Outsider Sports NHL Playoff Preview: Round 1
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally upon us, bringing the most exciting time of year for hockey fans. With the first round kicking things off on Monday, we will preview each of the upcoming series and give our picks.
Image credit to NHL.com
ATL 1 Boston Bruins vs WC2 Florida Panthers
This could be one of the most interesting matchups of the first round. With the Bruins being as good as they are, whoever they played would make for a “David vs Goliath” situation. Boston made history, becoming the first team ever to reach the 65-win mark this year and they don’t show any weaknesses. But the Panthers needed to be one of the hottest teams in the league to get in. After a slow start, they found a way to recover and claw their way into the postseason.
For the Bruins, this team is stacked up and down the ice. With stars like David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy and many more to go with the best goaltending tandem. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have pretty much been unstoppable all season long, so it's safe to assume the Bruins aren’t going to be an easy out.
Florida has a very talented group of stars as well, such as Alexander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad and others playing in front of Sergei Bobrovsky and surging Alex Lyon. This group had to play for their lives to make it into the playoffs and despite not having much success the past couple years in the playoffs, the Panthers still have some experience.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Boston in 5
Tom Leone: Boston in 5
Mikey D: Boston in 5
Arianna Fariss: Boston in 5
PFC 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs WC2 Winnipeg Jets
The Golden Knights were able to hang onto the top seed in the West, and a big part of that has been the leadership of their first-year head coach Bruce Cassidy. Vegas has dealt with injuries and losses, and despite all of that, Cassidy has kept this team going at full speed.
As for the Jets, they feel like a team that is a true wild card team. It isn’t surprising that they made it in, but it wouldn’t have turned many heads to see the Calgary Flames in the last spot over them.
Still, this should be a good matchup between these two teams. While the West has some good teams, they don’t have a true juggernaut like Boston in the East. Vegas is the better team, but we’ve seen goaltending make the difference in the playoffs and Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie the conference has right now.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Vegas in 7
Tom Leone: Vegas in 5
Mikey D: Vegas in 5
Arianna Fariss: Vegas in 6
MET 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs WC1 New York Islanders
These are two teams that have more in common than both would like to admit. They play a tight, tough style of hockey that translates well to the playoffs. The Hurricanes certainly came into the season with more offensive firepower, but injuries to two of the Hurricanes’ top scorers in Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov coupled with the Islanders' addition of Bo Horvat helped close the gap dramatically.
The Hurricanes still have Sebastian Aho, but the depth certainly isn’t what we are used to seeing in a top seed. Stefan Noesen is on the second line, and a guy like Jordan Martinook is being asked to provide more offense than he is accustomed to.
For the Islanders, things seem to be falling into place at the right time. Their run in 2021 started with them coming out of the wild card, and they don’t have to play Boston, not yet at least. Mathew Barzal practiced with the team for a second straight day Saturday, so they have more offense coming onto the scene.
The biggest advantage for the Islanders though is in between the pipes. Ilya Sorokin drew high praise all season for his play and arguably the Islanders don’t come close to the playoffs without him. He’ll be better than any of Carolina’s options.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: New York in 6
Tom Leone: New York in 7
Mikey D: New York in 7
Arianna Fariss: Carolina in 7
CTL 1 Colorado Avalanche vs WC1 Seattle Kraken
Seattle has had a great bounce-back season after a disappointing first year, but they will have a tough test in the opening round against the defending champs.
Colorado has been riddled with injuries this year and will be without captain Gabriel Landeskog. Still, the Avs fought their way to the top of the division behind Nathan Mackinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. Goaltending is Colorado’s biggest weakness, a problem that can make any playoff run short.
The Kraken aren’t quite the band of misfits like the Golden Knights were, but they had a historic turnaround. Matthew Benniers has grown into a really nice player on the top line with Jordan Eberle, and Yanni Gourde returns to the playoffs where he made a huge impact with the Lightning.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Colorado in 6
Tom Leone: Colorado in 5
Mikey D: Colorado in 7
Arianna Fariss: Colorado in 6
ATL 2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs ATL 3 Tampa Bay Lightning
This is really a matchup for the ages. On one end, you have the reigning three-time conference champions who’s dynasty appears to be ending in Tampa Bay, and on the other you have one of the most talented teams in the league trying to fight demons that have held the city down since 2004 in Toronto.
To start, the Lightning are really good. A less than stellar regular season has people questioning them, but it’s important to note they haven’t always been the best regular season team over the course of these three runs. Still, questioning this Lighting team is justified. They have slowly lost players from these championship teams and no longer have the same depth. But at the end of the day, Andrei Vasilevsky is still the best goalie in the world and gives this team a chance to make a deep run.
To simply put it for the Maple Leafs, they are the better team this year. They’ve always had talent, but this year they are clearly more talented than the Lightning. Players like Auston Matthews, Jonathan Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner lead the way for this star-studded team, but like i said earlier, the biggest story for the Maple Leafs is the ghosts of their past and whether or not they can escape the first round.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Toronto in 6
Tom Leone: Toronto in 7
Mikey D: Toronto in 7
Arianna Fariss: Toronto in 7
PFC 2 Edmonton Oilers vs PFC 3 Los Angeles Kings
Connor McDavid. That's all there is to say heading into this series. While it isn’t the phenom’s first trip to the playoffs, it’s the first time he has come into the tournament as hands-down the best player in the world. While his opponent, the Kings were making their own bid for the top spot in the west before being jumped by the Oilers.
Edmonton has been red-hot to finish the year, and a big part of it has been McDavid willing his team to victory. After finishing the season with an astonishing 64 goals and 89 assists, McDavid is a shoe-in for the Hart Trophy and if his play continues into the playoffs, he very well could be a Stanley Cup champion as well.
The Kings have been a good team all year, and that's thanks to a perfect combination of youth and veteran leadership. Anze Kopitar continues to not only lead off the ice, but produce at a high level. With young guys like Quinton Byfield on the rise, the future is bright. Even though a Stanley Cup may not happen this year, the experience will be crucial for these young players.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Edmonton in 5
Tom Leone: Edmonton in 6
Mikey D: Los Angeles in 6
Arianna Fariss: Edmonton in 5
MET 2 New Jersey Devils vs MET 3 New York Rangers
Quite possibly the most exciting matchup in the first round, at least for us here at Outsider Sports, the Hudson River Rivalry returns to the playoffs. With all three teams in the New York City area making the playoffs, the buzz surrounding the sport in the city is better than ever.
The most important thing to do heading into this matchup is throw the regular season records away. The Devils won three of four games against the Rangers, but three of those games came without Patrick Kane, Vladimir Taresenko and Timo Meier. Plus, as we’ve noted earlier, the playoffs are a different breed.
The most impressive part of the Devils’ game this season has been their speed and ability to move in transition. They have dominated games and offensive possession thanks to this, but heading into the playoffs, it won’t be as effortless. Guys like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier will have to be ready to take a hit every time they touch the puck. They have adjusted to the physicality this season but it ramps up more in the playoffs and the hits will come more often.
As for the Rangers, they will need to have an answer for the Devils’ speed. K’Andre Miller’s long reach definitely proved to be effective in the final meeting of the regular season and Jacob Trouba can throw the body around better than anyone. On top of that, the Rangers may not have the speed to match, but they have four lines that can play with the four lines the Devils have. These are two of the few teams in the NHL that have the depth to roll all four lines consistently.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Devils in 5
Tom Leone: Devils in 6
Mikey D: New York in 7
Arianna Fariss: Devils in 7
CTL 2 Dallas Stars vs CTL 3 Minnesota Wild
I’m sure both of these teams are disappointed to have not won the division, but at the same time, it seems like a win for both of these teams to not have to play the Avalanche in the first round.
Believe it or not, Dallas has the most complete team of the three in the central. They have the offense, defense and goaltending with the likes of Jason Robertson, Max Domi, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger in net. Add the fact that Peter Deboer has had his best season’s with team’s in his first season under the helm.
Minnesota has also quietly had a strong season and with Kirill Kaprizov back, they are definitely a force. After scoring seven goals in six games last year in the playoffs, he’ll certainly play a factor again. Add in the emerging star in Matt Boldy and the Wild are right there. The rest of the team fills in well enough to produce points when they need to, but everything will hinge on what version of Marc-Andre Fleury shows up.
Our Picks
Ben Mandell: Dallas in 6
Tom Leone: Minnesota in 7
Mikey D: Dallas in 6
Arianna Fariss: Dallas in 7