The time is finally upon us. The NHL playoffs start tomorrow. This year has already been an odd year for the NHL with the teams only playing in their own division. But the playoffs is going to be a horse of a different color. The first 2 rounds will be divisional meaning 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3, Then the two winners meet. That's where things get fun. After the second round teams will finally play someone they have not played against since last season. And with the way the divisions were made its very possible that 2 teams from the same conference could end up playing for the cup. Im gonna give my prediction on each of the first round games and i will also give you who i think will be the Stanley Cup Champion.
East Division
1.Pittsburgh vs. 4. New York Islanders
This year I really think the numbers of where teams finished the regular season matter. The islanders have been a solid team all season as have the penguins. The playoffs have become a yearly thing for Pittsburgh and the Islanders have been making some noise over the last few years. This series as with all of them will be tough but i think Pittsburgh takes it in 6.
2.Washington vs. 3. Boston
This series obviously has more to look forward to for readers of this blog. The main story line being our former 14 year captain Zdeno Chara being on the Capitols back end instead of ours. The bruins played very well against Washington in the 8 games they played. The smaller stories that will no doubt take a back seat at least for game 1 would be Tom Wilson and the bruins opting for Jeremy Swayman over Jaro Halak as back up. Tom Wilson writes his own obituary with league but putting all that aside Wilson has done his job. Hes in the minds of teams and he is definitely on the mind of the bruins after he put Carlo into the boards causing him to miss a lot of time. Playoff hockey is always harder and tougher. Much more physical. With the way the season was drawn up the first 2 rounds look to be some really intense hockey. Based on depth and skill on defense I think Boston wins in 5.
Central Division
1.Carolina vs.4.Nashville
This series is the only one that actually played out as east vs west. All the other first round match ups have stayed inter conference as is tradition. Carolina has built on the enormous success it had last season and channeled that into a first place finish and almost a presidents trophy. Nashville has shown continued success over the last few years but this may be their last shot at a winner. With the news that longtime goalie Pekka Renee planning to leave after the season the predators might be heading into the dreaded rebuild. I think the Hurricanes take this series in 6.
2.Florida vs. 3. Tampa Bay
The battle of the sunshine state. who would have ever thought we would see 2 Florida teams going head to head in the post season. Defending champs Tampa have a lot of work to do if they want to overtake the much quicker Panthers. The lightning have been with out Nikita Kucherov all season and he looks to make his debut in game 1. How will he gel with the flow of the team. these happen to be 2 of the more physical teams with their last game posting around 150 penalty minutes. The goaltending on both ends is vezna caliber so i would assume goals will be at a premium and the first team to blink will lose. I predict Florida wins this in 7.
North Division
1.Tornoto vs.4.Montreal
The north division was the oddest of the 4 that were made. It consisted of all 6 Canadian teams because travel outside of Canada was restricted because of the pandemic. Montreal started the season 11-5. then lost something like 6 in a row and the team parted ways with Claude Julien. They got worse after he left and almost were out of the playoffs. Had it not been for Vancouver missing 7 games I believe they would have been on the outside looking in. All of the major sports people have been saying that Toronto is the best team in the league this year having added Joe Thornton and with Auston Matthews scoring over 40 goals. But I just don't see it. Every year the leafs find a way to choke and this year having not played an American team and most likely having to get past Edmonton to do so, I just don't see the leafs having a real shot once the second round is over. They will however dispose of Montreal in 5 games.
2. Edmonton vs. 3. Winnipeg
It seems like every year since they have been back in the league the jets find a way to make things interesting. This year was no different. They played very solid hockey all season and they hung in there with Toronto all year long. Their downfall is going to be they lack the defense to stop Connor McDavid. As some of you know I have been a closet Oilers fan since 2006 when Fernando Pisani scored 2 goals in game 7 to put the Oilers up on the ducks. Everyone knows about Gretzky and how the oilers have only had one cup since he left. But Connor McDavid is the hands down best athlete at his sport. Its not even a close conversation. Which is why I said I don't think Winnipeg has the defense to stop him. Because in reality Edmonton only need him and someone to feed him the puck. Edmonton sweeps this series 4-0.
West Division
1.Colorado vs. 4. St. Louis
If you listen to or follow anything that talks about the NHL then you would have definitely heard that the Avalanche are the hottest team in the league this year. So much young talent mixed with veterans like McKinnon and Landeskog who have finally came into their own its hard to find a match up that doesn't favor them. The Blues are a very physical team and they play a very good game in the corners. But they are a team of veterans. Not a lot of youth. I think with the way Colorado has played this year they will handle the Avalanche with out much fuss and take the series in 5.
2.Vegas vs.3.Minnesota
The Vegas Golden Knights are the best story in hockey over the last 10 years. Upstart team makes the cup final the first year and really hasn't fallen off since. They are ultra competitive and always right in the mix. Add to that the William Jennings winning goaltending tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner Vegas is a team that is poised to do great things. Minnesota on the other hand is having one of their best season that i can remember. They have to be hands down the best 5-5 team this year as well as one of the most solid defensive teams. They are physical and aren't afraid to mix it up but they are also disciplined enough to make sure they stay out of the box. This is going to be a fun series to keep your eye on. I think Vegas takes it in 7 hard fought and close games.
Those are my predictions for the first round of the playoffs I will put out my second round once things play out. I did say I would give you my prediction for cup winner. But honestly i cant decide yet. I really wanna wait until teams are out of the second round and we can see them play teams they haven't played all year.
Some quick football news. TEBOW IS BACK!!!!!!! After being out of the NFL for close to 5 years now and failing at playing pro baseball the Jacksonville Jaguars have signed him to a one year deal as a tight end. Obviously having drafted Trevor Lawrence there was no chance in hell Tebow would ever take a single snap under center. But the prospect of seeing him at tight end is intriguing. Hes got the body for it. Hes got the height. But can he catch? Can he block? This could all just be a PR stunt for Urban Myer to drum up some ticket sales in his first season at the hem of the jags but i think with the drive that Tebow has to want to stay relevant he will no doubt put in the work and who knows maybe he make sit and does well for a few games and can go out the way he wanted to.
