It's that time of year again. Six long months and 1,230 regular season games around the league, we have reached the chase. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived and there are sixteen teams left standing. All have the same goal in mind. Carrying Lord Stanley's Cup over their heads in two months. The journey to that point starts right now. Eight matchups in the opening round begin Wednesday night. Looking at the field, there were a few surprises that are still standing. The Florida Panthers win the division for just the 2nd time in franchise history, and are making their 5th playoff appearance ever. Washington dominated from start to finish, winning the Presidents Trophy for the 2nd time ever and collected the 2nd most points in a season in franchise history (they won the trophy with 121 points in 2010). Anaheim won the division after starting the season off 1-7-2. Detroit has made the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season. Oh and this marks the first time since the 1969-70 season that there will be no teams from Canada playing in the playoffs. All sixteen teams fighting for the Cup are from the United States.
Enough of the rif raff, lets get down to business. Here's what the opening round looks like for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We start with the Eastern Conference.
First up is the Presidents Trophy Winning Washington Capitals, taking on the 2nd Wild Card seeded Philadelphia Flyers. The Washington Capitals earned the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team. Washington collected 120 points, the 2nd most ever in franchise history (behind the 2010 Capitals won eanred 121 points and the Presidents Trophy that year as well). This marks the 8th time in the last nine seasons that the Capitals have made the playoffs and the 2nd time in the last four years the Caps have won the division. Washington faces a Philadelphia Flyers team that finished as the second wild-card seed. This marks the 2nd time in the last four seasons that Philadelphia has made the playoffs. Philly is looking for its first win in the opening round since 2012. This is the fifth meeting between these teams in the playoffs. Both teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, which Philadelphia won in seven games. These teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 14 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 16 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 18 Washington Capitals 7:00 p.m Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 20 Washington Capitals 7:00 p.m Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 22 Philadelphia Flyers TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 24 Washington Capitals TBD Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 27 Philadelphia Flyers TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center
This series should be good and their's quite a bit riding on it. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Capitals in 5
S
teve: Capitals in 5
3rd Mic Dan: Flyers in 7
The other Metropolitan Division Matchup will have the 2nd seed Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the 3rd seed New York Rangers. The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division, earning 104 points. This marks the 10th year in a row that the Penguins have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pittsburgh is looking to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013. As for the Rangers, they earned 101 points in the regular season to finish third in the Metropolitan. This now marks the 6th year in a row that the Rangers are playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, having reached at least the Eastern Conference Finals the last two years. This marks the 2nd year in a row the Rangers hit the 100 point mark, as they won the Presidents Trophy with 113 last year. Finishing 3rd this year was the lowest finish for the Rangers since 2011. This marks the seventh meeting between these teams, and the third meeting in three consecutive seasons, with Pittsburgh losing the last two but winning four of the six overall. They last met in last year's Eastern Conference First Round, which the Rangers won in five games. Pittsburgh won three of the four games during this year’s regular season series.
Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 13 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 16 New York Rangers 3:00 p.m Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 21 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 23 New York Rangers TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 25 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 27 New York Rangers TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
The Penguins and Rangers usually play pretty spirited hockey each time they hook up. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Penguins in 7
Steve: Penguins in 5
Next Up in the Atlantic Division its the Division Winning Florida Panthers taking on the Wild Card Winning New York Islanders. Florida Panthers finished first in the Atlantic Division, earning 103 points. It marks the 2nd time ever that the Panthers have won the division, their first division title coming in their last playoff appearance in 2012. In fact, this is just the 5th time that the Panthers have ever made the playoffs, the team only winning two series ever (both coming in their miracle run in 1996). Those 103 points are the most the Panthers have ever collected in a single season. As for the Islanders, they finished as the Eastern Conference's first wild-card, earning 100 points. This is the 2nd straight year the Islanders have earned 100 or more points, the first time they've done that since 1981 and 1982. New York has made the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row, something they haven't done since 2003 and 2004. This is the first meeting between these two teams in the playoffs. Florida won two of the three games during this year’s regular season series. This will be the first time that a Stanley Cup playoff series will be played at the Barclays Center. The series contains the two teams with the longest playoff win drought in the league (the Islanders have not won a series since 1993, and the Panthers since 1996).
Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
April 14 New York Islanders 8:00 p.m Florida Panthers BB&T Center
April 15 New York Islanders 8:00 p.m Florida Panthers BB&T Center
April 17 Florida Panthers 7:30 p.m New York Islanders Barclays Center
April 20 Florida Panthers 8:00 p.m New York Islanders Barclays Center
April 22 New York Islanders TBD Florida Panthers BB&T Center
April 24 Florida Panthers TBD New York Islanders Barclays Center
April 26 New York Islanders TBD Florida Panthers BB&T Center
Its a battle of playoff futility in this series, both teams are trying to get out of playoff slumps. Florida hasn't won a round in the playoffs since their cup run in 1996, while the Islanders haven't won since 1993, so both teams are due for a win. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Islanders in 6
Steve: Islanders in 5
3rd Mic Dan: Panthers in 6
Finally we have the other Atlantic Division Matchup as the 2nd seed Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the 3rd seed Detroit Red Wings. The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division, earning 97 points. This marks the 3rd year in a row for the Lightning in the playoffs, as they are the defending Eastern Conference Champions. This is the 3rd year in a row the Lightning finished 2nd in their division and won 46 games this year, the same exact number that they did two years ago. The 46 wins is the 4th time ever Tampa has won that many games in a season, and three of the last four have resulted in long playoff runs. As for the Red Wings, they earned 93 points, which was good enough to finish third in the Atlantic. For a record 25th straight year, the Red Wings are playing in the playoffs, having not missed the playoffs since the 1989-90 season. Detroit hasn't faired too well the last six years, having not gotten out of the 2nd round since 2009. This is the second meeting between these teams, with the only other meeting between the teams was in last year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals which Tampa Bay won in seven games. The teams split their four game regular season series this year.
Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 13 Detroit Red Wings 7:00 p.m Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 15 Detroit Red Wings 7:00 p.m Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 17 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 19 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 21 Detroit Red Wings TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 24 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 26 Detroit Red Wings TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
This series should be fun to watch. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Lightning in 7
Steve: Red Wings in 6
3rd Mic Dan: Red Wings in 7
Now on to the Western Conference.
First up its the West top seed, the Central Division Winning Dallas Stars taking on the 2nd Wild Card Seeded Minnesota Wild. Dallas comes into the playoffs as the top team in the West, picking up 109 points during the regular season. This marks the 2nd time in the last three years that Dallas has made the playoffs, but the Stars haven't won a round in the post season since 2008. The 50 wins they picked up this year are the most they've earned since 2007, and the division title the Stars have was their first since the 2006 season. As for Minnesota, the finished as the Western Conference's second wild-card seed, earning 87 points. This marks the 4th straight year for the Wild in the post season. Minnesota has only made it past the 2nd round once in their history, tat coming back in 2003. This 38 wins was the lowest win total in a full season for the Wild since 2012. This is the first meeting between these two teams. Dallas won four of the five games during this year's regular season series.
Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 14 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 16 Minnesota Wild 8:00 p.m Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 18 Dallas Stars 8:30 p.m Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 20 Dallas Stars 9:30 p.m Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 22 Minnesota Wild TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 24 Dallas Stars TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 26 Minnesota Wild TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
This should be an interesting series. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Stars in 5
Steve: Stars in 6
3rd Mic Dan: Stars in 5
Next in the Central Division matchups is the 2nd seeded St. Louis Blues taking on the 3rd seeded Chicago Blackhawks. St. Louis finished second in the Central Division earning 107 points, the 3rd year in a row the Blues have hit the 100 point mark during the regular season. This marks the 5th straight year the Blues have made the playoffs, but St. Louis hasn't made it out of the 1st round in the last three tries. In fact, the Blues are searching for their first deep playoff run since 2001. Chicago, meanwhile, earned 103 points to finish third in the Central. Chicago is the defending Stanley Cup Champions, having won three cups in the last six years. Chicago has made the playoffs every year since 2008. Chicago hasn't had a one and done playoff run since 2012. This is the twelfth playoff meeting between these two rivals with Chicago winning eight of the eleven previous series. Their most recent meeting was the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Chicago won in six games. St. Louis won three of the five games during this year's regular season series.
Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 13 Chicago Blackhawks 9:30 p.m St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 15 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 17 St. Louis Blues 3:00 p.m Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 19 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 21 Chicago Blackhawks TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 23 St. Louis Blues TBD Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 25 Chicago Blackhawks TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
St. Louis is going into this series looking for revenge. Chicago bounced the Blues two years ago, this after the Blues went up two games to none in that series. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Blackhawks in 7
S
teve: Blackhawks in 7
3rd Mic Dan: Blackhawks in 6
Next up is the Pacific Division Winning Anaheim Ducks taking on the Wild Card Winning Nashville Predators. The Anaheim Ducks finished first in the Pacific Division, earning 103 points.This marks the 4th year in a row that the Ducks have come away with the division title. Last season they were the best team in the Western Conference. This will mark the 11th time ever that the Ducks are playing post season hockey. As for Nashville, they finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 96 points. This marks the 2nd year in a row that the Predators have made the playoffs, after missing the two years prior. Nashville is looking for its first series win in the post season since 2012. This is the second meeting between these teams in the playoffs. Last time these two teams met was the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Nashville won in six games. Nashville won two of the three games during this year's regular season series.
Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 15 Nashville Predators 10:30 p.m Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 17 Nashville Predators 10:30 p.m Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 19 Anaheim Ducks 9:30 p.m Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 21 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 23 Nashville Predators TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 25 Anaheim Ducks TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 27 Nashville Predators TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
This should be a good series, with most catagories favoring the Ducks. Here's our predictions for this series:
Solly: Ducks in 6
Steve: Ducks in 6
3rd Mic Dan: Ducks in 5
The Final Matchup in the Pacific Division is the 2nd seeded Los Angeles Kings taking on the 3rd seeded San Jose Sharks. The Los Angeles Kings finished second in the Pacific Division, earning 102 points. This marks the 6th playoff appearance in the last seven years for Los Angeles, a team that missed the post season a year ago. That was coming after making three straight Western Conference Finals appearances. LA's 102 points are the most they've collected in a season since the 1990-91 season. Meanwhile, San Jose earned 98 points to finish third in the Pacific. Since the lockout year of 2004-05, San Jose has missed the playoffs only once, that being last year. One of the biggest knocks against the Sharks is their inability to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, always falling short in the Western Conference Finals. This is the fourth meeting between these two teams, with Los Angeles winning two of the three previous meetings. They last met in the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Los Angeles came back from a 3–0 deficit to defeat the Sharks in seven games. San Jose won three of the five games during this year's regular season series.
Here's the date and times of the games in this series:
April 14 San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 16 San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 18 Los Angeles Kings 10:30 p.m San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 20 Los Angeles Kings 10:30 p.m San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 22 San Jose Sharks TBD Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 24 Los Angeles Kings TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 26 San Jose Sharks TBD Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
The battle of California should be fun to watch. Here's our Predictions:
Solly: Kings in 7
Steve: Kings in 7
3rd Mic Dan: Sharks in 7
So there you have it, the predictions for the opening round of the playoffs!
(Note: All predictions were made BEFORE the start of the playoffs)
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