Where did it all go wrong? A postmortem for Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

It was a roller-coaster of a regular-season campaign for the Kings, but even when they hit a few midseason losing skids, their push to the playoffs behind captain Anze Kopitar surely gave viewers some hope. However, the physical force they used to battle to the Stanley Cup Final in years past was fiercely stymied by the speed of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Speed won out in four straight games.

After the sweep, the Kings have work to do in the offseason. Of course, their first matter of business is to sign Drew Doughty to a contract extension. He'll be eligible on July 1.

Anaheim Ducks

Like their SoCal neighbors, the Ducks thought they could win their first-round series against the San Jose Sharks by using force. Never mind that they were missing key pieces in their lineup like Cam Fowler or that netminder John Gibson missed the last three games of the regular season. Again, physicality was outdone by speed — in the form of a San Jose lineup that is arguably faster than the one that went to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. A frustrated Anaheim team took too many penalties and found itself swept out of Round 1.

The Ducks' undisciplined play and first-round sweep hint that some changes will be made this offseason. With a younger core of players taking on leadership roles, there are already rumors that a lineup shakeup is in store.

Philadelphia Flyers

Even after taking a nasty loss in Game 1, the Flyers put up a fight against the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins. In the end, they didn't have the right components to keep the two-time defending champion Penguins down and blew a 4-2 lead in Game 6 to eventually fall 8-5.

As Dave Isaac at the Courier Post points out, it isn't likely that there will be any huge changes for the Flyers this offseason. Philly saw a lot of positives from its young players over the regular season and will likely start building around them.

New Jersey Devils

You really have to hand it to the Devils for what they accomplished over the past year. Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall led a mighty charge against the Tampa Bay Lightning — one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference all year. Even with the surprising young talent, the Bolts' depth all across the board won out.

According to NJ.com's Chris Ryan, bench boss John Hynes doesn't want his players to hang their heads all offseason.  

"Start over. There's no momentum that carries from year to year," Hynes said. "Where we left off is not going to do us any good going into next year, and really understand what does it take to be a competitive team again.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Things were looking good for the Blue Jackets when they jumped out to an impressive 2-0 series lead over the Washington Capitals, but issues that plagued them early in the regular season crept back up on them. Plus, the Capitals' special teams just couldn't be contained.

Columbus has had some building blocks in place for a couple seasons. The Blue Jackets now need to establish consistency that will help catapult them past the first round of the playoffs. With a handful of free agents likely departing and freeing up cap space, they might be able to build around their new core.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild had a tough task in front of them, going up against a Jets team that was arguably the biggest sleeper in the Western Conference — and doing it without some of their top players, who were sidelined with injury. When their backs were up against the wall, they couldn't stop Winnipeg's relentless forward attack, nor were they good at breaking out of their own zone for the duration of the series, as Pete Blackburn of CBS Sports notes.

Needless to say, Minnesota's big wigs have a lot of decisions to make this offseason when it comes to reshaping the team — not just player-wise, but front office-wise as well.

Colorado Avalanche

You have to hand it to Nathan MacKinnon and the Avs for not letting the Nashville Predators run away with the series. After punching their playoff ticket in wild fashion on the final day of the regular season, they kept up with easily the best team in the Western Conference. Not bad for a squad that previously had one of the worst records in the league.

GM Joe Sakic isn't likely to make any huge moves that would disrupt the flow the team has found. Outside of taking care of a couple free agents, it could be a relatively quiet summer in Colorado.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Yes, the wounds are still fresh because Game 7 literally just happened, and it's hard to fault a team that did so many things right. But as Pierre LeBrun aptly pointed out, the Leafs' defense can still be beefed up. In the end, the Bruins' physicality was too much for Toronto's blue line.

Even with a dynamic young core, changes are coming for Toronto in the offseason. In addition to having their barn renamed, the Leafs have six players headed for free agency and have to find a way to boost their defense with the little money they have to work with — and that's on top of figuring how they'll re-sign Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.