The Stanley Cup playoffs are back. It feels like the season just started. The New York Islanders will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening game at 2:00 pm. That is the same matchup as the opening game from last season. The only other game on the first day will be game one of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins at 5:00 pm. Sixteen teams remain. One will be the Stanley Cup Champion. This is the most exciting time of the year.
The number two seed Carolina Hurricanes will take on the number seven seed New York Islanders. The Hurricanes made the playoffs fairly easily. The Islanders had to fight down to their last regular season game to make the playoffs. The Hurricanes finished the regular season with a .634 win percentage. The Islanders finished the regular season with a .476 win percentage. The Hurricanes went 2-1-1 against the Islanders this season. Their last meeting was on March 19th. The Hurricanes won that game 4-1.
This is one of two matchups that is a first round rematch from last years playoffs. The Hurricanes advanced to the second round round last season after eliminating the Islanders in six games. Rematches are always fun. There should be a lot of bad blood. It should make for some aggressive hockey right from day one.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 2 |
| New York | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 16 | -2 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 82 | 52 | 23 | 7 | 111 | 279 | 216 | +63 |
| New York | 82 | 39 | 27 | 16 | 94 | 246 | 263 | -17 |
Game one of this series is today. Game one will be in Carolina. Puck drop is set for 2:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals series.
In the only original six matchup of the playoffs, the number four seed Boston Bruins will play the number five seed Toronto Maple Leafs. Both of these teams comfortably got into the playoffs. The Bruins finished the regular season with a .573 win percentage. The Maple Leafs finished the regular season with a .561 win percentage. The Bruins won all four of their regular season meetings. Their last meeting was on March 7th. The Bruins won that game 4-1.
As two original six teams this is a matchup that has a lot of history behind it. After a historic regular season last season, the Bruins had a quick exit from the playoffs. They will be looking for a better outcome this season. The Maple Leafs were able to make it to the second round last season. Both teams lost to the Florida Panthers in the playoffs last season. With the Bruins dominating the regular season series it will be interesting to see how the Maple Leafs come out in this series. Austin Matthews is always a threat. I do not think he will let them go down without a fight.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 7 | +7 |
| Toronto | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 14 | -7 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 82 | 47 | 20 | 15 | 109 | 267 | 224 | +43 |
| Toronto | 82 | 46 | 26 | 10 | 102 | 303 | 263 | +40 |
Game one of this series will be today. Game one will be in Boston. Puck drop is set for 5:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning series.
The number three seed Florida Panthers will take on the number six seed Tampa Bay Lightning. This is the only matchup with two teams from the same state so far in the playoffs. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division. The Panthers had a win percentage of .634 during the regular season. The Lightning finished the regular season with a .549 win percentage. The Panthers went 2-1-0 against the Lightning this season. Their last meeting was on march 16th. The Lightning won that game 5-3.
Rivalries are always more fun in the playoffs. Both of these teams have been cup contenders for the last few years. The Panthers used their momentum after beating the Bruins in the first round to propel themselves into the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams have the potential to make solid cup runs.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 9 | +6 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 15 | -6 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 110 | 268 | 200 | +68 |
| Tampa Bay | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 93 | 291 | 268 | +40 |
Game one of this series will be on Sunday, April 21st. Game one will be in Florida. Puck drop is set for 9:30am PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs series.
The number one seed New York Rangers will take on the number eight seed Washington Capitals. The New York Rangers won the presentness trophy for the best record during the regular season. They won the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals barely squeezed into the playoffs. The Rangers finished their season with a .671 win percentage. The Capitals finished the regular season with a win percentage of .488. The Rangers went 2-2-0 against the Capitals during the regular season. Their last meeting was on January 14th. The Rangers won that game 2-1.
The Rangers are looking to win it all after having the best record in the league. Will they fall apart like the Bruins last season? Will it be an early exit for them? I don’t think so. The Capitals struggled to get into the playoffs. They fell apart down the final stretch. They are lucky to be in the playoffs this season. I think they will struggle with the Rangers. Maybe not in the first game but at some point in this series they will hit a brick wall.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Washington | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 82 | 55 | 23 | 4 | 114 | 282 | 229 | +53 |
| Washington | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 91 | 220 | 257 | -37 |
Game one of this series will be on Sunday, April 21st. Game one will be in New York. Puck drop is set for 12:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders series.
The number two seed Winnipeg Jets will face the number four seed Colorado Avalanche. Both teams secured a playoff birth pretty easily. The Jets finished the regular season with a .534 win percentage. The Avalanche finished the regular season with a .610 win percentage. The Winnipeg Jets won all three of their regular season meetings. They last played on April 13th. The Jets won that game 7-0.
Both teams had first round exits in the playoffs last season. The regular season record does not give me much confidence in the Avalanche. One of these teams will have to move onto the second round. After the regular season series the Jets look like they have the edge. Whoever wins will have to face a much tougher opponent in the next round.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 4 | +13 |
| Colorado | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 17 | -13 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 110 | 259 | 199 | +60 |
| Colorado | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 107 | 304 | 254 | +50 |
Game one of this series will be on Sunday, April 21st. Game one will be in Winnipeg. Puck drop is set for 4:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Dallas Stars vs Vegas Golden Knights series.
The number three seed Vancouver Canucks will face the number six seed Nashville Predators. The Canucks won the Pacific Division. Two more wins and they could have won the Western Conference. The Predators got into the plays fairly easily. The playoff race out west was not as close as in the east. The Predators got the sixth seed after beating the Los Angeles Kings on tiebreakers. The Canucks finished the regular season with a .610 win percentage. The Predators finished the regular season with a win percentage of .573. The Canucks won all three of their regular season meetings. They have not played each other yet in 2024 with the last meeting being in December of 2023. The Canucks won their last meeting 5-2.
Both these teams missed the playoffs last year. I am sure both teams are hungry for some playoff wins. They have not played each other in a while so I think there will be an extended feeling out period. Vancouver has an advantage after the regular season series but having not played each other in four moths is a big deal. Vancouver will want to come out and prove themselves in this series. They are the higher seed. They will be looking to prove they belong here in the playoffs after not making the playoffs last season. The Predators will also want to prove themselves here. They are a lower seed and will want to prove that they are not a push over. Like with the last series the challenge for both teams may be in their second round opponent.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| Nashville | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | -7 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | 279 | 223 | +56 |
| Nashville | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 99 | 269 | 248 | +21 |
Game one of this series will be on Sunday, April 21st. Game one will be in Vancouver. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings series.
The number one seed Dallas Stars will face the number eight seed Vegas Golden Knights. The Dallas Stars have the best record in the Western Conference and won the Central Division. The Vegas Golden Knights are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. This is a rematch of last years Western Conference final. The Stars finished the regular season with a .634 win percentage. The Golden Knights finished the regular season with a .549 win percentage. The Golden Knights won all three games against the Stars in their regular season series. Their last meeting was back in December. The Golden Knights won that game 6-1.
This is a dramatic departure for the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights. after being the number one seed last season they find themselves in the bottom of the pack only making the playoffs by six points. These two teams have not played each other in a while. If the regular season record is a guide to this series then the seeding can be thrown out. The Golden Knights have some tricks up their sleeves. On paper this looks like the making of the biggest upset in the playoffs. The Stars have to go into this series confident. They need to prove that they are not the same team from last season. The winner of this series will likely go on to the Western Conference final.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 4 | +7 |
| Vegas | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -7 |
2023 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 113 | 298 | 234 | +64 |
| Vegas | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 98 | 267 | 245 | +22 |
Game one of this series will be on Monday, April 22nd. Game one will be in Dallas. Puck drop is set for 6:30pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Winnipeg Jets vs Colorado Avalanche series.
The number five seed Edmonton Oilers will play the number seven seed Los Angeles Kings. This is a rematch of the first round last season. This is the third season in a row these two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs.The Oilers finished the regular season with a win percentage of .598. The Kings finished the regular season with a win percentage of .537. The Oilers went 3-1-0 against the Kings during the regular season. Their last meeting was back on March 28th. The Oilers won that game 4-1.
There should be a lot of bad blood between these two teams by now. This series should be aggressive with a lot of speed and goal scoring. The Kings are going to try to shut down the Oilers with their unorthodox defensive style. The Oilers are going to try to use their speed to get through the Kings. This is a tough one but the Oilers won this series last season. I think this will be the most entertaining first round series. This is going to be a close series. At this point the Kings are relying heavily on their defense. The Oilers have some of the most offensively talented players in the league. The Oilers are also at a point where they need to prove they are cup contenders. They are in a situation where things have been consistently improving for years but the high exceptions of the team have been met time and time again with failure. If the Oilers do not make it to at least the Western Conference finals this season I expect some major roster and organizational change ups. They fired their coach early on in the season. Which was and still is controversial. What it proves is that as an organization they want to win now. The future of everyone on the Oilers except a couple of players is uncertain if they can not prove that they are cup contenders this year.
2024 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
| Los Angeles | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 |
2024 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | 82 | 49 | 27 | 6 | 104 | 294 | 237 | +57 |
| Los Angeles | 82 | 44 | 27 | 8 | 99 | 256 | 215 | +41 |
Game one of this series will be on Monday, April 22nd. Game one will be in Edmonton. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators series.
I have the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers in the finals with the Oilers becoming the Stanley Cup Champions. I think Vegas will become too much for Dallas and Colorado but Edmonton will be able to get past them in a rematch from last season. Winnipeg will be upset by Colorado. Nashville should be easy work for Vancouver before the challenge of Edmonton becomes too much. Los Angeles will put up a fight against the Oilers and over coming that challenge will propel them to winning the cup. The Panthers will make it back to the Eastern Conference finals before the New York Rangers ultimately find a way to defeat them. Toronto will underperform in the first round as is tradition. In a rematch Florida will be too much for Boston. The New York Rangers will go to the Stanley Cup Finals before ultimately being defeated by Edmonton. Washingtons troubles will continue into the playoffs and they will be sent home quickly. Carolina will handle the Islanders in the first round before being eliminated by the Rangers. Don’t trust what I say though. I only predicted three of the eight first round series last season. I got nothing right after that.
Zac Electrifly 