NHL Playoff Predictions
Last night kicked off the NHL Playoffs. The Pens destroyed the Flyers, the Jets won their first ever playoff game in franchise history and Vegas squeaked out a 1-0 win. The first night of the playoffs gave us a lot of excitement, but there is plenty more excitement to be had in the coming month and a half. Let’s look at some of my predictions for this year’s playoffs.
The Washington Capitals will shit the bed once again this year.
This probably comes as no shocker but the capitals are going nowhere this year. They lost a lot of talent this past year, and they have played well, but nowhere near the levels of some of the other elite teams in the east like the Lightning, Pens, and Bruins. My big prediction is that they lose in 7 games against the Columbus Blue Jackets in their first series. They will once again head into the offseason with many questions and no answers.
Bruins vs Lightning will be the series of the year.
The Bruins will beat the Maple Leafs in 7 games. The Lightning will beat the Devils in 5 games. The Bruins will then matchup with the Lightning, which is stupid because the Bruins are technically the #2 seed in the East and the Lightning is the #1 seed. Regardless of the way the playoffs are seeded and played, this series will be wild. They had four great games together this season, with the Bruins taking 3 out of 4. There is bad blood between these two teams, and they are easily the two best teams in the East. Whichever team takes this series will be representing the East in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Jets vs Predators will be the best series in the West.
These two teams are without a doubt the two best teams in the West, with Vegas not too far behind. Last year I was all in on Nashville, literally I had 50 bucks on them at 25-1 odds to win it all. This year seems like it is their year, after the heartbreaking loss in the Finals they are coming back with vengeance. They seem unstoppable, but the Jets just have that swagger this year. They have a great blend of rookies and veterans, and they are just playing such good hockey. Whoever wins this series will represent the West in the Finals.
The Stanley Cup Final will be Jets vs Bruins.
Two great teams playing great team hockey. It will be a hard fought series, and if the matchups between these two teams in the regular series is any indicator, it will be a high scoring affair. Ultimately the Bruins and their Rugrats will prevail, hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2011.
-John O’Connell
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