2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

East Division

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 4. New York Islanders

Players to Watch: G Tristan Jarry and F Mathew Barzal

Who Wins: Penguins in 6 games

2. Washington Capitals vs. 3. Boston Bruins

Players to Watch: D John Carlson and G Tuukka Rask

Who Wins: Bruins in 7 games

Central Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes vs. 4. Nashville Predators

Players to Watch: F Martin Necas and G Juuse Saros

Who Wins: Hurricanes in 5 games

2. Florida Panthers vs. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Players to Watch: D MacKenzie Weegar and D Victor Hedman

Who Wins: Lightning in 6 games

North Division

1. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. 4. Montreal Canadiens

Players to Watch: F Auston Matthews and G Carey Price

Who Wins: Maple Leafs in 5 games

2. Edmonton Oilers vs. 3. Winnipeg Jets

Players to Watch: F Connor McDavid and F Mark Scheifele

Who Wins: Oilers in 7 games

West Division

1. Colorado Avalanche vs. 4. St. Louis Blues

Players to Watch: F Nathan McKinnon and G Jordan Binnington

Who Wins: Avalanche in 6 games

2. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 3. Minnesota Wild

Players to Watch: D Shea Theodore and F Kirill Kaprizov

Who Wins: Golden Knights in 7 games

Stanley Cup Prediction

*Because of lockdown madness, the 2020-21 NHL season will have the four divisions playing against each other in their regions. This is a breakdown of my prediction for the Stanley Cup Playoff participants for the 2020-21 season. The top 4 teams from each division will play each other in the first two rounds. Then what would be the Conference Finals, the four remaining teams will be ranked 1-4 on their regular season point totals. The one-seed will play the fourth-seed and the second-seed will play the third-seed. Continue reading →

East Division

1. Philadelphia Flyers

Last year might not have ended the way they hoped, but they are far too talented to not make another run.

2. Boston Bruins

Their defense took a hit in free agency. Their depth on offense should help offset any issues on the blue line.

3. New York Islanders

The Barry Trotz system is working to near perfection on Long Island.

4. New York Rangers

This is their chance to show a quick turnaround in their rebuild to become contenders.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

It would be shocking to see them miss the playoffs, but there are too many holes that could be hard to overcome down the stretch.

6. Washington Capitals

The cap crunch is coming and some players are starting to show their age on the ice.

7. Buffalo Sabres

If they weren’t playing in a stacked division like this one, they could be contending for a Wild Card spot.

8. New Jersey Devils

They fell flat on the ice last year and this season won’t be any better for them. Continue reading →

Stanley Cup Semifinals Preview

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6. New York Islanders

Players to Watch: G Carter Hart and G Semyon Varlamov

Who Wins: Islanders in 6 games

2. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. 4. Boston Bruins

Players to Watch: F Nikita Kucherov and G Jaroslav Halak

Who Wins: Lightning in 6 games

Western Conference

1. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 5. Vancouver Canucks

Players to Watch: F Mark Stone and D Quinn Hughes

Who Wins: Canucks in 6 games

2. Colorado Avalanche vs. 3. Dallas Stars

Players to Watch: F Nazem Kadri and D Miro Heiskanen

Who Wins: Avalanche in 5 games

2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8. Montreal Canadiens

Players to Watch: G Carter Hart and G Carey Price

Who Wins: Flyers in 5 games

2. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. 7. Columbus Blue Jackets

Players to Watch: F Nikita Kucherov and D Seth Jones

Who Wins: Lightning in 6 games

3. Washington Capitals vs. 6. New York Islanders

Players to Watch: G Braden Holtby and D Ryan Pulock

Who Wins: Islanders in 7 games

4. Boston Bruins vs. 5. Carolina Hurricanes

Players to Watch: F David Pastrnak and F Sebastian Aho

Who Wins: Hurricanes in 7 games

Western Conference

1. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks

Players to Watch: G Robin Lehner and G Corey Crawford

Who Wins: Golden Knights in 6 games

2. Colorado Avalanche vs. 7. Phoenix Coyotes

Players to Watch: D Cale Makar and F Taylor Hall

Who Wins: Avalanche in 6 games

3. Dallas Stars vs. 6. Calgary Flames

Players to Watch: G Ben Bishop and F Sean Monahan

Who Wins: Flames in 6 games

4. St. Louis Blues vs. 5. Vancouver Canucks

Players to Watch: D Alex Pietrangelo and D Quinn Hughes

Who Wins: Blues in 7 games