It’s the time of year again when 16 teams compete for Lord Stanley. This regular season went down to both of the last two games, where the Vegas Golden Knights could not win the “avoid the Dallas Stars” battle against the Los Angeles Kings, setting up a battle of the behemoths. We’ll start there.
(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC2) Vegas Golden Knights
The heavyweight battle in the first round. The best of the west against the defending champions. Vegas captain Mark Stone will be back for Game 1, and Vegas is fully healthy for the first time in a while. Health and goalie play are the biggest determining factors here. Last year, Adin Hill picked up the slack after an injury to Laurent Brossoit, but this year, Hill has been injured for much of the season and has not had a .900+ save rate in his past three showings. Vegas could either trust him or defer to Logan Thompson, who has been solid but not amazing. The Stars, on the other hand, have had consistent stellar play this season. However, Jake Oettinger has a save percentage not much higher than .900, and the Knights decimated him last year en route to a Stanley Cup. The Knights also made big trades at the deadline, acquiring Noah Hanifin, Anthony Mantha and Tomas Hertl. If the league’s best roster on paper can get its chemistry together, they can pull off the upset, but this series can go either way.
Prediction: Knights in 7
(P1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators
No one knew where Nashville came from, when, at the end of the season, they went on a 18-game point streak. That secured them a wild card spot and a date with the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks, who no one regarded as a playoff threat to start the season, had the NHL’s sixth-highest point differential to end the season. They also added Elias Lindholm at the trade deadline to bolster their roster and will overpower the Predators, who have cooled off in the last stretch of the season. However, the Canucks aren’t always on, and Nashville sure knows how to steal some games.
Prediction: Canucks in 6
(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) LA Kings
Sorry Kings, but I don’t know a single person who believes you can win here. The Oilers have completely turned their season around after hiring Kris Knoblauch as their new coach in mid-November. Their awful start turned into a month of undefeated hockey, and their bottom-five penalty kill turned into the league’s best during Knoblauch’s stint. This team’s biggest flaw is inconsistency, but the Kings’ inconsistency dwarfs theirs. After a fantastic start to the season, LA fell off significantly. They climbed their way back, but Connor McDavid will put them away for the third straight year in a clean sweep.
Prediction: Oilers in 4
(C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche
Kryptonite vs. Superman. The Colorado Avalanche, despite a 9-game winning streak in March, and having MVP favorite Nathan MacKinnon, are winless against the Winnipeg Jets this season. The Kryptonite has gotten stronger throughout the season, as the Jets won 4-2, then 6-2 and then 7-0 against the Avs. Add that Winnipeg has the best goalie tandem in the league in Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit and the Jets are an even stronger favorite.
Prediction: Jets in 6
(M1) New York Rangers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals
These two teams have met too many times in the playoffs. And, you guessed it, these teams do not like each other. Well, any team with Tom Wilson is hard to like. This is a Capitals team that has been waning for years now against a Rangers team that has Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin are at their peak right now. The Blueshirts’ 5-on-5 struggles, first line irrelevance and very inconsistent defense may come back to bite them, but it won’t be here. However, the two teams did split the season series 2-2, and the Rangers have a habit of disappearing in winnable games, so the Caps will steal one.
Prediction: Rangers in 5
(A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Battle of Florida. The Lightning are a declining dynasty and arguably the most successful hockey franchise of the 21st century. Don’t underestimate them though, as this team is one of the league’s hottest teams entering the playoffs. Meanwhile, The Panthers have been dominant the past few seasons, but haven’t been able to finish the job. This might be the most dangerous they have been despite a 2-6-2 stretch that ended four games prior to the end of the season, as they shockingly climbed their way back to the top of the Atlantic Division with four wins. The Bolts will give them a run for their money, but not enough to take the series.
Prediction: Panthers in 6
(M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (M3) New York Islanders
The Hurricanes are one of the league’s best teams, and they’ll take on a team that rode a late surge into the third seed, the New York Islanders. A month ago, the Islanders weren’t expected to make the playoffs, but here they are. Unfortunately, their run will end with a Carolina rout. The Canes have become a category eight storm, enough to swiftly take down the Islanders. Prediction: Hurricanes in 5
(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs
The Bruins have been up-and-down throughout the season, and have been called “OT-loss merchants,” getting 15 points from overtime losses, a concept that the NHL should really do away with. The Leafs have been even more inconsistent and the Bruins have had Toronto’s number (4-0 against Toronto this season, 3-0 in head-to-head playoff series since 2013). Toronto has star power, and the NHL’s best goal-scorer in Auston Matthews, but they’re known to choke in the playoffs, and that won’t get the job done against Boston.
Prediction: Bruins in 5
