The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is well underway.
Some teams are rolling forward. Others are up against impending eliminations.
Here, we rank each of those eight clubs still alive in the postseason:
8. St. Louis Blues
This isn't so much about the Blues' deficiencies as it is their opponent's wave of momentum. Vladimir Tarasenko had a killer game to prove St. Louis has not been left for dead, but if there's one team that seems bound for a serious run at the Stanley Cup out of the West, it's the one the Blues are playing.
7. New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist went from first-round hero to second-round scapegoat rather quickly. Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators, a team the Rangers vastly outweigh in offensive power, was more a result of New York running into Guy Boucher's stingy "D."
But "Hank" was downright destroyed in the follow-up, a six-goal Sens outing, leaving the Rangers to rally from a big hole at home, where they have struggled.
6. Washington Capitals
Don't look now, but the Capitals are headed for exactly what, well, the most realistic of Capitals fans feared would come -- an early playoff exit (at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, no less). Their talent and the way they were built to handle the Pens is so blatant, but when you watch them square off with Pittsburgh, you can tell one team is having fun, winning with speed and fluidity, and one is not.
5. Anaheim Ducks
Another big-score night against their Pacific Division foes, which is more than feasible considering Anaheim's restocked offense, and the Ducks could shoot right up and back into contention for a trip to the conference finals.
Their slow start out of the gate after a clean sweep of the Calgary Flames in the first round is what's holding them back for now.
4. Ottawa Senators
More than any other remaining playoff team, the Senators could arguably be higher -- or lower -- on this list. That's because they've been defensively dominant and unusually score-happy in crunch time, yet they've also been accused of benefiting quite a bit from opponents' penalty problems, at least after the first round. If they go up 3-0 on the Rangers, how can they not earn some respect?
3. Edmonton Oilers
The Connor McDavid-led offensive show wasn't nearly as evident in a tight opening-round showdown with the San Jose Sharks, but that has hardly been the case against Anaheim.
Edmonton has unsurprisingly fallen victim to some big defeats, like its 7-0 loss in the first round and Sunday's 6-3 "L," but it also has 10 goals in three second-round contests.
2. Nashville Predators
If it weren't for Pittsburgh's playoff reputation, their bid to repeat as title winners and the Pens' sheer star power, the Predators would be the obvious top dogs moving forward. Their streaky regular-season success has translated to a 6-1 record through seven playoff games, and their blazing offense left the Chicago Blackhawks in the dust before threatening to do the same vs. the Blues.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
Does slotting them at No. 1 make up for another round of predicting the Pens' demise? Because Pittsburgh, even with ongoing injury bouts, looks the part of a defending Stanley Cup champion.
If the Columbus Blue Jackets and their heralded defense could not slow down Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Co. in the first round, who's to say the Ottawa Senators would stand a chance in the conference finals?
