With Round 2 wrapping up earlier this week, only four teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Surely after the dust had settled from this past round, many readers' brackets had been busted. A Golden Knights/Canadiens semifinal probably isn't what many people had in mind; I know that's not what I had.

Meanwhile on the other side of things, the Islanders toppling the Bruins was also a nice underdog story as well. For the column this week I will highlight one player from each of the four remaining teams who you should keep an eye on for the last two rounds of play. Additionally, I won't reuse any of the players I recapped at the end of last round, so a player like Nikita Kucherov won't be mentioned this time around. Let's dive right into it!

Steven Stamkos– Tampa Bay Lightning (C/RW)

It's crazy to think Steven Stamkos has already hit his thirties, but the injury-riddled superstar already is embarking on the back half of his career! With that being said though, he certainly isn't showing any signs of rust or regression. In 11 contests so far this postseason, Stamkos has put up five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Of those 13 points, eight of them have come on the lethal Tampa Bay power play.

Interestingly enough, Stamkos has had an average ice time of 16:30 thus far in the playoffs, which is noticeably lower than all the other players atop the list of point-getters. Stamkos has moved to the right wing on the second line and is playing with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn. This helps the Lightning roll two lethal lines with their top-6, which can make line-matching a nightmare for the opposition. It will be interesting to see how Stamkos fares against the Islanders though, as they are one of the most complete defensive teams in the league.

Either way, Stamkos and his team look poised to make it back-to-back titles in the Sunshine State and are only eight wins away from making it happen.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau– New York Islanders (C)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a player I have been high on for quite some time now. I even featured him in a write-up earlier in the season. So to see him doing so well in the playoffs this year is really satisfying. And as Ottawa Senators fans would probably tell you, his performance on the big stage is no surprise, as it seems he elevates his game when the spotlight shines brightest. He has already had a couple of legendary performances earlier in his career (I definitely recommend you go check out his four-goal game versus the Rangers on YouTube).

So far through 12 contests, Pageau has accumulated three goals and ten assists for 13 points. He has found some great chemistry on a line with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders top 9 are all super dynamic and I think that's part of what makes them so good. Every line is dependable and accountable on both sides of the ice. Pageau is a perfect example of this as you can see by looking at his stats. He is a plus-11, he is over a point per game so far, and he even has 40 hits! Additionally, he is winning draws at a 54 percent rate, which is huge for his team's overall puck possession.

I really think Pageau and the Isles are going to give the Lightning all they can handle, and I even took them to win the series, which would mark their first trip to a Cup final since 1984.

Max Pacioretty– Vegas Golden Knights (LW)

Despite missing six playoff games due to injury, Max Pacioretty still finds himself ranked second on his team in scoring this postseason. In the seven games he's played, he's amassed four goals and four assists for eight points in total. I also have decided to highlight Pacioretty because I have a feeling he is going to have a huge series against his old club. Patches was once one of the core players in Montreal and a fan favorite to boot. It is definitely going to be fun to watch this series as a neutral party just to see how the Pacioretty trade plays out and has an impact.

For those of you who don't remember, back in September 2018 the Habs opted to ship Pacioretty to the young and upstart Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a 2019 second-round pick, which was later dealt. Tatar and Suzuki have stuck with the team since then. Suzuki is developing into a real nice player, but for now Pacioretty is still the apex player in that deal. Seeing him going back to the Bell Centre on such a huge stage will be a real treat for all hockey fans alike.

So far Phillip Danault and his linemates have shut down every big line thrown their way, but I'm excited to see if Pacioretty along with his linemate Mark Stone can punch through the stingy Canadiens and once again compete for a Stanley Cup!

Cole Caufield– Montreal Canadiens (RW)

The American-born rookie phenom burst onto the scene at the end of the season and immediately made his presence known by scoring back-to-back OT winners for his first two goals of his career. Despite that, the Canadiens brass still decided to sit him in the press box for the first two games in the Maple Leafs series. Slowly though, over the course of the first two rounds, you can see he is slowly gaining trust with the powers that be.

The Habs haven't really lit up the score sheet this postseason, and Caufield is no exception to that, as he only has four assists through nine contests. Up until now it has been stingy shut-down hockey along with an absolutely brilliant performance by Carey Price that has led the Habs to the semi-final. Against the Golden Knights though, I think someone needs to step up, and who better than Caufield? He certainly has shown he can come up big when the spotlight is on him. In addition to his great debut, he also tore it up at the World Juniors this past January for Team USA as they won the tournament and took home gold.

I think this will be a great test for him to see if he can start to break out a bit and become the mega-star it looks like he could be.

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That's all for this week! Four teams remain in their hunt for Lord Stanley's Cup as things are starting to get very intriguing. Will we have a new champion this season, or will the Lightning retain their trophy? Can the Habs break the Canadian slump and bring the trophy back home north of the border? Maybe Vegas will get their first-ever championship banner raised to the rafters next season? Either way, I am excited to see how it all plays out. Until next time, everyone enjoy the last few weeks of hockey and stay safe out there!