From a field of 16 eager teams wanting to get their hands on the Stanley Cup, the playoffs have slimmed down to the final four. Three of the four divisional winners remain, and the teams remaining are the best of the best. In the East, the Hurricanes have stormed through the first two rounds, as they have not lost a game, but on the other hand, the Canadiens find themselves in the Conference Finals after winning two gutsy Game 7’s. In the Western Conference, it is the Golden Knights and the Avalanche squaring off in the playoffs, for the first time since 2021. They both won their divisions and it is a faceoff of the heavyweights in the West.
Starting off with the Eastern Conference Finals, the Canadiens and Hurricanes face each other for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final. My prediction for this series is that the Hurricanes will win the series 4-1, with Montreal’s only win coming in Game 3. Through two series, Montreal has played 14 games, which is almost double to the eight games Carolina has played. By the time the series will start on Thursday night, Carolina will have had 11 days of rest since the last game they played. The Canadiens have had two grueling series and they will not have enough gas to take down the best team in the East. Not only is Carolina well rested, they have shredded their opponents so far. They are perfect in the postseason and have only allowed 1.25 goals a game, displaying how spectacular Frederik Andersen has been in the playoffs. They are a shutdown defensive team, as they lead in goaltending and penalty kill. It is hard to break down the Canes and the Canadiens, while they won the series against the Sabres, showed a lot of flaws. Jakub Dobes, the Habs’ goalie, has been tremendous for the most part, but he has given up poor goals at times and has not been lights out like Andersen. The Hurricanes are a well-oiled machine and it is difficult to get past them.
In addition, the scary thing to me is that I do not think they have reached top gear yet either. Some of their star players, like Sebastian Aho, who led the team in points in the regular season, have not played a significant role in the team’s success so far. In my eyes, the Canes are yet to be unleashed and there is more in them than we have seen. For the Canes, the key to the series is simple. They have to get shots off on the rookie goalie, Jakub Dobes, and most importantly, Andersen needs to be on his A game. Carolina’s success so far is based on how he has played and they need to continue their outstanding defense. On the other side, it will be a difficult series for the Canadiens but the keys for them are to disrupt the Hurricanes’ flow and get through that tenacious defense. The Hurricanes do not make many mistakes but the Canadiens have to get them uncomfortable and inflict pressure on them. If the Canadiens show up to this series with a full tank of energy, it could be tight but otherwise, it will be the Carolina Hurricanes who will ease through towards the Cup Final.
The second Conference Final is on the Western side, between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights. My prediction is that the Avalanche will win this series in six games. This series is the one I have my eyes on, and both teams have a plethora of star players. Colorado so far, they have only lost one game in the playoffs, and in the second round, they played an extremely solid series against a fantastic team, the Minnesota Wild. The Avs were the best team in the NHL and after a first round series against the LA Kings where they kept it low scoring and tight, we saw the other side of them in the second round. The Avs averaged 4.8 goals a game against the Wild, a significant increase from the 3.25 goals a game they averaged against the Kings. This is a team that can play fast and loose, but also play lock down defense, which makes it challenging to beat them. Colorado has taken care of business so far but in this round, it will be tougher against a brilliant Golden Knights squad. Vegas is a fun team to watch and that all stems from Mitch Marner, who has been the playoffs MVP so far. After two points in the first three games of his playoffs with the Knights, Marner, the acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs, has 16 points in his last 10 games. Marner and Jack Eichel have the most playoff points so far and they are the reason the Golden Knights are winning games currently. In games where they have one point or less, Vegas has either lost or the games have been close, for them most part, showing how their success aligns with the team’s success. These playmakers will have to carry the team in this series and make the most of their opportunities, because Colorado is a difficult hockey club to play against. The Avalanche win in the depth department and their depth over Vegas will win them this series, but Marner and Eichel will be able to win Vegas two games.
The key for the Avalanche in this series is to put all their attention on Marner and Eichel. They have combined for 33 points in 16 games for the Knights, and without them, Vegas would be first round exits. In addition, the Avs have to watch out for the Knights’ penalty kill, which has tallied four shorthanded goals. These types of goals flip the momentum and really hurt, so the Avs have to be wary when they are on the power play. For Vegas, the way they win this series is if they turn it into a goalfest. As seen in the first round, Colorado dominates and locks down defensively in tight, low scoring games so if Vegas can breach that defense, they will have a better chance. In Game 3 of the Avalanche against the Wild, Minnesota blitzed the Avalanche, scoring 5 goals in a 5-1 win, and that led to Colorado’s only loss of the season. The Golden Knights have to get past that tight Avalanche defense and score some goals of their own, or else it will be nearly impossible for them to win. This will be an entertaining series between two Western Conference rivals, and a trip to the big stage is on the line for both of them.
The end of May is approaching and the Stanley Cup Finals are only a couple of weeks away. The Avalanche, Golden Knights, Canadiens, and Hurricanes are the best four teams in hockey, but only one can hoist the pristine silver trophy at the end of the playoffs. Will the Hurricanes make it to their first Cup Final since 2006 or will the Canadiens bring glory to their epic fanbase with an appearance in the Finals? Can the Colorado Avalanche continue their stellar season by defeating Vegas or will the Golden Knights take down the President Trophy winners?