NHL Playoffs’ Second Round Brings Pressure, Matchups and Plot Twists

The second round of the NHL playoffs has the league in its sweetest spot, where every coaching adjustment starts to matter and every mistake gets replayed for days. The matchups are tight enough that special teams, goaltending, and a little bench-pressing of the matchup board can tilt a series in a hurry. This is the part of the spring where contenders separate from pretenders, and the margin for error starts shrinking fast.