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The 2024 NHL Playoffs are officially into the second round, and although there were some near upsets involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights, only one lower seed - the Colorado Avalanche (4-1 over Winnipeg) - wound up advancing to the conference semis. While that means we won't get to see stars like Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Connor Hellebuyck anymore, most of the game's biggest stars are right where they should be on the biggest stage. Some of the second-round series have already gotten underway with the New York Rangers taking a 1-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, but most other series start tonight. Here's the updated NHL playoff schedule, as well as predictions from around the internet. NHL Playoffs:Dallas Stars knock out defending champion Vegas Golden Knights with Game 7 win *All times Eastern New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Rangers lead series 1-0 Game 1: Rangers 4 - Hurricanes 3 Game 2: Tuesday, Hurricanes at Rangers, 7 p.m. - ESPN Game 3: Thursday, Rangers at Hurricanes, 7 p.m. - TNT, truTV Game 4: Saturday, Rangers at Hurricanes, TBD - TNT, truTV Game 5 (if necessary): May 13, Hurricanes at Rangers, TBD Game 6 (if necessary): May 16, Rangers at Hurricanes, TBD Game 7 (if necessary): May 18, Hurricanes at Rangers, TBD Florida Panthers vs. Boston Bruins: Game 1: Monday, Bruins at Panthers, 8 p.m. - ESPN Game 2: Wednesday, Bruins at Panthers, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN Game 3: Friday, Panthers at Bruins, 7 p.m. - TNT, truTV Game 4: May 12, Panthers at Bruins, TBD - TBS, truTV Game 5 (if necessary): May 14, Bruins at Panthers, TBD Game 6 (if necessary): May 17, Panthers at Bruins, TBD Game 7 (if necessary): May 19, Bruins at Panthers, TBD Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game 1: Tuesday, Avalanche at Stars, 9:30 p.m. - ESPN Game 2: Thursday, Avalanche at Stars, 9:30 p.m. - TNT, truTV Game 3: Saturday, Stars at Avalanche, TBD - TNT, truTV Game 4: May 13, Stars at Avalanche, TBD - ESPN Game 5 (if necessary): May 15, Avalanche at Stars, TBD Game 6 (if necessary): May 17, Stars at Avalanche, TBD Game 7 (if necessary): May 19, Avalanche at Stars, TBD Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers: Game 1: Wednesday, Oilers at Canucks, 10 p.m. - ESPN Game 2: Friday, Oilers at Canucks, 10 p.m. - TNT, truTV Game 3: Sunday, Canucks at Oilers, TBD - TBS, truTV Game 4: May 14, Canucks at Oilers, TBD - ESPN Game 5 (if necessary): May 16, Oilers at Canucks, TBD Game 6 (if necessary): May 18, Canucks at Oilers, TBD Game 7 (if necessary): May 20, Oilers at Canucks, TBD Both Brehm and Evans agree on all four conference semifinal matchups. They also agree that not a single series will go to seven games. It seems that the closest one will be the Rangers-Hurricanes though. Brehm writes, " The teams are very evenly matched, but the Hurricanes brought in playoff performers Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the deadline to help a team that rolls four lines effectively. They could be the difference-makers in this series." Every expert for Bleacher Report in their predictions believe the Stars will take out the Avalanche in six games. Fitzsimmons writes, "No fewer than 10 players scored at least a goal for Dallas against Vegas, including seven combined from youngsters Wyatt Johnston (20) and Jason Robertson (24). Advancing will largely be up to them and their fellow 20-something on the other end, Jake Oettinger (25), who stopped 92.5 percent of the shots against him for his third career series win." Clearly, Fitzsimmons believes that Dallas' youth and depth will propel them to the Western Conference Finals. Cotsonika stands out among NHL.com's columnists as he was one of only three people to go 7-1 on series picks in the first round. In Round 2, Cotsonika has the Hurricanes, Panthers, Oilers, and Stars all advancing. With just eight teams remaining in the NHL Playoffs, here are each team's odds of winning the 2024 Stanley Cup. Odds via BetMGM. NHL Playoffs:Picks and predictions for every second round series Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.Opening Round Results
Eastern Conference:
Western Conference:
Second Round schedule
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
NHL Second-Round Playoff Predictions:
Mike Brehm and Jace Evans, USA Today: Hurricanes, Panthers, Avalanche, Oilers
Lyle Fitzsimmons, Bleacher Report: Hurricanes, Panthers, Oilers, Stars
Nicholas Cotsonika, NHL.com: Hurricanes, Panthers, Oilers, Stars
2024 NHL Championship Odds: