With the NHL playoffs in full swing, and with all of the first round series having been determined with the exception of the Leafs/Habs series, I thought this would be as good a time as any to do a little recap of the first round and highlight some of the players who stood out over the past week or two. I will highlight one player from each division that I thought stood out from the pack during round one. Without further ado, let's get into it!

North Division: William Nylander

So as mentioned, the Montreal/Toronto series is still ongoing, and won't wrap up until Monday, but with that in mind I think Nylander has been the biggest difference maker in this series offensively. The Habs have effectively shut down the Leafs’ top duo of Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, but luckily the second line has stepped up. Despite losing their second line center and captain John Tavares to a gruesome injury in Game 1, Nylander and linemate Alex Galchenyuk have had some nice chemistry and provided some much needed offense for the Buds. Nylander has seven points thus far, with four of them being goals as he was able to score a goal in each of the first four games of the series.

The Habs were able to keep Nylander off the board in Game 6 which saw the Leafs mount a third-period comeback only to come up short in overtime for the second straight game. With Carey Price seemingly back on his A-game, and with the Habs effectively neutralizing the Leafs top line, the Leafs could really use a big game from Nylander on Monday to finally push them over the first round hump and win their first playoff series in over 16 years.

Central Division: Nikita Kucherov

If you had your doubts about Kucherov heading into the playoffs, I think those doubts would have been totally warranted. Having been held out of action for the entirety of the 2020-21 season after opting to undergo hip surgery, it was announced in early May that Kucherov would be back just in time for the playoffs. After not playing since last year's playoffs, Kucherov picked up right where he left off by putting up three goals and eight assists for 11 points in just six games, which leads the league in playoff scoring. The Panthers had no answers for the big guns of the Lightning, especially when it came to the power play, which is where Kucherov did most of his damage.

Had Kucherov come out slow and showing rust and the Lightning were eliminated in the first round, there could have been some serious fantasy implications for next season. Would you still have kept him as a keeper had he looked bad? How far would he have fallen in next year's drafts? Instead, Kucherov hasn't missed a beat and immediately has reaffirmed his spot as one of the most potent scorers in the league. After their six-game series with state rivals in Florida, the Lightning will face off against the Hurricanes in Round 2. The Hurricanes should provide a decent challenge for Kucherov and the Bolts. It should be fun to watch how the next chapter of his comeback story unfolds. 

West Division: Gabriel Landeskog

Honestly, this one was a toss up between Gabriel Landeskog and linemate Nathan MacKinnon, but I chose to highlight Landeskog since he has really elevated his game for the playoffs, whereas MacKinnon almost always plays at an elite level. Landeskog has put up two goals and six assists for eight points in just four games. I'm sure he won't be able to keep up a point-per-game pace for the entire postseason, but he's off to a great start. Quite simply put, the Blues had no answer for the top line of the two aforementioned players along with Finnish sniper Mikko Rantanen. It's pretty scary to think that he was able to muster eight points and none of them even came on the man advantage.

That's not even to say he isn't getting time on the power play, as he is being deployed for 62% of the team's man advantage. If the Avs power play starts clicking, they could be even more explosive offensively. With the suspension of Nazem Kadri still looming, I can see the Avs really relying on Landeskog for some big minutes in the upcoming series against the Golden Knights. It should be interesting to see how the teams matchup as the Avs enjoyed some extended time off with their sweep of the Blues, whereas Vegas went the distance in their series with the Wild. Regardless though, I think the Avs captain is poised for a major run this postseason. If the Avs go deep into the playoffs, Landeskog could see his draft value go up considerably next season.

East Division: Anthony Beauvillier

My choice for the standout of the East is probably my most surprising one out of the four picks. Anthony Beauvillier stepped up in a major way for the Islanders in their clash with the Penguins in round one. In their seven-game series, he netted four goals and added four assists for eight total points. Much like Nylander, Beauvillier finds himself as a second-line winger providing some key offense for his team. The Isles have him on a line with Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey and they were undeniably the most dangerous line in the series versus the Pens.

Fantasy-wise, it's great to see that through the first seven games of the playoffs, Beauvillier has 23 shots on goal already, which is a clip of 3.3 per game which is most impressive. The Islanders are matched up versus the Bruins in the East Division Final, which already started last night. The Islanders dropped Game 1 5-2, but Beauvillier netted his fifth goal of the playoffs, and third power play goal. It should be fun to see how Barry Trotz and his squad adjust, as I don't see the Bruins putting up five goals every game on the stingy Islanders defense. Should Beauvillier continue his torrid pace, he could potentially put himself on the map for next year's fantasy season. He is still only 23 and is far from a finished product, but I think he starting to show he is a capable fantasy winger with decent offensive upside. 

It's been great to have playoff hockey back, and especially with fans in most markets! Though the fantasy season is over, we will continue to cover the NHL playoffs and beyond all the way up to next season! I'll be back in a couple weeks to recap the second round of the playoffs. Until then, everyone enjoy the high-stakes action! It's a great time to be a sports fan!