2024 NHL playoff standings: What are the second round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

The first round of the NHL playoffs is (almost) over, but there is good news for hockey fans: There are still three more rounds of exciting postseason play ahead of us before the Stanley Cup is awarded.

And we get two Game 7s in the first round after it looked like we were in for a series of short series. The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime in the first Game 7 on Saturday night. A showdown on Sunday in Dallas between the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights and the top-seeded Stars will determine the final participant in the second round.

Here is the brief information on each second round of the NHL playoffs:

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers (Metro 1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Metro 2)

First round: Rangers beat Washington Capitals 4-0; Hurricanes beat New York Islanders 4-1

The Rangers easily pulled away from the Capitals to earn their first sweep since 2007. The Hurricanes needed just five games to defeat the Islanders after losing Game 4 in double overtime. With their warm-up games now complete, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference this season face off in a heavyweight showdown. These teams are similar in many ways: The Rangers scored 282 goals this season (sixth in the league) while the Hurricanes scored 279 (seventh); the Rangers conceded 229 goals (seventh) while the Hurricanes allowed 216 (fourth); and both teams have the top three units on both the power play and shorthanded play. The Rangers probably have more playmakers, but you could also argue that the Hurricanes have more depth. This game could go the distance.

Florida Panthers (Atlantic 1) vs Boston Bruins (Atlantic 2)

First round: Panthers defeated Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1; Bruins defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3

This is a repeat of last year’s shocking first round, in which the Panthers overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the record-holding Bruins in overtime of Game 7. This time, however, it’s the other way around. The Panthers are the higher seed and have greater expectations to win. Both teams come into this matchup with good feelings. The Panthers finally beat their big brothers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in their third playoff meeting. The heavyweights from Florida shined: Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov combined for 23 points in the Panthers’ five-game series win. The Bruins also seemed set for a short series after Boston took a 3-1 lead. But the Maple Leafs fought back and forced Game 7 in Boston with two 2-1 decisions. The Bruins pulled it off in the end, winning Game 7 in overtime on a goal by David Pastrnak.

Western Conference

Dallas Stars (Central 1) vs Colorado Avalanche (Central 3)

First round: Stars defeated Vegas Golden Knights 4-3; Avalanche defeated Winnipeg Jets 4-1

The Avs reminded everyone in their first round that they are one of the most talented teams in the league. The 2022 Stanley Cup champions scored an incredible 28 goals in just five games… against a Jets team that had the NHL’s best defense and the likely Vezina Trophy winner in goal. Dallas knocked the defending champions out of the race after losing their first two games at home. Jake Oettinger had a 4.74 goals-against average and .863 save percentage against Colorado in the regular season, while Alexandar Georgiev had 3.51 and .892, respectively, against Dallas.

Vancouver Canucks (Pacific 1) vs Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2)

First round: Canucks beat Nashville Predators 4-2; Oilers beat Los Angeles Kings 4-1

The Canucks were down to their third goalie and their first-round series against the Predators became a grind, but dramatic road wins in Games 4 and 6 helped Vancouver win its first playoff series with fans in the stadium since reaching the 2011 Stanley Cup Final (the Canucks reached the second round in the 2020 bubble). The Oilers eliminated the Kings in the first round for the third year in a row, finding multiple ways to win. The stars were great in every way: Connor McDavid scored just one goal…but dished out 11 assists; Leon Draisaitl scored five goals and five assists; defenseman Evan Bouchard added nine points and Zach Hyman scored seven goals.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket: Second Round of NHL Playoffs