If there was a meter to track vibes, the Maple Leafs vibes would be off the charts bad. Not to cross over back into astrology too much, but what a wildly Mercury retrograde result for them.
While the Leafs vibes drag everything down, the Canadiens vibes go entirely the other way. Meanwhile, some neutral vibes in the East and Central.
Boston Bruins
The vibe: Lauz-y
Energy check: Take it down a notch
Whatever the Bruins do is always polarizing. Game 2 against the Islanders featured the worst period they’ve had all playoffs in the second, and even then the Isles needed some wild deflections to win in overtime. Being tied 1-1 going to Nassau Coliseum isn’t ideal, but it’s not like there’s an imminent disaster yet.
New York Islanders
The vibe: Fishermen jerseys
Energy check: Isles being Isles
Very on brand for the Islanders to not really play all that well and come out of two intense games in Boston, in front of a full house, with a 1-1 tie. It might be Semyon Varlamov’s net to lose for the rest of this series after he was strong for most of Game 2. The Islanders did nearly blow a 3-1 lead by going to overtime at all, but good on them for being in a good spot heading into their home games.
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 Second Round schedule, TV info]
Carolina Hurricanes
The vibe: David Ayres couldn’t save them
Energy check: The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel series started with a Lightning win. The Hurricanes can ill afford to be trailing when it goes back to Tampa Bay. Luckily for them, they’ve bounced back really well for most of the postseason, and their year overall. They’re on thin ice for now, though.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The vibe: Kachow
Energy check: Strike twice?
So far, this looks a lot like the start of the Panthers series, which is good news for the Lightning. They took Game 1 on the road, a great way to start any series. The Hurricanes aren’t the Panthers, though. It doesn’t mean the series will be the same. Still, a Game 2 win heading back home, we’ve seen how this goes.
Vegas Golden Knights
The vibe: Anxious
Energy check: When Panic! at the Disco became uncool
Until the last week of the season, the Golden Knights could have won the Presidents’ Trophy. They’re a really good team! So, why does this feel like the Avalanche are in such control after just one game?
Colorado Avalanche
The vibe: Rolling
Energy check: I’m a giraffe dot vine
Colorado has been viewed as potentially the best team in the league the entire season, so perhaps it’s no surprise they looked so dominant in Game 1 of the Second Round. It’s a series with Vegas we’ve all been waiting for for a while, though, and has been hyped as potentially the best series of the postseason. If it stays the way it did in Game 1, though, maybe it won’t be all that exciting after all.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The vibe: This tweet specifically
Energy check: man, it’s brutal out here
What is there to even say? The vibes for all of us are great, because we got to watch this series. For Toronto, the vibes are, well, brutal.
Montreal Canadiens
The vibe: Olé, Olé, Olé
Energy check: Another manic Monday
As awful of a loss that Game 7 was for Toronto, it was a tremendous win for the Canadiens. They had such a strong offseason, fired their coach in the middle of the season, made nice moves during the season. They did a nice job being equipped for this moment, which will almost certainly get lost in the middle of the Toronto losing meme fest.
Winnipeg Jets
The vibe: The waiting is the hardest part
Energy check: Canadian champs?
Who would have imagined the Jets as Second Round favorites? The team that finished in third in the division, the team that struggled so mightily at the end of the season, is going to host a series against Montreal. What a time to be alive.
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Marisa Ingemi is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop her a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Ingemi.