NHL Playoffs 2023: Top Storylines for May 2 Schedule

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins on Tuesday with a pair of unexpected matchups.

The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs took out two of the top contenders for the trophy out of the Eastern Conference.

Florida ended the Boston Bruins' Presidents' Trophy-winning season, while Toronto finally got out of the first round by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning, which had participated in the last three Stanley Cup Finals.

Toronto should have the edge in Game 1 because of its home-ice advantage and the extra day of rest over Florida, but the Leafs now have to manage the weight of expectations since they could be viewed as the favorite to win the East.

The Seattle Kraken's second playoff series starts on the road against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

Seattle is coming off a similarly emotional series win, after it eliminated the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Dallas holds the potential to run away with a Game 1 victory because its defense could tire out an exhausted Kraken squad.

May 2 Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule

Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images

DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 30: The Seattle Kraken swarm goaltender Philipp Grubauer after the Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 30, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images)

Game 1: Florida at Toronto (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Game 1: Seattle at Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Florida, Toronto Need to Reset After Emotional 1st-Round Wins

Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 30: Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) looks up ice during Game 7 of an Eastern Conference First Round playoff contest between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 30, 2023, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Florida and Toronto come into the second round with the same need to reset after an emotional first-round series.

The Panthers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to down the Bruins in overtime in Game 7 on Sunday night, while the Leafs won their first playoff series since 2004 to end a string of opening-round failures with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Co. on the roster.

Toronto has a one-day advantage in terms of rest, but that may not matter much since it went to overtime in Game 6 against Tampa Bay.

The Leafs and Panthers should be more than familiar with each other since they played three times in March and April. Toronto won the season series, 3-1, but two of its victories were earned in overtime. Florida's lone win over the Leafs also came in the extra period.

The close regular-season showdowns mean we could be in for a tight series that goes the distance.

Toronto should be the favorite to capture Game 1 because it is playing on home ice. Florida will not make life easy on the Leafs, but the Panthers may experience some fatigue later in the contest because they spent so much energy trying to get out of the first round.

Dallas Defense Key to Earning Win Over Seattle

Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

SAINT PAUL, MN - APRIL 28: Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) scores a goal on a shot during Game Six of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars, on April 28th, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Seattle-Dallas series is similar on paper to the Florida-Toronto matchup.

Seattle comes into the second round off an exhausting Game 7 victory over Colorado, and it could be affected by playing at altitude on Sunday night.

The Kraken will gain hope to win Game 1 because of their close results with the Stars in March.

Dallas won the season series 2-1. Each team won a game in overtime, and Dallas took a 5-2 result in the other contest.

The Stars will try to earn the early edge in the second-round series with their defense. They tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the fewest goal concessions in the first round with 14. Dallas conceded three times during its three-game winning run to finish off the Minnesota Wild.

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger ranks in the NHL in playoff save percentage at .929, while Seattle's Philipp Grubauer is fourth at .926. The series may come down to which netminder blinks first.

Seattle should be the looser of the two sides because no one expected it to be here in the first place, but that won't guarantee victory in Texas.

Dallas needs its defense to be on point yet again, and don't be surprised if its offensive stars jump on a few early chances. Roope Hintz, who leads the NHL in playoff points with 12, should be at the center of most of those early rushes on Grubauer's net.