The second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs is set to begin on Saturday, with the Boston Bruins hosting the New York Islanders. On Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche begin their series against the Vegas Golden Knights. The North Division is a little behind, so the Winnipeg Jets are waiting to see whether they’ll face the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens in Round 2.
How will each of these series play out?
We gathered our panel of NHL experts to hear their picks on each series, along with how many games it will take to get to the result in each case.
More: Playoff schedule | Series previews
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East Division
Ben Arledge: Isles in six
Pierre Becquey: Isles in seven
John Buccigross: Bruins in seven
Sach Chandan: Bruins in seven
Linda Cohn: Bruins in six
Emily Kaplan: Bruins in seven
Nabil Karim: Bruins in six
Tim Kavanagh: Isles in seven
Victoria Matiash: Bruins in seven
Barry Melrose: Bruins in six
Arda Ocal: Bruins in six
Greg Wyshynski: Bruins in six
Consensus pick: Bruins (9/12)
Central Division
Ben Arledge: Lightning in six
Pierre Becquey: Lightning in seven
John Buccigross: Lightning in seven
Sach Chandan: Lightning in six
Linda Cohn: Lightning in six
Emily Kaplan: Lightning in seven
Nabil Karim: Lightning in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Canes in six
Victoria Matiash: Lightning in six
Barry Melrose: Lightning in six
Arda Ocal: Lightning in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Canes in seven
Consensus pick: Lightning (10/12)
West Division
Ben Arledge: Knights in seven
Pierre Becquey: Avs in seven
John Buccigross: Avs in seven
Sach Chandan: Avs in five
Linda Cohn: Knights in seven
Emily Kaplan: Avs in six
Nabil Karim: Avs in six
Tim Kavanagh: Knights in six
Victoria Matiash: Avs in seven
Barry Melrose: Avs in seven
Arda Ocal: Avs in six
Greg Wyshynski: Avs in six
Consensus pick: Avalanche (9/12)