NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018

[Sal]

The NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight with 16 teams going on a 2 month journey to win the oldest and toughest to win trophy in pro sports: the Stanley Cup. The games will be seen in the US on NBC and NBCSN while in Canada you can see the games on CBC and Sportsnet. I'll have the schedules for both channels but first my fearless predictions:


WESTERN CONFERENCE

VEGAS vs LOS ANGELES


The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the hockey world by setting multiple franchise records for first-year expansion teams and as a result have become an early and surprising potential Cup favourite. The Kings have won the Cup before but this team may be too old and slow to handle a hungrier and faster Vegas team.

Prediction: Vegas in 6

NASHVILLE vs COLORADO


Another early Cup favourite facing another of the league's pleasant surprises. This time I see the experience factor winning out as Nashville is just too good in all areas of the game to get much resistance from the Avalanche. Next year, I could see Colorado taking this series, but for now, they're just not ready yet.

Nashville in 5


SAN JOSE vs ANAHEIM

The battle of California between two of the best teams in the West that for me is simply too close to call. This will come down to the very end and I see the Sharks winning because I think they are the better team.

San Jose in 7

WINNIPEG vs MINNESOTA

Canada's "other" team has been getting a lot of support from Canadians who see the Jets as a potential Cup champion and a solid hope to end Canada's long Cup drought which goes back to 1993. They do have a very good team but they have to beat a lot of tough opponents along the way. The Wild don't figure to be one of them so it's very likely the Jets win this series easily but if there's going to be an upset along the way, I would love it if it happened here.

Minnesota in 6


EASTERN CONFERENCE

TAMPA BAY vs NEW JERSEY

The Devils make the playoffs for the first time in six years and as their reward, they get to face one of the top teams in the East in Tampa Bay that is expected to go very far in this post-season. This series will only be a minor speed bump along the way. There's no way in hell that the Devils can win this series.

Tampa in 4

WASHINGTON vs COLUMBUS

Another potential mismatch. Columbus can't seem to get a break. Last year, they were beaten badly by the champion Pens. This year, they get the Caps, led by Alex Ovechkin, who seems to get stronger and more determined each season. Only a miracle can stop him this time, or failing that, another series with Pittsburgh.

Caps in 5

PHILADELPHIA vs PITTSBURGH

This series will be an all-out war between two teams and cities that hate each other so much that the trash-talking on both sides is expected to reach epic levels. A lot of it will be directed at Sidney Crosby, who is still the best player on the planet, and this is the big stage where he will prove it yet again. This series should come down to the very last shot and the Penguins simply have more ammunition.

Pittsburgh in 7

BOSTON vs TORONTO

The Leafs go back to the scene of the crime to try to erase the horrifying nightmare of Game 7 in 2013. This year, they look to be better prepared with a faster, younger, and more exciting team to watch. The Bruins have also gone to a younger group after a couple of disappointing seasons and it has paid off in a season that saw them get to within one point of first place. They will be the heavy favourites in this series because of the standings and because of that previous series but I prefer not to think about all of that. I'm going with my team all the way!

Leafs in 6



As I promised above, here is the TV schedule for all the games in all the series in Round 1.

TV Schedule (US and Canada) for Round 1 (Note: SN refers to Sportsnet.)


No matter where you watch the games or which teams you follow and cheer for, each series will start on a horribly sad note. As you may have heard by now, last Friday before a playoff game of their own, the Humboldt Broncos junior team was involved in a terrible crash in which their team bus collided with another vehicle and left the bus completely wrecked. In the crash, 15 people died and 14 were badly wounded and are still in hospital. NHL teams have offered their assistance and prayers to try to help the citizens of Humboldt and last Saturday's season finales offered many touching tributes to the fallen hockey stars. To date, the #GoFundMe charity promotion which was started on Twitter in wake of the tragedy has raised over 6 million dollars and counting from people worldwide. I have posted their team logo as my avatar as my own little tribute to the team. The suffering continues but the games will still go on, but this year, it won't feel the same.