Toronto Maple Leafs vs Habs and Other 1st Round Predictions
By James Tanner
![TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 13: Ben Chiarot #8 of the Montreal Canadiens fights Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 13: Ben Chiarot #8 of the Montreal Canadiens fights Wayne Simmonds #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f2599c8477cb469759ad501853b62f0e08e6c33ab597090df8569bac6c756a8e.jpg)
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.