NHL first‑round pulse
- The NHL published the complete first‑round schedule, TV info, and results for tracking every series day by day. (nhl.com) - Los Angeles vs. Colorado drew focused Game 2 preview coverage, keeping that series in the spotlight. (dknetwork.draftkings.com) - Multiple Game 2s are shaping early advantages across the bracket as nightly matchups stack up. (nhl.com)
The National Hockey League’s first round has settled into its first real pattern: Colorado, Carolina and Philadelphia are up 2-0, while four other series are already 1-1. (nhl.com) The league’s full day-by-day tracker lists all eight best-of-seven matchups with TV windows through the weekend, including three games on Wednesday, April 22, and three more on Thursday, April 23. Los Angeles at Colorado Game 3 is set for 10 p.m. ET on Thursday on TNT, truTV and HBO Max. (nhl.com) Tuesday, April 21 produced four Game 2 results in four different directions. Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime, Boston beat Buffalo 4-2, Utah beat Vegas 3-2, and Colorado beat Los Angeles 2-1 in overtime. (nhl.com) Colorado’s series is the one tightening fastest. The Avalanche won Game 1 by a goal, then erased a 1-0 third-period deficit in Game 2 before Nicolas Roy scored the overtime winner at 7:44. (nhl.com) That made the Kings-Avalanche matchup a focal point going into Game 2 coverage on Tuesday, with DraftKings Network singling it out for a dedicated preview and betting pick before puck drop. The same outlet also published separate Game 2 previews for Utah-Vegas, Montreal-Tampa Bay and Buffalo-Boston on the same day. (dknetwork.draftkings.com) The Eastern Conference is split between dead-even series and early pressure. Boston pulled Buffalo back to 1-1, Tampa Bay pulled Montreal back to 1-1, Carolina pushed Ottawa to 2-0 with a 3-2 double-overtime win, and Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead over Pittsburgh with a 3-0 shutout. (nhl.com) The Western Conference is just as uneven. Colorado leads Los Angeles 2-0, Dallas and Minnesota are tied 1-1, Vegas and Utah are tied 1-1, and Edmonton opened its series with a 4-3 win over Anaheim in Game 1. (nhl.com; nhl.com) The schedule now shifts the pressure to the lower seeds and road teams. Ottawa returns home for Game 3 against Carolina on April 23, Pittsburgh visits Philadelphia for Game 3 on April 22, and Los Angeles gets Colorado at home for Game 3 on April 23 after dropping both games in Denver. (nhl.com) For now, the first-round read is simple: half the bracket has already turned into a race to regain home ice, and the other half has turned into a scramble to avoid 0-3 holes. (nhl.com; nhl.com)
