Blogs and Other Things

The first round, as usual, didn’t disappoint, though it would’ve been nice to see a couple more Game 7s.

As for my picks, I went 8/8 on series winners (thank you, Winnipeg) and 3/8 on the length of each series (easily the best I’ve ever done, so it’s lucky I only started blogging this year).

You can find a link to those picks here!

Regardless, while this is being uploaded late again, I made my picks before the round started (I promise).

Here we go.

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Eastern Conference

Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) vs Florida Panthers (A3)

The battle of…Tkachuk vs Toronto (again?).

The Maple Leafs made it past the first round for the second time in the past 3 years, though it was not entirely convincing. Playing a less talented and less experienced Senators team, they could have zapped the life out of the Senators after mounting a 3-0 series lead, but they let their opponents back into the series and robbed themselves of valuable rest ahead of the next one. That said, there are definitely positives that shouldn’t be overlooked: Nylander (unsurprisingly) led the series in points (with the other Leafs stars right behind him), the Leafs’ power-play scored in a series-clinching game for the first time since 2018, the Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok line has been incredibly effective, and Stolarz looks capable of stealing a series.

On paper, this is one of the best Leafs teams in recent years, especially given the solid play of depth pieces like Pontus Holmberg, Max Domi, Steven Lorentz and Bobby McMann, who, despite a lack of offensive impact, deserves credit for his relentless forecheck.

The only downside is they’re playing a team who’s better.

The Panthers look capable of repeating as Cup champions after making quick work of Tampa Bay in a series that never felt like much of a competition. If they drop off, it will likely be due to injuries; I have a hard time seeing them slow down from anything else.

That said, the Leafs are the more rested of the two teams, with Florida making the Cup Final in each of the last two years, so if the Leafs manage to bruise Florida enough (and make the series long), that may just lift them over the edge.

But it’ll be tight.

Prediction: Panthers in 7

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Washington Capitals (M1) vs Carolina Hurricanes (M2)

The battle of…more red jerseys.

The Caps are, to put it plainly, not very good. They’ve left me unconvinced all year, often running off goaltending hot streaks; thus, if they manage to beat Carolina, it will undoubtedly be for the same reason.

As for the Hurricanes, they’re a shot-heavy team who should dominate the Caps at arguably every position (despite Andersen’s historical playoff woes). Deep playoff runs are also nothing new for Carolina; with their easiest path yet, the Conference Final should be the bare minimum in terms of the team’s expectations.

The Caps might get a game or two if Thompson stands on his head, but I can’t see it going further than that.

Prediction: Hurricanes in 6

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Western Conference

Winnipeg Jets (C1) vs Dallas Stars (C2)

The battle of…American goalies.

After a Game 7 comeback against the Avalanche, the Stars look like the team to beat at this point. With one of the deepest rosters in the league (if not the deepest), the addition of Rantanen should have the rest of the league terrified.

Similarly, the Jets won an emotional Game 7 on home ice against the Blues, breaking the record for the latest tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history (2.2 seconds, officially). That said, they should have beaten the Blues in fewer games and Hellebuyck looked terrible for most of the series, so if these trends continue, the Jets could be looking at a short second round appearance.

That said, if Hellebuyck remembers how to be a Vezina-winning goaltender and the Jets actually get healthy, this could be a heck of a series.

…but I think Dallas would still win it.

Prediction: Stars in 6

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Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs Edmonton Oilers (P3)

The battle of…the 2015 Draft.

Vegas slid under the radar this year, which may just play to their benefit. Calling them a dark horse feels wrong given they won the Pacific division, but after the craziness of last year’s final (and with the Knights going out in round one), people seem to forget they won the Cup just two years ago. Plus, all the talk surrounding Colorado, Dallas, and Winnipeg from the regular season has allowed them to fade into the background…though they’re still really good. Eichel and Stone are playing some of the best hockey of their careers right now, and the two often show up in playoffs, so the Oilers can expect plenty more of that going forward.

As for the Oilers, they’re an incredibly entertaining watch, boasting two of the most offensively gifted players in the world accompanied by one of the most depleted defensive rosters. That said, in the past couple years, depth scoring has actually proven to show up when it matters, which was unheard of for the first 8 years of the McDraisaitl era. Hilariously, though, their starting goaltender is currently Calvin Pickard, which should make Oilers fans nervous; he’s an unconventional goalie who swims in his crease far too often for a team attempting to win the Cup. While he is 4-0 after beating the L.A. Kings in four straight, he was often caught out of position and the goals he let in were pretty soft, and I’m fairly sure he would have lost the starting position had it not been for Skinner’s abysmal play in games 1 and 2 (along with the team in front of him having their 4 best performances of the year).

Regardless, Oilers’ management had the opportunity to trade for a goalie at the deadline and chose not to; thus, it won’t be surprising if it’s the reason they don’t move on.

In the end, it is tough to eliminate Connor McDavid; that said, I think the Knights can do it. They did it two years ago, and Edmonton’s defensive and goaltending depth is somehow worse than it was then, so it feels inevitable.

But I think Connor and Leon will make it close.

Prediction: Golden Knights in 7