It’s that time of year again to play on nhl The ice gets hot, and every hit, every save and every goal means so much more.
This Saturday marks the beginning of the 16 teams competing for the supreme honor of lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup, and that’s always a difficult process after an 82-game regular season.
and as stanley cup playoffs Teach us every season, whoever reaches the playoffs has a chance to advance and reach the finals. Take the Florida Panthers, the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this year, who swept last season’s Presidents Trophy winners Boston Bruins in the first round before reaching the finals.
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Alex Pietrangelo #7 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with the Stanley Cup after a 9-3 win against the Florida Panthers in game five of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada . (Jack Krill/NHLI via Getty Images)
the panthers would eventually lose vegas golden knightsBut it’s a new year and a new chance to become Stanley Cup champion.
But which of the 16 teams has the best chances of winning? When it comes to firing on all cylinders in all three phases of the game, four teams stand out.
First, let’s take a look at two mystery candidates who may surprise some people in these playoffs.
Dark Horse: Colorado Avalanche/Winnipeg Jets
It’s hard to be any dark horse considering the rosters we’re going to see on the ice, but it’s the hardest to put the Avalanche in this category.
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First, they have championship pedigree, having hoisted the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. And players like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Calle Makar, Devon Toews and the list goes on, making the Avalanche a true contender out west.
The only question mark, however, is goaltender Alexander Georgiev. Yes, that’s a stretch, but his goals-against average this season was 3.02, which is 34th in the NHL, and his save percentage was .897, which is the worst mark of his career and tied for 39th in the league.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) congratulates goaltender Alexander Georgiev (40) after the team’s 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in an NHL hockey game on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022 in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
It’s a choice of evil, but goaltending is what separates good teams from great teams.
The Jets have no problems whatsoever, as Connor Hellebuyck is the frontrunner to win the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender this year. He has a .921 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average for the year. Even when a team isn’t able to make things happen offensively, having a great goaltender always carries the series.
The Jets are hot, winning their last seven games, but they haven’t made the conference finals since 2017-18, lost in the first round last year and haven’t advanced there just once since .
4. Florida Panthers
The defending East champions are no longer the Cinderella No. 8 seeds this season. They won the Atlantic Division with 110 points (52–24–6) and a plus-68 goal differential – best in the conference.
When Matthew Tkachuk is on your second line, you’re likely to have a strong offensive game. Right wing Sam Reinhart finished second in the league with 57 goals this season, and his 94 points lead the Panthers as he works well with Alexander Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko, who were traded midseason.
Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with Sam Reinhart #13 after scoring the game winning goal on Antti Raanta #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes during overtime in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena in May . 20, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
And of course, the Carter Verhaeghe line with Tkachuk and Sam Bennett is lethal at both ends of the ice, consistently bringing energy and trouble on the forecheck. Ultimately, a Cup-winning team needs the goalscoring ability of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
This time the roles are reversed for the Panthers, who will face the always tough Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
Rod Brind’Amour’s team finally advanced past the second round last year, but were swept by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, once again, the Hurricanes are a well-oiled machine looking to make a run at the Stanley Cup Finals.
Sebastian Aho has been fantastic for this group with 89 points (36 goals, 53 assists), and the addition of Jake Guentzel adds a solid wing presence that knows what it takes to win in the playoffs.
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Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at PNC Arena on March 11, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Josh Lovely/NHLI via Getty Images)
But the Hurricanes are actually very strong on the back end with Brady Skeey, Brent Burns, Jakob Slavin and Dmitry Orlov. It will be very difficult for all these veterans playing at the top of their game to find rhythm on the forecheck. And, of course, Pyotr Kochetkov’s 2.33 goals against average was second in the league this season.
Carolina is also the second-best power play team in the league this season, and being the best in adversity is a game changer in the playoffs. The New York Islanders will be their opponents in the first round starting on Saturday.
2.Dallas Stars
The best team in the West this season is simply a unit.
The team’s star left winger Jason Robertson leads the team in points with 80 (29 goals, 51 assists), which is only tied for 27th in the league this season. But the Stars have a plus-64 goal differential, as they have received contributions from almost everyone in the goal department.
Wyatt Johnston leads the way with 32, while Rupe Hintz (30), Joe Pavelski (27), Matt Duchene (25), Jamie Benn (21) and Tyler Seguin (25) have found offensive success.
Joe Pavelski #16 of the Dallas Stars skates against the Seattle Kraken in game seven of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 15, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
This is a team that knows what it takes to make a run, and they are hungry after losing in the conference finals last season. This team also has players like Benn and Seguin who are still feeling the sting of the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Finals loss.
With Jake Oettinger playing well in net, the Stars get a favorable matchup against the Los Angeles Kings to start their playoffs.
1. New York Rangers
I know how cliché it is to select Presidents Trophy winners for the regular season, especially after what we saw with the Boston Bruins last season.
But everything is happening at exactly the right time for this Rangers team that is loaded from top to bottom.
First of all, Igor Shesterkin has been a different animal since the All-Star break, performing those highlight-reel saves like he did a few nights ago against Islanders star Mat Barzal while facing a brick wall in his crease. Was.
Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers practices before Game One of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs at the Prudential Center on April 18, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Gresley/NHLI via Getty Images)
Then, there’s Artemi Panarin, who is fourth-best in points this season with 120 (49 goals, 71 assists) and he’s feasting on the league’s third-best power play unit. He had a career-high 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 power-play points this season, and drew the Rangers’ tough forecheck penalties.
Panarin is just one part of Peter Laviolette’s machine, as Vincent Trocheck and veteran captain Chris Kreider tallied 77 and 75 points, respectively. Mika Zibanejad had 72 points, while star defenseman Adam Fox also played well on the power play, finishing with 56 assists and 73 points.
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin this weekend, and four teams have the upper hand in the win-or-go-home series. (Getty Images)
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Fox, with the potential additions of K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba, Eric Gustafsson and Brawler Matt Rempe, gets a new opportunity to add some strength to the likes of Tom Wilson and the Washington Capitals in the first round with tireless forwards and a stellar defensive core. . York have a chance to make a run they have not seen since 2013–14 when they lost the final.
It has also been exactly 30 years since the team’s last Stanley Cup championship. Could luck be on the Blueshirts’ side?
