By Jacob Messing

Wednesday night marked the first full week of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and storylines have been plentiful with two sweeps, early Conn Smythe favorites, and three suspensions in the NHL postseason.

Pittsburgh’s quest for a three-peat and two teams already headed for the second round have taken the spotlight after the first seven days.

1. What Happens In Vegas . . .

The Vegas Golden Knights have continued to make history. After becoming the first modern-era expansion team of the four major American sports leagues to win its division during its inaugural season, they swept an experienced Los Angeles Kings team that claimed the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

Onto the next one#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/bsGmLAvntt

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 18, 2018

Vegas needed their best player to step up in the first round, which is exactly what happened. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury held the Kings to just three goals in the series as the feel-good story continues.

The Golden Knights will take on San Jose next, who finished off its sweep of rival Anaheim Wednesday night.

2. Who Needs Home Ice?

Speaking of the Sharks—they showed Anaheim that home ice didn’t matter after the Ducks finished the season on an 8-1-1 run to jump San Jose for second place in the Pacific Division.

The Sharks lost in the Stanley Cup finals in 2016, and after a slight step back last season, they’ve shown they’re sleepers in the West. They dominated the Ducks, winning the opening two games in Anaheim before an 8-1 thrashing in San Jose.

The Sharks pulled together after missing top center and premier playmaker, Joe Thornton, who could return for the second round against the Golden Knights.

3. David Pastrnak Is For Real

Pastrnak posted four goals and nine points over Boston’s first two games. He was held scoreless in game three when he hit two posts and was robbed by an outstanding stick save by Frederik Andersen.

David Pastrnak (21 years, 324 days) of the @NHLBruins is the youngest player in NHL history to record 6+ points in a playoff game, eclipsing the mark set by Wayne Gretzky (22 years, 81 days) in Game 3 of the 1983 Division Finals (4-3—7 at CGY). #NHLStats #TORvsBOS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rLWrPCm61H

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 15, 2018

Some are shy to give the 21-year-old the credit he deserves, claiming he benefits from Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. But he bested his 70 points of 2016-17 with 80 this year (35 G, 45 A)—even as Marchand and Bergeron missed a combined 32 games.

His four goals are second to only Sidney Crosby and Nikita Kucherov. The three are tied with nine points for the playoff lead.

4. You Aren’t Allowed To Do That—Suspensions Galore

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended for game two against Vegas after a hit to the head on Golden Knights forward William Carrier. The decision set the bar early for intolerable postseason hits. Vegas won the series 4-0.

Doughty’s hit on Carrier pic.twitter.com/9Iy6cOoQZg

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 12, 2018

The following day, Toronto forward Nazem Kadri delivered a dangerous hit from behind on Boston forward Tommy Wingels in game one, which earned him a three-game suspension. Boston leads the series 2-1.

Nazem Kadri is thrown out of the game after this hit on Tommy Wingels. https://t.co/nDY772TrFr pic.twitter.com/r4A7LmJ0TT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2018

On Tuesday night, Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey crosschecked Minnesota forward Eric Staal in the neck away from the play and received a one-game suspension. Winnipeg leads the series 3-1.

Morrissey cross checks Staal in the ear pic.twitter.com/9k5A494GPd

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 18, 2018

5. Nashville Starts Slow, Then Wins

The defending Western Conference champs have been notoriously slow starters for the past month and have continued that trend in the first round. They surrendered the first goal in each of the first three games against Colorado.

The Predators came out strong in game four when Filip Forsberg scored a highlight-reel goal to give Nashville its first opening goal and first, first-period goal this spring.

As the second wild card in the west, Colorado has caused problems for the President’s Trophy winners with fast starts and enviable speed. The Predators hold a 3-1 series lead and Game 5 will take place in Nashville, Friday, as they look to close out the first round.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.