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OH BOY HERE I GO PREDICTING AGAIN
Vegas @ Dallas: This is a really interesting matchup, with the Knights... ah, 'stacked' (cough) roster facing a really underrated Stars squad. I know the Stars just won the whole West, but it feels like they're still under the radar a bit compared to teams like the Avs and Oilers, but a big series from guys like Hintz and Robertson, and heroics from Oettinger, could make this a very dangerous series for a Vegas team that... I admit a lot of it is that I'm tired of the cap shenanigans, but I just don't have any real feeling that this team is going to make a deep run this time. Something's off here. It's weird to call the top team in the conference winning in the first round an 'upset', but... you know what I mean. Dallas in six
Colorado @ Winnipeg: Nathan MacKinnon is not human. I refuse to believe it. We've just witnessed the greatest season in franchise history by one guy, and when you consider some of the names that have played for them, that's one hell of a statement. But... no Landeskog still (I'm not really sure we'll ever see him again at this point), and it feels like the supporting cast isn't as strong overall as the past couple of years. Winnipeg is a team built around shutting down a high-flying offense, starting in net, and this is going to be a tough challenge for both teams. But... you cannot stop the Big Mac, only hope to slow him down. Colorado in five
Nashville @ Vancouver: Remember back when the Canucks were the laughingstock of the NHL? Like, a YEAR ago? I was pretty uninterested in Rick Tocchet as a head coach, but the results speak for themselves- and of course, having a very scary offense backed by a young goalie in Demko who finally seems to have come into his own certainly doesn't hurt. Nashville, meanwhile, is a hard team to figure out- there doesn't seem to be a lot there to love, and yet they've run all over their opposition since New Years. This despite struggles in net (not something we say often about the Preds!). I'm not convinced that their momentum can overcome raw talent though- but this is a tough one to call. Vancouver in six
Los Angeles @ Edmonton: Every year there's a push to crown the Oilers before the show even starts, because THIS time is the year. This one... feels like it might finally be it, honestly. And a big chunk of that comes from finally adding a third ridiculous offensive talent to the McDavid/Draisaitl show in Hyman. If they can get consistent goaltending, defense, and some help from other lines... it's still a lot to ask long-term, but for THIS round it's probably enough to overcome a Kings team that just hasn't impressed me enough. It also needs to be a success this time, because there might not be a lot more chances for this Oilers build to keep falling short. Oilers in four
Tampa @ Florida: The Battle Of The Panhandle is renewed, and this time it feels like the roles are a bit reversed, with the strong Panthers holding off an attack from a Tampa team that doesn't feel as scary as past years... or do they? Stamkos had a great season, and no one notices because Kucherov was out of ****** control all year long- turns out not stashing him on IR for the last few months of a season is good for him! This is a really tough series to call, but Florida's grit to me gives them a very slight edge. Guys like Tkachuk are built for this time of year, drawing penalties and scoring on the man advantage they create- it worked all spring last year, and I don't see a reason it won't this time. Florida in seven
Toronto @ Boston: AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- OK, ok, had to get that out of the way. Honestly, and you won't believe this, but I'm worrying about this one. Toronto isn't a great team- stacked up top, and to their credit the Samsonov experiment's second act has paid off surprisingly well. But there's not a great bottom-six, and their defense is just trash. But... Boston hasn't looked great lately. Part of that was finishing with a couple of games that they didn't really care about- they seemed to just want to get off the ice this week without injuries and didn't care about seeding, and after last year's Ulmark injury derailed things for them it's probably the right move. But it makes for a tough team to feel confident in going into the postseason like this, and I'm genuinely worried that the Leafs' raw offensive power might be too much for the Bruins' vaunted defense and goaltending tandem this time. Just... not enough to pick against them. Boston in seven
Washington @ Rangers: I can't think of ever having seen a race to the finish between multiple teams playing hot-potato with a playoff spot the way we just saw. It was like no one really wanted to get that last wild card, and were desperately trying to miss out. The 'loser' of it, in the end, were the Capitals, a team with an absolutely wretched goal differential, stuck staring down one of the best teams we've seen in a good while in New York. The Rags have scoring, defense, goaltending, special teams, it's a genuinely impressive team this time around. The Capitals... Lindgren has been a pretty surprising story in goal, and Ovechkin's awakening after Christmas has been nice to see, but there's not a ton here to feel confident about. Sorry, Caps fans, but the reward for winning this week is to be a Big Apple speed bump. New York in four
Islanders @ Carolina: HELLBIE UPSET SPECIAL! The Canes are a team designed from the keel up to win this time of year, and yet every time I watch them they just feel... off, somewhere. I can't quite put my finger on it- goaltending hasn't been a strong suit, but injury has been a big part of that. Just... something has me looking at them as another past-few-years Oilers team, seemingly fantastic but deeply flawed under the surface. They're not- at least not as openly- but I'm having a lot of trouble looking at them, despite all the firepower, and feeling confident. The Islanders are an openly wretched team with talent but no direction- they've never inspired confidence all year long, and despite the coaching change they still seem adrift most nights- someone will win this, why not make it fun and throw a little chaos into things? New York in seven
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