NHL playoffs 2017: Updated bracket after Blues upset Wild

The Stanley Cup playoffs bracket has been updated after the St. Louis Blues upset the Minnesota Wild in the first round. 

Going into the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Minnesota Wild were considered by many to be serious Stanley Cup contenders. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues quietly played their best hockey of the season for a little over a month. Goaltender Jake Allen has finally resembled their goalie everyone knew he could be. After the Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks, the playoffs has its second huge upset. St. Louis has pulled off a five game upset of Minnesota after beating them 4-3 in overtime in Game 5. Here’s an updated Stanley Cup playoffs bracket.

St. Louis gets to the second round, where they will square off against the Predators. This should be a great series that pits two Central Division rivals against each other. It also puts the first two upset teams of the playoffs in the same series. The winner of that series will face the winner of the second round matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and either the San Jose Sharks or Edmonton Oilers. Allen led the way, especially in Games 1 and 2. Vladimir Tarasenko and Joel Edmundson provided huge goals for them.

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On the other side of the ice, the Wild must answer some serious questions. What more must they do to make an extended postseason run? They invested a lot in this season, most notably trading a first round pick and second round pick for Martin Hanzal. The Wild had a lot of regular season success, but see their season end much more prematurely than they envisioned. Minnesota knew they had a short window to contend after adding Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and now it’s closing right in front of them.