This NHL season has been filled with many surprises, but also a lot of what was to be expected. Unpredictable trades were made, records were shattered, and young teams rose to the occasion. In the NHL playoffs, there truly are no favorites, and anything can happen.
Eastern Conference First Round
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators: Winner- Senators in 6
The Ottawa Senators are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017, while the Maple Leafs have consistently been in the playoffs since 2017. The modern Maple Leafs, however, are notorious chokers, consistently having some of the best talent in the league but always losing in the first round. Despite goaltending, defensive improvements, and great seasons from Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, I believe the Leafs will once again choke in the playoffs against this young and gritty team. The Senators’ captain, Brady Tkachuk, is both a force offensively and physically, and young superstars Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson are poised to make noise in the playoffs. The Senators also have the goaltending advantage with Linus Ullmark. I believe that Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will once again struggle to show up for the Leafs under the intense physical pressure and abuse they are gonna take from this Senators team.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers: Winner- Lightning in 7
This, by far, will be one of the closest matchups in the playoffs, but ultimately, I have the Lightning winning. The defending champion Panthers have hit a rough patch at the end of the season, greatly struggling in games, especially with injuries. While they might be getting Matthew Tkachuk back from injury, he will likely be rusty and limited. The Panthers are filled with both gritty and skilled players, such as Barkov, Reinhart, Bennett, Marchand, Verhaeghe, and Forsling, who will keep the series physical and close. Both teams are filled with experience, but I believe the offensive firepower of the Lightning, consisting of Kucherov, Guentzel, Hagel, Point, and Cirelli, will take over and propel the Lightning to a series win. The veteran leadership on the defensive side with Hedman and McDonagh, and Vasilevskiy will slow down the Panthers’ offense, and lead to a Tampa series win.
Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens: Winner- Capitals in 6
Both the Capitals and the Canadiens have had unexpected seasons, completely blowing out expectations. The Capitals seemed poised to barely make the playoffs, while the Canadiens were deemed likely to miss the playoffs. Now, the Capitals are one of the best teams in the league, consisting of the still great Alex Ovechkin, the physical Tom Wilson, breakout players such as Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael, one of the most underrated defensmen in Jakob Chychrun, and a Vezina-level goalie in Logan Thompson. The Canadiens have an abundance of young talent led by Captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Patrick Laine, as well as rookie standouts Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov. The experience of the Capitals and their greater depth will ultimately prevail against this young Canadiens team. However, do not sleep on the experience of this Canadiens roster, as both Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were a part of a Stanley Cup run 5 years ago. This experience will keep the series close, but they will ultimately lose.
Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils: Winner- Hurricanes in 6
As a lifelong Devils fan, it pains me to say that the Hurricanes are probably going to beat them in this first-round matchup. I do believe that the talent on the Devils, consisting of Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes, Jacob Markstrom, and Timo Meier, will keep this series closer than expected, but since the season-ending injury to Jack Hughes, this team has essentially been limping to the finish line. The Hurricanes are a deep team led offensively by Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis and defensively by Brent Burns and the best defensive defenseman in the league, Jaccob Slavin. Essentially, without Jack Hughes, this series goes from a potential win for the Devils to almost a certain loss, but anything can happen.
Western Conference First Round
Winnipeg Jets vs St. Louis Blues: Winner- Jets in 5
It feels like every year, the Jets are one of the best teams in the NHL, but consistently get eliminated in the first round. Coming off the best season in franchise history, as well as winning the President’s Trophy, I believe that they will beat the Blues. The Blues have had an unexpected season, having their longest win streak in franchise history, and great seasons from Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Cam Fowler, and Colton Parayko. But the Jets are the much better and deeper team with Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey, and the best goalie in the league, Connor Hellebuyck. Their depth will overpower the Blues and propel them to an easy series win.
Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Winner- Avalanche in 7
This might be the best series of the entire playoffs, but unfortunately, it is only a first-round matchup. These teams are both loaded from top to bottom with offensive and defensive talent. Looking at the Stars, their forward core essentially looks like an All-Star team with Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene, and Jamie Benn. Their defensive talent is also elite, with Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley, and they have the goaltending advantage with Jake Oettinger. Even with all this talent, I still believe that the Avalanche will pull through. While they are not as deep of a roster, they easily have the best player of the two teams with Nathan MacKinnon, and their forward core is just as deep as the Stars with Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, and Charlie Coyle. The defensive core is slightly weaker than the Stars, but they easily have one of the best defensive pairings in the league with the best defenseman, Cale Makar, and the always-reliable Devon Toews. The goaltending for the Avalanche is slightly weaker than the Stars, but I believe that MacKinnon and Makar, the two best players in the series, will propel the Avalanche to a series win in the most high-intensity moments. The potential return of the Avalanche Captain, Gabriel Landeskog, who was dealing with injuries for 3 years, will also give the Avs the much-needed emotional boost and motivation to overcome this talented Stars team.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild: Winner- Golden Knights in 6
The Wild have had an up-and-down season, especially when star Kirill Kaprizov went down with an injury. Despite his return and the return of Joel-Erickkson Ek, I do not believe they will be able to overcome the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights are the deeper and more experienced team, having players such as Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Mark Stone, Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbeshev, Alex Pietrangelo, and Adin Hill. The core of this team has already won a cup and looks poised to make another deep run. The young talent of the Wild, consisting of Brock Faber, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi, will make the series closer than expected, but they will not be able to overcome the experience of the Golden Knights.
Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers: Winner- Kings in 7
For the 4th year in a row, both the Kings and Oilers will be matching up in the first round. The Oilers have always gotten the best of the Kings, but that will change this year. The Kings have a deeper roster than the Oilers, consisting of the veterans Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield. Their defensive core is also stronger. The only reason this series will stay close is that the Oilers have 2 of the 3 best players in the NHL with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They will have to carry this team, and they will force this series to 7 games. Their defensive core, however, is brutal. They have the talented Evan Bouchard, but he could be one of the worst defensive defensemen in the NHL. Their lack of backline depth and tendency to make mistakes is what will ultimately cost them this series.
Eastern Conference Second Round
Ottawa Senators vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Winner- Lightning in 5
After an impressive and unexpected season from the Senators, it will come to an end against the experienced Lightning. The Senators will have no chance at slowing down the potent offensive attack of the Lightning, especially the Guentzel, Kucherov, and Point line. The Sens will win 1, but will fall short.
Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes: Winner- Capitals in 6
Every year, the Canes seem to fall in the 2nd round, and that will continue. The goaltending of the Canes is very weak, and they do not have the depth to combat the Capitals. The Capitals are a bigger and more physical team, and I believe that they will wear down the Canes throughout the series.
Western Conference Second Round
Winnipeg Jets vs Colorado Avalanche: Winner- Avalanche in 6
Despite an impressive season from the Jets, I do not believe they have the talent to compete with the Avalanche. Their roster is solid, and the special teams, along with Hellebuyck in net, is what will keep this series close. Ultimately, the Jets do not possess players of the caliber of MacKinnon and Makar, who will take over and win this series for the Avs.
Los Angeles Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights: Winner- Golden Knights in 5
In this series, I believe that the Golden Knights will overpower the Kings offensively. Jack Eichel will take over, and Adin Hill will make the extra saves necessary to make this a quick series. The Kings will struggle to score, and their goaltending will struggle.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Winner- Lightning in 6
While both of these teams are highly experienced, I believe that the Lightning have the extra firepower necessary to win. The Capitals have Ovechkin, Carlson, and Wilson, who have tons of playoff experience, but the Lightning have much more with Kucherov, Point, and Hedman, who have already won multiple cups for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has also won cups with the Penguins and is a proven playoff performer. He will elevate his game greatly in this series, and the Lightning will win. Vasilevskiy is also a proven playoff performer who will make crucial saves throughout the series.
Western Conference Finals
Colorado Avalanche vs Vegas Golden Knights: Winner- Avalanche in 7
This will be a tight matchup as the goaltending is around equal. The Golden Knights have the stronger defensive core, in my opinion, but their forward core is much weaker than the Avalanche’s. Eichel and Stone will show out, providing most of the offensive attack for the Knights, but MacKinnon will take over and elevate his teammates. I do not think the Golden Knights will be able to stop the Avs’ offensive attack and will ultimately fall to them in a heavily contested series.
Stanley Cup Final
Colorado Avalanche vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Winner- Lightning in 7
In this rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, I have the Lightning winning it all. Both teams are extremely solid both offensively and defensively, but the goaltending is where the biggest difference lies. While Mackenzie Blackwood is a good goalie, he is not on the same level as Andrei Vasilevskiy, and in a highly offensive series, a few saves could make the difference. By this point in the playoffs, I am expecting both MacKinnon and Kucherov to have absurd point totals, but Brayden Point will once again be leading the playoffs in goals and will take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.
