Congrats hockey fans, the NHL playoffs are back tonight. Me and a few of the other writers here at BackSportsPage have put together our predictions for how the first round is going to go down. Our Florida writer C.J has a full article of his predictions which can be found here.
Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers
Image: Stanley Cup of Chowder
Jacob Walters – 65 wins. 135 points. The Bruins have had a historic season, mainly due to David Pastrnak’s uprising and Linus Ullmark’s Vezina-esque season. Terrific goaltending can propel a team to the Stanley Cup, so it stands with good reason that Boston continues such a trend. Florida has nice offensive production from their top two lines, but that’s it. Bruins get a nice warm-up before the playoffs truly kick off. Bruins in 5
Carlo Magno – Simple: panthers are relying on a AHL goalie to beat one of the best regular teams in history. Although Lyon is doing great, I don’t think he can do much facing the bruins at least 4 times. Bruins in 5
Jack Titter – The Bruins are coming off the greatest regular season in NHL history while the Panthers had to scratch and claw their way into the second wildcard spot. Florida has the potential to do well however, Boston is loaded on all positions and it just doesn’t make much sense to pick against them. While some like to bring up the 62-win Lighting being swept by Columbus in the first round in 2019, the Panthers don’t feel like the team that could pull off an upset of that caliber. The best part about this series will no doubt be the fact that we get to watch Matthew Tkachuk battle against Brad Marchand in a playoff series. Bruins in 5
Trevor Neal – This is appearing to be the basic answer, but this Bruins team is as close to perfect as hockey has seen in a while. Even with the sickness that has apparently hit the Bruins’ locker-room, I don’t think Florida will give them too much of a problem. Bruins in 6
Erin Sauceda – First round being the Bruins and the Panthers with the obvious answer being the Bruins. Looking at the team as a whole just paints the picture of the Bruins dominating. Bruins in 5
Maple Leafs vs Lightning
Image: The Hockey News
Jacob Walters –
If you ask me which coach I’d take and I was given the choice of Sheldon Keefe and Jon Cooper, I’d take Cooper every time. He gets his teams battle-tested and they believe in him, which is a testament to the Lightning winning three straight Eastern Conference titles. Toronto has enough offensive firepower to make matters interesting. However, a costly penalty will spell doom for the Leafs. Lightning in 7
Carlo Magno –
It’s a now or never run for the Leafs in this playoff. But the big four of Toronto and the play of Michael Bunting are going to be difference makers in this series. As well as having a confident Samsonov in net. Maple Leafs in 6
Jack Titter –
A series that has been locked in for some time now, this rematch from last year’s first round should be one of the more memorable series from the first round. Last year, it felt like most people knew in the back of their minds that Tampa was going to pull it off in the end however, this doesn’t bring that same feeling this year. Toronto has improved significantly since then, with additions such as Ryan O’Reilly. Tampa is coming off their third straight Stanley Cup appearance, and while impressive, all that hockey catches up to you eventually and fatigue sets in. If Toronto is to finally advance, they will need to pounce early in the series and give Tampa no chance to find their game. Maple Leafs in 6
Trevor Neal –
It’s another Leafs playoff series, and as a Leafs fan the anxiety has come with it. This Leafs team is a very different look than teams of the past. You can hear all about my Leafs anxiety on “Wrinkles in the Crease”. Acciari and O’Reilly change the whole outlook of the forward group, and Jake McCabe is a breath of fresh air. I’m also really confident in the play of Samsonov and I believe he’s more than capable of winning a series here. At some point father time has to catch up with Tampa. Three straight finals appearances takes it’s toll. This is the year the Leafs finally string these elusive four wins together. Maple Leafs in 6
Hurricanes vs Islanders
Image: NHL.com
Jacob Walters –
This is a tale of two different teams. One is a physical group that was fifth in the NHL in hits (2,064). The Isles love to punish their opponents physically and wear them down. On the other hand, the Hurricanes are more skill-based, relying on speed and finesse to wear you down. It’ll be hard to catch Carolina on the ice. But hey, at least one Sebastian Aho’s moving on. It’ll be the one in the Tar Heel state. Hurricanes in 6
Carlo Magno –
The Islanders are a good team. The Islanders get Barzal back, and the canes are still without Svechnikov. The addition of Bo Horvat also dramatically helps the offense of the Islanders. Islanders in 7
Jack Titter –
This is one of the most difficult series to predict. Both teams have similar styles of play with smart, tight-checking defensive hockey. Despite being a wildcard team, the Islanders feel like the more dangerous team. Starting with Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin is likely a future Vezina-winning goalie who is more than capable of stealing a few wins during a playoff series. With the Hurricanes losing Svechnikov to injury, the Islanders have a slight offensive advantage with the addition of Bo Horvat and Matt Barzal returning from injury. Even with these advantages, Carolina has home-ice which proved to be pivotal in their first-round win over Boston last year. Their building is very difficult to play in, and the Islanders will need to find a way to pick up a
road win in order to win this series. Islanders in 7
Trevor Neal –
This is the hill I might die on, I’m really low on the Islanders. The offense simply isn’t good enough, and it really showed this season. They’re only here because Pittsburgh did their best impression of a bottom feeder to end their season. Maybe they did need Tavares… Hurricanes in 6
Devils vs Rangers
Image: NHL.com
Jacob Walters –
Penalties will be at a premium in this series. Both the Devils (273, fourth in the NHL) and Rangers (271, third in the NHL) play smart hockey, staying out of the penalty box. It’ll come down to who makes the costly mistake. In a long series, the Devils will pick up on Gerard Gallant’s lack of lineup changes, which’ll make life easier for New Jersey. Timo Meier’s solid April will also turn Devils fans into David Puddy. Devils in 6
Carlo Magno –
Although the rangers were big spenders at the deadline I think the devils are still going to take this series from the rangers. Not much reasoning behind it, just a feeling. Devils in 7
Jack Titter –
Arguably the most highly anticipated first-round series this year. The Devils are a young and hungry team looking to carry their excellent regular season play into the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Rangers find themselves in the playoffs for the second straight year coming off a loss to Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams bring a lot of speed and skill to the series however, the Rangers get the edge over New Jersey in the experience, physicality, and goaltending categories. All of which are must-haves for playoff success. This year, the Rangers added Patrick Kane, and Vladimir Tarasenko, both key contributors to Stanley Cup-winning teams. Overall, the Rangers are better built for playoff hockey than the Devils, but that doesn’t mean this won’t be a series that could end up coming down to the wire.
Trevor Neal –
I fully get the hype behind the New York Rangers. They were a good team before Kane and Tarasenko joined Broadway. But this is the NEW JERSEY DEVILS. This is Jack Hughes’ world, we’re just experiencing it. It’s gonna be a long, close series. But the young New Jersey squad comes out on top. Devils in 7
Avalanche vs Kraken
Image: Mile High Hockey
Jacob Walters –
Colorado is getting healthy at the right time. Finally having Nathan Mackinnon back has done wonders for the defending champions, along with the likes of Artturi Lehkonen. I like Seattle as a team. Plenty of puck distribution and resilience has made them fun to watch. However, relative inexperience will be a problem for the Kraken. That’s especially true when it comes to facing off against a healthy Avs team that’s rolling at the right time. Avalanche in 5
Carlo Magno –
Although Seattle is a great young team, my issue is their goalies haven’t been amazing. Another factor is that they are just too young and don’t have much experience. Avalanche in 6
Jack Titter –
The Kraken has completed an amazing comeback season and made the playoffs in just their second year of existence. Their reward is a match-up with the defending Stanley Cup Champions. While Seattle has impressive depth scoring, it’ll be very difficult for them to contain players like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen for a full series. Colorado also brings a better goalie with Alex Georgiev. It’ll be exciting to see what kind of playoff atmosphere Seattle will generate, however, it’s a tough draw for the Kraken to faceoff against a team like Colorado in their first-ever playoff appearance. Avalanche in 5
Trevor Neal –
The Kraken are one of the feel good stories of the year, the roster decided they can score all of the sudden. Led by a 40 goal campaign from Jared McCann. But defensively they’re still not a great team, and they shouldn’t put up much of a fight. Thing to watch for in this series is how well Matty Beniers performs during the playoffs. Avalanche in 5
Stars vs Wild
Image: DraftKings Nation
Jacob Walters –
I often compare the Dallas Stars to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have a quick goaltender in Jake Oettinger, who’s also a bulldog in the net. Jason Robertson fits the role of Nikita Kucherov well and Pete DeBoer gets the most from his guys. Kirill Kaprizov is back for the Wild, which’ll make matters interesting. However, the Stars have been something that Minnesota hasn’t this season: consistent. Stars in 6
Carlo Magno –
Although the wild have Gustavsson, I still see the Stars winning this series. We saw what Oettinger can do in the playoffs and I think the stars are just an overall better team. Stars in 6
Jack Titter –
A very interesting matchup with the current Minnesota team against the former Minnesota team. Geography aside, this will likely be yet another series where goaltending could be a likely factor in determining a winner. Stars goaltender, Jake Oettinger was the only reason why their series against Calgary last year went to seven games. He’s already stolen wins in the playoffs and with the Stars’ new and improved offensive jump, he might not even need to. The Wild bring their own momentum into the playoffs though. Near the end of the season their superstar, Kirill Kaprizov went down with an injury and the team still found success. Until then the stigma around the Wild was that all of their offense was generated through Kaprizov and the Wild proved they can score without him. In the end, it’s hard to overlook the difference Oettinger can make in a series and now he should get the goal support he needed last year. Stars in 6
Trevor Neal –
The Dallas Stars are a great value pick for a deep run in these playoffs. It’s an awful idea to bet against Jake Oettinger. The Stars went on a heater to end their regular season as well. Winning their final six games. Their team from top to bottom is massively improved over last season. It’s exciting to see what Pete DeBoer can do with that team. They’re a much better team than Minnesota, and should come out of this series. Stars in 6
Golden Knights vs Jets
Image: Arctic Ice Hockey
Jacob Walters –
I have a feeling that this’ll be a closer series than anticipated. As mentioned before, good goaltending can propel a team to the Stanley Cup. Connor Hellebuyck has won Winnipeg some games by himself and can do so here. On the other hand, Vegas loves to take away shooting lanes from their opponents in Bruce Cassidy’s goalie-friendly system. I’m giving Vegas the slight edge here based on that and the Golden Knights’ discipline. Golden Knights in 7
Carlo Magno –
This will come to a surprise for most but you can never count out Connor Hellebuyck. We’ve seen in the past that goalies can steal a series and with the jets bigger body older players I think this team can do well in the playoffs. Jets in 7
Jack Titter –
An interesting matchup as it is the only matchup between two teams that both didn’t make the playoffs last season. Vegas fought through a lot of adversity even before their season started with Robin Lehner having season-ending surgery. But the Knights came back and won the Pacific Division. The Jets have gone from competing for first in the Central to almost missing the playoff entirely. While the Jets have one of the best goalies in the league in Connor Hellebuyck, the Knights have them beat in offense and defense. Also, Jack Eichel will be poised to make a big contribution in his first appearance in the playoffs. Golden Knights in 6
Trevor Neal –
Winnipeg is one of the teams I have little faith in for the playoffs. The second half of the season was rough for the Jets. It seems like the toxic room they’re known for was back in full force. Newly appointed Head Coach Rick Bowness didn’t seem to have a solution. The team screams dysfunction, and they stumbled their way in. On the other side Vegas is getting Mark Stone back, this series should be an easy one for the Knights. Golden Knights in 5
Oilers vs Kings
Image: NHL.com
Jacob Walters –
Like Colorado, Edmonton is rolling at the right time. Obviously, you know the names: McDavid and Draisaitl. But what you don’t know is that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (37 goals, 67 assists) and Zack Hyman (36 goals) have sparked the Oilers offensively. The Kings are an up-and-coming team. It’s just they’ve run into a buzzsaw of an Oilers team in the opening round, led by Hart favorite Connor McDavid. Oilers in 5
Carlo Magno –
We saw what the oilers could do last year and they only got better. I think the kings could win this series but the only thing that I think is holding the kings back is goaltending. Oilers in 7
Jack Titter –
Another rematch from last year, the Kings and Oilers are two powerhouses with the ability to go on a deep playoff run. It’s a shame one of these great teams will get bounced in the first round. Edmonton is the hottest team entering the postseason with McDavid and Draisaitl leading the way along with rookie goalie Stuart Skinner who found his game as the regular season came to an end. LA wasn’t far behind as they made their final push and came close to surpassing Edmonton for home-ice advantage. Both teams have improved since they faced off in the playoffs last year, and this series will be another hard-fought slugfest. After finally going on a deep playoff run last season, it feels like McDavid will be near unstoppable in his journey to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Oilers in 7
Trevor Neal –
I really think this will be a premier matchup in the west. McDavid in any series is going to be a must watch. The Kings got a fix to their goaltending, but they’ll struggle to contain the high octane Edmonton offense. It’ll be a very fun series to watch, and the Kings will be a team to watch going forward. But this series is going to go to the Oilers. Oilers in 7
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