Upsets were common during the first two days of the 2020 NHL playoffs as favorites like Pittsburgh and Edmonton fell behind 1-0 in their series. While short series haven’t been part of the playoffs since 1986, teams that won Game 1 own a 68-15 record during the last 83 best-of-five series. Penalties were frequent in several of the opening games - including two penalty shots during the Montreal versus Pittsburgh contest. That hasn’t happened in a NHL postseason match since 1923.
There were a couple of key injuries during the first two days of action as Winnipeg Jets forwards Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine both left Game 1 of their series versus the Calgary Flames.