By: Chris Nosek

Los Angeles Kings @ Colorado Avalanche

An incorrect call for goaltender interference didn’t knock the Avalanche off their game. They were able to pull out the 2-1 win; it was 2-0 until Panarin notched a goal at the 17:38 mark of the 3rd period on a 6-on-4. While it was the right move, and one I agreed with, I was surprised when the Kings started Anton Forsberg for this game. It makes complete sense because Darcy Kuemper is the guy they would want to turn to should they find themselves in a 3-0 deficit. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood continued his extremely high level of play on the season.

Unfortunately for the Kings, today seems like the best-case scenario. They kept the game extremely close, and a few significant bounces went their way. They also managed to keep Makar, Nichushkin, Necas, and Kadri off the scoreboard. However, despite their best efforts, they still came up short. In some cases, a close loss could be a building block to winning the series. I don’t see that being the case here.

Original Prediction: Colorado Avalanche win in 6 games

Current Prediction: Colorado Avalanche advance in 5 games

Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning

Despite their youthfulness, the Canadiens came out firing on all cylinders. This wasn’t the biggest takeaway from this game, though. Andrei Vasilevskiy looked extremely shaky and unsettled throughout the game. He gave up a goal in the first period, on just the fourth shot he saw. In fact, the Canadiens only mustered up nine shots on goal while playing 5-on-5. They capitalized on their power plays, scoring three with the man advantage.

Juraj Slafkovsky came through in a massive way with his hat-trick, but it was Brandon Hagel who helped force this game into overtime for the Lightning. However, the biggest question this one answered was about Jakub Dobes’s play. He made key saves at critical moments throughout this game. Montreal’s dominance at the faceoff dot, keeping pace with Tampa in hits, and scoring efficiently showed that Montreal can, in fact, compete with this Lightning team.

Original Prediction: Montreal Canadiens advance in 7 games

Current Prediction: Montreal Canadiens advance in 6 games

Boston Bruins @ Buffalo Sabres

Boston Bruins fans are in a panic after this game, while Sabers fans are uforic. Yes, this was a great game for the Sabres, especially given it was their first playoff game in 15 years. The fans had the KeyBank Center shaking as puck drop came about. Boston did what it had to do and weathered the storm for the first 10 minutes. Once some of the energy had left the building, Morgan Geekie put Boston up 1-0. This took the crowd out of the team to the tune of booing the home team. A turnover by McAvoy behind his own goal allowed Tage Thompson to get the game back to a one-goal game with 7:58 remaining. This got the crowd back into the game.

With the crowd behind them again, the Sabres were able to tie the game and take the lead. Now down one, the Bruins pulled Swayman, which led to the empty-net goal. Pastrnak made it a one-goal game again, but there just wasn’t enough time. The atmosphere for this one was always going to be outrageous. However, Boston proved that they can take the crowd out of the game, score timely goals, and Swayman stopped 37 of 40 shots faced. Now, the Sabres and their fans are going to have to replicate the atmosphere for Game Two. The Bruins have been a dominant team at home all season. All they need to do is win one game on the road. Despite the loss, Boston proved they can compete with the Sabres

Original Prediction: Boston Bruins win in 6 games

Current Prediction: Boston Bruins win in 6 games

Utah Mammoth @ Vegas Golden Knights

There was a lot to like for the Utah Mammoth in their first-ever playoff game, despite the loss. The Vegas Golden Knights are a playoff experienced team and this game showed that. The physicality of the postseason showed through in this game, and Utah met the moment.

There was a moment of concern for the Mammoth when they tried to pull Karel Vejmelka late in the game. It looked as though he wasn’t paying attention to his bench for when Trouigny wanted to pull him. He remained in his crease while the Mammoth possessed the puck in the offensive zone, but left for the bench just before a 50/50 board battle which Vegas won. Ivan Barbashev was able to put the puck in the empty net from his blue line which ultimately sealed the game for Vegas.

Despite many fans distain for him, Carter Hart played extremely well for Vegas. As long as he’s healthy, he’s the right choice for Tortorella as their starter. This is another series which game 2 will ultimately decide where it goes. Utah has the opportunity to show they’ve learned from where they fell short and can get to that next level. They have the talent to do so, but Vegas has the playoff experience, despite the holes in their lineup. They also know the value in putting a team away early, so they’ll really look to push for that 2-0 series lead on home ice.

Original Prediction: Utah Mammoth advance in 6 games

Current Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights advance in 6 games