NHL Eastern Conference playoff update: April 24

All three Eastern Conference series are now two games into the series, and there has not been a ton of chaos so far, at least from the underdogs.

Already two games in we have a save of the year candidate, blown leads and loud playoff hockey atmospheres.

Here is a look at how each team is faring in the Eastern Conference playoffs right now.

New York Islanders

Defeat comes in many forms, but the way the Islanders lost to Carolina on Monday, is a new low for Patrick Roy’s team.

The team held a 3-0 lead midway through the second period, and after that it all went downhill.

The Hurricanes ended up scoring five unanswered goals including four in the third period alone on Monday night.

As the series shifts to Long Island, it seems likely that to have any chance in this series, the Islanders have to take care of business at home and go back to Raleigh tied 2-2.

Carolina Hurricanes

Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour brought in Jake Guentzel to score goals in the playoffs, and he tallied his first in Game 2.

Canes fans should feel really confident about this team because of the amount of playoff success their deadline acquisitions are providing.

Guentzel and Kuznetsov are both Stanley Cup champions and know what it takes to capture the title.

With so much talent on offense and defense, the Cardiac Canes are looking for title number two this season.

Washington Capitals

There was a lot more fight from Washington on Tuesday night, but the results are not there.

The Rangers are the more powerful team in this series, and I think Washington currently is playing like one of the weakest.

The one bright spot has been Tom Wilson. Known more so as a brutal hit machine, Wilson has a goal and two assists in the Caps' first two games at the Garden.

We’ll see how much the Caps want it when the series switches to the nation's capital.

New York Rangers

Not much needs to be said about this team. They are looking to stay consistent.

Laviolette has all of the talent in the world, and anything but a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals this season would be a failure in New York.

Any player on this team can take over a game this postseason, which makes the Rangers' depth extra terrifying.

The Rangers are in a comfortable spot right now.

Tampa Bay Lightning

There is so much talent on this team, which makes their series with Florida a must-watch.

In my opinion, this series goes seven games just because of how close both Games 1 and 2 were.

Amalie Arena will be rocking this Thursday, and I’d expect a bounce back from Jon Cooper’s team.

Florida Panthers

We arguably saw the save of the year from Bobrovsky on Tuesday night, which shows how strong the Panthers are.

The offense has also been tremendous for Florida because of how many goal scoring threats there are.

Whether it is Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart or Alexander Barkov, no team has the scoring depth that the Cats have this postseason.

Boston Bruins

The old vets in Beantown are once again playing one of their biggest division rivals, the Maple Leafs.

After a commanding Game 1 victory, one would assume that they would do the same in Game 2, but Auston Matthews had different ideas.

Now the series shifts across the border to Toronto, where seven games seem to be likely with how good both teams are.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs had an optional practice after their Game 1 loss, somehow it actually worked, and the Leafs head back to Toronto tied 1-1.

It’s no secret Auston Matthews is the star of the show, and he will have to be that and more if Toronto wants to advance to Round 2 for back-to-back seasons.

Leafs fans are craving a Stanley Cup, and much like the Cowboys in the NFL, Toronto will have to prove they can win the big games.

Giustino Racchini is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him please email him at gar5448@psu.edu.