The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off tonight and the first round is filled with a lot of great matchups. I intend to break down the four matchups starting tonight, then release another preview tomorrow for the 4 series’ starting tomorrow. This is going to be the first time I have watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs extensively, so we’ll see how this goes this year. Just like all other sports, these playoffs will be momentum based and I think hockey is even more momentum driven. All it takes is one mistake to change the momentum of the whole series. I also know the regular season is one thing and the playoffs intensity is another. Crucial hockey games are as intense as it gets in sports and we’re going to see a lot of intense action on the ice for the next couple months. Let’s dive in and see the series matchups starting tonight.

New York Islanders (42-31-9) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (52-21-9)

The playoff format in the NHL is a little different than what I am accustomed to in other sports, but I like it. It seems like an expanded old school format where divisions matter and having the bragging rights of making it out of your divisions best-of games. The Islanders were the top Wild Card team to make the postseason and they will have a tough opponent in the Carolina Hurricanes. They Islanders are going to be leaning on their underrated defense and star goaltender, Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin claimed 31 of the Islanders 42 wins and only allowed 2.34 goals per game. He was also 3rd in save percentage in the NHL. Brock Nelson will be the focus of the Hurricanes as well. He led the Islanders with 75 pts this season. Bo Horvat was acquired midseason and will look to shine in the playoffs despite being a little underwhelming in the back half of the season. Their defense is split up pretty evenly on all lines. Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Noah Dobson, and Ryan Pulock will be a tough test for Carolina stout offense.

Carolina was overshadowed a bit by the Bruins this season, but they had a great year. In fact, despite the Bruins having an historic season, the Canes were favored by to win the Cup before Andrei Svechnikov got injured. They now have the 5th best odds. They have been 9-7-1 since his injury, but they’re not going to roll over. I still think Carolina can make a run for the Cup. They are still a loaded team at the end of the day. They have a great mix of younger talented players and solid veterans. Martin Nečas led the Canes in scoring this year surprisingly, but Sebastian Aho is considered the top dog on offense. Brady Skjei and Jaccob Slavin will be the defensive anchors along with Brent Burns. Having Burns on this team adds a lot of grit to a squad still needs to get over the hump. Anti Raanta will guard the goal tonight, but I expect Andersen to get more starts in the playoffs. The Canes were 3-1-0 against the Islanders this season. I think the Hurricanes will take this series, but I think it will be a tough out for them.

Series Prediction: Hurricanes in 6

Florida Panthers (42-32-8) vs. Boston Bruins (65-12-5)

All eyes are going to be on the Boston Bruins to finish off their storybook season, but first, they have to take care of the Florida Panthers. On paper, the Panthers have a good squad, but they have had a problem with defense this season. They barely beat out the Penguins to make the playoffs and they have to deal with the winningest team in NHL history. They have a chance, but it will be slim. Matthew Tkachuk will lead the Panthers in this series and he amassed an impressive 109 points this year. He topped his career high from last season with the Flames. You can't deny that he is great, but he is still a tool. Barkov and the top goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe will be a handful on the ice. Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad will lead the defensive side of things and their goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, will have a difficult time with the Bruins offense. He had difficult enough time during the regular season. The Panthers gave up the most goals of teams in the postseason. We’ll see if they have an answer for Boston.

I don’t think there’s a lot to say about the Bruins that hasn’t been said. They are the best team in NHL history. Regular season history that is. They will have to prove they are the best in the playoffs. After winning an astonishing 65 games this season, they will have to make it past the Miami hockey club. The three-headed monster of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand will be a force to be reckoned with. The three combined for 238 points in the regular season and will look to finish the story. Pastrnak only trailed Connor McDavid by the 3 goals this year, finding the net 61 times. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm held the fort down in the regular season and former Caps defenseman, Dmitry Orlov added a defender to what was already a powerhouse team. Not to mention Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo who led the league in Plus/Minus along with Lindholm. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman both were phenomenal in the regular season and I can’t see thing changing in the playoffs. Ullmark was the top goalie in the NHL and Swayman was Top 3 or 4 all season. It appears that the two goalies and Bergeron are game-time decisions, so that is something to keep an eye on. The Bruins should win this series easily and cruise past the rest of the Eastern Conference, but what should happen and what does happen can be two different things. It is worth noting that Bruins had only a slight edge in the regular season. The series was split, but the Bruins get the edge due to one of the games being an OT loss.

Series Prediction: Bruins in 4

Minnesota Wild (46-25-11) vs. Dallas Stars (47-21-14)

This matchup is going to be a fun one to watch. The two teams are similar in a lot of ways. Minnesota will give advantage to the Stars in this series, but I think that they may be the better team on paper. If not, they’re pretty evenly matched. Kiril Kaprizov returned to the ice just in time for this series and he will be the difference maker for the Wild. He along with Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello will carry the offense into Dallas. They have a decent offense even though it doesn’t show up in the stat book. The Wild have the lowest scoring offense in the West. However, their defense makes up for it. Jared Spurgeon, John Klingberg, Calen Addison, Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin will make sure that the Stars don’t get too hot on offense. I’m a little surprised to see that Marc-Andre Fleury isn't getting the call to start due to his playoff experience, but more importantly, his 3 Stanley Cup titles. Filip Gustavsson has been the better goalie and I understand why he’s starting, but playoff experience matters.

The Stars capped off a solid season with a 6-game win streak and they have the momentum going into this series. Jason Robertson led the Dallas Stars with 109 points. Jamie Benn has also had a good year along with Joe Pavelski, who has been on the ice when the most goals have occurred. Miro Heiskanen is only getting better, and Ryan Suter provides a solid veteran presence. They do have a solid mix of young talent and veterans, so they could make a run. Jake Oettinger is one of the best goalies in hockey and he will make things tough for the Wild. The Stars have a slight advantage in the regular season due to the series split resulting in 2 shootout losses for them. Although most will probably take the Stars here, I think the Wild will move on. I don’t think the Wild will make a run, but I think they can take down the Stars and I’ll take them because I think they have defensemen advantage.

Series Prediction: Wild in 7

Los Angeles Kings (47-25-10) vs. Edmonton Oilers (50-23-9)

We have the Pacific teams meeting up in the first day matchups in the last game of the night. The Kings have put together a solid season despite having some ups and downs. They traded their veteran goalie Jonathan Quick and it affected their locker room, but it didn’t hinder their performance. They went 12-5-2 after trading him. Kopitar, Fiala, and Kempe are the best scoring presences on the team with Kempe being the top goal scorer of the bunch. Sean Durzi and Drew Doughty will be the biggest threats on the defensive side and it appears that Joonas Korpisalo will get the start in game 1. It’s a little surprising to see that Copley isn't drawing the start, but it isn't like goalie play has been strong for the Kings.

The Oilers have been the most talked about team in hockey for a few years because of Connor McDavid. Rightfully so. McDavid is the biggest star in the game and led the league this season in scoring with 153 points. Not only that, Leon Draisaitl had 128 points himself, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman both had career years. The Oilers know how to light up a scoreboard. They outscored the 2nd place Boston Bruins by 20 goals this season. Their problem is that they allow a lot of goals. They don’t have the worst defense in the playoffs, but they’re not far behind. Both the Kings and Oilers struggle on the defensive side. While Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard are solid defensive options, they’re offensive defensemen. This team was built to score, not defend. Stuart Skinner is the starting goalie in Game 1 and that is the right choice. Jack Campbell has had a bad season and he only needs to be out there in dire situations. The season series was split 2-2. If the Kings had a better defensive squad I would take them, but I think the Oilers will take the series. They just have too much star power on offense. Even if one guy goes down, they still have a squad.

Series Prediction: Oilers in 5

Yacs

2023 Stanley Cup Playoff Round 1 Preview (Part 1)