2023 NHL Playoff Preview and Predictions
By Vincent Barlow 2h Ago
__________________________________________________
It came down to the very last day of the regular season before all 16 teams competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs were officially known. The Los Angeles Kings for example, overtook the Anaheim Ducks on the final day of the season with a win over the Vancouver Canucks, someone they could potentially see in these Playoffs. Unlikely, but possible.
With every team gearing up and preparing for the war that is the Playoffs, we can finally sit down and use our crystal ball to see who will come out on top and be awarded the Stanley Cup. We'll start with "Predictions" (We all know the Crystal Ball is never wrong) for the back-to-back President Trophy winning Avalanche series.
| Colorado Avalanche (1) vs Los Angeles Kings (WC2) |
 | VS |  |
Colorado Avalanche
(0-0) | | Los Angeles Kings
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | Curtis Lazar
Sore Shoulder (Day-to-Day) | | Mikey Anderson
Sprained Ankle (1-2 Weeks) |
| | Arthur Kaliyev
Strained Hamstring (Day-to-Day) |
| | Alex Turcotte
Upper Body Injury (Pending Evaluation) |
|
It was an absolute shock last season when after the record breaking year the Avalanche had, they were eliminated in 6 games by the Edmonton Oilers in round one. All fingers were pointed at franchise players Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Both were good in the series but as players of their calibre, "good" wasn't enough. However MacKinnon took the blame following Game 6 in his post-game press conference where he said this.
"I clearly wasn't good enough. I'm no longer that 18 year old kid anymore. I've spent 9 seasons in this league and haven't won jack sh*t. If I want that to change I have to be better. Plain and Simple."
MacKinnon clearly took that statement to heart because he finished this season with 70 freaking goals. That's the most scored in a season since 1992-93 when Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny both had 76 goals. Incredible. Now with Mack taking home to the Rocket Richard and Art Ross trophy he has his eyes set on the Stanley Cup.
That goal starts here against the Los Angeles Kings. The Avalanche have them beat on paper in just about every category. Better offense, better defense, better goaltending. The Kings have injuries to three key players which only makes them bigger underdogs in this series. The Avs finished with 31 more points then LA. Realistically, the Avs should wipe the floor with the Kings
COL in 4 Games
| Minnesota Wild (2) vs Winnipeg Jets (3) |
 | VS |  |
Minnesota Wild
(0-0) | | Winnipeg Jets
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | No Injuries
| | No Injuries
|
|
The first of three matchups that also happened last playoffs, the Minnesota Wild will once again face the Winnipeg Jets in round one. However, I'm not so sure the result will repeat itself. The Wild did finish 10 points ahead of the Jets in the standings but how the two teams ended the season bodes well for one and bad for the other.
The Jets finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the league. Going 7-1-2 to end the year will give Winnipeg momentum heading into the Playoffs. You never want that if your the opposing team. And in this case the opposing team is one that finished the season on a low note. The Wild went just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and it's really due to the question marks they have in net
After what Fleury did last season in helping Minnesota in their run to the Finals, it was believed he could be this team's full time starter. Boy were the Wild wrong. Fleury would lose the starter job, once again, throughout the year to rookie goaltender Daniil Tarasov. The Russian was solid through the majority of the season but towards the last couple months he began to struggle. It left Minnesota scrambling with both their goalies failing to win the team games. It resulted in rookie goalies coming in an getting games in to try and find something that worked. Eventually Tarasov somewhat found his game enough to trust him to end the season.
With the massive question mark in net for Minnesota and the fact their facing a goalie like Hellebuyck, who was stellar last year in round one, it's hard to have the Wild coming out on top in this series.
WPG in 6 Games
| Edmonton Oilers (1) vs Arizona Coyotes (WC1) |
 | VS |  |
Edmonton Oilers
(0-0) | | Arizona Coyotes
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | Cody Ceci
MCL Sprain (Day-to-Day) | | No Injuries
|
|
For the first time ever the Edmonton Oilers will be facing the Arizona Coyotes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not since the original Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix have these two teams played each other in the playoffs. With that said, it means these teams don't really have a lot of history with each other. It also means something could be ignited between them after this series ends.
The favorite is clearly the Oilers in this one. They have the game breakers in McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard that the Coyotes just can't match. Patrick Kane is arguably the best player on the Arizona roster and while he's still a very good player, he's no longer on the level of the Oilers trio. You could argue the Coyotes have more depth on the blueline but they also don't have a star like Bouchard. We'll have to see if the likes of Chychrun, Parayko and Ekholm can make up for that.
Where it comes down to for the Coyotes is in net. Acquired in the offseason, Cam Talbot has been solid in net for Arizona this season. Where it becomes scary is when you look at how Talbot did last year with the Wild. Going into the Playoffs as the starter, after two games where he lost both and had a .806 SV% doing it, Talbot didn't see the ice for the rest of Minnesota's run. Will history repeat itself this time around?
EDM in 5 Games
| Vancouver Canucks (2) vs Vegas Golden Knights (3) |
 | VS |  |
Vancouver Canucks
(0-0) | | Vegas Golden Knights
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | No Injuries
| | Brayden McNabb
Pulled Groin (1-2 Weeks) |
| | Zach Whitecloud
MCL Sprain (2-3 Months) |
|
The Canucks vs the Golden Knights in my opinion is a coin flip between who could win. With the amount of talent in this series it will easily be one of the most exciting to sit back and watch. Pettersson, Eichel, Garland, Stone, Pacioretty, Hughes, Theodore, Lehner, Demko. The list goes on and on.
The offensive advantage is virtually even. If you really had to give it to someone then you would likely lean Vegas due to Pacioretty really taking his game to the next level these past two years. Then you look at the defense and again are left to decide between equals. Hughes and Theodore are similar players on the back end with both able to step it up when needed. I'd have to give the advantage to the Canucks due to the presence of veterans like OEL and Brent Burns while Vegas, with McNabb and Whitecloud out, will rely on Danil Miromanov and former Canuck Ben Hutton.
Lastly, we look at goaltending. Thatcher Demko vs Robin Lehner. Just looking at the regular season, Lehner looks like the favourite. He's a former Vezina winner and has 42 playoff games under his belt compared to Demko's 10. The thing is, Thatcher Demko turns into a beast come playoff time. Although it is just 10 games, the American has a .948 SV% and 1.75 GAA through those games. Small sample size sure but it's still something to take note of.
VGK in 7 Games
| New York Rangers (1) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (WC2) |
 | VS |  |
New York Rangers
(0-0) | | Tampa Bay Lightning
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | Sam Gagner
Broken Nose (3-4 Weeks) | | Nino Niederreiter
Hip Pointer (1-2 Weeks) | Dryden Hunt
Concussion (3-4 Weeks) | |
|
|
The second rematch from the 2022 NHL Playoffs, the Rangers will look to get payback against the Lightning who eliminated them last season. What's very interesting about this series is that the role have completely reversed from last year. In 2022 it was the Lightning who finished first in the Eastern Conference and the Rangers made it in as the second wildcard. It's actually pretty insane to think how different these teams have performed just a year later
So how did the Lightning take such a fall from grace, dropping from a one seed last year to second wildcard this year? It was the way they started the season. Through the 25 or so games the Lightning had one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference. Vasilevskiy was struggling and just overall the team was stumbling. Even by the All Star Break they were 6th in the wildcard race. The experienced team really turned it around after that moment with "Vasi" finding his game. They ended the season hot with an 8-2 record.
The New York Rangers defied odds this season when some analysts predicted them to miss the playoffs entirely. They had lost Copp in free agency and chose to bring in 39 year old Jason Spezza and Vegas throwaway Nicolas Roy. It turned out to be a perfect situation for both of them in New York with Spezza turning back the clock and potting 20 goals, his highest since 2016. Nicolas Roy shined on the third line alongside Spezza with 41 points, 30 of which were assists. The Rangers young guys really took a step forward and Igor Shesterkin will likely win his first Vezina Trophy after going 39-20-2 with a .913 SV%.
So who will come out victorious in this matchup? I'm going to go with the experienced Lightning. They have the veterans that have been through this process while the Rangers are still very young. Shesterkin vs Vasilevskiy will be a sight to see in this series but Igor is unproven to this point in the Playoffs. I have it going the distance with Tampa Bay finishing the Rags off in Game 7
TBL in 7 Games
| New York Islanders (2) vs Washington Capitals (3) |
 | VS |  |
New York Islanders
(0-0) | | Washington Capitals
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | No Injuries
| | No Injuries
|
|
The last rematch from last season, the New York Islanders will take on the Washington Capitals, this time with home ice advantage. This is one of my most anticipated matchups because of how these teams matchup.
The Islanders play a defensive style of game with Barry Trotz behind the bench. Patrice Bergeron and Philip Danault are the golden boys for defense in the NHL and could both be nominated for the Selke Trophy after the seasons they had. Simultaneously the Capitals are built for offense. Ovechkin had 46 goals this season at 37 years old and has formed a great first line with Kuznetsov and Mantha. John Carlson also adds a lot of offensive firepower to the backend.
So in a series that has two distinct styles, which one will be better? I think the amount of depth the Islanders have will be too much for the Capitals. I didn't even mention Matt Barzal when speaking about the Islanders, who has seen time on the third line because of the stacked center depth in New York. It really does come down to the goalie matchup though. Sorokin wasn't exactly spectacular during the regualr season and was bad last postseason with a .889 SV% in the Isles first round loss to Washington last year. On the other hand Vanecek won 40 games for the Caps and had a .915 SV% through 13 playoff games last year. This one will be close but I have trust in Sorokin stepping up, Islanders in six
NYI in 6 Games
| Florida Panthers (1) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (WC1) |
 | VS |  |
Florida Panthers
(0-0) | | Pittsburgh Penguins
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | Gustav Forsling
Wrist Sprain (Day-to-Day) | | No Injuries
| Jaroslav Halak
Bruised Hand (Day-to-Day) | |
| Chase Priskie
Broken Leg (2-4 Months) | |
|
|
Similar to the Edmonton and Arizona series, these teams have faced each other in a playoff series just once before. It was back in 1996 when the Florida Panthers defeated a Pittsburgh Penguins team that featured Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. The Panthers would end up losing in the Finals that year to the Colorado Avalanche. Now in 2023 the two teams will go at it again.
The Penguins roster is old and running out of time to win a Stanley Cup with their core. Sidney Crosby is 35 and Evgeni Malkin is 36 . They'll have at the most three more seasons of competing before their window closes. The Panthers meanwhile are just hitting their prime, evident by winning the Stanley Cup last season. Their offense is ridicilously stacked and are led by Huberdeau and Barko, both under 30 years of age.
The Penguins don't look like a serious contender here to the Panthers. I wouldn't be surprised to see a sweep here at the hand of Florida. Tristan Jarry will need to stand on his head this series if Pittsburgh even wants to sniff the second round.
FLA in 4 Games
| Toronto Maple Leafs (2) vs Boston Bruins (3) |
 | VS |  |
Toronto Maple Leafs
(0-0) | | Boston Bruins
(0-0) |
| Injury Report | Auston Matthews
Upper Body Injury (Pending Evaluation) | | Taylor Hall
Post Concussion Syndrome (1-2 Months) | Jake Muzzin
Concussion (Day-to-Day) | |
|
|
The biggest storyline before this series even starts is how severe is Auston Matthews injury? The Maple Leafs star was the recipient of a Tom Wilson hit in the last game of the season against the Capitals. It forced the American to leave the game and not return. Thus far it's only been reported as an upper body injury with rumors circulating that it's a concussion, although the severity is unknown. If Toronto will have to face the Boston Bruins Matthews-less I don't know if they would be able to get it done.
However the Leafs aren't the only one with significant injuries with Bruins winger Taylor Hall officially out for the series with post-concussion syndrome. The former Hart Trophy winner was productive this season with 65 points in 76 games. Him being unavailable will leave a hole in the Boston lineup that someone will have to step up and fill.
With Matthews's health in doubt, I don't have any faith in the Maple Leafs depth to be able to make up for his absence. Outside of the big 3 in Nylander, Marner and Tavares there isn't anyone that is someone you can call a second line calibre player. The Bruins are just a better built team, even with the loss of Bergeron in the offseason. The curse continues in Toronto, failing again to make it out of round one
BOS in 5 Games
07-05-2022, 04:34 PM
