NFL
The Eastern Conference has been insanely fun to watch down the stretch, specifically the battle for Atlantic Division supremacy. The East is quite a bit heavier than the West. It has many cup contenders. There are teams that could wreak havoc on everyone’s playoff bracket predictions. The matchups are set a couple of days ahead of game 82. If you told me that the Pens, Sens, and Sabres would be in the playoffs in September, I probably would have laughed, but here we are.
The Round 1 matchups are as follows:
- A1 Buffalo Sabres vs WC1 Boston Bruins
- A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs A3 Montreal Canadiens
- M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs WC2 Ottawa Senators
- M2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs M3 Philadelphia Flyers
The Eastern Conference post-Olympic break has been nothing short of cinema. The amount of math I have done in the past few weeks, calculating scenarios and predicting what would happen, would put a 5th grader to shame. Like most hockey players, I am not much smarter than a 5th grader, so let’s see how these predictions go.
Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins
Buffalo is probably the best story of the NHL this season. The last time we saw the Sabres in the playoffs was 2010-2011. Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller led the team to a playoff berth, and they wound up losing in the 2nd Round to the Flyers in Game 7. Ever since then, dark days have descended upon Buffalo. 15 long years of dysfunction and playoff drought are finally over, led by Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. While a great story, what chances do they have against Boston?
Boston has a better power play and a clear advantage in goaltending. Jeremy Swayman currently sits with a 2.76 GAA and .906 Sv%. In the playoffs, his numbers improve to 2.38 and .922, respectively. Last year, Swayman was a brick wall, boasting an incredible 11.1 GSAA (Goals Saved Above Average). Jeremy Swayman will be the key to upsetting a far less experienced Buffalo team. With the exception of Pastrnak, the Bruins lack game-breaking forwards. However, outside of Tage Thompson, so do the Sabres.
Although they match up pretty evenly roster-wise, The Sabres are the clear favorite here. You can expect Key Bank Center to be absolutely rocking like the ThunderDome. The play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be an x-factor for the Sabres. He will need to at least match Swayman’s level if they are to advance past a tough Boston team.
My Prediction: Sabres in 6 games
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens
An insane year from Kucherov, and a Vezina campaign from Vasilevsky. It was among the most entertaining hockey games in the sport, with the Lightning primed for another deep Cup run. With good reason, the Lightning are a very frustrating team to play against, especially for a younger team like Montreal that simply doesn’t play that brand of hockey. The Habs have been able to hang around during the regular season, though. The Canadiens went 2-1-1, effectively “winning” the season series against Tampa.
The Canadiens are not to be underestimated, though. They are young and hungry, and the Bell Centre is notoriously a difficult place to steal games in. If the Habs are able to steal a game from Tampa and flip home ice, this could be a challenging series for Tampa Bay. Cole Caulfield has emerged as an elite goal scorer in the NHL. In addition, Nick Suzuki hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career.
The largest hurdle for Montreal in this series is simply that they are playing against an absolute monster in the 1st round. The Lightning have the edge in nearly every statistical category, and just by the eye test and what we already know about their playstyle, they are going to be a steep hill to climb. Should the Canadiens find a way to get past them in round 1, who could stop them? The Lightning, until proven otherwise, are my favorite to win the Eastern Conference. No Panthers to stand in the way, a clean bill of health going into game 83, and playing an inexperienced team with inferior goaltending in round 1 should work in Tampa Bay’s favor.
My prediction: Lightning in 6 games
Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators
Now, before you totally write off the Senators, consider that they are getting healthy at a great time. They have been playing very well to close the season, nearly overtaking Boston for the 1st Wildcard spot in the East. Their style of play is offense-heavy, and they have a dangerous power play. Having Tkachuk back for the playoffs is absolutely huge as well. He is one of those guys we’ve all loved to hate. He is a physical menace and pest that has soft mitts and a scoring touch that Ottawa will need to lean on if they are to beat Carolina.
While being top-10 in nearly every major team-statistical category, the Hurricanes are simply better in almost every aspect. The slow, trap hockey style that has been tried and failed by many teams is as successful as it could be in Carolina. They play playoff-brand hockey every single game and are primed for a Cup run. Do they still have the yips? Could this finally be the year they break through and get to the Final and win a Cup? One wonders what more they could have done at the deadline to bring in some elite talent. The Canes have lacked star power for multiple seasons now. Bringing in a guy like Panarin seems like something that was feasible early in the season, and could help them immensely at this point. Will the lack of a game-breaker kill them?
While the Senators grade as a good team, they are not great. Carolina, on the other hand, is a great hockey team. There seems to be no “slowing them down and playing our own game” that the Senators can implement. The Hurricanes have the advantage in nearly every category, whether it be goaltending, special teams, or 5v5 play. To sting the Senators even further, they have a putrid penalty kill, ranked 29th in the league. Having the league’s 3rd-worst penalty kill, along with averaging almost 10 penalty minutes per game, doesn’t bode well in a 7-game series against the league’s 5th-best power play.
My Prediction: Hurricanes in 5 games
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers
Sid and Geno’s (maybe) final swan song couldn’t have gone much better for the Penguins franchise cornerstones. The Penguins are an offensive powerhouse. They are fantastic on the man advantage and are just as good on the kill, both of which rank 7th in the NHL. The midseason goalie swap with Edmonton that brought on Stuart Skinner gives them a reliable playoff goaltender with a penchant for going deep into the tournament.
The Flyers, on the other hand, have been playing inspired hockey to end the season, going 10-3-0 en route to locking up the third spot in the Metro and avoiding a series against a division winner. Philadelphia can win this series if its 5v5 defense can stifle the Penguins, or they can get into Skinner’s head early in the series. The likelihood of that is pretty low, however, as they are a defensive team with the league’s worst power play. If they get into trouble, their penalty kill is also 22nd in the league. The Flyers will need to play clean trap hockey in order to take this series.
This will be one of the series to watch, in my opinion. While neither is quite an elite team, the battle for regional supremacy and perhaps Sid and Geno’s final playoff run will make for entertaining hockey. I simply don’t see Philadelphia truly threatening to win a 7-game series against a strong offensive team like the Penguins. They simply grade out as a much better team, and it will take a pretty big upset to move past the Penguins.
My Prediction: Penguins in 6 games
The Eastern Conference, as I said earlier, has been a feast for the eyes of any hockey fan. There are tons of great storylines to kick off the playoffs. Buffalo back in the mix, Tampa in without Florida to stop them, and Sydney Crosby’s potential final playoff run are just a sample of what is to come.
I am expecting Tampa Bay to emerge as the Conference Champion, but with the gauntlet that they are going to have to get through, who knows? After all, we all remember the Columbus Blue Jackets’ upset years ago. Anything can happen in Lord Stanley’s playoffs, and I am likely to eat some of my words at some point in the next couple of months of playoff hockey.
If you are a fan of one of these teams, buckle up. If you are a neutral fan, grab some popcorn.
Thanks so much for reading. Who do you expect to win in the opening round? What upsets do you have in mind? Let me know below.
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