Five key storylines for Round 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs

Just like that, 16 teams are down to four in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Conference Finals are set to get underway Thursday in Raleigh.

And once again, there’s no shortage of juicy storylines to monitor closely over the next few weeks.

Buckle up.

Underdog vs. Underdog

Hands up if you had the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers hooking up in the Eastern Conference Final when you put your Playoff bracket together. Two incredible stories. On one side, you have the Canes, who no one expected to go this far primarily because of key long-term injuries to the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Max Pacioretty and Teuvo Teravainen. On the other, you have the Florida Panthers, who came from behind to stun the best regular season team in NHL history in Boston as well as a Leafs team fresh off their first series victory in 19 years. Now, the two squads will clash to decide who will advance to Stanley Cup Final.

Will Vezina Bob continue to shine?

Far and away, to-date, Sergei Bobrovsky has been the best goalie in the postseason so far. And it’s not even close. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner, who’s 7-2 overall, took things a step further in Round 2 against Toronto when he tallied a ridiculous 1.89 goals-against average and 0.943 save-percentage in five appearances. If the 34-year-old can maintain this kind of pace, not only will the Panthers have a shot to go all the way, but the Russian could be in-line to add a Conn Smythe Trophy to his mantle in June.

Staal Family Reunion

The first family of Thunder Bay is about to take center stage in the Eastern Conference Final as Jordan Staal’s Carolina Hurricanes tangle with Eric and Marc’s Florida Panthers. Barring injury, this all but assures that a Staal brother will play for Lord Stanley in June. Over and above that, adding further intrigue to the series is the fact Eric was drafted by the Canes and won a Stanley Cup with them in his sophomore season in 2006. His captain was Rod Brind’Amour, who now coaches the Canes.

Pete DeBoer REVENGE series

Almost one year to the day after being fired by the Vegas Golden Knights (May 22^nd, 2022), Pete DeBoer will coach against his former team in the Western Conference Final. How’s that for a storyline? In total, DeBoer spent two and a half years in Sin City. After taking the Golden Knights to back-to-back final four appearances, the 54-year-old was axed after Vegas missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In case you missed it, following Monday night’s triumphant against Seattle, DeBoer’s now a perfect 7-0 behind the bench in his career in Game 7s.

Adin Hill vs. Jake Oettinger

On paper, it’s a severe mismatch, but the way he played against Edmonton, Dallas better be primed for the best of Adin Hill. Thrust into action because of an injury to Laurent Brossoit, the career journeyman tallied a 2.19 goals-against average and a 0.934 save percentage in five appearances against the high-powered Oilers. Meantime, widely regarded as one of the top netminders in the league, Jake Oettinger has struggled with consistency issues over the first two rounds of the postseason. In 13 appearances, he’s registered a 2.75 goals-against and 0.903 save-percentage.