The Bruins can’t be stopped?

On April 11, the Bruins earned their 64th win of the season and increased their regular season total to 133, the highest since the Montreal Canadiens scored 132 points in 1976-77.

Without detracting from this impressive achievement, success in the regular season doesn’t necessarily carry over into the playoffs. In 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning, backed by Vezin trophy winner Andrey Vasilevsky, won 62 regular season games and finished the year with 128 points, losing just 16 games all year—a record nearly as dominant as Boston’s. “. Expectations were high – and immediately justified. The Columbus Blue Jackets (47-31-4, 98 points) defeated the Lightning in the first round, thanks in large part to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who saved 109 of 117 shots for a .932 save percentage over four games.

Will Boston suffer a similar fate? The Bruins bring more depth, more points, and more experience to their first round than their rivals, the Florida Panthers. Even in goal, it’s hard to bet against the combination of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swainman, who are ranked 1st and 4th respectively in the league in shooting percentage. Finishing the season 7-2-1 with the Panthers, Alex Lyon could get a playoff start. But technically, he’s Florida’s understudy. Instead, the Panthers could be the first team in the hope that he can repeat history. That one? Sergei Bobrovsky.

Any result other than a Cup victory for Boston, let alone a first-round exit, seems unlikely, but as Bobrovsky knows, the playoffs are full of surprises.

Edmonton is really

Not much needs to be said about Connor McDavid that hasn’t already been written this season, one of the most impressive for an NHL player in recent memory. But since McDavid, the Oilers have posed a real threat in the West, even to the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche (who will be without captain Gabriel Landeskog in the postseason). First, the Oilers are good at scoring—a lot. Edmonton ranked first in regular season goals with 325 goals (a third of which came from McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). But while Edmonton relies on the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl (along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman) to score goals, they too have not been easily beaten, especially lately with Stuart Skinner in goal. Skinner has only lost one game on the first team since early March, when he lost 6 against Toronto on March 11.

Edmonton has one more thing: seeding. The Oilers see a path to the Western Finals—first past the Los Angeles Kings, then past Vegas or Winnipeg, which they should theoretically be able to beat. Elsewhere in brackets, things are not necessarily so clear (see below). It will give Oilers fans hope, and for good reason. Don’t be surprised to see Edmonton in the final.

Maple Leafs got another chance

Is it finally time for the Leaves to exorcise their demons? Can they finally get past the two teams that gave them their recent playoff pain, and can they do it in back-to-back series? Toronto will face the Lightning again in the first round after being eliminated from the playoffs in seven games against Tampa Bay last year. If they manage to win, the Leafs will likely play Boston, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Nowhere is there more pressure to win in the first round. Success – even partial – could mean the Leafs retain their core staff both on and off the ice. Failure, especially in the first round, will likely mean new management, possibly a new coach, and possibly also the possible departure of Toronto’s biggest star, Auston Matthews, who will have his first opportunity to re-sign with the team on July 1. But without a playoff success in Toronto, would he want to?

By most measures, the Leafs don’t make it to the postseason. If they can be disciplined by issuing more penalties than they commit, they can make their second-highest-rated game in the majority work. They also hope not to go into overtime, where they lose too often. However, Ryan O’Reilly’s return from injury could help them find the necessary playoff tenacity that has been lacking in previous years, as have other last-season rookies like Luke Schenn and Jake McCabe. A safe bet that the Leafs will bow out early. But in Leafs Nation, hope is born forever.

The revival of the subway series.

It’s been just over a decade since the Rangers and Devils met in the postseason in 2012, when they were battling for Eastern Conference dominance. The Devils made the announcement only to lose the Cup Final to the then mighty Los Angeles Kings. The Devils had a prolific year, scoring 289 goals for the year, enough for fourth place in the league. And while the Devils couldn’t keep up with the Bruins in total wins, they showed they could beat just about anyone, scoring 52 for the year, putting Carolina in second place overall. But New Jersey has its flaws, including most. What could hurt them the most, however, is that they are largely untested in the postseason. On the other hand, the Rangers went far ahead last season, learning how to win the hard way, taking Pittsburgh and the Carolinas to seven games before finally losing to Tampa Bay in six. And while the Devils will rely on playoff rookie Vitek Vanechek, the Rangers are counting on Igor Shesterkin backed by Jaroslav Halak, both with extensive postseason experience.

However, the East is difficult to predict. The spring trading deadline set off a conference-wide arms race. While the Rangers picked up Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Devils retaliated by grabbing Timo Meyer. But the general frenzy also means that other teams have gotten stronger too. If the Rangers or Devils take the lead, they will likely face the formidable Carolina Hurricanes, whose relatively early exit last year leaves them with something to prove.

Seattle inside, Pittsburgh outside

It’s been 16 years since the Pittsburgh Penguins last missed the playoffs (rookie season Sidney Crosby), the 10th longest consecutive playoff run in NHL history (Bruins made the playoffs 29 consecutive years from 1967-68 to 1995-96). It was a good streak, including three Stanley Cup victories in four final games. By Friday, the pens had cleaned house in the executive’s office, firing president of hockey operations Brian Burke, general manager Ron Hextall and his assistant Chris Pryor. The coaching staff is still in place – for now. Also present are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Letang, the trio behind Pittsburgh’s so much success. With a few key changes, the Penguins could return next year.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Kraken only earned a playoff berth in their second NHL season – a huge turnaround from their first campaign in which they finished second in the West. The consistency in the net helped when Martin Jones arrived from Philadelphia to play 48 games, splitting the season with Philip Grubauer. The duo still conceded many goals (256), but thankfully the Kraken were able to score more (289), including 24 goals from forward Matty Beniers, who shone in his first full season in the NHL, and 40 from Jared McCann. which was a breakthrough. of the year for the eight-year NHL veteran. There are still questions about the Kraken’s ability to move forward – as well as their penalties and powerplay – but no one questions whether hockey has found a successful home in Seattle.

predictions

East

The Bruins are, by all accounts, the safest bet to move forward—at least past the Islanders and possibly past Tampa or Toronto. The Rangers and Hurricanes are likely to meet in the division finals, and New York, with its regular-season series advantage combined with playoff experience, could win the showdown (as they did when they met). last postseason). But none of them, when put to the test, can hardly compare to Boston.

West

It looks like there’s going to be a feud between the Avalanche and the Stars, and Dallas is likely to have a tougher road ahead against the Minnesota. Meanwhile, while Los Angeles beat Edmonton last year, the Oilers look stronger this time around (especially in net). Look for them to face the Golden Knights on their way to the Western Finals against Dallas, which the Oilers could win, though it could take a full seven games.

The final

The Oilers and Bruins have not met in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1990. The hockey gods can’t draw many parallels between this year and that year. Instead, we could turn to more recent history. From Feb. 1 until the end of the season, Boston has only lost five games — and only one team that is currently in the postseason. That team is the Oilers.

Let’s say Edmonton beats Boston in seven. Why not?