Stanley Cup playoffs takeaways: Maple Leafs slay their demons to advance

A William Nylander empty netter would later seal it and send Toronto onto just its second Round 2 matchup since their nine-year postseason streak began in 2017.

The Maple Leafs, who in years past relied on their offense, were excellent defensively, allowing just 2.67 goals against per game, third best. They'll face a tough task going up against the Florida Panthers, but for now, they've gotten over the hump of Round 1.

Oilers stun Kings with four straight wins as depth plays a huge part

Going up 2-0, the Los Angeles Kings seemed to be in line to finally defeat the Edmonton Oilers after three straight years of postseason losses to them. Edmonton would roar back, however, after a goalie change sparked the team.

Swapping Stuart Skinner for Calvin Pickard midway through Game 2, Edmonton rattled off four straight wins to put the Kings away in Game 6. While in years past the Oilers seemed to rely on superstar forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, this time they were able to get plenty of depth scoring.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor Brown contributed three goals each; Zach Hyman, Corey Perry and Evander Kane each added two. Although McDavid and Draisaitl did lead the team with 11 and 10 points, respectively, not being overly reliant on the two was a big boost to the team.

Now, they'll head to Round 2 to battle the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated the Minnesota Wild in six games. It should be an interesting test for the Oilers' depth and goaltending.

Golden Knights could be the favorite in the West

A back-and-forth series saw the Vegas Golden Knights take down the Minnesota Wild in six games. Falling down in the series 2-1, the Golden Knights were able to recuperate and string together three straight wins to advance to Round 2.

The 2023 Stanley Cup champions were back to form, with a mix of offense coming from a slew of players. Nine players had three or more points in the series, led by Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel (five points each); four of those players were defensemen, providing key scoring from the back end.

One thing that might need to improve for the Golden Knights to continue their run: Goaltender Adin Hill had just an .880 save percentage in Round 1, a far cry from his career .922 save percentage in the postseason. If he can get back to form, look for the Golden Knights to be favorites in the West.

The Golden Knights will face the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. With McDavid and Draisaitl playing well, they'll have a big defensive test ahead.