Slapshots - Stanley Cup Playoffs 2017: First Round Edition

4/12/2017

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

Fire up your Zamboni and lace up your skates, it’s playoff hockey time! A wonderful, wild regular season has come to an end and we’re on the brink of postseason intensity. A mix of familiar faces and teams who have yet to win a Stanley Cup enter the 16 team tournament that starts tonight.

Thanks to the current playoff format (which the NHL put in place in 2013-14), we’ve got some wacky yet competitive matchups. Instead of the three-seed Blue Jackets hosting the six-seed Ottawa Senators, they’ll start on the road against the two-seed defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This leaves the Senators and the seven-seed Boston Bruins to square off. On the one hand, this allows for divisional rivalries to bloom and for more engaging competition, as teams closer in strength play each other. On the other hand, it deprives strong teams of being rewarded for their efforts. This all ties in to a larger conversation about whether the NHL needs to reformat their playoffs again. Nonetheless, there are some fun series on deck.

In another big playoff story that we’ve been covering all year, the country of Canada has made a comeback! After every single Canadian-based team missed the playoffs last year for the first time in a long time, the 2016-17 playoffs feature five of the seven teams from the Great White North. Montreal and Edmonton both come in as higher seeds.

Without further ado, here’s a preview of each of the eight playoff series, along with my prediction for each one.

Western Conference

Chicago Blackhawks (C1) v. Nashville Predators (WC2)
With plenty of star power in Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Atermi 'The Bread Man' Panarin, and Jonathan Toews, the perennial Cup contending Chicago Blackhawks are back in the mix. The Hawks won the championship in 2010, 2013, and 2015, and hope to keep the dynasty rolling. More than your typical eight-seed wild card, Nashville represents a strong threat to those hopes. The Predators stocked up in the offseason to make a playoff push, trading for star defenseman P.K. Subban. If goalie Pekka Rinne – who has been solid this season – can step up in the postseason, the Preds may have a chance. It’ll be a test, though, as the Blackhawks won four out of the five games between the two Central Division rivals this season, including the most recent showdown in March.
Series Pick: Chicago Blackhawks in 7

Minnesota Wild (C2) v. St. Louis Blues (C3)
The Minnesota Wild looked great all season, even holding on to the league’s best record for a long stretch before losing ground to the Capitals in the East and the Blackhawks in the West. Things have changed since then, with some less-than-stellar goalie play from Devan Dubnyk sinking Minnesota into a slump. The St. Louis Blues are hot going into the postseason, winning seven of their last 10 games. Heck, the Blues are on fire since firing Ken Hitchcock and hiring former Wild coach Mike Yeo. St. Louis went 22-8-2 to finish the season after making the coaching change, clawing their way into a fairly good playoff spot. The fight between these foes should be a battle of streaks and will likely rest on which Dubnyk decides to show up.
Series Pick: St. Louis Blues in 6

Anaheim Ducks (P1) v. Calgary Flames (WC1)
Fire. Chippiness. The Box of Shame. All should be expected if the last game between these two is any indication. The Flames and Ducks played in the second to last game of the season, treating us to a nice preview of the playoff series. That game ended with a staggering 104 total penalty minutes being awarded for fights and game misconducts after Calgary’s Mark Giordano hit and injured Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler. That lends itself to a tense and ugly series ahead.
Series Pick: Anaheim Ducks in 5

Edmonton Oilers (P2) v. San Jose Sharks (P3)
Just last season, the Edmonton Oilers went a bleak 31-43-8 and finished dead last in the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks powered through to the Stanley Cup Finals and took the Pittsburgh Penguins to six games before losing. The fortunes have swung for both squads this year, though both have earned their playoff spots and are primed to make a run. Rookie Connor McDavid has helped escalate the Oilers’ offense, as he led the league in assists (70) and points (100). The Sharks have struggled against the Oilers this season, winning only two of five games and playing poorly in the losses. San Jose has faded towards the end of the season, catching a bit of the injury bug along the way. The Sharks have playoff experience, but Edmonton has gotten things going late in the season.
Series Pick: Edmonton Oilers in 7

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (M1) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (WC2)
'Started from the bottom, now we here.' Like Toronto compatriot Drake, the Maple Leafs have gone from worst in the league last year to the playoffs in 2017. That jump was due in large part to rookie phenom Auston Matthews, the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the NHL. The Leafs may be a quick out though, as they come up against the Cup favorites. The Washington Capitals currently have 3-1 odds to get over the hump and win it all; the Maple Leafs are at the other end of the spectrum with 40-1 odds. The Caps look like they have what it takes to finally win the Stanley Cup with the league’s best defense and goaltending (a league low 182 goals allowed) and plenty of firepower (+81 goal differential).
Series Pick: Washington Capitals in 5

Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) v. Columbus Blue Jackets (M3)
While this Metropolitan Division battle should make for great competition, it is easily the most unfortunate matchup of this year’s playoffs. The Blue Jackets defied expectations and were tremendous all year. However, rather than being rewarded with home-ice advantage and a lower-seeded opponent, Columbus drew the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams have stumbled into the postseason, with Pittsburgh going 4-4-2 and Columbus going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. The Jackets boast an extremely well-rounded team and a shut-down defense, along with the best goalie in the league. The Penguins counter that immovable object with their unstoppable force offense as the highest scoring team in the NHL. Plus, Pittsburgh has the edge in playoff experience.
Series Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins in 7

Montreal Canadiens (A1) v. New York Rangers (WC1)
The Rangers looked unstoppable early in the season, seeming to score at will in every game. Their offense has flattened out a bit since then (but it was still good for the fourth most goals) and they’ve fallen to a wild card spot. They’ve also seen goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s play slip a bit this season. The Canadiens are a team that rely heavily on goalie play as well, and Carey Price has been more than dependable. Price and some Max Pacioretty goals could give Les Habs the upper hand in the series. New York, however, is always a formidable playoff team.
Series Pick: Montreal Canadiens in 7

Ottawa Senators (A2) v. Boston Bruins (A3)
The Sens-Bruins matchup is full of swing potential. Ottawa and Boston both notched 44 wins and finished 6th and 7th in the Eastern Conference, respectively. The Senators are the only team in the playoffs with a negative goal differential, scoring 212 goals on the year but allowing 214. This seems like something the Bruins should be able to capitalize on, but on the other hand, the Bruins failed to beat the Senators in four games this year. In each, Ottawa came away with the victory in close games, all decided by one or two goals. Seeding aside, this series is quite evenly matched and could easily go either way.
Series Pick: Boston Bruins in 6

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