Welcome to Round 2 of the NHL playoffs. It arrived a bit early, since the hockey gods cruelly deprived us of so much as a single Game 7 in the opening round, but we're happy to have it anyway.

The action gets underway tonight with the Western Conference, and tomorrow night with the Eastern Conference. And the previewing gets underway right now.

For years, the Western Conference has been the NHL's better half. That wasn't the case this year, and with the conference's two best teams in terms of regular season points already done, the path to the final is wide open.

In this corner: The Ducks (46-23-13, 105 points, +23 goals differential not counting shootouts), who should be well-rested after sweeping aside the Flames in four games.

And in this corner: The Oilers (47-26-9, 103 points, +36), making their first postseason appearance since 2006. They went all the way to the final that year, in case you were wondering.

Head-to-head: The Oilers won three of five.

Dominant narrative: The up-and-coming Oilers face a veteran team whose window may be closing. If that sounds familiar, it was pretty much the same story line we had in the San Jose series. The Ducks' situation isn't quite as urgent as the Sharks', but it's not far off, thanks to an aging core that's locked into some long-term deals. It's not quite "now or never" in Anaheim, but in theory they should have a sense of urgency that the young Oilers may not be able to match.

Injury report: The Oilers are relatively healthy. The Ducks have been missing two key defensemen in Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen, but it sounds like both men might be back for Game 1, which would be huge.

The big question: Does momentum matter in the playoffs? If so, the Oilers could be in trouble, because the Ducks have been just about unstoppable lately. They've won eight straight going back to the regular season, and haven't lost in regulation since March 10.

One player to watch: Ryan Kesler. The Ducks went out and traded for Kesler three years ago (and gave him a big extension that lots of us questioned) for exactly this sort of scenario. He'll be tasked with shutting down Connor McDavid, or at least with preventing him from single-handedly winning the series. It's no easy task, but Kesler earned a Selke nomination for his defensive work this year, and he's been around long enough to know how to target the other team's star. McDavid had four points in the first round, which would be fine for most players but was a disappointment for him. If Kesler can limit him early, frustration could set in.

Key number: 79. That's how many games Edmonton's Cam Talbot has started so far this season, including a league-leading 73 during the regular season. That's well above his previous career high of 53, and this is his first playoff run as a starter. Does he wear down eventually? He was very good against the Sharks with the exception of a Game 4 meltdown in which he gave up five goals on the way to a 7-0 loss.

Prediction: Oilers in six.

Bonus prediction that is oddly specific: At some point, Kesler does something to McDavid that leads to Milan Lucic making a show of wanting to fight him.

In this corner: The Blues (46-29-7, 99 points, +17), who were probably outplayed by the Wild but still took the series in five games thanks to some timely scoring and fantastic goaltending.

And in this corner: The Predators (41-29-12, 94 points, +18), who stunned the Blackhawks in four and looked great doing it.

Head-to-head: The Predators won three of five, but only one of those games came in 2017, and it was a 4-1 Blues' win in the season's final week.

Dominant narrative: In the least likely matchup of the second round, one team will become the underdog story of the 2017 playoffs. Of course, that means one will head home knowing they let a golden chance at advancing pass them by.

Injury report: The Predators are missing some key depth guys in Vernon Fiddler, Colin Wilson, and Craig Smith, all three of whom are question marks heading into the second round. The Blues are basically healthy now that Paul Stastny is back.

The big question: Is Jake Allen for real? The Blues goalie was the story of the first round, standing on his head against the Wild to win the first series of his career as a starter. At 26, Allen is still relatively young for a goalie and this was his first season as the Blues' unquestioned No. 1. It's fair to say it was a rocky year, and his struggles were a big part of why the Blues fired Ken Hitchcock in February. But his play improved after that, and he outplayed Vezina candidate Devan Dubnyk in Round 1. So have we just seen a young goaltender flip the switch and enter the league's elite? Or is this merely a case of a guy getting hot for a few games, destined to come back to earth eventually? The Predators will find out.

One player to watch: Pekka Rinne. As good as Allen was against the Wild, Rinne actually put up better numbers against the Blackhawks. He posted shutouts in each of the first two games in Chicago, and allowed just three goals over the series against a team that isn't exactly known for getting shut down in the playoffs. Rinne's a three-time Vezina finalist, so his performance doesn't get the same sort of nobody-saw-it-coming attention that Allen's did, but he's every bit as likely to steal a series, if not more.

Key number: 1, the number of powerplay goals scored by each team in the first round. The Predators had only eight opportunities against Chicago, while the Blues had 15 against Minnesota. That ties these two teams with the Rangers for the fewest powerplay markers in Round 1; weirdly, all three of those teams advanced. That's rare; in the playoffs, special teams are often the difference. It will be big if one of these teams can get it going with the man advantage.

Prediction: Predators in six.

Bonus prediction that is oddly specific: Given all the focus on goaltending, this feels like the series that's going to serve up a 6-4 game somewhere along the line.

The good news: The two best teams in the NHL are in this conference, and they're both still alive heading into the second round. The bad news: They get to play each other, while two underdogs face off in the other series.

In this corner: The Senators (44-28-10, 98 points, -4), who edged out the Bruins in six games, each decided by one goal.

And in this corner: The Rangers (48-28-6, 102 points, +37), who knocked off the Habs in six and will be the road team in this series despite holding a better record. They'll also try to become the first team under the NHL's crossover format to win a division they're not even in.

Head-to-head: The Senators took two of three, including a win on the season's final weekend that clinched home ice in the first round.

Dominant narrative: Can Henrik Lundqvist do it again? The Rangers goalie just finished outdueling Carey Price, and is looking like his old self after an up-and-down season. Craig Anderson isn't Price, but he's good enough to keep the Rangers from having a huge edge here. Still, if Lundqvist can get in the Senators' heads, this could be a quick series.

Injury report: The Senators are reasonably healthy; Erik Karlsson says he played the first round with cracked bones in his foot, but expects to be 100 percent by Game 1. The Rangers' injury report is completely empty.

The big question: Who won the Derick Brassard for Mike Zibanejad trade from last off-season? Senators GM Pierre Dorion has specifically instructed us all not to focus on that question, which is a good way to make sure that everyone does. And why not? Though not exactly a blockbuster, the deal was a reasonably big one that saw the Rangers get younger and cheaper while the Senators, at least in theory, got better. It worked out in New York's favor during the season—Zibanejad finished just two points back of Brassard in scoring despite playing 25 fewer games due to injury—but that won't matter much if one guy can outperform the other in this series.

One player to watch: Karlsson. After another Norris-caliber season, the Senators defenseman somehow raised his game in Round 1, constantly doing absolutely ridiculous things—and that was on a bad foot! If he really is healthy now, look out. There aren't many defensemen in today's game who can single-handedly win a series, but Karlsson is one guy who can. Something to keep in mind: The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, back in 2012, the Rangers really went out of their way to target Karlsson physically, which led to all sorts of problems.

Key number: 7, Bobby Ryan's points in Round 1, the most of any player in this series. That comes on the heels of an awful regular season in which he posted just 25, by far his career low for a full year. Ryan is the Senators' highest-paid player and is signed through 2022, and his recent play had made that deal look like an albatross. Maybe it still is, but if he can stay hot, he changes the outlook for a Senators team that relies on balanced scoring up front.

Prediction: Senators in seven.

Bonus prediction that is oddly specific: Either Zibanejad or Brassard scores an overtime goal in this series.

In this corner: The Capitals (55-19-8, 118 points, +84), who had a tougher than expected time disposing of the Maple Leafs in six games.

And in this corner: The Penguins (50-21-11, 111 points, +49), who brushed aside a very good Blue Jackets team in five.

Head-to-head: The two teams split four games, in strange fashion. The Capitals won by scores of 5-2 and 7-1, while the Penguins earned a 3-2 shootout win and, in the season's craziest game, an 8-7 overtime thriller.

Dominant narrative: It's the team with the well-established reputation of finding ways to lose in the postseason facing off against the four-time champs who've tormented them throughout their history. The two teams have met nine times in the playoffs, and the Penguins have won eight of those. That includes four series in which the Caps held a two-game lead but collapsed, as well as last season's second-round meeting. If the pattern holds, this is Penguins all the way. But if you buy into the idea that a cursed team needs to slay its dragon before they can finally climb the mountaintop, well, here's the Capitals' chance.

Injury report: The Caps are mostly healthy, although Karl Azner missed the last few games of the Toronto series and may not be ready to go. The Penguins are rested after a week off but still beat up: Matt Murray and Carl Hagelin are question marks, and Kris Letang is out for the year.

The big question: Is this the Stanley Cup Final? There's been plenty of criticism of the playoff format serving up a matchup between the league's two best teams in the second round. That's fair, but the flip side is that this may have been the best possible matchup of the entire playoffs, and we're going to get to see it. Maybe the winner rolls through the next two rounds to a Stanley Cup. Then again, maybe they emerged so battered and bruised that a lesser team picks them off.

One player to watch: Justin Williams. Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will get the majority of the attention, and rightly so. Evgeni Malkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Phil Kessel will scoop up most of what's left. But Williams has spent his career establishing a reputation for coming up huge when it counts, which is a big part of the reason why the Capitals went out and got him. Mr. Game 7 hasn't actually had a chance to play a seventh game with Washington yet, but he's scored a few big goals, including a crucial OT winner against the Leafs. They'll be looking for him to do something similar in a series where one clutch goal could be the difference. (Just keep an eye on the speed limit, Justin.)

Key number: .936, Braden Holtby's career save percentage in the playoffs, ranking him well ahead of the field as the leader among active goaltenders. By contrast, Marc-Andre Fleury has just .907, although he's got two rings to show for it.

Prediction: Capitals in seven.

Bonus prediction that is oddly specific: The Caps come back from a 3-1 series deficit.

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