Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015: Updated Postseason Tree, Odds and Predictions

On the heels of a whirlwind first round of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs comes Round 2. And with it already underway, all signs point toward drama and intrigue reaching a fever pitch in the coming days.

The second round began Thursday night with two games that went in different directions, to say the least. The Washington Capitals stunned the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers by stealing Game 1 with a goal at the last second. The Anaheim Ducks preferred not to follow suit, thrashing the Calgary Flames 6-1 in a game that may as well have been called after two periods.

But the schedule really amps up over the weekend, with all eight teams stepping onto the ice and the two other second-round series beginning. And if the early returns are any indication, the second round should produce even more fireworks than the first.

Take a look below at everything to know for the second round.

2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Tree

Eastern Conference	Series Score	Prediction
Western Conference	Series Score	Prediction
New York Rangers (1) vs. Washington Capitals (2)	Capitals lead 1-0	Rangers in 7
Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (2)	-	Canadiens in 6
Anaheim Ducks (1) vs. Calgary Flames (3)	Ducks lead 1-0	Ducks in 5
Chicago Blackhawks (3) vs. Minnesota Wild (4)	-	Wild in 7

Odds to Win 2015 Stanley Cup

Team	Odds
New York Rangers	13-4
Chicago Blackhawks	4-1
Anaheim Ducks	9-2
Minnesota Wild	11-2
Montreal Canadiens	6-1
Tampa Bay Lightning	15-2
Washington Capitals	9-1
Calgary Flames	12-1

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of April 30.

Featured Series Prediction 

Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Let's get this much straight—no series in the Stanley Cup playoffs comes easy. But in terms of breezing by their opposition in the opening few weeks of the postseason, no team has done so nearly as impressively as the Anaheim Ducks.

Many critics set them up for first-round failure against a similarly built Winnipeg Jets team, and the struggles showed, but the Ducks still escaped in a four-game sweep. It took three come-from-behind performances, but they became the only team to execute a first-round sweep.

Another Canadian club gets its turn in the Calgary Flames, who also resiliently fought to the postseason against all odds before ousting Vancouver in six games. But they were no match for the Ducks in Game 1, being absolutely manhandled 6-1 in the opening game of the series. 

The victory marked the Ducks' fifth in a row, which hasn't happened since their last Stanley Cup, as Greg Beacham of The Associated Press reported:

An offensive explosion to the tune of six goals doesn't just happen without either shoddy goaltending or hapless defending, and it was the latter that has doomed Calgary thus far. Goaltender Jonas Hiller was pulled after three conceded goals in 22 minutes, but most were a byproduct of defensive lapses and confusion from blueliners.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Even Hiller himself lauded the result as a lack of team effort, per the team's Twitter account:

A poor game or two from a goaltender usually doesn't doom a team in the playoffs, but that is thrown out of the window when defensive issues are the culprit. That is a recipe for disaster against any playoff-caliber team, much less one of the most potent offensive attacks in hockey.

The Ducks' forwards are impossible to contain once they get going, and Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are certainly going now with three goals and five assists combined in Game 1. That's going to demand a string of unstoppable games from Hiller, along with a fine-tuned defensive effort.

Even doing that may not get them more than one game in the series. Anaheim has prided itself on gutsy late comebacks this season into the playoffs, and the Ducks are shoo-ins to at least steal one or two in that fashion.

Prediction: Ducks in five games