Three Burning Questions Ahead of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Is this the year that the Caps FINALLY breakthrough? Will the Pens three-peat? Is Nashville the team to beat? The NHL Playoffs are finally here!
Will the Caps finally make it out of the conference semifinals? Vegas or Hollywood? Who will win the battle of Pennsylvania? The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Wednesday night and that means it’s officially time for unexpected results, crazy goals and maybe a handful of late-night, game-winning overtime goals (and a few tussles here and there). With the Playoffs come a slew of questions. With that in mind, here is a three-pack of questions previewing the NHL Playoffs.
- Which first round matchup is most intriguing?
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the is the most unpredictable postseason of the four major North American professional sports leagues, meaning just about every series has the potential to be a nail biter. Ultimately, I think the Pittsburgh Penguins vs the Philadelphia Flyers makes for the most intriguing opening round playoff series. Also being dubbed the “Battle of Pennsylvania,” this series will have more than just interstate bragging rights on the line. The Penguins, fresh off of consecutive Stanley Cup victories are aiming for an unprecedented three-peat in the salary cap driven era of the NHL, while Philadelphia is flying into the postseason. The Flyers may approach the series with the hope of being the pesky foe the Penguins don’t want to see. Look for veteran Claude Giroux and youngsters Wayne Simmonds and Ivan Provorov to be aggressive on the forecheck, which may impact Pittsburgh’s game plan. Ultimately, the goaltending situation in Philly continues to be a question mark and I think the veteran leadership of the penguins — mainly Crosby and Malkin — will take advantage to dispose of the Flyers in six games.
Honorable Mention: Golden Knight vs Kings (Who doesn’t love a good ‘ole Sin City vs Hollywood subplot?)
2. Will the Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final again?
On paper, the Predators are certainly the favorite in the Western Conference and perhaps the entire league to lift the Stanley Cup in June. They are deep and don’t have many weaknesses on the roster. The biggest challenge for Nashville will be if everyone can find a role that works? The Preds have two potential Norris trophy candidates on the roster in P.K. Subban and Roman Josi. They also added Eeli Tolvanen, Mike Fisher and Ryan Hartman in the last couple of months. The Preds are so deep that their second-highest scorer, Victor Arvidsson is playing on the third line. Netminder Pekke Rinne has been fantastic all season and if he remains hot, the way he did last postseason, the Preds should find themselves playing for another Cup. I expect Nashville to dispatch Colorado in the first round rather easily and ultimately, I like them to reach another Stanley Cup Final. Just making it to that point for consecutive seasons would be taxing, but can they close the deal this time around?
3. Can the Capitals finally break through and advance past the second round?
It’s the same story every regular season for the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin.
We know they will have one of the best regular season records and probably win the Metropolitan Division. It was no different this season. The Ovechkin-led Caps finished with 105 points, good enough to win the division. But none of that matters to the fan base. The only quest on the table for a team that has underachieved for numerous season such as the Capitals is how successful they will be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They face a challenge in the opening round. Defeating the Blue Jackets is no easy task and don’t be shocked to see Columbus defeat Washington in the series. However, if the Caps can advance, they will face the winner of the Flyers/Penguins series. We know how that story ends, right? But maybe this is the year that Ovechkin can play the role of superhero and guide the Caps to the elusive conference finals and eventually, all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
