Round 2 is set. The Vegas Golden Knights will take on the Vancouver Canucks.
The impressive Canucks knocked off the reigning Stanley Cup Champions the St. Louis Blues on Friday, winning the series 4-2 to set up a tantalizing Second Round matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was somewhat of a surprise outcome given that the Blues won the Stanley Cup last year and looked dominant prior to the pause, but full credit to Vancouver who look dangerous right now.
They boast a core of young, explosive talent including stud defenseman Quinn Hughes and phenom forward Elias Pettersson.
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The Canucks have also been getting above good goaltending from Jacob Markstrom, and they will be a force to be reckoned with in Round 2.
Styles make fights.
We use that well-known Boxing term because Vancouver play a game based on skill and speed, highlighting the talents of their young stars.
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, play a hard, bruising style of hockey, they keep hold of the puck and they can roll four lines.
Vegas also boasts plenty of skill and plenty of firepower, while the Canucks also have players who can play bang-and-crash hockey and grind you down.
So, in a nutshell, this should be a compelling series and it should feature plenty of goals and fireworks.
It all starts with Game 1 on Sunday and below is the full Round 2 schedule between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vancouver Canucks:
- Game 1 – Sunday, August 23 – 7:30 p.m. PT (NBCSN, CBC, SN)
- Game 2 – Tuesday, August 25 – 6:45 p.m. PT (NBCSN, CBC, SN)
- Game 3 – Thursday, August 27 – 6:45 p.m. PT (NBCSN, CBC, SN)
- Game 4 – Saturday, August 29 – 5:00 p.m. PT (NBCSN, CBC, SN)
- Game 5* – TBD
- Game 6* – TBD
- Game 7* – TBD
*If necessary.
As the No. 1 seed, the Vegas Golden Knights will be the home team in Games 1 and 2, as well as in Gams 5 and 7 if necessary.
Vancouver, who is the No. 5 seed, will serve as the home team in Games 3 and 4, as well as in Game 6 if required.
Vegas will be the favorites to advance to the Western Conference Final given the makeup of their roster.
They beat the Chicago Blackhawks in five games to get here, and the aim is to embark on a deep run and, ultimately, lift the Stanley Cup this year.
The Canucks, on the other hand, have fallen in the First Round on three occasions since losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins in 2011.
Vancouver didn’t even qualify for the postseason in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, so they will be hungry to make an impact on the biggest stage this year.
They will be brimming with confidence too after taking down the Blues in Round 1 in impressive fashion, including a huge 6-2 win in the series-clinching Game 6 on Friday, while they beat the Minnesota Wild in the Best-of-Five Qualifying Round.
Superstar in-waiting Quinn Hughes trails Dallas Stars stud Miro Heiskanen for the most points by a defenseman in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks in points this postseason with 13 (4 G, 9 A).
Jacob Markstrom has a 2.44 Goals Against Average and a .929 Save Percentage in 10 games, with only Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders boasting a higher Save Percentage (.934) this postseason.
This will be the first meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vancouver Canucks, and everything is set for Round 2 to be an absolute doozy.
Bring on Sunday!