The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has begunThe second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has begun
SOURCE: KEVIN SOUSA/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES

The GIST: With the first round done and dusted on Monday, it’s on to the next one as the eight remaining (mostly underdog) squads begin their best-of-seven second-round series.

Last night’s Game 1s: Right winger Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers held off the Toronto Maple Leafs on and off the ice, securing a key 4–2 series-opening win in the 6ix. Just as the trickshot corgi predicted, but the Leafs will have home-ice advantage once again for Game 2 tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.

  • Out West, the newcomer Seattle Kraken continued their big postseason splash, topping the Dallas Stars 5–4 in overtime. No problem navigating these uncharted waters — see if they can just keep swimming in tomorrow’s 9:30 p.m. ET Game 2.

Tonight’s Game 1s: Straight off Monday’s 4–0 Game 7 rout of the NY Rangers, the red-hot NJ Devils will skate right into the eye of the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at 7 p.m. ET. The squads split their regular-season series 2-2, so batten down the hatches, this one’s bound to be good.

  • In the late game, center Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers head south to joust with the Vegas Golden Knights at 9:30 p.m. ET. Vegas claimed the regular-season Western Conference title, but the Oilers won three of their four meetings. Can’t wait.