Toronto Maple Leafs vs Habs and Other 1st Round Predictions
The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Montreal Canadiens for the first time since the 1970s.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have to wait to start their playoff series for an entire week because the Vancouver Canucks for some reason have to play out the string. The Oilers and Canucks played yesterday in an exhibition game no one wanted or needed while the Bruins and Caps kicked off the playoffs.
Only in the NHL.
Oh well, it’s not like the rest won’t help, it’s just that personally I can’t wait. It’s not like I’ve got a lot going on here. And it’s still better than last year when we knew that the Leafs and Blue Jackets were going to play about six months in advance. By the time the series started I think I had previewed that thing in nine hundred different ways.
Speaking of that series, I think it gives the Leafs an amazing amount of valuable experience. One paradox about the NHL is that you can’t win until you’ve gone through the process a few times, and yet, during the process everyone constantly complains and tries constantly to get the GM fired.
Funny, I haven’t any horrible puns on Kyle Dubas’ name in a while. Speaking of Dubas, he became the best GM in Toronto Maple Leafs history before anyone but Gord Stellick was old enough to even run the team.
Anyways, Leafs should definitely make sure to use Rasmus Sandin, Alex Galchenyuk and Pierre Engvall in the playoffs. Here’s my predictions:
The Cheetahs vs the Panthers
Just because there are (seemingly) no laws in Florida doesn’t mean teams don’t have to abide by the NHL’s rules, it just seems like that.
Asking the 2017 Astros to hold their beer, the Lightning used ridiculous state tax laws and the long-term injured reserve to build a (approximately) $300 million dollar roster in a league with an $80 million dollar salary cap.
The question on everyone’s mind here is “does there even have to be a winner?” and yes, unfortunately there does. The defending Stanley Cup champs aren’t going down to the Panthers, as much as we’d like to see it.
Like a certain man who may or may not be Gritty’s biological father, the Bolts will prove that Karma isn’t real while they waltz to a four game sweep of the Aaron Ekblad-less Panthers.
Carolina vs Nashville
Could there be a blander matchup? Also known as the series whose TV ratings will be single digits, the two best musical locations in the NHL will go head to head.
The tunes will no doubt be great, but the hockey? Honestly, probably great too. Just because these aren’t popular teams doesn’t mean it won’t be a good series.
Roman Josi is always worth the price of admission and so is Sebastion Aho. Dougie Hamilton has fully recovered from his broken leg to almost score a point per game and finally get credit for being the NHL’s best defenseman……..ironically around the same time that Cale Makar passed him for the title.
This series will be a blast, don’t sell it short. Hurricanes will get it done in six though.
The West
Colorado vs the Blues
This is sort of an ironic matchup because in the NHL you are usually credited with all sorts of super powers once you win a Stanley Cup, while teams that haven’t won usually get pretty underrated.
Despite that, I don’t think anyone in their right mind thinks this series is going longer than four games. It is the President’s Trophy winning Avalanche vs the least deserving Cup Winners in recent memory.
Don’t expect any miracle runs this year, St. Louis. We thank you for Nelly, but that’s as far as it goes. This is the most lopsided series of the year, and it’s a slam dunk that the Avs win.
Vegas vs the Wild
Probably the dumbest thing in the history of pro sports is having a uniform and name as awesome as the Minnesota North Stars and then calling yourselves the Wild while dressing in a uniform that looks like it was designed by a colorblind Elk.
This is a perfect example though of why the NHL should do a 1 vs 16 ranking system. The Wild had too good of a season to just suddenly have to play the Knights in the first round, and you can say the same thing backwards and apply it to the Knights as well.
I’m just gonna pick an upset here because there almost certainly will be an upset in the first round and this seems like a good candidate. Wild in seven games.
Penguins vs the Islanders
The Penguins are going to win in five games. The Islanders are a terrible, terrible team that is so incredibly overrated it boggles the mind. Since March the 1st, the Ottawa Senators are ahead of them, which is 20 games.
Like last year, they were hot to start and finished so badly that if the season was longer they almost certainly would have missed the playoffs. The NHL’s most average division features three good teams that used to be great, so if you’re nostalgic for last decade, this is the division for you.
Capitals vs Bruins
At least one of my least favorite teams will be eliminated in round one, so that’s sweet. I predict that the Bruins will get this done because the addition of Taylor Hall has prolonged their run at the top. They’ve got the experience, the talent and the goaltending to get it done.
I just wouldn’t bet on it, because with Taylor Hall on the roster there is likely a better chance they somehow end up picking first overall next season than win a playoff game.
Edmonton vs the Jets
The Oilers would have a tougher time in this series if they had to play the actual Jets from Westside Story. The hockey version isn’t too hot and will get absolutely torched by McDavid, Draisaitl and whatever other guys happen to suit up for them.
Many people don’t think that the Oilers are a good team, because they think that depth and balance are large factors in who wins hockey games. Sometimes, when one team doesn’t have a player who is twice as good as any other team’s best player, this is true.
However, in the case of Connor McDavid, if you took him off the Oilers right now and made him play for the Sabres, or Ducks, or Red Wings, each of those teams would then be a top five contender for the Cup.
Oilers in five. Four if Connor feels like a rest between rounds.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs the Habs
The same thing I just said about the Oilers applies to Auston Matthews, just not quite as explicitly. Still, expect Matthews to score five goals in the five games this series takes, and the expect the Leafs to finally make it to round two without breaking a sweat.
The Habs are a superstar short of being one of the NHL’s best teams. Until they find their own Matthews, or at the very least, their own Mark Stone, they won’t make much of their excellent depth and roster.
Next. The Leafs Top 10 Prospects. dark
A summer time acquisition of Jack Eichel should be their priority. As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it should be finally their time to break through.