The hunt for the world’s greatest trophy is upon us. With the regular season ending on the 18th, the NHL wasted no time sending us right into postseason action on the 19th. The seeding and first round matchups have been set, and it’s time to sit back and enjoy these sixteen teams battling one another for the chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of the season.
We have some fresh, exciting matchups this year, as well as some familiar ones. In this list, we’re going to go through the bracket, eventually predicting who will be this season’s Stanley Cup Champions.
Who will win the coveted Stanley Cup this season?
East First Round- (A1) Maple Leafs vs (WC1) Senators
The Battle of Ontario is back, and the stakes are higher than ever! Toronto won their first division title in lord knows how many years, and Ottawa made it back into the postseason for the first time since 2017. Both teams are hungry and eager to prove their merit heading into the playoffs this year.
I fully expect this playoff series to reignite the rivalry between these two Ontario teams and bring lots of excitement to fans everywhere. However, I do think Toronto’s firepower will be too much for Ottawa to handle. Don’t expect the Sens to go down without a fight, though.
Prediction: Maple Leafs over Senators 4-3.
East First Round- (A2) Lightning vs (A3) Panthers
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These two have met a couple of times in the last few years, including a first-round matchup last year. The first time they met was Tampa’s third straight trip to the Finals, where they dominated and swept the Panthers. The second time they met was last year, when the Panthers dominated the Bolts and took them out in five en route to a Stanley Cup championship. The Bolts have looked like the better team down the stretch.
The defending champs really struggled to find their form in that last stretch and lost their home ice advantage because of it. When you pair that with the fact that Andrei Vasilevskiy has refound his Vezina caliber form, whereas Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled a bit this year, it does seem like the Bolts might take it this year, albeit in a more competitive series.
Prediction: Lightning over Panthers 4-3
East First Round- (M1) Capitals vs (WC2) Canadiens
Montreal, to their credit, worked their butts off to get themselves back into the postseason. They’re young and scrappy and made massive strides forward this season. That being said, beating Washington is a tall task for anyone in the East this year.
The Capitals have been a powerhouse all season long, and it certainly seems like a big ask for the Habs to take them down. However, Washington has been known to collapse in the playoffs, so keep an eye out for an upset in this series.
Prediction: Capitals over Canadiens 4-1
East First Round- (M2) Hurricanes vs (M3) Devils
This was the easiest series for me to predict in the Eastern Conference. The Devils, quite frankly, haven’t looked very good in nearly two months. Jacob Markstrom has completely lost his form, and they’re playing without their best player, Jack Hughes.
The Hurricanes not only looked in better form down the stretch, but they also just looked like the deeper team. Being healthier certainly doesn’t hurt their chances either. I fully expect Carolina to control this series and punch their ticket into the second round.
Prediction: Hurricanes over Devils 4-1
Western Conference First Round- (C1) Jets vs (WC2) Blues
This should be a good series. The Jets won their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history and will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Blues were one of the hottest teams in the NHL, scratching and crawling their way into a postseason berth. Both teams have made a name for themselves with elite blue lines backed by even more elite goaltending.
There’s one X-factor in this series that I think will make or break it for either team, and that’s Connor Hellebuyck. He’s the best goalie in the world, in the regular season. He’s often looked very mortal in the playoffs, with last year being no exception. He has to prove he can perform in the big dance this year, or Winnipeg will go nowhere.
Prediction: Jets over Blues 4-3
Western Conference First Round- (C2) Stars vs (C3) Avalanche
This is probably the best matchup in the entire first round. Both of these teams represent absolute titans within the Western Conference and are capable of winning the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche are a renewed version of themselves, backed by much better goaltending and a newly acquired Martin Necas. Oh, and if you haven’t heard, Gabriel Landeskog is back on the roster and could be activated as soon as Game 1.
The Stars are no slouches either, backed by star goaltending in Jake Oettinger and a roster that’s about as deep as you can get it from top to bottom. It’s a hard series to pick, but I have to. And it’s really hard to pick against the Avalanche right now.
Prediction: Avalanche over Stars 4-3
Western Conference First Round- (P1) Golden Knights vs (WC1) Wild
Vegas once again placed itself on top of its division, taking home the Pacific Division title. They’ve been blessed with a first-round matchup over a struggling Wild. That being said, there are some concerns to be had about the Knights heading into the playoffs. Mainly their goaltending. Adin Hill has been far from his best form this season, and they will absolutely need more from him in the playoffs, as their only other option is Ilya Samsonov.
The Wild have had much better goaltending this year, but struggled heavily and barely kept their playoff spot. That being said, they’re healthy again. They may have enough to make it a fight, but with their poor penalty kill and their current form, I don’t think they have enough to take out the Knights.
Prediction: Golden Knights over Wild 4-2
Western Conference First Round- (P2) Kings vs (P3) Oilers
Yep, it’s the fourth year in a row we’ve gotten this matchup. There are some differences this time around, though. This time, the Kings have home ice advantage, and they’ve been the best home team in the league by far this season. The Oilers are struggling with depth scoring, injuries, and defense, whereas the Kings’ biggest flaws in offense and the power play both appear to be rectified.
The biggest x-factor, though? Darcy Kuemper. The Kings finally have an elite goaltender for the first time since Jonathan Quick. Pair that with their elite blue line and their renewed offense? It feels like a different series this time around.
Prediction: Kings over Oilers 4-2
Eastern Conference Second Round- (A1) Maple Leafs vs (A2) Lightning
Heading out of the first round, we obviously now deal with matchups that might not even end up happening, hence why it’s called a Stanley Cup prediction. Both of these teams have an elite offense, paired with some pretty good goaltending. That being said, I do believe Tampa is better defensively. They also have playoff experience on their roster, which Toronto doesn’t have.
You also have to admit that it’s hard to have any faith in Toronto in the playoffs. I think the Bolts’ experience will shine through here, as well as Vasilevsky strutting his stuff to steal some games.
Prediction: Lightning over Maple Leafs 4-2
Eastern Conference Second Round- (M1) Capitals vs (M2) Hurricanes
This one is a bit tricky, as there are a lot of factors that play into it. On paper, Washington is the more star-studded team, but Carolina should be deeper. Washington has gotten the better goaltending this year, primarily from Logan Thompson, but Carolina, on paper, has a better blue line.
We also have to consider that their 2018 Stanley Cup run was the only time Washington has been past the second round in a very long time. That being said, I’m not really feeling Carolina right now. I think Washington has the spark that the Canes are just lacking right now.
Prediction: Capitals over Hurricanes 4-2
Western Conference Second Round- (C1) Jets vs (C3) Avalanche
These two teams met in the first round last year, and it didn’t go very well for the Jets. It’s safe to say that both teams are pretty different this year. That being said, that still might not be a good thing for the Jets. Their roster is pretty much the same as last year, and they got dominated by a much worse Avalanche team.
As mentioned before, this Avalanche is a renewed team. I think they have what it takes to topple the President’s winners and move on to the conference finals. I do expect a pretty good series out of both teams, though.
Prediction: Avalanche over Jets 4-2
Western Conference Second Round- (P1) Golden Knights vs (P2) Kings
This one is a tough one to call. The Kings got the better of the Knights more often than not this season, and their defensive style is seemingly pretty well equipped to stifle the Knights’ forecheck. As good as the Knights are, they do seem to lack the it factor that they had the last few seasons.
This is the best Kings team we have seen in many years, and they want to prove it. It’ll be a physical series, and expect Kumeper to stand on his head a couple of times, but I do think the Kings should get it done. Their play on the road might be a bit worrying, though.
Prediction: Kings over Golden Knights 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals- (M1) Capitals vs (A2) Lightning
At this stage of the playoffs, you have to look and see the road each team took to get here. On paper, Tampa would have had the much tougher road. They might show wear and tear in the quest to win the Stanley Cup. On top of that, they will absolutely need to lean on Vasilevsky in order to stop this Washington offense.
This will likely be the toughest test Washington faces in the playoffs, not to throw shade on Montreal and Carolina. That being said, it’s still a tough series to call. It’s hard to pick against the experience of Tampa, but there’s just a special feeling in the air with Washington right now.
Prediction: Capitals over Lightning 4-3
Western Conference Finals- (P2) Kings vs (C3) Avalanche
Man, this one is a tough one to pick. The Avs did get the better of the Kings in the regular season series, but two of those three games saw the Kings play on the road. However, the one time they did play at Crypto.com Arena, the Avs were sitting out their two best players, Mackinnon and Makar.
The Kings have taken massive strides forward this year. However, I don’t think they’re quite ready to go all the way just yet. The Avs are a tough team to beat, and they’re built for the playoffs. It’ll be a brutal series, but I think the Avs get it done.
Prediction: Avalanche over Kings 4-2
Stanley Cup Finals- (M1) Capitals vs (C3) Avalanche
It was a long road to get here, but here we are. The coveted Stanley Cup Finals. And just look at the two teams I picked to make it, holy moly. Talk about your powerhouses. The Capitals will have home ice advantage once again, as they will all playoffs unless they face the Jets in the finals, but I don’t think it will matter much in this series.
This series will come down to who can bite down on their mouthpiece and outgrit the other. And I have to pick the Avalanche in that regard. I think their physicality, as well as their suffocating forecheck, will make it hard for the Capitals to break out and establish their own offense.
I think Blackwood will be able to make the saves the Avs need him to make, and they’ll be able to clamp down on Ovechkin. With the Caps unable to get their own offense going, the Avs will be able to clinch their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Prediction: Avalanche over Capitals 4-2
