NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2016
View Poll Results: Who will win the Stanley Cup?
04-11-2016
, 03:22 PM
A time that is very near and dear to Red Wings fans all over the World. It's time for the regular season* to begin!
There is nothing quite as intense as playoff hockey and IMO is the greatest sporting event to witness, particularly when games go into sudden death OT.
On the last day of the season, the Detroit Red Wings clinched a playoff spot for a 25th consecutive season by losing to the New York Rangers 3-2.
Wait.... WTF??? How does a team clinch a spot by losing? Well you see.... A team by the name of the Boston Bruins faced a team called the Ottawa Senators @ home and needed to beat a team who sat 19th in the league but managed to embarrass themselves and I assume their entire franchise with a 6-1 loss to the Senators.
But enough about the Red Wings, let's set the mood for some playoff hockey!
Have goosebumbs yet? No, ok well then here let's meet this year's participants starting off in the Eastern conference...
Metropolitan seed #1
Washington Capitals
What's their story?: This year they absolutely crushed the league and clinched their division, conference and even the President's Trophy before many of the other teams even clinched a playoff spot. They have clearly established themselves as the team to beat. Throughout his career Ovechkin has been criticized for not getting it done when it counts and as gutless WIL Russian. Ovechkin hit some milestones this year, getting 50 goals once again and hit his 500th of his career and was the 6th fastest to do it. If you've never watched hockey before, this guy is definitely fun to watch and is one of the best goal scorers that the league has ever seen. However, he has his share of critics...We all remember the disconnected controller gif from a previous playoff season. Even though he has been criticized, Ovechkin has put up good playoff numbers. Remember the time him and Crosby both had hat tricks in the same game? For years, people defending Ovechkin have always said that he hasn't had the support cast. This year, they definitely have a very deep squad in many areas. Guys like Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Carlson are all high quality players and they have a Vezina candidate in between the pipes with Braden Holtby. There are no excuses this year for this team.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 7/2
vs.
#2 Wild Card seed
Philadelphia Flyers
What's their story?: Thanks to some late season collapses from some of the other teams in the East and a really good run by themselves after the All-Star game, the Flyers managed to qualify for the playoffs this year and will be one of only 2 teams that qualified with a negative goal differential. They have a monumental task ahead of them if they want to have any kind of success. The Flyers might want to consider staying out of the penalty box as the Capitals have a lethal power play and they don't kill penalties well. However, if they stay out of the box, they do possess the second best 5 on 5 save percentage in the league. However, that still may not be enough as the Capitals possess the 3rd highest shooting percentage 5 on 5 in the league. They'll need to bring out their A games from their stars like Giroux & Voracek. Mason will need to be huge as well to stop the lethal offense of the Capitals. The Flyers have one of the best rookies in the league this year in defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere who is one of the highest scoring rookies this season, despite being on D.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 50/1
Season series split 2-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 PHI @WSH 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 16 PHI @WSH 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 18 WSH@PHI 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 20 WSH@PHI 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 22 PHI @WSH Time TBD | CSN-PH
Gm 6*Apr 24 WSH@PHI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 27 PHI@WSH Time TBD
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Metropolitan seed #2
Pittsburgh Penguins
What's their story?: They made one of the biggest moves in the offseason by acquiring winger Phil Kessel. A lot of people thought that this team would be super high scoring but then it didn't happen. A lot of questions started to float around... Is Crosby done? Nope, guess he was a slow starter this year. One of their other stars, Evgeni Malkin went down with injury and Crosby filled the scoring void and finished the season among the leaders in points and as a team they really got rolling and did eventually live up to some of the expecations by finishing the season 3rd in goals. On the back end, Kris Letang had a season that should get some consideration for the Norris trophy. The Penguins have got it done without one of the best offensive players in the game (Malkin) and will have to continue to do that as he is expected to be out approximately another 2 months. If the Penguins can get through the first round then look out... They could be very lethal if they get Malkin back and would be a serious contender with him in the lineup.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/2
vs.
Metropolitan seed #3
New York Rangers
What's their story?: A team that many probably considered a contender before the season started. They've had good success in the past few years and there wasn't much to suggest that this season wouldn't be the same. This team still has one of the best goaltenders in the league with Henrik Lundquist and we all know that if you get good goaltending, that can take you a long way in the NHL playoffs. The Rangers have the best save percentage in the league 5 on 5 so obviously staying out of the penalty box should be important to their success. The Rangers have a pretty deep team and will need to rely on that depth as they appear to have a couple of fairly important players with injuries. Both Eric Staal and Ryan McDonagh are heading into the playoffs injured. Up front the team is led by a couple of Derek's (spelled differently) and will also like to see Rick Nash perform like one of the league's best scorers which he is capable of doing. Should be a fun first round series to watch these two teams go at it.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/1
Penguins won season series: 3-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 NYR @PIT 8:00 PM ET MSG, ROOT, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 2 Apr 16 NYR @PIT 3:00 PM ET NBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 19 PIT @NYR7:00 PM ET | ROOT, MSG, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 21 PIT @NYR Time TBD | ROOT, MSG
Gm 5*Apr 23 NYR@PIT Time TBD
Gm 6*Apr 25 PIT @NYR Time TBD | ROOT, MSG
Gm 7*Apr 27 NYR@PIT Time TBD | MSG, ROOT
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Atlantic seed #1
Florida Panthers
What's their story?: A couple of really old men and some kids. This team went on a 12 game winning streak to take the lead in the Atlantic and haven't looked back since. The team is lead by 90 year old Jaromir Jagr and his sensational mullet that gives him apparent scoring prowess. It's amazing that after 20+ years in the league that a guy like Jagr can still be productive. Jagr is the story line here but there is a lot more to this Panthers team. Roberto Luongo, another super old guy in the eyes of NHLers (35+) is once again one of the best goalies in the league and has really been the backbone of this team. After the 100+ years of experience that Jagr & Luongo give the Panthers, this team is led by a bunch of kids. One of the best D men probably ever under the age of 20, Aaron Ekblad is in his second NHL season and is already showing to be an elite player. Up front they have the likes of Barkov, Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Trocheck, etc. who are all under the age of 22. The Panthers also made a few deals at the deadline so it looks like they are trying to make a serious playoff push, most notably 5'5 Jiri Hudler who should give the Panthers some secondary scoring.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 20/1
vs.
Wild card #1 seed
New York Islanders
What's their story?: A team that everyone expects to be in the playoffs but no one really knows about their status. Are they a contender? Are they a pretender? Are they lucky to be here? Who really knows the answer to these questions? I sure don't. This team is led by John Tavares and surprsingly Thomas Greiss who posted the 3rd best save percentage in the league this season. I believe that the Islanders have been underachievers this year but that with a guy like Tavares, they shouldn't be underestimated. Tavares is the type of player that a lot of people like to call a "Game changer" and can literally change the outcome of a game (funny how that works huh?). They've had some other players who haven't really lived up to expectation this season in the likes of Strome & Nelson but have shown in the past that they can contribute offensively.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 20/1
Florida won season series 2-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 NYI @ FLA 8:00 PM ET MSG+, FS-F, CNBC, TVAS, SN
Gm 2 Apr 15 NYI @ FLA 7:30 PM ET MSG+, SUN, NHLN-US, TVAS, SN360
Gm 3 Apr 17 FLA @ NYI 8:00 PM ET FS-F, MSG+, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 20 FLA @ NYI 8:00 PM ET SUN, MSG+, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 5*Apr 22 NYI @ FLA Time TBD MSG+
Gm 6*Apr 24 FLA @ NYI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 NYI @ FLA Time TBD MSG+
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Atlantic seed #2
Tampa Bay Lightning
What's their story?: To say that this team hasn't had any drama this season would be the stupidest thing you could say as team captain Steven Stamkos is heading for free agency and will be one of the most sought after free agents that I can remember as he is still incredibly young and 60 goal scorers aren't exactly common place. They also had the fiasco with Drouin demanding a trade and then not showing up for an AHL game. Yikes.... To top that all off, this team is dealing with an incredible amount of significant injuries, the aforementioned Stamkos is out with a blood clot. Anton Stralman (probably one of the most underrated D men in the entire league) is also out. Top D man Victor Hedman also appears to be injured. Despite all of that they are led by undoubtedly the greatest GM in hockey Steve Yzerman. Yzerman has been able to assemble a team full of young, amazing players Stamkos, Drouin, Johnson, Kucherov, Palat, Hedman are all young and very talented. At the start of the season, this was the team a lot of people (myself included) picked to win the Stanley Cup and they still have a very good team, but they are really unlucky with injuries at this current state.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 18/1
vs.
Atlantic #3 seed
Detroit Red Wings
What's their story?: Well, this is the 25th straight season that the Red Wings have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs which is the longest current streak in all N.A. major sports. This is just another indicator of how great this franchise is. Detroit is led by the ageless wonders in Henrik Zetterberg & Pavel Datsyuk. If you are a casual hockey fan you should probably take a look at some Pavel Datsyuk highlights... He can break your ankles, dazzle you with his stickhandling, knock you on your ass, and you can't make a bad pass to him. Really at the end of the day, I think he's actually a wizard. Unfortunately for the NHL, this will be Pavel Datsyuk's final season in the NHL. Detroit was graced by the arrival of one of the candidates for the Calder Trophy this year in Dylan Larkin. This guy is legit and could be the new centerpiece of the franchise after Datsyuk retires. Detroit has a bunch of guys that can straight up fly (Larkin, Helm, Anathasiou) and were lucky to make the playoffs this season but they got extremely good goaltending from Petr Mrazek at the start of the year, however, goaltending once again seems to be a pretty big question mark heading into the post-season.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 40/1
Season Series split 2-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 DET @TBL 7:00 PM ET FS-D, FS-F, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 15 DET @TBL 7:00 PM ET FS-D, FS-F, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 17 TBL @DET 7:00 PM ET SUN, FS-D, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 19 TBL @DET 7:00 PM ET FS-F, FS-D, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 21 DET @TBL Time TBD | FS-D
Gm 6*Apr 24 TBL @DET Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 DET @TBL Time TBD | FS-D
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Over in the west we will start with the Pacific champions....
Pacific #1 seed
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
What's their story?: Another season coached by Bruce Boudreau and another first place season. To me, Boudreau is one of the most underrated coaches in the NHL. He has consistently led his teams to first place finishes in the regular season but he has not seen post-season success. Earlier in the season however, people were calling for his head as the team struggled mightily to get going. Nothing was going right, the team was losing and no one could score. The two most prominent names on the Ducks roster are the duo of Ryan Getzlaf & Corey Perry and neither of them were scoring either. However, after a rough start this team got it's **** together and put together a very respectable campaign and once again found themselves atop the Pacific division. Many people may be surprised that the Anaheim Ducks are the best defensive team in the league this season and also have the best special teams as well. Anaheim has some very high quality youth on the back end and have a solid top 4. Lindholm, Manson, Fowler, Bieksa are all guys that are good defensively and they also have a very good #5 with Sami Vatanen who can contribute offensively as well.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Wild card seed #1
Nashville Predators
What's their story?: Normally when people think of this team, they think one of two things... 1: Defense or 2: Country music. Starting off with the first thought, this team has always had a reputation of being good defensively with guys like Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis & prominent rookie Seth Jones. However, the Preds made a big deal at the deadline shipping off Seth Jones to Columbus in exchange for center Ryan Johansen. Johansen is a key component to the offense of the Nashville Predators but will also be helped out by guys like Filip Forsberg who draws curses from Capitals fans every time they hear his name. Mike Fisher, James Neal and Mike Ribeiro round out a fairly balanced attack from the Predators. Despite building a reputation on D first hockey, the better defensive team in this matchup is definitely not the Predators and they will have to find a way to score some goals. If you enjoy country music, you will likely see musicians such as Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill frequent the games if you give a **** about that sort of thing.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 25/1
Predators won season series 2-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 15 NSH @ANA 10:30 PM ET FS-TN, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 17 NSH @ANA 10:30 PM ET FS-TN, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 3 Apr 19 ANA @NSH 9:30 PM ET FS-TN, USA, SN360, TVAS2
Gm 4 Apr 21 ANA @NSH 8:00 PM ET FS-TN, FX-CA, TVAS3
Gm 5*Apr 23 NSH@ANA Time TBD
Gm 6*Apr 25 ANA@NSH Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 27 NSH@ANA Time TBD
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Pacific seed #2
LA Kings
What's their story?: If history tells us anything is that it's this team's year to win the Stanley Cup as them and Chicago have alternated Stanley Cup victories this decade. If you follow advanced analytics at all, this team is always right there near the top of the list as one of the best teams. They are led by Drew Doughty who is one of the favorites to win the Norris trophy this season as well as by Anze Kopitar who is one of the best all round players in the game. This team also has a lot of depth at all positions and acquired former superstar Vinny Lecavalier at the deadline who seems to be filling a role quite nicely for them. Before the season, they also picked up piece of **** Milan Lucic who is like I said a piece of **** but also a pretty decent hockey player. They have a fantastic defensive team, not only from the blue line with guys like Muzzin and Doughty but their forwards are very responsible defensively as well which allowed them the third fewest GA this season. They also have probably the most athletic goalie in the league in Jonathon Quick.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Pacific seed #3
San Jose Sharks
What's their story?: I think by now this team has let all their fans down as they've had massive expectations for years and have only disappointed their fans year after year after year. They had one of the most epic playoff collapses in any sport and they have the pleasure of playing that team again to open up the playoffs this season. SE was once filled with prideful Sharks fans but is now void of any of them as they have presumably died drowning their sorrows in alcohol year after year. It also might be that a lot of bay area teams in other sports are seeing a lot of success so they are in denial about their hockey team. Nevertheless, this team still has the same core that lets them down year after year. Joe Thornton had another very good regular season and will no doubt let them down again in the playoffs. Other players like Marleau, Couture are still there up front and they are led by a very good D corps as well with guys like Burns & Vlasic. However, this team is nothing more than a bunch of chokers and even there logo has an animal choking on a hockey stick. Will this finally be the year?
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/1
Sharks won season series 3-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 SJS @LAK 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 16 SJS @LAK 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 18 LAK @SJS 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 20 LAK @SJS 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, USA, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 22 SJS @LAK Time TBD | CSN-CA
Gm 6*Apr 24 LAK @SJS Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 SJS @LAK Time TBD | CSN-CA
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Central seed #1
Dallas Stars
What's their story?: This team likes to score. Everything about them is about scoring. Led by the high scoring duo of Jamie Benn & Tyler Seguin they finished first in the league in scoring with helped them get the top spot in the Western Conference. Even though they missed the playoffs last year, scoring wasn't an issue from them but keeping the puck out of the net was. This year they have improved in that area but this team is all about scoring. Even their D men like John Klingberg are all about scoring. The narrative in hockey is that defence wins championships. Will Dallas be able to shake that narrative? If so, they'll have to do it with an unhealthy Tyler Seguin who missed the last 8 games of the regular season with an achilles injury.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Wild card seed #2
Minnesota Wild
What's their story?: A team that it looked like it was destined to miss the playoffs. They fired their coach in the latter half of the season and then they ended up making a run that would eventually qualify them for the playoffs. The Wild are very balanced up front with veterans like Parise, Vanek, Pominville, Koivu as well as some youth with Niederreiter & Granlund. The Wild are led on the back end by Ryan Suter who had another impressive campaign and Devan Dubnyk in goal. This team played very well under their new head coach and despite a lopsided season series to the Stars are a different team than when they played earlier on in the year.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 30/1
Dallas won season series 4-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 MIN @DAL 9:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN360, TVAS3
Gm 2 Apr 16 MIN @DAL 8:00 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN, TVAS2
Gm 3 Apr 18 DAL @MIN 8:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, CNBC, SN, TVAS2
Gm 4 Apr 20 DAL @MIN 9:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN360, TVAS3
Gm 5*Apr 22 MIN@DAL Time TBD | FS-N, FS-WI
Gm 6*Apr 24 DAL @MIN Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 MIN@DAL Time TBD | FS-N, FS-WI
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Central seed #2
St. Louis Blues
What's their story? Another very solid campaign from this team. Every year it seems like this team will be a contender. To me this is one of the most complete teams in the league. Up front they are lead by the very dynamic young Russian, Vladimir Tarasenko who appears to be one of the best offensive players in the game. They also manage to have one of the best D corps in the league. Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo and newly added Parayko establish one of the best D units in the entire league. Brian Elliot finished with the leagues top save percentage this year and speaks to the defensive prowess of this team. Every year it seems as though whoever is in goal posts a very good save percentage and they allow very few goals under coach Ken Hitchcock. This is a very good team with very few weaknesses.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 9/1
vs.
Central seed #3
Chicago Blackhawks
What's their story?: This team is a #3 seed? Really? Hard to imagine a team with the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, etc. to be a #3 seed but here they are. This team has an embarrassment of riches and always seems to be a threat to win the Stanley Cup every year and are of course the defending champions. Traditionally this team has relied on defense to win but this year, Patrick Kane went wild and put up over 100 points to easily win the scoring title. They also got an added boost with 24 year old rookie Artemi Panarin who helped Kane put up all those points. Another year, another season with the Blackhawks as a serious threat to win it all. Probably hands down the best management team in the business and a real example for other organizations to look at how to do things right. Is this team a dynasty in a cap era? If they win everything again the answer almost certainly has to be yes.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 13/2
St. Louis won season series 3-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 CHI @STL 9:30 PM ET CSN-CH, FS-MW, NBCSN, TVAS, SN360
Gm 2 Apr 15 CHI @STL 8:00 PM ET CSN-CH, FS-MW, NBCSN, SN, TVAS2
Gm 3 Apr 17 STL @CHI 3:00 PM ET NBC, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 19 STL @CHI 9:30 PM ET FS-MW, CSN-CH, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 5*Apr 21 CHI @STL Time TBD | CSN-CH
Gm 6*Apr 23 STL @CHI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 25 CHI @STL Time TBD | CSN-CH
There is nothing quite as intense as playoff hockey and IMO is the greatest sporting event to witness, particularly when games go into sudden death OT.
On the last day of the season, the Detroit Red Wings clinched a playoff spot for a 25th consecutive season by losing to the New York Rangers 3-2.
Wait.... WTF??? How does a team clinch a spot by losing? Well you see.... A team by the name of the Boston Bruins faced a team called the Ottawa Senators @ home and needed to beat a team who sat 19th in the league but managed to embarrass themselves and I assume their entire franchise with a 6-1 loss to the Senators.
But enough about the Red Wings, let's set the mood for some playoff hockey!
Have goosebumbs yet? No, ok well then here let's meet this year's participants starting off in the Eastern conference...
Metropolitan seed #1
Washington Capitals
What's their story?: This year they absolutely crushed the league and clinched their division, conference and even the President's Trophy before many of the other teams even clinched a playoff spot. They have clearly established themselves as the team to beat. Throughout his career Ovechkin has been criticized for not getting it done when it counts and as gutless WIL Russian. Ovechkin hit some milestones this year, getting 50 goals once again and hit his 500th of his career and was the 6th fastest to do it. If you've never watched hockey before, this guy is definitely fun to watch and is one of the best goal scorers that the league has ever seen. However, he has his share of critics...We all remember the disconnected controller gif from a previous playoff season. Even though he has been criticized, Ovechkin has put up good playoff numbers. Remember the time him and Crosby both had hat tricks in the same game? For years, people defending Ovechkin have always said that he hasn't had the support cast. This year, they definitely have a very deep squad in many areas. Guys like Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Carlson are all high quality players and they have a Vezina candidate in between the pipes with Braden Holtby. There are no excuses this year for this team.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 7/2
vs.
#2 Wild Card seed
Philadelphia Flyers
What's their story?: Thanks to some late season collapses from some of the other teams in the East and a really good run by themselves after the All-Star game, the Flyers managed to qualify for the playoffs this year and will be one of only 2 teams that qualified with a negative goal differential. They have a monumental task ahead of them if they want to have any kind of success. The Flyers might want to consider staying out of the penalty box as the Capitals have a lethal power play and they don't kill penalties well. However, if they stay out of the box, they do possess the second best 5 on 5 save percentage in the league. However, that still may not be enough as the Capitals possess the 3rd highest shooting percentage 5 on 5 in the league. They'll need to bring out their A games from their stars like Giroux & Voracek. Mason will need to be huge as well to stop the lethal offense of the Capitals. The Flyers have one of the best rookies in the league this year in defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere who is one of the highest scoring rookies this season, despite being on D.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 50/1
Season series split 2-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 PHI @WSH 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 16 PHI @WSH 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 18 WSH@PHI 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 20 WSH@PHI 7:00 PM ET CSN-PH, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 22 PHI @WSH Time TBD | CSN-PH
Gm 6*Apr 24 WSH@PHI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 27 PHI@WSH Time TBD
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Metropolitan seed #2
Pittsburgh Penguins
What's their story?: They made one of the biggest moves in the offseason by acquiring winger Phil Kessel. A lot of people thought that this team would be super high scoring but then it didn't happen. A lot of questions started to float around... Is Crosby done? Nope, guess he was a slow starter this year. One of their other stars, Evgeni Malkin went down with injury and Crosby filled the scoring void and finished the season among the leaders in points and as a team they really got rolling and did eventually live up to some of the expecations by finishing the season 3rd in goals. On the back end, Kris Letang had a season that should get some consideration for the Norris trophy. The Penguins have got it done without one of the best offensive players in the game (Malkin) and will have to continue to do that as he is expected to be out approximately another 2 months. If the Penguins can get through the first round then look out... They could be very lethal if they get Malkin back and would be a serious contender with him in the lineup.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/2
vs.
Metropolitan seed #3
New York Rangers
What's their story?: A team that many probably considered a contender before the season started. They've had good success in the past few years and there wasn't much to suggest that this season wouldn't be the same. This team still has one of the best goaltenders in the league with Henrik Lundquist and we all know that if you get good goaltending, that can take you a long way in the NHL playoffs. The Rangers have the best save percentage in the league 5 on 5 so obviously staying out of the penalty box should be important to their success. The Rangers have a pretty deep team and will need to rely on that depth as they appear to have a couple of fairly important players with injuries. Both Eric Staal and Ryan McDonagh are heading into the playoffs injured. Up front the team is led by a couple of Derek's (spelled differently) and will also like to see Rick Nash perform like one of the league's best scorers which he is capable of doing. Should be a fun first round series to watch these two teams go at it.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/1
Penguins won season series: 3-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 NYR @PIT 8:00 PM ET MSG, ROOT, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 2 Apr 16 NYR @PIT 3:00 PM ET NBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 19 PIT @NYR7:00 PM ET | ROOT, MSG, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 21 PIT @NYR Time TBD | ROOT, MSG
Gm 5*Apr 23 NYR@PIT Time TBD
Gm 6*Apr 25 PIT @NYR Time TBD | ROOT, MSG
Gm 7*Apr 27 NYR@PIT Time TBD | MSG, ROOT
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Atlantic seed #1
Florida Panthers
What's their story?: A couple of really old men and some kids. This team went on a 12 game winning streak to take the lead in the Atlantic and haven't looked back since. The team is lead by 90 year old Jaromir Jagr and his sensational mullet that gives him apparent scoring prowess. It's amazing that after 20+ years in the league that a guy like Jagr can still be productive. Jagr is the story line here but there is a lot more to this Panthers team. Roberto Luongo, another super old guy in the eyes of NHLers (35+) is once again one of the best goalies in the league and has really been the backbone of this team. After the 100+ years of experience that Jagr & Luongo give the Panthers, this team is led by a bunch of kids. One of the best D men probably ever under the age of 20, Aaron Ekblad is in his second NHL season and is already showing to be an elite player. Up front they have the likes of Barkov, Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Trocheck, etc. who are all under the age of 22. The Panthers also made a few deals at the deadline so it looks like they are trying to make a serious playoff push, most notably 5'5 Jiri Hudler who should give the Panthers some secondary scoring.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 20/1
vs.
Wild card #1 seed
New York Islanders
What's their story?: A team that everyone expects to be in the playoffs but no one really knows about their status. Are they a contender? Are they a pretender? Are they lucky to be here? Who really knows the answer to these questions? I sure don't. This team is led by John Tavares and surprsingly Thomas Greiss who posted the 3rd best save percentage in the league this season. I believe that the Islanders have been underachievers this year but that with a guy like Tavares, they shouldn't be underestimated. Tavares is the type of player that a lot of people like to call a "Game changer" and can literally change the outcome of a game (funny how that works huh?). They've had some other players who haven't really lived up to expectation this season in the likes of Strome & Nelson but have shown in the past that they can contribute offensively.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 20/1
Florida won season series 2-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 NYI @ FLA 8:00 PM ET MSG+, FS-F, CNBC, TVAS, SN
Gm 2 Apr 15 NYI @ FLA 7:30 PM ET MSG+, SUN, NHLN-US, TVAS, SN360
Gm 3 Apr 17 FLA @ NYI 8:00 PM ET FS-F, MSG+, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 20 FLA @ NYI 8:00 PM ET SUN, MSG+, USA, TVAS, SN
Gm 5*Apr 22 NYI @ FLA Time TBD MSG+
Gm 6*Apr 24 FLA @ NYI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 NYI @ FLA Time TBD MSG+
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Atlantic seed #2
Tampa Bay Lightning
What's their story?: To say that this team hasn't had any drama this season would be the stupidest thing you could say as team captain Steven Stamkos is heading for free agency and will be one of the most sought after free agents that I can remember as he is still incredibly young and 60 goal scorers aren't exactly common place. They also had the fiasco with Drouin demanding a trade and then not showing up for an AHL game. Yikes.... To top that all off, this team is dealing with an incredible amount of significant injuries, the aforementioned Stamkos is out with a blood clot. Anton Stralman (probably one of the most underrated D men in the entire league) is also out. Top D man Victor Hedman also appears to be injured. Despite all of that they are led by undoubtedly the greatest GM in hockey Steve Yzerman. Yzerman has been able to assemble a team full of young, amazing players Stamkos, Drouin, Johnson, Kucherov, Palat, Hedman are all young and very talented. At the start of the season, this was the team a lot of people (myself included) picked to win the Stanley Cup and they still have a very good team, but they are really unlucky with injuries at this current state.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 18/1
vs.
Atlantic #3 seed
Detroit Red Wings
What's their story?: Well, this is the 25th straight season that the Red Wings have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs which is the longest current streak in all N.A. major sports. This is just another indicator of how great this franchise is. Detroit is led by the ageless wonders in Henrik Zetterberg & Pavel Datsyuk. If you are a casual hockey fan you should probably take a look at some Pavel Datsyuk highlights... He can break your ankles, dazzle you with his stickhandling, knock you on your ass, and you can't make a bad pass to him. Really at the end of the day, I think he's actually a wizard. Unfortunately for the NHL, this will be Pavel Datsyuk's final season in the NHL. Detroit was graced by the arrival of one of the candidates for the Calder Trophy this year in Dylan Larkin. This guy is legit and could be the new centerpiece of the franchise after Datsyuk retires. Detroit has a bunch of guys that can straight up fly (Larkin, Helm, Anathasiou) and were lucky to make the playoffs this season but they got extremely good goaltending from Petr Mrazek at the start of the year, however, goaltending once again seems to be a pretty big question mark heading into the post-season.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 40/1
Season Series split 2-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 DET @TBL 7:00 PM ET FS-D, FS-F, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 15 DET @TBL 7:00 PM ET FS-D, FS-F, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 17 TBL @DET 7:00 PM ET SUN, FS-D, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 19 TBL @DET 7:00 PM ET FS-F, FS-D, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 21 DET @TBL Time TBD | FS-D
Gm 6*Apr 24 TBL @DET Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 DET @TBL Time TBD | FS-D
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Over in the west we will start with the Pacific champions....
Pacific #1 seed
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
What's their story?: Another season coached by Bruce Boudreau and another first place season. To me, Boudreau is one of the most underrated coaches in the NHL. He has consistently led his teams to first place finishes in the regular season but he has not seen post-season success. Earlier in the season however, people were calling for his head as the team struggled mightily to get going. Nothing was going right, the team was losing and no one could score. The two most prominent names on the Ducks roster are the duo of Ryan Getzlaf & Corey Perry and neither of them were scoring either. However, after a rough start this team got it's **** together and put together a very respectable campaign and once again found themselves atop the Pacific division. Many people may be surprised that the Anaheim Ducks are the best defensive team in the league this season and also have the best special teams as well. Anaheim has some very high quality youth on the back end and have a solid top 4. Lindholm, Manson, Fowler, Bieksa are all guys that are good defensively and they also have a very good #5 with Sami Vatanen who can contribute offensively as well.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Wild card seed #1
Nashville Predators
What's their story?: Normally when people think of this team, they think one of two things... 1: Defense or 2: Country music. Starting off with the first thought, this team has always had a reputation of being good defensively with guys like Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis & prominent rookie Seth Jones. However, the Preds made a big deal at the deadline shipping off Seth Jones to Columbus in exchange for center Ryan Johansen. Johansen is a key component to the offense of the Nashville Predators but will also be helped out by guys like Filip Forsberg who draws curses from Capitals fans every time they hear his name. Mike Fisher, James Neal and Mike Ribeiro round out a fairly balanced attack from the Predators. Despite building a reputation on D first hockey, the better defensive team in this matchup is definitely not the Predators and they will have to find a way to score some goals. If you enjoy country music, you will likely see musicians such as Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill frequent the games if you give a **** about that sort of thing.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 25/1
Predators won season series 2-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 15 NSH @ANA 10:30 PM ET FS-TN, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 17 NSH @ANA 10:30 PM ET FS-TN, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 3 Apr 19 ANA @NSH 9:30 PM ET FS-TN, USA, SN360, TVAS2
Gm 4 Apr 21 ANA @NSH 8:00 PM ET FS-TN, FX-CA, TVAS3
Gm 5*Apr 23 NSH@ANA Time TBD
Gm 6*Apr 25 ANA@NSH Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 27 NSH@ANA Time TBD
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Pacific seed #2
LA Kings
What's their story?: If history tells us anything is that it's this team's year to win the Stanley Cup as them and Chicago have alternated Stanley Cup victories this decade. If you follow advanced analytics at all, this team is always right there near the top of the list as one of the best teams. They are led by Drew Doughty who is one of the favorites to win the Norris trophy this season as well as by Anze Kopitar who is one of the best all round players in the game. This team also has a lot of depth at all positions and acquired former superstar Vinny Lecavalier at the deadline who seems to be filling a role quite nicely for them. Before the season, they also picked up piece of **** Milan Lucic who is like I said a piece of **** but also a pretty decent hockey player. They have a fantastic defensive team, not only from the blue line with guys like Muzzin and Doughty but their forwards are very responsible defensively as well which allowed them the third fewest GA this season. They also have probably the most athletic goalie in the league in Jonathon Quick.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Pacific seed #3
San Jose Sharks
What's their story?: I think by now this team has let all their fans down as they've had massive expectations for years and have only disappointed their fans year after year after year. They had one of the most epic playoff collapses in any sport and they have the pleasure of playing that team again to open up the playoffs this season. SE was once filled with prideful Sharks fans but is now void of any of them as they have presumably died drowning their sorrows in alcohol year after year. It also might be that a lot of bay area teams in other sports are seeing a lot of success so they are in denial about their hockey team. Nevertheless, this team still has the same core that lets them down year after year. Joe Thornton had another very good regular season and will no doubt let them down again in the playoffs. Other players like Marleau, Couture are still there up front and they are led by a very good D corps as well with guys like Burns & Vlasic. However, this team is nothing more than a bunch of chokers and even there logo has an animal choking on a hockey stick. Will this finally be the year?
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 15/1
Sharks won season series 3-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 SJS @LAK 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Gm 2 Apr 16 SJS @LAK 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 3 Apr 18 LAK @SJS 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
Gm 4 Apr 20 LAK @SJS 10:30 PM ET CSN-CA, USA, CBC, TVAS
Gm 5*Apr 22 SJS @LAK Time TBD | CSN-CA
Gm 6*Apr 24 LAK @SJS Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 SJS @LAK Time TBD | CSN-CA
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Central seed #1
Dallas Stars
What's their story?: This team likes to score. Everything about them is about scoring. Led by the high scoring duo of Jamie Benn & Tyler Seguin they finished first in the league in scoring with helped them get the top spot in the Western Conference. Even though they missed the playoffs last year, scoring wasn't an issue from them but keeping the puck out of the net was. This year they have improved in that area but this team is all about scoring. Even their D men like John Klingberg are all about scoring. The narrative in hockey is that defence wins championships. Will Dallas be able to shake that narrative? If so, they'll have to do it with an unhealthy Tyler Seguin who missed the last 8 games of the regular season with an achilles injury.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 8/1
vs.
Wild card seed #2
Minnesota Wild
What's their story?: A team that it looked like it was destined to miss the playoffs. They fired their coach in the latter half of the season and then they ended up making a run that would eventually qualify them for the playoffs. The Wild are very balanced up front with veterans like Parise, Vanek, Pominville, Koivu as well as some youth with Niederreiter & Granlund. The Wild are led on the back end by Ryan Suter who had another impressive campaign and Devan Dubnyk in goal. This team played very well under their new head coach and despite a lopsided season series to the Stars are a different team than when they played earlier on in the year.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 30/1
Dallas won season series 4-1
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 14 MIN @DAL 9:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN360, TVAS3
Gm 2 Apr 16 MIN @DAL 8:00 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN, TVAS2
Gm 3 Apr 18 DAL @MIN 8:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, CNBC, SN, TVAS2
Gm 4 Apr 20 DAL @MIN 9:30 PM ET FS-N, FS-WI, NBCSN, SN360, TVAS3
Gm 5*Apr 22 MIN@DAL Time TBD | FS-N, FS-WI
Gm 6*Apr 24 DAL @MIN Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 26 MIN@DAL Time TBD | FS-N, FS-WI
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Central seed #2
St. Louis Blues
What's their story? Another very solid campaign from this team. Every year it seems like this team will be a contender. To me this is one of the most complete teams in the league. Up front they are lead by the very dynamic young Russian, Vladimir Tarasenko who appears to be one of the best offensive players in the game. They also manage to have one of the best D corps in the league. Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo and newly added Parayko establish one of the best D units in the entire league. Brian Elliot finished with the leagues top save percentage this year and speaks to the defensive prowess of this team. Every year it seems as though whoever is in goal posts a very good save percentage and they allow very few goals under coach Ken Hitchcock. This is a very good team with very few weaknesses.
Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 9/1
vs.
Central seed #3
Chicago Blackhawks
What's their story?: This team is a #3 seed? Really? Hard to imagine a team with the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, etc. to be a #3 seed but here they are. This team has an embarrassment of riches and always seems to be a threat to win the Stanley Cup every year and are of course the defending champions. Traditionally this team has relied on defense to win but this year, Patrick Kane went wild and put up over 100 points to easily win the scoring title. They also got an added boost with 24 year old rookie Artemi Panarin who helped Kane put up all those points. Another year, another season with the Blackhawks as a serious threat to win it all. Probably hands down the best management team in the business and a real example for other organizations to look at how to do things right. Is this team a dynasty in a cap era? If they win everything again the answer almost certainly has to be yes.
Odds to win Stanley Cup: 13/2
St. Louis won season series 3-2
Schedule:
Gm 1 Apr 13 CHI @STL 9:30 PM ET CSN-CH, FS-MW, NBCSN, TVAS, SN360
Gm 2 Apr 15 CHI @STL 8:00 PM ET CSN-CH, FS-MW, NBCSN, SN, TVAS2
Gm 3 Apr 17 STL @CHI 3:00 PM ET NBC, TVAS, SN
Gm 4 Apr 19 STL @CHI 9:30 PM ET FS-MW, CSN-CH, NBCSN, TVAS, SN
Gm 5*Apr 21 CHI @STL Time TBD | CSN-CH
Gm 6*Apr 23 STL @CHI Time TBD
Gm 7*Apr 25 CHI @STL Time TBD | CSN-CH
04-11-2016
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tremendous OP 
04-11-2016
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04-11-2016
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