I have no teams at stake in this 2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The first round has some powerful match ups to get the Stanley Cup playoffs in gear. Playoffs in every sport are always the best as teams try to rise up to the challenge. You see unsung heroes come up with the clutch play and possibly profit off that performance down the road in a big way. May be worth it or may not for your team’s salary cap in the future. The Stanley Cup playoffs is always one of the best post-seasons played out in the sports landscape. I make some predictions. I have some teams that sparked my interest who I’m rooting for. Sometimes you have to adopt a team here and there for only a few weeks, as I’m not a bandwagon jumper. My hockey predictions pretty much stink at all costs each season. With no teams I like involved, maybe I have a clearer mind and will come away looking like a genius. Just don’t count on that logic I’m feeding you.

ROUND ONE PREDICTIONS (DING !!!!!)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

FLORIDA PANTHERS VERSUS WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Could this Panther team have been Joel Quenneville’s masterpiece team as a head coach? Will the natives get restless over Superstar Alex Ovechkin being buddies with the new Hitler lurking in Russia? The Florida Panthers come into post-season with the best record in regular season play. The Capitals probably have the best player in the NHL, but Ovechkin will play banged up dealing with injuries. Panthers have dominated the Caps throughout regular season as well. Panthers roll out 4 solid lines. Then add the solid goal tending the Panthers have especially with their Russian Sergei Bobrovsky in the net. The Capitals will need a few healthy Ovechkin’s to win this series.

PREDICTION: PANTHERS ARE A LOCK IN 4 GAMES

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VERSUS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Can the Lightning win three Stanley Cups in a row? Can the Maple Leafs make it out of the first round of the playoffs? How long do we have to wait, you hosers?

Toronto has a Superstar on the rise. Can Auston Matthews be the rise of the Bat Man and take his play to the next level and knock out the champs in the first round?

Matthews has had a great month closing out the regular season and tallied up 60 regular season goals for the Leafs. Can Jack Campbell hold up in net for the Leafs if the series, you know, should go 7 games? The Lightning have an all-star team that has did this, done that. Andrei Vasilevskiy in my opinion is one of the best goalies in the game. Vasilevskiy’s playoff experience alone gives the Lightning a shot at escaping the first round. Look for my sleeper of the series, Brandon Hagel, to make some noise in this series for the Lighting. He’s a guy they got from the Blackhawks at the trade deadline.

History will repeat itself.

PREDICTION: LIGHTNING IN SIX GAMES

CAROLINA HURRICANES VERSUS BOSTON BRUINS

If you’re a Hurricanes fan, the Boston Bruins would be the last team you want to play in the first round action. Boston and Carolina have squared off in two recent post-seasons and the Bruins made the Hurricanes feel like a light drizzle on a sunny day. Bruins won both series tallying 8 victories to one defeat. The Hurricanes like to shoot the puck at the net. More shots the better. The Bruins have the personnel to keep the good shots from hitting and giving the Hurricanes tougher shots most of the series with a stellar defense. Watch Bruins Captain Defenseman, Patrice Bergeron, on the ice if you don’t believe me.

Hurricanes are another team with an injury to their starting goalie. When will Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen return to action? I have to go with the history in this series.

PREDICTION: BRUINS IN SIX GAMES

NEW YORK RANGERS VERSUS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

The Penguins and the Rangers may be the best series of the entire first round. The Penguins have one of the all-time greats in Sid the Kid Crosby. The Rangers have a goalie.

The rise of Igor Shesterkin has the Rangers playing solid hockey especially coming into the tournament. New York has been one of the hottest teams. Penguins have played solidly all year and have a group of guys besides Sid that can get the biscuit in the basket. Rangers defense as a whole only gives up 2.49 goals per game. Penguins will not have their starting net minder as Tristan Jarry is dealing with a lower body injury. Penguins back-up Casey DeSmith gave up 5 goals in a game versus the Rangers earlier in the year. I like to see the Penguins knock off the Rangers. Penguins post-season play of late has been one and done. I’m a firm believer that a great defense beats a great offense.

PREDICTION: RANGERS IN SIX GAMES

WESTERN CONFERENCE

COLORADO AVALANCHE VERSUS NASHVILLE PREDATORS

I wonder if Nashville Predators ownership has banned fans from wearing Avalanche jerseys for this series in home games? Avalanche come in as one of the best teams in the NHL and one of the teams that is favored to win the entire thing. The Predators showed they are a scrappy bunch. Avalanche are loaded with fire power.

The Predators will be playing without their top goalie, Juuse Saros, who is injured and will miss the entire series. This is a David versus Goliath series.

No hope for David in this one.

PREDICTION:AN AVALANCHE SWEEP

MINNESOTA WILD VERSUS ST. LOUIS BLUES

The Blues and the Wild should be a battle to the death. This is a series that should be decided in game 7 in double overtime because both teams are evenly matched. The Wild have not been very successful in the post-season. The Blues historically always came out on the losing end of post-season but they finally won the cup in 2019 as some would say they overachieved. The Blues had hot goal-tending. Blues come in with a group of well-balanced players that can rush, attack the net, and defend. No big names in the Blues roster, but just a group that works well together. The Wild have good goal-tending and play sound defense around the net.

The X-Factor in a series that can go either way, I give the edge to the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury has that post-season experience a team like the Wild needs. Fleury, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Blackhawks by the Wild, has won cups with the Penguins. Fleury came close to helping the Golden Knights of Vegas achieve a Stanley Cup early in their existence. Fleury is playing with a chip on his shoulder. Vegas did not want him anymore and was dealt to the Blackhawks. The Golden Knights did not make it into the playoffs. Perfect time for Marc-Andre to Fleury his stuff.

PREDICTION: WILD IN SEVEN GAMES

CALGARY FLAMES VERSUS DALLAS STARS

The Flames you can always count on not making a huge splash when trying to add a piece to their puzzle. The Stars still rely on old-fashioned defense to win games on the ice. Both these things have been going on for years for the Flames and the Stars.

HERE’S JOHNNY!!! The Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau had the second most points in the Western conference. The Stars have one solid line with Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, and Roope Jintz. Can the Flames contain it? This series could turn into a goalies duel for both teams. Flames have the stronger roster. Let’s not forget about left winger Matthew Tkachuk who lit the lamplight 42 times this season. I think the Flames coach will get Belichick-like and come up with a plan to take out that top line for the Stars.

PREDICTION: FLAMES IN 5 GAMES

EDMONTON OILERS VERSUS LA KINGS

The LA Kings should pass on the secret of making it into the post-season to Lebron James and the Lakers. Will Evander Kane’s X-wife put a bounty on the gambler’s head?

The Oilers have star power as they have one of the biggest superstars in the NHL, Connor McDavid. The Oilers ownership has added lots of pressure to this team in terms of winning now. Oilers went out and signed a shady character in Evander Kane, former Shark. The Kings played some of the best 5 on 5 hockey in the entire NHL. Phillip Danault plays the center position very well for the Kings, both offensively and defensively. That can change the game in an instant to their favor. Oilers over the past few seasons are another team in Canada that fail miserably in the first round of the playoffs. It’s good to be King.

At least they eat well.

PREDICTION: KINGS IN 6 GAMES