Ten things you need to know about the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:
1. The final few days of the Second Round featured a frenzy of frenetic finishes, including Chris Kreider notching a natural hat trick as the Rangers rallied late to eliminate the Hurricanes in Game 6; Gustav Forsling putting the Panthers into the Conference Finals via a go-ahead goal at 18:27 of the third period to avoid a Game 7 against the Bruins; Matt Duchene dealing a double-overtime clincher in Game 6 at Colorado after the Stars surrendered three third-period tallies two nights earlier; J.T. Miller and Evan Bouchard burying winners in the final minute of regulation in consecutive contests before Vancouver made another late comeback attempt that fell just short to cap a thrilling Second Round in Game 7 between the Canucks and Oilers.
2. Three of the 34 comeback wins this postseason were during series-clinching victories in the Second Round, as the Rangers, Panthers and Stars combined for the seventh instance in Stanley Cup Playoffs history of three teams rallying for a series-clinching comeback win in the second round. Each of those victories in the 2024 Second Round were secured on the road. Overall, 49% of games this postseason have been comeback wins – tied with 1991 and 2010 (both 34 of 69 GP) for the second highest rate at this stage of any Stanley Cup Playoffs behind 51% clips in 1982 and 1999 (both 35 of 69 GP).
3. Rangers forward Chris Kreider (Game 6 of R2) and Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (Game 6 of R2) joined Canucks forward Pius Suter (Game 6 of R1) to make the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs the second in League history with at least three go-ahead, series-clinching goals in the final five minutes of regulation. The only other postseason in NHL history to feature as many was 2009 (4).
4. After half of the games in the opening round were won by the visiting club (22 of 44 GP in R1), road teams continued their winning ways by posting a 16-9 record in the Second Round to set a Stanley Cup Playoffs record for most such victories in round two (besting the 15-10 mark by road clubs in the 2001 Conference Semifinals). The four remaining teams all clinched a spot in the Conference Finals with a road victory, including Florida and Dallas who both went undefeated as visitors in the Second Round (3-0).
5. The 15 games that were decided by a one-goal margin tied 2015 for the second-most during a second round in Stanley Cup Playoffs behind only 2007 (16). The 36 total one-goal contests during the 2024 playoffs rank 10th in NHL history through 69 games played and are the highest such total at this stage since 2017 (43 of 69 GP). The Oilers-Canucks matchup started with five straight one-goal games – the first such instance since the 2017 First Round (TOR vs. WSH & BOS vs. OTT, both 6 GP) – and included six such decisions overall.
6. Twenty-eight of 30 game days in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs have featured at least one contest decided by a one-goal margin or two-plus including at least one empty-netter. That included a 25-day stretch with at least one such contest from the start of the postseason. Vancouver played in nine straight one-goal games from Game 3 of the First Round to Game 5 of the Second Round, the second-longest such stretch in Stanley Cup Playoffs history behind 13 consecutive one-goal decisions involving the Rangers in 2015.
7. The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs were the sixth in NHL history in which all four second-round series required at least six games. The Second Round also produced the 15th all-time Game 7 between Canadian clubs and first since 2002 in which a spot in the Conference Finals was on the line. Overall, there have been three Game 7s this postseason, marking the 17th consecutive playoffs with at least three.
8. The Hurricanes snapped the Rangers’ seven-game postseason-opening winning streak to ensure that the Second Round featured no sweeps for the seventh time in the past 11 postseasons since 2014 when the Wild Card format first was introduced (also 2023, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016 & 2014). There were no sweeps in the second round in 11 of 26 postseasons before that (from 1987, when all rounds became best-of-seven, to 2013).
9. Three division winners advanced past the second round for the 10th time since 1980 (the first time division winners didn’t get a bye in a 16-team playoff bracket), with New York, Florida and Dallas placing 2024 on the list alongside 2018, 2011, 2007, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1996, 1984 and 1983. There has never been a year in which the final four was comprised solely of division winners.
10. For the first time in NHL history, each final-four team is looking to claim its first championship in 20-plus years. The Stars (1999), Rangers (1994) and Oilers (1990) all won their last Cup in the 1990s, while the Panthers (30th season) seek their first Cup.
