Down To Four

The image to the left is the final handshake line from Round Two of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, so that means four more teams have been eliminated from the postseason. Of course, that means we'll be busy on The Hockey Show again this week as there will be three additional exit interviews to do after Jason did his this past week for the Florida Panthers after their quick exit from the second round. St. Louis, Calgary, and Carolina have all been sent home since Thursday, so we'll chat to three more people about their teams' playoff showings as the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest continues on the show!

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a quick look at who will play in the Western and Eastern Conference Finals along with the four Survivor entrants who are still alive and competing for the Vegas Golden Knights Reverse Retro jersey!

Jenna, who co-hosted the show and received an entry on her last days in Winnipeg, will square off against Matt C. as the Oilers and Avalanche meet in the Western Conference Final. On the other side, Sydney B. is holding strong with the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, but they'll have their hands full with Bryan S.'s upstart New York Rangers. If you're expecting some amazing hockey, you're likely right as McDavid and MacKinnon square off in the west while goalies rule between Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin in the east!

With those four teams advancing, it means that three people will see their time on Survivor: NHL Playoffs island come to an end. Dave W., whose St. Louis Blues earned him a pair of prizes on challenges, will be sent home. Danielle F., whose Calgary Flames looked every bit the part during the regular season, was snuffed out as well. And Ethan M., whose Carolina Hurricanes simply could not win on the road and lost their first-ever Game Seven since moving to North Carolina, will return to civilization as well.

It's hard not to be entertained with this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, and now we enter the third round with the possibility of having two of the best players going head-to-head while their supporting casts add a pile of goals as well. On the other side, the league's most consistent goaltender for the last five seasons will stand 200-feet from perhaps the best young goalie in the league while their teams score, grind, hit, and skate as well as anyone still playing hockey.

We'll see if Bryaden Point is back for Tampa Bay. We'll see if the goaltending in the Oilers-Avalanche series can stop more than 50% of the shots they face. We'll see if Evander Kane's goal-scoring streak continues. We'll see two teams emerge from these series as Stanley Cup finalists, and that's the payoff for Round Three.

If you're Jenna or Matt or Sydney or Bryan, you have a one-in-four shot at winning the jersey you see to the left. Granted, it's not exactly the same as there's no customization, but the jersey shall be delivered to the winner of Survivor: NHL Playoffs. We've already seen good teams fall - Florida, who won the Presidents' Trophy, and Carolina, who was third-overall this season - so all you can do is hope your team plays well this round to increase your odds of winning from 25% to 50% with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final! Edmonton and Colorado will kick the fun off tomorrow night in Denver while Tampa Bay will be in New York City for Game One of the Eastern Conference on Wednesday as the Stanley Cup Conference Finals get underway!

Make sure you tune into The Hockey Show this Thursday at 5:30pm CT to hear three more exit interviews as the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest continues!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!