Who is leading the race for the Stanley Cup?

The hunt for the Stanley Cup continues as the playoffs are rolling along through the second round of the playoffs. After a surprising first round that saw all the top seeds from both the Eastern and Western Conference knocked out including the defending Stanley Cup Champions the Washington Capitals, the big question is what teams remaining have the fire power to move on and win the cup?

San Jose leading the charge

One of those teams is the San Jose Sharks who after falling behind the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round came back to pull off a dramatic series win. While the ride to the cup will be difficult, the Sharks team is stacked with talent on both sides of the ice.

The group includes Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton while Martin Jones has been one of the top goal tenders in the NHL. Burns was ranked 21^st in the NHL in points scored during the regular season while Jones ranked 3^rd in the NHL in wins between the pipes.

Columbus Blue Jackets not to be overlooked

With the Tampa Bay Lightning failing to make the cut, a second team to watch over the course of the rest of the 2018-19 NHL playoffs is the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets were led by their terrific goal tending during the regular season, as well as the first round of the playoffs. On the year Sergei Bobrovsky posted 37 wins while allowing just 2.58 goals per contest. That success has continued early on in the playoffs, as he has a 5-1 record while allowing just 2.01 goals per contest.

While the Sharks and Blue Jackets are red hot as of now and have the talent to take home the cup, the rest of the 2018-19 NHL Playoffs should be pretty exciting as we all wait to see who will lift the Stanley Cup this summer.

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