The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has given us two surprising first-round sweeps. The New York Islanders knocking out the Pittsburgh Penguins isn’t surprising, but it’s how they dispatched of them in four games that raised some eyebrows.
We all know what the other early surprise was. Perhaps it was the biggest first-round upset in the history of the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets swept the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning out of the playoffs. The best team in the NHL in the regular season rarely wins the Stanley Cup, but the Lightning entered the playoffs as the heavy favorite.