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Ryan S. Clark
Pick the winners and crown your Stanley Cup champion! Create A Bracket
Biggest flaws: The Islanders have long faced criticism for their low scoring output, and this season — as a whole — has been no exception. New York ranked 23rd in offense through the regular season, averaging fewer than three goals per game. The Islanders’ attack is top-heavy when it does ignite, with only five skaters surpassing the 20-goal mark and only one (Mathew Barzal) working at a point-per-game pace. New York has to work hard for the offense it does get, and that can weigh a team down in a playoff series.
New York is also vulnerable on special teams. The Islanders cobbled together a league-worst penalty kill (72.2%), and their power play ranked 21st overall (19.7%). That puts serious pressure on the Islanders to stay disciplined and not let opponents use their mediocre special teams against them.
Player to watch: Bo Horvat. The Islanders’ forward had a solid regular season with 33 goals and 68 points. But this time of year is why New York traded for Horvat in the first place. He must produce a high-caliber effort nightly in the postseason for the Islanders to go far.
Bold prediction: New York tries to ride Varlamov’s hot hand, but the goalie stumbles early and is replaced by Ilya Sorokin. He nearly guides the Islanders to a first-round victory but they fall in Game 7.
Record: 40-31-11, 91 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Capitals’ never gave up. That attitude earned them a return bid to the playoffs in mind-blowing fashion. Washington somehow has both the worst goal differential (minus-37) of any postseason team in history and the chance to prove it means nothing when they open another first-round series. Washington has received contributions from everywhere and everyone this season, from established veterans (like Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson) to rising stars (including Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre). They’re in capable hands between the pipes, too, with Charlie Lindgren emerging as a stable starting option who can swing a game in Washington’s favor.
The Capitals’ overall buy-in under first-year coach Spencer Carbery (who’s done a masterful job righting the ship for Washington through several rocky stretches this season) is also what makes them dangerous. Yes, every team wants to be successful in the playoffs, but Washington is already driven by their underdog status. If the Capitals keep that mentality at the forefront, they could take the playoff field by storm.
Biggest flaws: Washington will have to turn up the heat offensively. The Capitals ranked 28th in total offense (with 2.63 goals per game), 29th in five-on-five goals (143), and Dylan Strome paced the team with just 67 points on the season. Where will Washington get consistent scoring from in a playoff series? Even if they manage that, can the Capitals keep the puck out of their own net, too? Lindgren has been terrific for much of the year, but Washington allows over 30 shots on net per game. How will that affect the Capitals when some of their key contributors have little to no postseason experience? It’s a recipe for preventable mistakes and those can quickly become series-defining problems.
Player to watch: Alex Ovechkin. Like there’s anyone else you’d be watching anyway. Ovechkin is in the late stages of a Hall of Fame career, and this opportunity to be in the playoffs looked like a long shot even last month. He won’t take this chance for granted, and that should fuel not only a stellar showing from him, but provide motivation to every player in Washington’s dressing room.
Bold prediction: Washington gives a rousing first-round effort to unseat the Presidents’ Trophy winners and advance to an unexpected second-round showing that ends with a Game 6 defeat.
CENTRAL DIVISION
Record: 52-21-9, 113 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Practically every team that wins a Stanley Cup encounters some sort of crucible before eventually capturing a championship. The Stars have done just that. Back in 2020, they reached the Stanley Cup Final. In 2022, they struggled to score in a first-round loss. The 2023 postseason saw them get within two games of the Stanley Cup Final, which is part of what makes them one of the NHL’s most legitimate Cup challengers.
Depth is everything in the postseason, and the Stars have it. They have eight players who scored more than 20 goals this season, and 13 players who finished with more than 20 points. But it’s not just the ability to score. Trading for Chris Tanev at the deadline gave the Stars that right-handed partner they’d sought for Miro Heiskanen, giving them a pairing capable of shutting down an opponent’s top two lines.
Biggest flaws: Strange as it sounds, there are questions about Jake Oettinger. Even though he has a third straight season of more than 30 wins, Oettinger’s consistency has been a topic of conversation. His 2.72 goals-against average and .905 save percentage are outliers, given he has a career 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage.
That said, he had a 1.66 GAA and a .940 save percentage in April. If that’s the version of Oettinger the Stars can get in the playoffs, it could ultimately see them take the next step and advance to their second Stanley Cup Final in four seasons.
And of course, matching up against the Golden Knights in Round 1 brings questions too; namely can they take the lessons learned from last year to win this time around?
Player to watch: Wyatt Johnston. Several executives around the NHL stress the importance of being able to build through the draft. Johnston is the latest example from the Stars’ assembly line that shows why they place such a premium on draft picks. He’s gone from being a rookie who was a significant contributor, to a second-year player who led them with 32 goals — and he doesn’t turn 21 until May.
Bold prediction: Thomas Harley will be the breakout star of a playoff run that will at least reach the second round. Harley finished the regular season with 15 goals and 47 points, and will give the Stars another standout on both ends.
Record: 51-24-6, 108 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Losing in the first round to the Golden Knights last year exposed a number of the Jets’ issues. Namely, they needed to add as much scoring help as possible, and that’s what they’ve done over the last 12 months. The Pierre-Luc Dubois trade allowed them to land Alex Iafallo and Gabriel Vilardi, who have been part of the Jets’ balanced scoring attack.
Altogether, the Jets had 13 players who scored more than 10 goals this season. They’ve received the contributions from established figures such as Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, while seeing new faces like Iafallo, Vilardi and Sean Monahan add to those totals. Combine that with what they have in goal in Connor Hellebuyck, and it makes the Jets a team that could pose problems if they can get out of the first round.
Biggest flaws: Can they parlay their regular-season success into the sort of results that gets them beyond the first round? It’s an even more relevant question heading into Round 1, given what they’ve done against the Avs in the regular season (winning all three games). But it’s a question the Jets have been trying to answer for the last few years. Back in 2017-18, they lost in the Western Conference finals to the Golden Knights, creating the belief that the Jets could become one of the West’s long-term contenders.
Since then, they’ve only made it out of the first round once. What’s separated them from teams such as the Avalanche, Golden Knights and Stars, among others, is they haven’t been able to go on those extended runs that show they are ready to challenge for a Stanley Cup. Is this the season the Jets take off?
Player to watch: Connor Hellebuyck. He has had one of the strongest individual campaigns of his career, and stands to capture what would be his second Vezina Trophy. Last year’s playoffs were a challenge, as Hellebuyck finished with a 3.44 GAA and a .886 save percentage. Still, Hellebuyck’s previous postseason experience has shown he can make a difference for a team that’s seeking to take the next step in their playoff evolution.
Bold prediction: Gabriel Vilardi will lead the Jets in scoring through at least one round of the playoffs. In a full, 82-game season, Vilardi was on pace for a team-high 37 goals, while his projected 62 points would have been second. Going to the Jets has allowed him to further tap into his promise, and it could once again benefit the Jets in the postseason.
Record: 49-25-7, 105 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Having Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar allows the Avalanche to be top Cup contenders on an annual basis. But having those three is not enough, which is what the Avs learned last year when the then-defending champions were ousted in the first round.
Avs general manager Chris MacFarland and his front office staff have used the time since to strengthen their depth. This is a team that isn’t reliant on its stars, and can receive contributions from everyone on a nightly basis. That’s what allowed the Avs to win the title back in 2022, and it’s what has them in contention for a second championship in the last three years.
Biggest flaws: Could it be the fact they’re opening the playoffs against the Jets? The Jets’ 7-0 victory on April 13 raised questions about what could happen once the playoffs started. Losing by a rather large margin wasn’t the only talking point after the game. There was also a discussion about how the Jets were 3-0 against the Avalanche in the regular season — and had outscored them 17-4 in those contests.
It’s possible that what happened in the regular season could have little bearing once their first-round series starts. The Golden Knights won only one of their eight combined games against the Oilers and Stars in the 2022-23 regular season, only to then beat those two teams en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Could it be a similar situation for the Avs, or can the Jets parlay their regular-season success into winning the series?
Player to watch: Gabriel Landeskog. The biggest question regarding the team has been: Can the captain return this postseason? Landeskog has missed the last two seasons recovering from a persistent knee injury which saw him undergo cartilage transplant surgery last May. Avs coach Jared Bednar said on April 16 that Landeskog is “not close” to participating in practices, while noting previously that the Avs captain could return at some point in the playoffs.
Bold prediction: Casey Mittelstadt averages a point per game in the first round. After coming over in trade from Buffalo, Mittelstadt filled the second-line center gap Colorado had been trying to fill since the departure of Nazem Kadri. His arrival now gives the Avs another player who could make a massive impact in what will be the first playoff series of his career.
Record: 45-28-8, 98 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Much of the system that allowed the Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup last season is back. They have the reigning Conn Smythe winner in Jonathan Marchessault. They have players who have excelled in top line and/or top pairing roles such as Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. They have Adin Hill, the goaltender who played a significant role. They also have the unsung heroes such as Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud, who were among the most used defensive pairings in the playoffs last season.
And then they supplemented all that by having one of the most advantageous trade deadlines in recent memory. They added a top-nine winger in Anthony Mantha, a top-pairing defenseman in Noah Hanifin and then made the shocking trade to get another top-six forward in Tomas Hertl, creating a team that looks like it can certainly defend its title.
Biggest flaws: Could the additions of Hanifin, Hertl and Mantha be too many new moving pieces at once? One thing that has allowed the Golden Knights to go from being an expansion team to a full-on juggernaut is their ability to have players seamlessly fit into their system as if they’ve been there the whole time. That’s how it’s worked with Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Eichel, Pietrangelo and Hill.
It’s uncertain if Hanifin, Hertl and Mantha can follow suit. Hanifin had 12 points through his first 18 games, while Mantha had 10 points in his first 18 games. Once Hertl was cleared to play following his recovery efforts from knee surgery, he had three points in his first four games which included the game-winning goal against the Avs on April 14. So far, so good.
Player to watch: Noah Hanifin. Yes, the idea of Stone coming back from injury to appear in the playoffs makes him a strong candidate to be the answer here. But we know what Stone can do in the postseason. Seeing what Hanifin can do in the playoffs could be rather important, considering the Golden Knights just signed him to an eight-year extension. He has eight points while averaging 21:03 of ice time per game in 27 career playoff contests, numbers should both rise this spring.
Bold prediction: Hertl will lead the Golden Knights in points throughout the entirety of their playoff run. Even if there are questions about how all the new pieces fit, Hertl finds a way to answer them by being the Golden Knights’ most prolific performer.
PACIFIC DIVISION
Record: 50-22-9, 109 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Few teams have been as consistent as the Canucks in a season that has watched them go from a surprise team to one that could win the Cup. Other than a four-game losing streak in February, the Canucks have looked the part of a serious championship challenger that relied upon its entire roster to reach this stage.
While J.T. Miller has 100 points and Quinn Hughes appears to be the Norris Trophy favorite, there is so much more to the Canucks. Brock Boeser‘s 40-goal campaign led the way for the Canucks to have 10 players who finished the season with more than 10 tallies. They also have 14 players who finished the year with more than 20 points.
Biggest flaws: Can they make it work in the playoffs? Rarely does a team go from missing the playoffs in seven of its last eight seasons to winning a Stanley Cup. But that’s the narrative the Canucks are seeking to rewrite as they’ve made it beyond the second round only once since the 2010-11 season that saw them reach the Stanley Cup Final.
They’re also trying to do this in a crowded Western Conference landscape that has seen quite a few teams encounter years of frustration before finally claiming the game’s ultimate prize. Although the argument could be had that maybe all those years of missing the playoffs is the struggle that has set the stage for the Canucks this postseason.
Player to watch: Thatcher Demko. Before he sustained a knee injury on March 9, Demko was performing like one of the NHL’s best goaltenders. He led the league with 34 wins while posting a 2.47 GAA and a .917 save percentage at the time of his injury. Demko returned to the lineup on April 16 and finished with 39 saves and a .975 save percentage in a win against the Calgary Flames.
Bold prediction: Elias Lindholm will reach double figures in points during the playoffs. While his time with the Canucks has had its challenges, Lindholm will play a major role in the Canucks’ bid to get beyond the first round.
Record: 49-26-6, 104 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Since Kris Knoblauch was hired to replace Jay Woodcroft in November, the Oilers have seemingly found answers to many of the questions facing them following their slow start. At times, they’ve looked like the most dangerous team in the league, evidenced by the fact they’re third in goals scored per game and have given up the fifth fewest goals per game since Knoblauch was hired.
Could this be their year? It was just two years ago when they were in the Western Conference finals, before losing to the eventual champion Avalanche. Last year, they reached the second round where they were knocked out by the eventual champion Golden Knights. Could the lessons from the past few years lead the Oilers to future glory?
Biggest flaws: Do the Oilers have the supporting cast that can help them win a championship? That remained a question throughout that second-round series against the Golden Knights. One of the avenues that allowed the Golden Knights to beat the Oilers, and the rest of their playoff opponents, was that they could rely on their depth to win games.
This has been a challenge for the Oilers. Outside of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, the only Oilers to score goals in those losses to the Golden Knights were Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele. Receiving consistent secondary scoring, along with the ability to parlay the success they’ve created with their defensive structure under a new coaching staff, could prove crucial to the Oilers’ title aspirations.
Player to watch: Stuart Skinner. Among the questions the Oilers faced last postseason: Can Skinner be the goalie who leads them to a championship? His maiden playoff voyage was rocky. There were postseason games in which he had a save percentage exceeding .960, and there were also games in which he was pulled in favor of Jack Campbell. He looked solid this regular season, but until he proves his mettle in the postseason, those questions will linger.
Bold prediction: Adam Henrique finishes among the top five Oilers in playoff points. Again, secondary scoring will be crucial, and this is also a big opportunity for Henrique to make his mark after playing for non-playoff teams for most of the past decade.
1:04
2024 NHL playoffs: The chase for the Stanley Cup is on
Emily Kaplan sets up the chase for the Stanley Cup as the NHL’s second season gets underway.
Record: 43-27-11, 97 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: Returning to the playoffs for a third straight season was due in part to the depth of the Kings’ roster. They have four players who had more than 20 goals in the regular season, nine players who reached double figures in goals and also had 11 players finish with more than 20 points. Four of those 11 players were defensemen.
Like a number of teams, they also made a coaching change this season, replacing Todd McLellan with interim coach Jim Hiller. His arrival has led to the Kings becoming one of the stronger defensive teams in the NHL. Since he took over on Feb. 2, the Kings have allowed the third fewest goals per game, the fifth fewest shots per game and have a top-six penalty kill.
Biggest flaws: Do they have enough to win a first-round series — particularly against a team that’s beaten them two years in a row? All the moves the front office has made over the last few years has made the Kings one of the more intriguing teams in the NHL, but getting beyond the first round has been the biggest challenge facing a franchise that’s trying to cement itself as one of the West’s elite teams.
Beating a conference power like the Oilers would emphatically answer those questions. But if they don’t, Kings general manager Rob Blake and his front office staff will be asking quite a few questions about what potential changes need to be made.
Player to watch: Pierre-Luc Dubois. Landing Dubois in a megatrade with the Jets — and then signing him to a long-term contract — was one of those moves that signaled the Kings intent when it came to their aspirations. So far, Dubois’ first season in L.A. hasn’t gone as planned, given the 40 points he had through 80 games are the fewest he’s had in a season in which he’s played at least 70. Dubois is averaging 0.68 points per game in 38 career postseason contests, and could use these playoffs to reframe his first season in Southern California.
Bold prediction: Dubois will lead the Kings in points during the playoffs. It’ll allow them to force a Game 7 against the Oilers in a series that will see the Kings make another first-round exit.
Record: 47-30-5, 99 points
Case for a Stanley Cup run: There are two arguments that could explain why the Predators will go on a long run. The first is that the gulf between higher-seeded and lower-seeded teams isn’t that wide anymore. Or at least that was the case last season when the Panthers upset the Bruins while the Seattle Kraken knocked out the Avs.
The second is that the Predators have been one of the NHL’s most consistent teams since Feb. 17 — the day their 18-game points streak started. Only the Hurricanes have won more games than the Preds since then. They’re fourth in goals per game while allowing the fourth least goals per game in that time. Finding that sort of cohesion, while having experienced Cup winners on the team such as Ryan McDonagh, Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn, makes the Preds one of the more intriguing teams to watch.
Biggest flaws: Could a general lack of playoff experience be a problem? One thing that has allowed the Preds to change their fortunes this season is the contributions made by players such as Luke Evangelista, Michael McCarron, Tommy Novak, Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith, among others. It’s a group that also doesn’t have much — and in some cases, any — playoff experience.
McCarron and Sherwood have combined to play in five games. Evangelista is a rookie, whereas Novak and Smith haven’t played in the postseason before. Seeing how that particular group can handle the demands of the playoffs could play a rather sizable role in whether or not the Preds can get beyond the first round for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Player to watch: Juuse Saros. He’s one of the few goaltenders in the NHL who has started more than 60 games in each of the last three seasons. Even though the Preds haven’t made it out the first round in a few years, Saros was strong in his most recent postseason back in 2021-22 when he finished with a .921 save percentage. And with one year left on his contract and the emergence of Yaroslav Askarov, there’s added pressure to perform.
Bold prediction: The Predators will push the Canucks to seven games. Last year’s postseason showed that lower-seeded teams can not only challenge the higher seeds, but beat them in the first round. It’s possible that the Predators could either be the next lower seed to advance to the second round or know they exited the first round on the brink of a major upset.
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