The NHL Playoffs: First Round Predictions
Having the playoff positions come down to the last thirty seconds of the regular season makes the anticipation for the first round of the playoffs even more enticing.
Western Conference
Calgary vs Dallas
The Flames ended the regular season atop the Pacific Division and have a team built to go deep into the playoffs. Dallas on the other hand have had a lot of injuries, Braden Holtby is out indefinitely. Which will be a tough spot for Jake Oettinger to over come. The Flames should have no problem overwhelming the Stars with their speed. But the Stars will try to exploit the Flames when they make a mistake. If the Stars can find a way to keep the Flames from scoring more than three goals a game they stand a chance. This is very unlikely.
Flames in Five
Colorado vs Nashville
The speed from Colorado is almost unmatched and Nashville just like the Stars have injuries in goal with Jusse Saros out with an ankle sprain. I think Nashville is tougher than Colorado but if they can’t score or keep the Avs from scoring than it doesn’t matter.
Colorado in Six
Minnesota vs St. Louis
This series is going to be one of the best in the first round just because both teams are fairly evenly matched. Minnesota has built a team that’s tough, fast and doesn’t give up. The Wild have comeback to win a lot of games this year and will be creating havoc for the D of the Blues. I know he’s getting on in age but having Marc Andre Fleury gives them a slight edge in goal just because of his experience. I think this will be a close series and neither team is getting out without getting beat up.
Minnesota in Seven
Los Angeles vs Edmonton
The L.A. Kings have lost their hall of fame defenseman in Drew Doughty which is a huge hole to fill. Not to mention that Dustin Brown is retiring after the playoffs. The Kings at times in the regular season looked like the team of old, but started to fizzle near the end. Their main goal will be to shut down the Oilers speed and not take a penalty doing it. Good luck on that. Plus veteran goalie for the Oilers Mike Smith is on a hot streak right now (9–0) to end off the season. I think the Kings have an uphill battle beating this team and will likely win one game.
Edmonton in Five
Eastern Conference
Florida vs Washington
After putting up the most points in a regular season in franchise history the Florida Panthers are ready to make a real run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They get the Capitals in the first round who have a banged up Ovechkin and a team that’s played great a times but couldn’t keep it going for long stretches. The Panthers are another comeback team that will never quit, which is a great quality to have going into the playoffs. I think with the Panthers speed and goaltending they have the advantage, but the Capitals do have experience and might make life difficult for them.
Panthers in Six
Carolina vs Boston
Of all the teams to face in the first round I bet Carolina wanted to face this team the least. The Bruins are always hard to play in the playoffs and just find ways to win. The biggest blow to the Hurricanes is their star goalie Frederik Andersen is out with injury and might be out for the whole playoffs. Antti Raanta will get the start and so the Bruins have a slight advantage in goal. Now the advantage for the Hurricanes is their speed and skill against a very young defense, who might break under the pressure. If this series goes past five games I think that’s to the Bruins advantage as they are more experienced. Any way you slice it both teams will be bruised after this series.
Boston in Six
Tampa Bay vs Toronto
The series with probably the most skill on either team is the Lightning vs the Leafs. The Leafs know they don’t have the size to push Tampa around but they can match the speed and the skill. So they must keep them to the outside and try to contain Stamkos, Kucherov and Point. If the Lightning can match the Leafs speed and skill they have this series. They have the advantage in goal with Andrei Vasilevskiy and their size means they hurt the Leafs down low. Will the Leafs finally get out of the first round? They might have to wait until next year.
Tampa in Six
New York vs Pittsburgh
I don’t know if I would call this series a sleeper but this might be a boring series or it might be really exciting. The Rangers have an amazing team lead by great goaltending from Igor Shesterkin. The Penguins are stretched thin of defense and will need some major scoring from their elite forwards for this to work. The Rangers beat you by suffocating you and keeping you off the score sheet. Plus they have one of the best goalies in the league. So I can see really low scoring games in this series and the Rangers will win if they can keep the big guns of the Penguins at bay.
Rangers in Six
So that’s my first round predictions and feel free to comment on this post or on Twitter or on LinkedIn. I hope you all have a great time watching the Playoffs and ill see you for round two!
