The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has arrived, and, at this point, it’s reasonable to argue every remaining contender has a shot at winning the title.

Each first-round matchup was compelling, and though we had zero sweeps, some series were closer than others. To that end, I wanted to reflect on how we landed at this group of eight, and the player (or unit) most responsible for leading their team out of the first round.

Let’s start in the Eastern Conference and work our way west.

Of the eight teams, this was the hardest single MVP to select.

Auston Matthews (and his line) dominated Ottawa at 5-on-5. William Nylander tallied nine points in six games. Goalie Anthony Stolarz was as good as you could have possibly hoped for.

But I keep coming back to this version of a Maple Leafs team that’s simply harder to score against these days. The organization has made a concerted effort to get better defensively, and Tanev is at the epicentre of that transition. These Leafs are a bit less flashy offensively, but the team gets dramatically more polished two-way play from skaters who can just as comfortably play with the puck as they can without it.

Tanev’s defensive numbers were sublime for the series considering the matchup. He won the head-to-head minutes ( 2 goals at even strength) against Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk, and generally throttled the top of Ottawa’s lineup with partner Jake McCabe:

Luostarinen drew headlines after his closeout performance in Game 5, scoring a goal and adding three assists to send Tampa Bay home in five games.

Anytime you get a McDavid-esque performance from a player in a single playoff game, your odds of advancing greatly improve. The same is true if you have a player whose line outscored the opposition by net six goals over the duration of the series, which, again, is true for Luostarinen.

An elite defensive forward playing with very capable two-way skaters in Anton Lundell and

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