Sixteen games have been played in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Some trends from Round 1 have continued. Others have not.

With multiple teams on the cusp of elimination, it’s time for another set of playoff takeaways, courtesy of NHL reporters Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton.

Jake Oettinger bolstering his case to be Team USA’s No. 1 goalie

Thatcher Demko. Connor Hellebuyck. Jake Oettinger. Jeremy Swayman. These appear to be the four leading names for who could play goal for the United States at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, along with the Winter Olympics in 2026.

Having their pick of these goaltenders reinforces the belief that the U.S. is one of the front-runners to win both tournaments. Of course, one of them is expected to miss out, with teams usually taking three goalies. That’s a question that will likely get answered over time. But right now, Oettinger is using the 2024 playoffs to make a case to not only make the team but potentially get the nod in net.

Oettinger’s 24-save performance in the Dallas Stars‘ 5-1 win in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche means he is now 7-4 with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage this postseason. He has provided the sort of stability that has allowed the Stars to come within a game of reaching the Western Conference finals. And he did it while playing a proverbial SEC schedule, with the Stars facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round followed by the Avs, who won the Cup in 2022.

It’s possible that Demko, who has battled injuries the last few months, could return for the Vancouver Canucks if they can reach the conference finals. Hellebuyck, who is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, endured his most challenging postseason, with a GAA that was north of 5.00 and an .870 save percentage. As for Swayman, he’s posted a 2.28 GAA with a .920 save percentage, although the Boston Bruins‘ past three losses to the Florida Panthers have seen him surrender more than three goals per game since winning Game 1 of the series.

Other factors will go into the team selection (and lineup) process. But this postseason, Oettinger is providing the consistent high-level goaltending that Team USA will need in the upcoming best-on-best tournaments. — Clark

Bennett didn’t arrive until Game 3 of the Florida Panthers‘ series against the Boston Bruins, but suffice it to say, the man has made his mark. The Panthers forward has one goal, one assist, one controversial hit on Brad Marchand (that took the Bruins’ captain out of Game 4 with an upper-body injury) and one contentious scoring sequence under his belt already.

And the fans in Boston were happy to let Bennett have it whenever he touched the puck in Game 4.

Bennett is the latest example of a player becoming a playoff lightning rod. The question is: Will his antics galvanize the Bruins from here and help them overcome a 3-1 series deficit? Or is Bennett’s button-pushing going to give Florida further confidence to stay on top of its Atlantic Division rivals?

Game-changers in the playoffs aren’t always determined through the X’s and O’s, and Bennett has certainly spiced up the Florida-Boston matchup in unexpected ways. — Shilton

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Sam Bennett evens score with clutch power-play goal

Sam Bennett takes advantage on the power play and nets a huge goal for the Panthers to even the score against the Bruins.

Why can’t anyone in the West hold a lead?

One of the common threads in the Western Conference semifinal series is that no lead is safe. The Dallas Stars found that out in Game 1 when the Colorado Avalanche came back from a three-goal deficit to win in overtime. Game 2 saw the Stars build a 4-0 lead only to see the Avs score three before the Stars won 5-3. In Game 3, the Stars had a 1-0 lead until the Avs tied the game. The Stars scored again but were under threat before a pair of empty-net goals gave them a 4-1 lead.

The Edmonton Oilers had a two-goal lead in Game 1 before the Vancouver Canucks won 5-4. The Canucks had a pair of one-goal leads in Game 2 before the Oilers won it in overtime. Game 3 saw the Oilers jump out to a 1-0 lead before the Canucks scored three straight. Even then, the Oilers scored two of the game’s final three goals and made life hectic for the Canucks after they scored early in the third period before losing 4-3.

What is it about the Western Conference right now? Why is it that each of the four teams presents equal arguments for how it can charge out to a lead — and could lose it just as easily? One reason is that all four were rather strong at comebacks in the regular season. The Stars were 23-15-4 when their opponents scored first, while the Avalanche were 20-17-0 when their opponent got the first goal. As for the Oilers, they were 18-18-3 in those situations whereas the Canucks were 12-12-5.

“It’s certainly a mental boost and a pick-me-up if you believe in what your team’s doing and have firepower, which, I think, all the teams have firepower and can score,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “You get something going your way, it’s snowballing going downhill and the other team is trying to survive for a little bit. If you can capitalize on a chance or two, it starts turning the tide.

“The belief gets stronger and stronger. … When you are playing from behind, you get to a certain part of the game where you have nothing to lose. You’re either going out with a loss or pushing to try and make it a win. I think it’s evenly matched teams, all desperate to try to survive and advance and lay it all on the line.” — Clark

Go big or go deep?

The New York Rangers–Carolina Hurricanes series is a fascinating look at how two great teams approached the trade deadline this season — with varied results.

Last season, the Rangers went all-in, acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to (theoretically) give them a boost come playoff time. New York’s would-be stars never acted their part, and the Rangers made a first-round exit. This season, New York added depth in Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic so that its core could shine as is — and it’s working.

Meanwhile, Carolina followed the Rangers’ script from last season with the deadline blockbuster (hello, Jake Guentzel). But somehow, the Hurricanes’ ship plotting toward a Stanley Cup Final took on significant water in the second round.

Now, it’s not all due to one factor (or player). But this illustrates how it’s not always big swings that ultimately determine a team’s fate. Maybe it’s a mindset or mentality that comes with staying the course. New York essentially bet on itself to get the job done, and it’s working. Carolina gathered reinforcements, and that hasn’t paid off as quickly. And oddly enough, if anyone can relate, it’s the Rangers. — Shilton

Lingering questions on the Oilers’ goaltending

Stuart Skinner has become a topic of conversation for a second straight postseason. Last year, he was a rookie who was pulled four times, with three of those early exits coming in the second round. Fast forward to this postseason. In Game 3, he was pulled after two periods and now has a 4.63 goals-against average and a .790 save percentage in three games against the Canucks.

It left Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch with a decision ahead of Game 4. Does he return to Skinner? Does he turn to Calvin Pickard, who replaced Skinner in Game 3? Or does that all open the door for Jack Campbell? Even while trying to answer those questions, there’s another one facing the Oilers.

How will the decision facing Knoblauch this postseason impact the club going forward? Campbell is under contract for three more years at $5 million annually, while Skinner has two years left at $2.6 million annually. Pickard is a pending unrestricted free agent on a team that Cap Friendly projects will have a little less than $9 million in space in the offseason.

The past five years have watched the Oilers go from a team of promise with two generational talents in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to one that carries championship expectations into each season. In that time, the Oilers’ front office has worked to address their needs, which have ranged from finding secondary scoring to strengthening a defense to getting the goaltenders they feel can help them win a title.

But with their current situation, what could next season look like for the Oilers in goal? Especially when they have 10 UFAs, seven of whom are forwards. And even that comes with the context that whatever they do this offseason could impact what happens in the summer of 2025, when Draisaitl could hit the open market. — Clark

Is Edmonton built to last?

There’s no doubt the Oilers can score. They’ve done plenty of it in the postseason. But is Edmonton designed to win over the long haul here?

Consider that the Oilers have tallied 33 goals total — but only 17 at even strength. That top-ranked power play has been a vital part of Edmonton’s success to date, and now it is experiencing what happens when it runs up against a sensational penalty kill like Vancouver’s. Pucks can stop finding twine as frequently on the man advantage. The Oilers are 4-for-8 on the power play through three games; the Canucks are nearly matching them, though, at 3-for-9. If the special teams battle becomes neutral ground, it’s fair to question whether the Oilers can get out of the second round based purely on their even-strength play.

McDavid has one 5-on-5 goal in the playoffs. Draisaitl has two. But each has 10 total points on the power play. Maybe there’s still a shift coming. That special teams mojo better start translating throughout the game for Edmonton, though. — Shilton

The second leg of the Triple Crown will kick off Saturday, May 18 with the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (5-2) will look to continue his bid for the first Triple Crown since Justify in 2018. He opens as the second choice in the nine-horse field just behind Bob Baffert-trained Muth, who is the morning-line favorite (8-5).

Post time for Saturday’s 1 3/16-mile, $1.65 million race is 7:01 p.m. ET.

Here are all of the morning line odds and jockeys for Saturday.

1. Mugatu (20-1)

Trainer: Jeff Engler
Jockey: Joe Bravo

2. Uncle Heavy (20-1)

Trainer: Butch Reid Jr.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

3. Catching Freedom (6-1)

Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat

4. Muth (8-5)

Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Juan Hernandez

5. Mystik Dan (5-2)

Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

6. Seize the Gray (15-1)

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Jaime Torres

7. Just Steel (15-1)

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Joel Rosario

8. Tuscan Gold (8-1)

Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

9. Imagination (6-1)

Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Frankie Dettori

BOSTON — In the regular season, Sergei Bobrovsky is known as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, as evidenced by his nomination for the Vezina Trophy, which he has won twice before.

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he’s known simply as “Playoff Bob.”

Who is Playoff Bob?

“I mean, I don’t even know if there’s one word to describe him,” Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said. “Focus. That’s a good one, I guess.”

“Ultimate compete. Ultimate preparation,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “His calm and coolness in the net under any circumstances.”

“He’s just on another level,” Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said.

That’s the perception of Playoff Bob. It’s reinforced by incredible postseason saves like his diving stop in the first round with his back turned to center ice, which was immortalized on a T-shirt as “The Bobbery.”

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Sergei Bobrovsky makes unbelievable save to deny Lightning

Check out this sensational save from Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 2 vs. the Lightning.

But the reality of Playoff Bob, at least in the 2024 postseason, is different from the perception.

Sure, he’s 7-2 for the Panthers, who are one victory away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season. He has a 2.55 goals-against average, which ranks him fifth among goalies with at least six postseason appearances. But those are largely team-driven stats for a goaltender.

From an individual perspective, Bobrovsky has a .892 save percentage, which ranks eighth out of nine goalies with at least six appearances. Only Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers ranks lower (.877), a goaltender whose status for Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks is uncertain due to his ineffectiveness.

Money Puck has Bobrovsky at 0.5 goals saved above expected. Stathletes has him at minus-1.3 goals saved above expected in all situations. Natural Stat Trick has Bobrovsky at minus-1 goals saved above average. His save percentage vs. expected save percentage (-0.70) is 11th in the postseason.

So based on all of that, who is Playoff Bob?

“He’s at a point in his career where he should be oblivious to the stats,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “They don’t matter. His stats won’t be good, but his play is fantastic.”

THIS IS BOBROVSKY’S 14th NHL season. His NHL run started in 2010-11 with the Philadelphia Flyers, who signed him as a free agent out of the KHL. After two seasons in Philadelphia, and one season under big-ticket free agent signing Ilya Bryzgalov, the Flyers traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where Bobrovsky blossomed: He won the Vezina Trophy in his first season in Columbus (2012-13) and then again in the 2016-17 season.

He was signed away from the Blue Jackets by then-Florida GM Dale Tallon on a seven-year, $70 million contract with full trade protection. The size of that contract weighed on him during his first couple of seasons in Florida, but Bobrovsky was a big reason the Panthers became a Stanley Cup contender.

While his career save percentage in the regular season (.915) is higher than in the postseason (.904), he earned the Playoff Bob reputation with a couple of impressive series wins. In 2019, he backstopped the Blue Jackets to a first-round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in one of the biggest upsets in NHL history. In 2022, he battled for a six-game series win over the Washington Capitals, the first playoff series win for the Panthers franchise since its appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.

Last season, Bobrovsky had a .915 save percentage in leading the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final again, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. Alex Lyon started the postseason for the Panthers after helping to lead them to a playoff berth in the regular season. Bobrovsky replaced Lyon during Game 3 of the first round and helped them win two critical road games, including Game 7.

But the highlight of his postseason was Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference finals: a four-overtime epic in which Bobrovsky stopped 63 of 65 shots in full Playoff Bob mode.

“At that point you don’t feel much about your body. It’s more mental,” he said at the time. “Your focus is completely on the game. One shot at a time and you don’t think about your body.”

No goalie faced more shots than Bobrovsky last postseason (639), including 31.2 per game at 5-on-5 — a total inflated a bit by overtime games. This playoff run from the Panthers couldn’t be more different: Bobrovsky is facing just 22.9 shots per game.

The good news is that the Panthers are a much better defensive team year over year, tying the Winnipeg Jets for first in the NHL with a 2.41 goals-against average in the regular season.

But this presented a new challenge to Bobrovsky: getting to his game, and staying on his game, without facing anything close to his previous shot volume.

“He’s not on his A-plus-game right now, but I think he’s playing well,” said Kevin Weekes, ESPN analyst and former NHL goaltender. “It’s different because there’s not a lot of volume. It’s hard to get in and stay in the rhythm in any game right now.”

Weekes said that goalies use shots from a distance to get into a rhythm. “Some clear out point shots where you can make a clean save and get the feel,” he said.

“It’s weird. For the most part, Florida’s dominating. And then when they do give up some chances, they’re kind of Grade A,” he said.

Maurice said that quality vs. quantity change was on full display in the Panthers’ first-round win over the Lightning.

“I think we really noticed it in the Tampa series. Those guys hang on at pucks. They’ve got so much deception in their game. Their shot numbers weren’t high, but they were just so dangerous,” he said. “I feel that a guy that doesn’t have the experience that Bob has would’ve a difficult time doing what Sergei’s been able to do.”

Weekes saw something similar.

“It’s very different than it was last year, because last year he was like stealing games and they were giving up a lot more in the playoffs,” he said. “So far, certainly in this round and even against Tampa, he’s not getting as much volume. It’s a tougher way to stay busy and to stay sharp as easily.”

THERE’S A LOT of psychology involved in Bobrovsky’s postseason workload.

First, there’s his own mentality. Without facing shots to keep him sharp, Bobrovsky (who declined to comment for this story) has had to remain engaged mentally in different ways.

“I believe that he has a mental program that he’s running in those long stretches of time because he’s done it before,” Maurice said. “He’s so routine in what he does, so he would have a routine in the net for staying sharp and staying mentally alert.”

Another mental hurdle for Bobrovsky is the realization that his numbers aren’t going to be as stellar as they’ve been in seasons past.

“I think it’s been an incredibly difficult start for him in the playoffs,” Maurice said. “I don’t mean the quality of his play. He made some saves that we’ll probably be seeing for the next 10 years, like the backhand spin-around. But Tampa Bay is really difficult to game because they have the [David] Pastrnak level of skill [but] they don’t shoot every puck. So the numbers aren’t going to look good against Tampa. They’re not putting up 50 shots.”

When opponents aren’t putting up shots, that can also have a psychological impact.

Maurice recalled when his teams would face Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, whose New Jersey Devils teams would prevent shots on goal for long stretches.

“I remember we were going to play New Jersey back in their prime and walking by the door and I hear [former NHL player] Nelson Emerson say, ‘We’re probably only getting three chances tonight, fellas. We’ve got to make good on them,'” recalled the coach.

One goaltending analyst told ESPN that Bobrovsky has an aura about him that makes opponents feel they have to capitalize on the chances they get to score on the Panthers netminder.

“The numbers don’t say he’s dominating. Right,” the analyst said. “But I feel like he’s so mobile, he’s so explosive that there still can be an intimidation factor.”

The final psychological impact of Playoff Bob is on his teammates. For the players on the ice, it’s the way that Bobrovsky can turn his performance around in a single game. Look no further than Game 4 against the Boston Bruins, when he gave up two goals on five shots in the first period, and then didn’t allow a goal for the rest of the game.

“That’s who he is. It’s funny: It’s cliché with every team. You always tell your goalie to shut the door and we’ll get this one back for you,” Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said. “A lot of people say that, but it feels like when we do, he goes out and actually does it. He’s been incredible for us all year. Steady as can be. Game 4 was another example of it.”

Playoff Bob serves another purpose for his teammates: A great performance in goal could mean less scrutiny of their own mishaps in a victory.

“You don’t have to go to therapy as much, right?” Maurice said. “If he doesn’t [play well], you’re in team therapy, you’re in the video room going, ‘You made these four mistakes and that’s why the goal went in.’ And then if he stops it, we pat them on the back and say, ‘Great job.’ And nobody talks about the mistakes. So there are fewer therapy sessions when he’s playing like that.”

Such is the impact of Playoff Bob.