fandom. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, in-arena board advertisements, and more are included in hockey-related revenue. Making matters worse, the Canadian dollar - another big economic variable for NHL business - has sagged lately.

Remembering this season

Beyond how the rest of the campaign is structured and the possible financial fallout heading forward, indefinite postponement also presents a spiritual conundrum. How should fans process the events of what is now a radically disrupted season?

If the regular season is abridged, the resolution of some award races may seem insufficient. Leon Draisaitl has made a strong case to win the Hart Trophy, but could his superstar teammate Connor McDavid, or even a dark-horse candidate such as Artemi Panarin, have made a credible late-season push? What about the razor-thin margin separating Quinn Hughes' and Cale Makar's claims to the Calder Trophy?

Poignantly, any abrupt end to the season could deprive certain legendary players of a celebratory send-off into retirement. The San Jose Sharks are limping toward a bottom-five finish, but Joe Thornton still deserves a proper farewell game. A shortened schedule means fewer last chances to appreciate Patrick Marleau and Zdeno Chara, both of whom are pending UFAs in their 40s.

Alex Ovechkin's charge past 700 career goals and toward Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 - one of the dominant storylines of early 2020 - provides a point of statistical intrigue. If the rest of this season were to finish in full, Ovechkin would be on pace to surpass Gretzky comfortably if he approaches 50 goals in each of the next four campaigns. That math will need to be adjusted if this season is cut short.

In the absence of further clarity, this much is evident for now: All of hockey is in limbo together. Buckle in for a prolonged - and, in the grander scheme, important - intermission.

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The historically great Tampa Bay Lightning are long gone. So is the Western Conference's top team, the Calgary Flames. Heck, all four of the NHL's division winners are already out of contention following an unpredictable opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Which teams left standing have the best chance of competing for the Cup? Let's dive into each second-round series.

Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Prediction: Bruins in six (Game 1 is Thursday)

For a team that pulled off the most astounding upset in recent memory, it's striking how long it's been since the Blue Jackets featured in the daily playoff conversation. That's a testament to how quickly they trounced the Lightning, which earned Columbus nine days of rest as it awaited the end of Boston's seven-game victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The odds of Columbus inflicting further havoc on the Eastern Conference bracket could depend heavily on special teams. The Bruins' adept power play racked up seven goals against the Leafs, but the Jackets killed off 85 percent of the penalties they took this season, which tied for the best rate in the NHL. And though their own 28th-ranked power play was desultory all year, something clicked against Tampa Bay, as Columbus scored five goals with the man advantage in 10 tries.

Several Blue Jackets were terrific in Round 1. Matt Duchene scored three goals and added four assists. No. 3 defenseman David Savard spent much of the series hounding Tampa's best forwards, a role he could reprise against Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Full credit must also be allotted to Sergei Bobrovsky, whose .932 save percentage overall and .943 at even strength were much better marks than his .913 and .915 figures, respectively, in the regular season.

Can Marchand, Bergeron, and David Pastrnak excel against Columbus where Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos faltered? Given how strong they came on in Boston's last four games against Toronto, it seems likelier than not that they'll get theirs. The more pressing question might be whether Tuukka Rask, like Bobrovsky, can sustain the impenetrability he flashed in Round 1 (.928 save percentage, .938 at even strength).

The Jackets have a legitimate shot to author a storybook run, but Boston, like Tampa, is the markedly superior team on paper. All told, the Bruins prevailing in a long series is the safest bet.

X-factor for Bruins: Jake DeBrusk. The 22-year-old left winger didn't score against Toronto until the second period of Game 6, but his 27 goals this season were fourth-most on the team. DeBrusk could break out in Round 2 if head coach Bruce Cassidy keeps Pastrnak on the second line with him and David Krejci.

X-factors for Blue Jackets: Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Savard mostly got the toughest assignments against the Lightning, but considering fellow defensemen Ryan Murray and Adam McQuaid are sidelined with long-term injuries and Markus Nutivaara might miss the start of this round, the Jackets' stud pairing will again be counted on to log major minutes in all stages of the game. - Faris

New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Prediction: Islanders in six (Game 1 is Friday)

Nobody - absolutely nobody - predicted this scenario back in September. Sure, the Hurricanes had a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade, but winning a series seemed out of reach. The Islanders, meanwhile, weren't supposed to be relevant in Year 1 of the post-John Tavares era, with the hockey world quickly writing them off as a lottery team. Yet here we are.

Now, as the squads get set to battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final, respect is overflowing. These teams play an honest brand of hockey. They are hard-working outfits who care deeply about keeping the puck out of their own net. Carolina feeds off its puck-moving blue-liners, whereas New York annoys opponents with a relentless forecheck.

So, who has the upper hand? Probably the Isles. They are rested, own home-ice advantage, and are led by likely Jack Adams winner Barry Trotz. The 'Canes will counter with a mix of supreme confidence and an underdog mentality after ousting the defending Cup champion Washington Capitals.

The goaltending edge goes to New York, too. Robin Lehner, who stopped 130 of 136 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1, provides tremendous stability for the Isles. His counterpart, Petr Mrazek, skated away from the opening round with an ugly .899 save percentage despite recording a shutout in Game 3.

On offense, the Hurricanes possess more firepower. Against the Caps, they received contributions from big-game players Justin "Mr. Game 7" Williams (one goal, three assists), Warren Foegele (four goals, two assists), and Jordan Staal (three goals, three assists). The Isles, on the other hand, are known for pouncing on high-quality chances created off sustained zone time, as Jordan Eberle and his four-goal performance against Pittsburgh exemplified.

Neither power play is clicking right now, which shouldn't be a surprise. The Isles finished the regular season ranked 29th in PP proficiency, whereas the 'Canes sat 20th. Perhaps they'll cancel each other out in this head-to-head battle, and the better five-on-five club will be rewarded with a series victory.

X-factor for Islanders: Anders Lee. As New York's captain and top sniper, Lee needs to mark up the scoresheet with more regularity. He produced a goal and two assists in Round 1, which isn't bad, though certainly isn't enough. The Isles may be feisty throughout their four lines, but every member of the Lee-Barzal-Eberle trio must drive the bus in regards to goal-scoring.

X-factor for Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov. While his return from a concussion is far from a guarantee, Svechnikov's still a potential series-altering piece for Carolina. The Russian rookie was fantastic in the opening round, and then got punched out by Alex Ovechkin. He's dangerous, dynamic, and gradually saw his ice time rise over the course of the regular season. - Matisz

St. Louis Blues vs. Dallas Stars

Prediction: Stars in seven (Game 1 is Thursday)

You'd have to strain to find a less likely pair of conference semifinalists. The Blues were last in the NHL standings at New Year's and the CEO of the Stars said his two leading scorers were playing like "f---ing horses---" just a few days earlier.

Such are the depths from which these two teams rose over the past few months. Now, one of them is assured a berth in Round 3.

During Round 1, St. Louis won four games by a single goal to eliminate Winnipeg in a closely contested matchup. Goalie Jordan Binnington's .908 save percentage was well below his .927 mark from the regular season, but the Blues generated timely, balanced offense through their top two lines and No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Second-line winger Jaden Schwartz finished the job by scoring the last four goals against the Jets: the go-ahead winner with 15 seconds left in Game 5 and a hat trick to clinch the series in Game 6.

The Stars are a study in contrasts. They allowed the second-fewest goals (200) in the league this season, but scored the third-fewest (209). They're a one-line team - Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and Jamie Benn notched six points apiece in Round 1 against Nashville - but feature three strong defensemen in John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, and Esa Lindell. Vezina Trophy candidate Ben Bishop stopped 94.5 percent of the shots he faced against the Predators, and Dallas' strong penalty kill went 15-for-15 for the series.

Sure, St. Louis is deeper than Dallas, and Binnington deserves to be trusted on the basis of his stellar regular season. But when an outcome is in doubt, it's always sound to favor the team with an edge in the crease, and no goalie aside from Lehner is better than Bishop right now.

X-factor for Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko. Held scoreless at five-on-five against the Jets, the Blues' top sniper finished Round 1 with two power-play goals and a shooting percentage of just 8.7, similar to the 8.0 rate he posted throughout St. Louis' dismal opening three months of the season. Tarasenko is a 12.9 percent shooter for his career, and the Blues will maximize their chances of solving Bishop if he and linemates Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron can drive play.

X-factor for Stars: Mats Zuccarello. Seguin, Radulov, and Benn scored 43 percent of Dallas' goals this season, while Heiskanen, Lindell, and Klingberg accounted for another 16 percent. So, any offense that the bottom three forward lines can create against the Blues would constitute a huge boost. Enter Zuccarello, a trade-deadline acquisition who broke his right arm in his Stars debut on Feb. 24 but healed in time to bag three goals against Nashville. - Faris

San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Prediction: Sharks in seven (Game 1 is Friday)

Talk about two franchises going in opposite directions. The longtime contending Sharks, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in seven first-round games, will face a summer of transition when their season ends. They're old. Meanwhile, the young, upstart Avalanche are only beginning their ascent into a new, promising era after beating the top-ranked Flames in five.

The collision of these rosters should produce an overwhelming amount of entertainment during the course of a best-of-seven series. Think of the must-see skating talent (Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, etc.) intersecting with volatility between the pipes (namely San Jose's Martin Jones). That sure sounds chaotic, fun, and appetizing.

Overall, Jared Bednar and his top-heavy Avs squad are up against a deeper but more banged-up Sharks crew led by Pete DeBoer. Colorado is the slight underdog. The key question: Can their high-end forwards - MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog - produce more than San Jose's parade of 30-goal scorers in Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, and (potentially sidelined) Joe Pavelski?

The answer will likely depend on which Jones shows up for the Sharks. The veteran netminder had a roller-coaster Round 1, posting game-to-game save percentages of .923, .571, .850, .714, .938, .983, and .895. This is a beautiful opportunity for an inconsistent goalie to change the narrative.

X-factor for Sharks: Erik Karlsson. When at full health, Karlsson remains one of the sport's best defensemen. Coming off a groin injury, he posted nine assists in the first round and was leaned upon heavily during overtimes in Games 6 and 7. The Sharks' power play did alright versus the Golden Knights, going 8-for-34, and Karlsson has the ability to elevate it further against the Avs.

X-factor for Avalanche: Cale Makar. The 20-year-old blue-liner suited up for three games against the Flames immediately after signing with the Avs. He scored a goal in his NHL debut, skated for 20 minutes in Game 4, and then earned an assist in Game 5. The sky's the limit for this kid, and the layoff between series should work to his advantage. He's now acclimatized to the spotlight and Bednar's system. - Matisz

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