Are the Bruins unstoppable?
On 11 April, the Bruins notched their 64th win of the season and pushed their regular season point total to 133, the highest since the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens earned 132.
Taking nothing away from this impressive feat, regular-season success does not necessarily carry over into the playoffs. In 2019 the Tampa Bay Lightning, backed by Vezina trophy-bound Andrei Vasilevskiy, won 62 regular-season games and finished the year with 128 points, losing only 16 games the entire year – a record nearly as dominant as Boston’s. Expectations were high – and dashed immediately. The Columbus Blue Jackets (47-31-4, 98 points) swept the Lightning in the first round, largely due to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who saved 109 of 117 shots, posting a .932 save percentage over the four games.
Will Boston meet a similar fate? The Bruins bring more depth, more scoring, and more experience into their first round than their opponents, the Florida Panthers. Even in goal, it’s tough to bet against the Linus Ullmark-Jeremy Swayman combo, ranked 1st and 4th respectively in the league for save percentage. Having finished the season with a 7-2-1 record in goal for the Panthers, Alex Lyon might get the start in the postseason. But he’s technically Florida’s backup. Instead, the Panthers might look their first-string in the hopes he can repeat history. That man? Sergei Bobrovsky.
Any outcome short of Boston lifting the Cup – let alone a first-round exit – feels improbable, but as Bobrovsky knows, the playoffs are full of surprises.
Edmonton are for real
Not much more needs to be said about Connor McDavid that hasn’t already been written this season, one of the most impressive by an NHL player in recent memory. But from McDavid down, the Oilers pose a real threat in the West, even to the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche (who will be without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the postseason). For one, the Oilers know how to score – a lot. Edmonton ranked first overall for goals in the regular season, netting 325 (a third of which came from McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). But as much as Edmonton relies on the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl (along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman) to keep the goals coming, they also haven’t been easy to beat, especially lately with Stuart Skinner in net. Skinner lost only one game in regulation since the beginning of March, when he gave up 6 against Toronto on 11 March.
Another thing Edmonton has going for it: seeding. The Oilers can see a path to the Western Final – first past the LA Kings, then past either Vegas or Winnipeg, all of which they should, in theory, be capable of beating. Elsewhere in the bracket, things aren’t necessarily as clear (see below). This will give Oilers fans hope, and for good reason. Don’t be surprised to see Edmonton in the final.
The Maple Leafs get yet another chance
Is it finally time for the Leafs to exorcise their demons? Can they finally advance past the two teams who’ve given them the most recent playoff pain – and can they do so in back-to-back series? Toronto will once again face the Lightning in the first round, having dropped out of the postseason in seven games against Tampa Bay last year. If they manage a win, the Leafs would then likely face Boston, the team that booted them from the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Nowhere is the pressure for a first-round win greater. Success – even partial – could mean that the Leafs retain both their core on- and off-ice personnel. Failure, especially in the first round, will likely mean new management, perhaps a new coach, and possibly also the eventual departure of Toronto’s biggest star, Auston Matthews, who on 1 July will have his first opportunity to re-sign with the team. But without any playoff success in Toronto, would he want to?
The Leafs are not cruising into the postseason by most metrics. If they can be disciplined, drawing more penalties then they commit, they can put their second-ranked power play to work. They’ll also hope to not go into overtime, where they too frequently lose. However, the return of Ryan O’Reilly from injury may help them find some necessary playoff grit that has been missing in previous years, as could other latter-season additions like Luke Shenn and Jake McCabe. The safe bet is for the Leafs to bow out early. But in Leafs Nation, hope springs eternal.
A revived subway series
It’s been just over a decade since the Rangers and Devils met in the postseason – in 2012 when they fought for Eastern Conference supremacy. The Devils claimed it, only to lose the Cup final to the then-mighty LA Kings. The Devils have had a high-scoring year, racking up 289 goals on the year – good enough for fourth overall in the league. And while the Devils couldn’t keep pace with the Bruins on overall wins, they did show they could beat just about anyone, tallying 52 on the year – tying Carolina with the second-most overall. But there are weaknesses on the New Jersey side, including on the power play. What might hurt them most, however, is that they’re largely untested in the postseason. The Rangers, on the other hand, went deep last season, learning how to win the hard way, taking both Pittsburgh and Carolina to seven games before finally succumbing to Tampa Bay in six. And while the Devils will lean on playoff newbie Vitek Vanecek, the Rangers will look to Igor Shesterkin, backed by Jaroslav Halak, both with plenty of postseason experience.
Still, the East is difficult to predict. The spring trade deadline sparked a conference-wide arms race. While the Rangers picked up Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Devils countered by grabbing Timo Meier. But the general frenzy also means that other teams became stronger, too. Should either the Rangers or Devils advance, they’re likely to face the fearsome Carolina Hurricanes whose relatively early exit last year leaves them with something to prove.
Seattle in, Pittsburgh out
It’s been 16 years since the Pittsburgh Penguins last missed the playoffs (Sidney Crosby’s rookie season), the 10th-longest stretch of consecutive playoff appearances in NHL history (the Bruins made the postseason 29 years running between 1967-68 and 1995-96). It was a good run, and included three Stanley Cup victories in four finals appearances. Already by Friday the Pens had cleaned house in the executive suite, 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 still around are Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, and Kris Letang, the trio at the core of so much of Pittsburgh success. With a few key changes, the Penguins could be back again next year.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Kraken have earned a playoff berth in only their second NHL season – a huge turnaround from their inaugural campaign, in which they finished second-last in the West. Stability in goal helped, as Martin Jones arrived from Philadelphia to shoulder 48 games, splitting the season with Philip Grubauer. The duo still allowed a lot of goals (256), but luckily the Kraken were able to generate more (289), including 24 from forward Matty Beniers who shone in his first full NHL season, and 40 from Jared McCann in what was a breakout year for the eight-year NHL veteran. There are questions still about the Kraken’s ability to advance – as there are around their penalty kill and power play – but no one is wondering whether hockey has found a successful home in Seattle.
Predictions
The East
The Bruins are by every measure the safest bet to advance – at least past the Islanders and probably past either Tampa or Toronto. The Rangers and the Hurricanes will probably meet in the division final, and New York – holding an advantage in the regular season series, combined with playoff experience – could win out in that tilt (as they did when the two met last postseason). But neither, if put to the test, are likely to match Boston.
The West
A grudge match between the Avalanche and the Stars looks likely, with Colorado probably having the harder path against Minnesota. Meanwhile, while LA gave Edmonton a run last year, the Oilers look stronger (especially in goal) this time around. Look for them to meet the Golden Knights on the way to the Western final against Dallas, which the Oilers could win – though it might take a full seven games.
The final
The Oilers and the Bruins haven’t met in a Stanley Cup final since 1990. There aren’t many parallels for the hockey gods to draw from between this year and that one. Instead, we could look to more recent history. From 1 Febuary to the end of the season, Boston only lost five games – and only one to a team currently in the postseason. That team: the Oilers.
Let’s say Edmonton takes it against Boston in seven. Why not?
