Washington and Pittsburgh, of course, are the two marquee franchises in the NHL at the moment. The Capitals won their second consecutive President's Trophy, and the Penguins are the defending champions. They have to enter the playoffs as the two biggest favorites to win the Cup, and not just because they're the two best teams in the league. You can't count Chicago out either. This is, after all, an odd year, and the Blackhawks win the Cup in odd years. They had the best record in the West and you know they're eager to make up for last year's first-round exit.
Most of the attention this year has been focused on the East, and rightfully so, but that doesn't mean whoever wins the Eastern Conference is guaranteed to skate with the Cup. Nor is Chicago guaranteed to win the West. There are a number of teams that can give the Blackhawks a challenge, starting with the Ducks, but also including the defending conference champion Sharks and a St. Louis team that knocked the Blackhawks out last season.
In the East, you know it's going to be a bloodbath in the first two rounds on the Metropolitan side of the bracket. My dissatisfaction with the current playoff system is well-known, and the fact that Pittsburgh, the second-best team in the league, has to play Columbus (third-best) and Washington (President's Trophy winners) just to get to the conference finals is ridiculous. And you know who could benefit? The Rangers-Canadiens winner.
Canadiens-Rangers: The Rangers are perhaps the first team in history that wanted to finish lower in its division to improve its playoff position. Well, they got exactly what they wanted, and it's a much easier route to the Eastern Conference Final (which I don't think would surprise anybody). Montreal is definitely a better matchup than either Washington or Pittsburgh, but the Canadiens aren't exactly going to be easy. In fact, Montreal won all three games during the regular season. They've got Carey Price, the memory of missing the playoffs last season, and the memory of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final. But. The Rangers had the best road record in hockey and worked themselves into a more favorable matchup. This will be a competitive series with a number of one-goal games, but I do see the Rangers doing what they need to do to win it. Rangers in six.
Senators-Bruins: This series exposes the other major flaw of the playoff format. Either Pittsburgh or Columbus will definitely be eliminated, while either Ottawa or Boston is guaranteed to advance (and get home ice in the second round if the Rangers win). I think this might end up being the tightest of the eight first-round series. Ottawa and Boston were very evenly matched all season long, with the Senators barely finishing ahead and earning home ice for this series. Although, much like the Rangers, the Bruins caught a huge break when Toronto lost on the last day of the season. They got the Senators instead of the Capitals, and I see them taking full advantage. A Bruins win guarantees an all-Original Six second round series. Bruins in seven.
Capitals-Maple Leafs: NBC wanted this matchup, but they might be the only ones. It's great to see Toronto back in the playoffs, but it looks like it'll be a short stay for Auston Matthews and Co. Do I think Washington is going to win the Stanley Cup? No. What makes them a great regular season team is why they're vulnerable in the playoffs. They become easier to scout the longer a best-of-seven goes. However, with that being said, they're significantly better than Toronto. Had the Leafs beaten Columbus in the final game, we might be talking about them potentially reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 (that's pre-Lockout 1.0). As it is, they'll be lucky to win a game in their first trip to the postseason in four years. Capitals in five.
Penguins-Blue Jackets: Did any team get screwed by the playoff system more than Columbus? This team has the talent to be playing into June. But there's no way they're getting past both of the top two teams in the league. Beating the Penguins is going to be a very tall order. Pittsburgh is loaded, and they should be healthy for the playoffs. And, of course, let's not forget the Penguins are the defending champions. This might've been the worst possible first-round assignment for the Penguins, but it's not exactly as if Columbus considers this matchup easy for them. Sergei Bobrovsky is going to be the key. For the Blue Jackets to win a playoff series for the first time in their history, he'll need to come up big. Pittsburgh has way too many weapons, though. I'm not sure he can stop them all. Penguins in six.
Blackhawks-Predators: Nashville was a very popular Stanley Cup pick in the preseason. They had an up-and-down season, but none of that matters now. Because the Predators are a very dangerous team. One that had to travel back-and-forth to California during the playoffs twice last year, yet still was one win away from the Conference Final. It's definitely there. It might not be enough for the Blackhawks, though. Chicago is the most playoff-tested team of the 16 remaining. More importantly, the Blackhawks know how to win in April and May. I don't see that changing as long as Kane and Toews are around, either. As long as they get solid goaltending, we're probably looking at another deep run for the San Francisco Giants of hockey. Blackhawks in six.
Wild-Blues: When these two met in the first round two years ago, Minnesota upset the top-seeded Blues. St. Louis, meanwhile, finally broke through and got to the Conference Final last year. Do they have another deep run in them? That I'm not so sure of. The Wild were one of the most consistent teams in the NHL all season. And the funny thing is nobody is talking about them. They finished second in the Central for a reason, though, and I think that home ice advantage will end up being a big factor in this series. One of the reasons the NHL likes this stupid format is because they get these great playoff battles between division rivals. This series will be no exception. I'll be very surprised if it doesn't go seven, where Minnesota having the home game will make a huge difference. Wild in seven.
Ducks-Flames: If anybody in the West has a chance at knocking off Chicago, my money's on Anaheim. The Ducks had to fight Edmonton literally down to the wire for the division title, but they did end up securing their fourth straight division crown. They've got nothing to show for it, though. They've lost a Game 7 four years in a row, including three straight home Game 7 losses. Understandably, they Ducks have developed a bit of a reputation for not being able to finish the deal. Calgary's a very good young team that's really fun to watch. But we might be a year or two away from the Alberta clubs bringing us back to the late 80s. As for 2017, the Ducks are simply too good for the Flames. That is, unless it gets to a Game 7, in which case Anaheim could be in trouble. Ducks in six.
Oilers-Sharks: I'm really looking forward to this series. It should be a fun one. Conor McDavid finally gets the playoff stage. How will he handle it? Can he bring the Oilers back to the Gretzky-Messier Glory Days? Well, we'll find out quickly against a Sharks team that finally overcame its playoff demons and reached the Stanley Cup Final last season. Was that an anomaly or have those demons been permanently exorcised? Either way, I do like San Jose in this series. Once you get there, you feel that urge to get back. And San Jose is perfectly equipped to do just that. At the very least, the playoff-tested Sharks should be able to get by a young Oilers team returning to the postseason for the first time since Edmonton's Final run in 2006. I can guarantee that it won't take 11 years for them to get back to the playoffs again. Sharks in six.
As for the really early Final pick, I'd be stupid to go against the Blackhawks and their odd-year mojo (especially after the Cubs' win). I'm gonna go with Chicago over Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final. But this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Anything can happen. That's why the next two months are gonna be so much fun.
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