Christian Renzi
Let’s talk hockey...again.
We are just a few weeks out from the start of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs and for the first time since 2014 my Boston Bruins are not a bubble team. At this current moment they have some pretty key guys out of the lineup with injuries including Charlie McAvoy, with a sprained MCL, Patrice Bergeron, still recovering from a small fracture in his foot and Tuukka Rask with some sorta minor injury that the team was very vague about. All of these guys should be back and healthy by the start of the playoffs which will hopefully lead to a deep run.
So let’s look at the current playoff bracket if they were to start today.
Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. The Columbus Blue Jackets
Let’s start in the east. The Columbus Blue Jackets would take on the top seeded Tampa Bay Lightning. For this matchup I would most likely take Tampa Bay in four or five games. The teams have played each other in three games, all of which Tampa has won. Playoffs are a different animal than the regular season so it’s entirely possible that there could be an upset. A hot goalie can really make a difference and the Blue Jackets have a great goaltender in Sergei Bobrovsky. Having said that, Tampa has probably the best goalie in the league this year in Vasilevskiy which leads me to believe that this will be a relatively easy matchup for Tampa.
Tampa in Five
Boston Bruins Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Next series is Boston Vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. This one scares me. Toronto is up in the season series 3-1, although one of those losses was in OT. They’re young and fast and so much better than any other team the Leafs have had for the past decade. Remember the last time the Bruins played the Leafs in the postseason? This Toronto team is definitely better. Their goalie, Frederik Andersen had a rough outdoor game against the Washington Capitals over the weekend. I think the Bruins have the firepower to expose him. Auston Matthews is out with an injury currently but should be back in time for the playoffs. He’s the real deal and will be a huge difference maker in the series. Matthews scored 40 goals in his rookie season last year and currently has 28. The Bruins need to shut him down and hopefully with a healthy McAvoy and a rejuvenated Zdeno Chara they can get the job done. I’m going to be optimistic.
Bruins in Seven
Pittsburgh Penguins VS. The Philadelphia Flyers
Please please please let this become a reality. Next to Montreal and Boston the Flyers and Penguins rivalry is the best in the NHL. The two teams last met in the playoffs in 2012 and it was magical. They just have so much disdain for one another and it makes for some great entertainment. As far as who would win this series I have to go with the Penguins. The Flyers came out of nowhere this year. Early in the season they dropped 10 games in a row and it looked like their season was over even before it started. They were first place in the Metro for a small amount of time but just recently lost that spot to the Caps. I’ve said before that I think the Penguins could easily win a third cup in a row and I stand by it. I think they win this series because they have so much offensive talent between Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel. They know what it takes to win in the postseason and I don’t see the Flyers being able to take care of them.
Penguins in six.
Washington Capitals Vs. The New Jersey Devils
I want the Capitals to lose this series. The Capitals are Boston’s kryptonite. No team has owned the Bruins in the last few years like the Washington Capitals. If the Devils can take care of them it really will make me feel better about the Bruins chances going forward in the playoffs. Unfortunately I don’t think they will. Taylor Hall is good but he can’t carry this team on his back through the post season. The Capitals are legit. They’re in first place in the metro and as always Ovechkin is scoring a lot of goals. He currently has 40. They have one of the best goalies in the league in Braden Holtby. If all of my predictions come true the Capitals would find themselves playing the Penguins in the second round and we all know how that goes.
Caps in six
Western Conference
Vegas Golden Knights Vs. Dallas Stars
Alright Vegas, it’s time to see what you’re made of. Vegas is essentially made up of a bunch of guys with a chip on their shoulder who felt like they have something to prove and it’s really worked out for them. No one and I mean no one thought Vegas would be this good, let alone make the playoffs in their first season. William Karlsson, who is perhaps Vegas’s best player had a combined 18 regular season goals between 2014 and 2017. This year he has 35. It’s unbelievable. I’ve said it from the very beginning that I think that once Vegas gets into the playoffs we are finally going to see them come back to earth. Are the Dallas Stars the team who is going to make that happen? I’m going to take a gamble and say no. I think Vegas can make it out of this round. Dallas is an average team and in the next four weeks it’s entirely possible that they lose their playoff spot all together. It would be crazy if the Avalanche actually made the playoffs after their dismal year last year, but spots are still up for grabs.
Vegas in seven.
San Jose Sharks Vs. The Anaheim Ducks
The Sharks bore me. They always have and I don’t know why. I’m a fan of Jumbo Joe. At one time he was our leader in Boston and it’s always made me have a soft spot for him. As far as this series goes I’m going to have to pick the Ducks. It’s entirely possible that the Ducks win the whole thing. I know the Sharks are ahead of them in the standings right now but I just don’t believe in them. Brent Burns is not quite as god like as he was in years past and Joe Thornton is getting up there in age. The addition of Evander Kane could help them get passed the Ducks but I’m just going to go out on a limb and say the Ducks take this series.
Ducks in seven.
Nashville Predators Vs. The Los Angeles Kings
Go Preds go! Your fanbase last year gave us one of the most exciting Stanley Cup finals in recent memory. I love this team. If I had to pick a team in the west to root for it would probably be them. The Kings right now sit in that second wild card spot and it’s entirely possible that they are knocked out by Colorado, St. Louis or Calgary. The Predators are a superior team. They’re first in the central division and they look to be as good, if not better than last year. Mike Fisher even came out of retirement to help the Preds in their final push. I would be stupid not to pick them in this series.
Predators in six.
The Winnipeg Jets Vs. The Minnesota Wild
The Jets might be Canada’s best hope for a Stanley Cup. It’s been a while since any Canadian team has won. Blake Wheeler, another former Bruin, continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league. Patrik Laine has 35 goals in his second season and shows no signs of slowing down. When the Jets moved to Phoenix the fans didn’t go anywhere and they have a great fan base up in Winnipeg. Minnesota has been pretty good this year. Eric Staal has rejuvenated his career with his current 34 goals, the most he has scored since putting up 40 in 2009, but I still think the Jets have the edge in this series.
Jets over Wild in six.
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