The Carolina Hurricanes bid adieu to the last division winner left in the NHL Playoffs last night by knocking out the Washington Capitals. Washington was the defending Stanley Cup champion and likely would have been the oddsmakers favorite to hoist the Cup once more if they advanced, but instead they will be joining Calgary, Nashville and Tampa Bay on the golf course. Now, it’s onto the conference semifinals for the eight remaining teams.
Bend the knee https://t.co/0Iq7Mtvz7B
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 25, 2019
Carolina delivered one of the most savage clapbacks in NHL history after its upset win over Washington. The Capitals were outplayed by the Hurricanes for large stretches of the series, and the Hurricanes were the better team throughout overtime. Now, Carolina will face the New York Islanders in a conference semifinals that no one would have predicted in the regular season.
The Carolina Hurricanes advance to the second round after defeating the Washington Capitals in double overtime! pic.twitter.com/WBDbEONBcq
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 25, 2019
The Hurricanes win after more than 30 minutes of overtime made it the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history. The longest Game 7 in NHL history also saw the Capitals on the losing end, when the New York Islanders beat them in four overtimes in the 1987 playoffs.
#Leafs announce forward Zach Hyman will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL.https://t.co/3RqeOffh1C
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 25, 2019
Hockey players are that much tougher than everyone else. Toronto announced that Zach Hyman will be sidelined for the next six months after tearing, and then playing through a torn ACL in its first round series against Boston. Hyman hopes to be ready by the end of 2019.
The 2019 Second Round opens with a doubleheader Thursday, in Boston and St. Louis.
Full schedule : https://t.co/4KXeTPdFPw #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/bZFf8PTVf8
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 25, 2019
With the first round behind us, we can now move on to the conference semifinals. The race for the Stanley Cup is wide open as a lot of underdogs won their first round series. The NHL put out the second round schedule shortly after last night’s game went final.
Updated odds to win the Stanley Cup:
Bruins +390
Sharks +450
Blues +550
Islanders +600
Blue Jackets +650
Hurricanes +700
Avalanche +750
Stars +750https://t.co/bbrUinzL2B pic.twitter.com/I1P2SxeRZu— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) April 25, 2019
Boston is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup after the massive first round shake-up. The Bruins are the most recent Stanley Cup winner of the team’s left in the playoffs, and Carolina and Colorado are the only other remaining teams to have won a Stanley Cup in the 21st Century.
Top Stories
- In the end, the Capitals were outplayed and out-coached in nearly every way by Carolina | Washington Post
- Capitals’ bid for back-to-back Stanley Cup ends in Game 7 double OT loss to Hurricanes | WJLA
- Hyman to undergo ACL surgery, out 6 months | TSN
- 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Schedule | NHL
- NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Betting Odds Update: Massive changes at top of board | USA Today
