The Stanley Cup Playoffs will get underway on April 17 with 16 groups pursuing the Stanley Cup.
The Boston Bruins had a season for the ages as they gained the Presidents’ Trophy with the NHL’s greatest file for the fourth time over the previous 10 campaigns. The Bruins additionally tallied an NHL single-season file 135 factors, which topped the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens’ file of 132 factors. Meanwhile, after utterly lacking the postseason final 12 months, the Vegas Golden Knights earned the No. 1 seed within the Western Conference.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are one of the vital thrilling occasions of the 12 months in any sport. For informal followers that won’t have a favourite workforce to root for, we have got you lined with the groups and gamers that you’ll want to be cheering for all through the postseason.
Connor McDavid
Throughout the season, it was abundantly clear that Connor McDavid is one of the best hockey participant on the planet. After all, McDavid recorded 153 factors (64 targets & 89 assists) and helped lead the Edmonton Oilers to the second-most factors within the Western Conference behind solely the Golden Knights. McDavid tallied the Fifteenth-most factors in NHL historical past and the eighth-most in workforce historical past behind a number of of Wayne Gretzky’s magical seasons.
Simply put, it advantages the game the deeper McDavid carries the Oilers within the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Like Patrick Mahomes within the NFL and LeBron James within the NBA, McDavid makes spotlight reel play after spotlight reel play, and makes not possible feats appear downright pedestrian. If you have not seen a lot of McDavid on a sheet of ice, you are in for a deal with. He’ll weave his manner by a whole protection and make your jaw drop. Rooting for greatness is rarely a nasty factor.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs could have had a terrific common season, however that is actually develop into irrelevant at this level. That’s as a result of the Maple Leafs have did not make it out of the opening spherical of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in every of the final six seasons. In truth, Toronto hasn’t gained a playoff sequence for the reason that 2003-04 season, once they defeated the Ottawa Senators in seven video games in that 12 months’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
It looks like against the law that star heart Auston Matthews hasn’t launched into a deep postseason run, and he is in his seventh skilled season. Much like McDavid, the game advantages from a participant like Matthews chasing the Stanley Cup for so long as attainable. After topping the 60-goal mark a season in the past, Matthews scored 40 targets this season — and that would nearly be considered as a down 12 months. That’s simply due to how gifted Matthews really is. Fans will need to get a glimpse of Matthews on the ice for so long as attainable this postseason.
Colorado Avalanche
Who would not love a shot at greatness? The Colorado Avalanche gained their first Stanley Cup since 2001 final June once they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning. Coming off of that Stanley Cup, it hasn’t precisely been clean crusing for the defending champions. The Avalanche have been decimated by the harm bug all through the common season. At numerous factors, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen have all missed vital durations of time.
The Avalanche will certainly have their work lower out for them with captain Gabriel Landeskog slated to overlook the whole postseason because of a knee harm. Still, it is a workforce that’s oozing with expertise and is greater than able to repeating as Stanley Cup champions. It’s fairly attainable that Makar might put Colorado on his again very like he did through the 2022 playoffs. Guys like Makar and MacKinnon are actually price tuning in for as they will rating from nearly anyplace on the ice. Obviously, we noticed the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, but it surely’s additionally a fairly cool sight to witness a workforce hoist the Cup in consecutive campaigns.
Seattle Kraken
If you want a real underdog story, the Seattle Kraken are the workforce for you. Just do not be alarmed once you see the workforce’s mascot, Buoy, descend from rafters throughout one in every of Seattle’s playoff video games. In simply their second season as an NHL franchise, the Kraken are postseason sure.
This is a workforce that gained simply 27 video games a season in the past, however had an eventful offseason during which they added the likes of Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand. In addition, Matty Beniers excelled because the workforce’s top-line heart in his first full NHL season, and he’ll doubtless earn Calder Trophy honors because the league’s high rookie due to it. Beniers’ play additionally resulted in a robust 12 months for fellow ahead Jared McCann, who scored a career-best 40 targets. The Kraken had been one of many Wild Card groups within the West, in order that they doubtless will not be favored in lots of video games all through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Still, it’ll be enjoyable to see playoff hockey within the Pacific Northwest.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights actually broke the mildew throughout their inaugural season in 2017-18. This was a workforce that defied expectations and superior all the way in which to the Stanley Cup Final of their first season. Five years later, the Golden Knights have not sniffed the Stanley Cup Final once more after that fateful season. In truth, Vegas missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs all collectively final season after buying star heart Jack Eichel in a blockbuster commerce with the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite being one of many league’s newer groups, T-Mobile Arena presents one of the vital electrical atmospheres to observe a hockey recreation. It might be downright deafening when you’re attending a house recreation in Vegas. Those form of atmospheres are superior to see, and so they ramp up much more when the postseason rolls round. Plus, it’s going to be good to see Eichel lastly get to participate within the playoffs for the primary time in his NHL profession.
Carolina Hurricanes
Next to the Kraken, the Carolina Hurricanes are in all probability the subsequent in line when you love rooting for the underdog. It could appear shocking that the Metropolitan Division winners could be an underdog, however accidents have not precisely been sort to Carolina. The Hurricanes traded for winger Max Pacioretty final summer time, and Pacioretty suffered a torn Achilles shortly after being acquired. Pacioretty then returned in January for simply 5 video games earlier than tearing his Achilles once more, and he’s now misplaced for the season. If that wasn’t unhealthy sufficient, fellow winger Andrei Svechnikov suffered a season-ending knee harm in March.
The Hurricanes have performed the majority of the 2022-23 season with out Pacioretty within the fold. For that cause, they have been extra outfitted to cope with that specific loss, however Svechnikov is one which undoubtedly might damage because the postseason progresses. Quite a lot of strain will shift to goal-scoring menace Sebastian Aho together with sturdy goaltending. Seeing Carolina embark on a deep Stanley Cup run could be extraordinarily entertaining, and who would not love the workforce that everyone is counting out.
