In round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I predicted 6 out of the 8 game series right. I went 6-2 in straight up winners. I did not do well in predicting the right amount of games of my winners winning the series. In the first round I went 1-7 in that category. I will once again throw my two cents into the ring and throw in my hopeful savvy predictions for round two. We have two series in each conference left. I have predicted each series once again with a winner and by the games it will take them to win and move on to the semi-finals. Some of these series could go wither way. That’s why the Stanley Cup playoffs are one of the best post-seasons in sports so we may be surprised if my picks go well or go wonky. I lean on the side of wonky but am still optimistic about my winners. This is why we play the games to see if I end up with egg on my face.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

CAROLINA HURRICANES VERSUS WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Season series: (2-2) Playoff history: Carolina (1-0) 1 series

First round results: Washington eliminated Montreal in 5 games. Carolina eliminated New Jersey in 5 games.

The Capitals and Hurricanes feature two goalies with the highest save percentage left in the tournament. Both goalies were injured in the first round. The Hurricanes’ net minder, Frederik Anderson, is expected to play in this series. Logan Thompson for the Capitals returned in the same game he was injured. Thompson is locked in.

Do the Hurricanes have the recipe to defeat the Capitals with constantly pressure and puck possession? Head Coach of the Hurricanes, Rod Brind Amour, has a system focus on possession on the puck. The Capitals remain one of the top seeds left in the NHL playoffs and will have the home ice. Why do the experts doubt the Capitals getting by the Hurricanes? When the Hurricanes seem the favorite in a series they fold like cheap card table.

The Hurricanes’ Andrei Svechnikov scored 5 goals in the first series versus the Devils. He is tied with the most tallies in the Stanley Cup playoffs so far of the players that teams have survived. This should be a series that goes the distance. I feel it’s the Capitals’ time right now as Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Getzky’s record. He is due to heat up at any time. The Capital have many games where they dominate with the most shots as a team. I think Thompson will stay hot in the next that will decide this series.

OUR PREDICTION: CAPITALS IN 7 GAMES

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS FLORIDA PANTHERS

Season series: (3-1) favoring Florida. Playoff history: Florida (1-0) 1 series

Round 1 results: Toronto eliminated Ottawa in 6 games, Florida eliminated Tampa Bay in 5 games.

I did not think the champs were going to hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers proved me wrong. Matthew Tkachuk, back for the Panthers and playing well in the first round, was the X factor for the defending champs defending their title from last season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs avoided the one and done this go around in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The award is a Panthers team that won it all last year and are another demon in the minds of these Maple Leafs. Yes two years ago the Panthers and Maple Leafs met up in the 2nd round as the Panthers put away Toronto 4 games to 1. The Maple Leafs are a better team than two seasons ago and should provide their fan base a better showing versus the Panthers this round. The Maple Leafs with their net minder Anthony Stolarz could hang with the Panthers. He will need to get red hot to give the Maple Leafs any chance to prevail in this series. The Panthers will throw bodies at Stolarz in front of the net to cause confusion and make sure he has plenty of blind spots. The depth of the Panthers helps as this roster is geared up for another long run. The experience goes the Panthers’ way as well. I believe the Lightning flipped the Panthers’ playoff switch as this team in dialed in for a repeat.

OUR PREDICTION: PANTHERS IN SIX GAMES

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DALLAS STARS VS WINNIPEG JETS

Season series: (3-1) favoring Winnipeg. No playoff history.

Round 1 results: Dallas eliminated Colorado in 7 games. Winnipeg eliminated St. Louis in 7 games.

The Stars and the Jets took their first round series to the brink and prevailed in their game sevens to get here. The Stars beat a solid Colorado team who many thought would be a Stanley Cup contender. The Stars did it without guys like Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson. The Jets goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, can finally say he slayed his dragon playoff nightmares winning that game 7. The Jets had to fight and claw their way back in that game with a comeback in game 7. Connor was a brick wall in the two overtimes. Is that enough to believe he and his Jets can use that game 7 to take down this Stars team?

The Stars and the Avalanche – many said the winner gets to the Stanley Cup championship. The Stars stayed poised not rushing their studs back into the stables. Now they will get those two guys back for this second round series. Mikko Rantanen was huge for the Stars in the first round against his former team, the Avalanche. The Jets meanwhile have injuries to Mark Scheirele and Josh Morrissey who could play but will not be 100%. The Stars will give Hellebuyck a new playoff nightmare after this series as he and the Jets will not be able to stop this deep Stars team.

OUR PREDICTION: STARS IN 5 GAMES

EDMONTON OILERS VS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Season series: Even (2-2) Playoff history: Vegas (1-0) 1 series

Round 1 results: Edmonton eliminated LA in 6 games. Vegas eliminated Minnesota in 6 games.

The Edmonton Oilers looked like they were going to be knocked out of the playoffs quickly by the LA Kings who put a beat down on goalie Stuart Skinner. The Vegas Golden Knights were also being battle tested early on in their series versus the Wild. Both teams made adjustments. The Oilers went with Calvin Pickard who saved this Edmonton team in the net. Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy made a line change putting Jack Eichel and William Karlsson on the same line which worked well as the Golden Knights then buried the animals in the dessert. The Oilers team was carried by their two superstars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. You want your superstars to do the heavy lifting but not everything. It seems like the rest of the team was MIA.

The Oilers will need other members of their team to contribute in round two. The Golden Kights have the golden hair, Thor, the man that can contain Connor McDavid and that is William Karlsson, who has had the best of the Oilers lead scorer. The Oilers have missed the absence of Mattias Ekholm, a guy that can make this Oilers squad a well-oiled machine. The Oilers don’t have enough Roughnecks to keep up with this Vegas squad through a 7 game series. Can you bet against McDavid and Draisaitl? I can count on Calvin Pickard to save the series in the net so I have to go Vegas.

OUR PICK: GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN SIX GAMES

The NHL playoffs are one of the better post-seasons to watch in all of sports. The first round of the 2025 Stanley cup playoffs has some epic match ups on the docket. Unfortunately I do not have a pony in the race as my team has been at the bottom of the barrel in the NHL for years, and there’s no sign of any day light anytime soon.

Maybe I’m in need of adopting a new team in the 2025 playoffs without being one of those bandwagon jumpers. Some solid choices to root for. Everyone has teams or cities you dislike as I do too. Without prejudging any team or city that made the playoff tournament. I threw my hat into the ring and executed a winner out of each series by looking at all the data and going with gut feelings. I am not guaranteeing any epic outcomes in my picks. I may be off my rocker. I may be dead on with my predictions. My gut tells me I’ll end up Even-Steven somehow. We will see as I can’t be the only one to throw darts at each match up and come out smelling like roses. Here we go round one, let the games begin of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ST. LOUIS BLUES VS WINNIPEG JETS

This series should be a low scoring affair between these two teams. It’s the Jets’ second straight season where they have won over 50 games. For the Blues they won 13-16 games to close the season out. You could say for St. Louis they have been one of the hotter teams in the last 3 months because they play solid defense. Meanwhile the Jets as a team have lit the lamp during regular season 273 times which is tied for 4th in the league. The Jets’ top scorers are Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele who have combined for 79 goals this season.

Can the Blues goalie, Jordan Binnington, relive the magic years back when he got hot and St. Louis went all the way to capture the Stanley Cup? Binnington played a big part in the net for Canada in the Frozen Four tournament this past February. The Jets have one of the best net minders in the league in Connor Hellebuyck. Can the Blues do what the Avalanche did to Hellebuyck last post-season & make him look average?

Hellebuyck suited up for the United States in that face off Frozen Four tournament. I think it’s Connor time here. Jets avenge last year’s post season nightmare and dispatch the Blues who lack true fire power in this match up.

OUR PICK: JETS IN SIX GAMES

DALLAS STARS VERSUS COLORADO AVALANCHE

The Stars vs Avalanche is one of the biggest match ups in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Both teams are Stanley Cup contenders as one of them will be going home after the first round. The Stars have been consistent all year round. The Stars have 8 snipers who can put the puck in the net. Eight guys with 20 or more goals. The Avalanche tinkered with their roster and made some nice solid moves. This may be a better Avalanche roster than they had when they won the Cup in 2022. If this series goes the distance, game seven favors Dallas. About their Head Coach, Pete DeBoer, his teams are 8-0 in series deciders which is game 7’s.

Dallas comes into the post-season with a 7 game losing streak which it’s very hard to flip the switch to post-season. The Stars lack defense as they will have to rely on their goal scoring to win this series. The Avalanche superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar will not be held back in this series and will have a field day exploiting the Stars’ weakness in front of the castle.

OUR PREDICTION: AVALANCHE IN SIX GAMES

MINNESOTA WILD VERSUS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Wild have gone through many injuries this season just to get to this point. The Vegas Golden Knights are in familiar grounds, the post-season, where they thrive even though they were just a expansion team not many moons ago. The Wild will have two of their main guys going in this series: Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson E.K. The Wild ranked 26th in the league in scoring which averages out to 2.74 goals per game. The Golden Knights average 3.34 goals per game which is 5th in the league. The good things for the Wild is their goalie, Filip Gustavsson, who could make any playoff series a tough out. The Golden Knights also struggle on the penalty kill which can help the Wild. The Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel had a monster year with 93 points in regular season.

I like the X-San Jose Shark, Tomas Hertl, who is a post- season beast. He’s my X-factor as he has 16 goals & 24 points in 29 post-season games from his days wearing the teal. The Golden Knights have a deeper roster and are more skilled than this Wild squad.

OUR PICK: GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN 5 GAMES

LA KINGS VERSUS EDMONTON OILERS

This is the 4th time in so many years the Oilers and Kings will mix it up in the post-season. The Oilers have won all three series.

Connor McDavid is the top super star of the NHL which will give the Oilers a big advantage in this series. The Kings are no joke in this series. In the last month of regular season, the Kings offense have scored 64 goals which was the most during that time span. The Kings goalie, Darcy Kuemper, is having a great season in his first year in LA. He had 31 regular season wins. What worries me about the Oilers is they will not have their top defenseman. Mattias Ekholm has been ruled out this series. Does LA have an X-factor in X-Oiler Warren Foegele who they can unleash on Edmonton. Foegele had three post-season goals for Edmonton last season. Let’s not forget about Leon.

Leon Draisaitl is another superstar in the NHL who is not talked about enough. The Kings will make this a series. It will go the full tilt. In the end, McDavid and Draisaitl help Edmonton just get by the Kings in the first round.

OUR PICK: OILERS IN SEVEN GAMES

EASTERN CONFERENCE

MONTREAL CANDADIENS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS

We all are thinking the same thing. Can Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record and win the Stanley Cup in the same season? In the first round, the Capitals face a rebuilding Montreal team with plenty of youth that can go wild. The Capitals had a monster year this season winning over 50 games. The Canadiens need their net minder to be unstoppable in this series. Can Sam Montembeault have that kind of series?

I can say Logan Thompson for the Capitals could have that epic goalie run in the post-season. Thompson finished with a .910 save percentage and has only allowed 2.49 goals per contest. The focus will be on the Russian. Hiding on the ice somewhere will be Tom Wilson who creates havoc and get under players’ skin. Wilson can put the puck into the net as well as he had 33 goals this season. The Capitals have depth and defense and can score over the inexperience of this Montreal squad.

OUR PICK: CAPITALS IN 5 GAMES

NEW JERSEY DEVILS VERSUS CAROLINA HURRICANES

The Devils’ number one fan is David Puddy from Seinfeld. This series will be very interesting and I can see this one going the distance. The Devils will be without Jack Hughes which can hurt New Jersey’s chances. The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best 5 on 5 in the league. They also allowed the fewest shots in the league. The Devils are no slouch in their team game. New Jersey has the 3rd ranked power play unit in the league. They also have the second ranked penalty kill. Both teams have solid special teams as the Hurricanes have the top ranked penalty kill in the league. Let’s talk goalies.

The Hurricane’s number goalie is Frederik Andersen who has battled all year through injuries. The Devils allow the 5th fewest goals in the league due to their goalie, Jacob Markstrom. The Devils are not the demon they are without Jack Hughes which has deflated this team. The Hurricanes always seem to get past the first round of these NHL playoffs and I think they continue that tradition and dispatch the Devils which takes game 7 to do so. The Devils will give a good fight, but it all ends in hell for Jersey.

OUR PICK: HURRICANES IN 7 GAMES

OTTAWA SENATORS VERSUS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The first question about Toronto: Can they slay their own playoff demons? The Senators have a very nice young core for the Maple Leafs to deal with. It starts with Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson, and Tim Stutzie.

Let’s not forget about the stud Toronto has in Aushon Matthews. The Maple Leafs also have Mitch Marner and Williams Nylander. Toronto has improved their defense this season which could help them get past the first round. The Senators have solid defense and goal tending allowing only 2.80 goals per game. Since the 2004-2005 lock out season, the Maple Leafs have been ousted 8 out of 9 times in the first round. Yikes!!! I think the only way Senators win this series is if the Maple Leafs beat themselves and hand Ottawa the series. This Toronto team is deep, very dangerous, and if they get passed the Senators, they will build up confidence in the second round.

OUR PREDICTION: MAPLE LEAFS IN 5 GAMES

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VERSUS FLORIDA PANTHERS

This is the must watch series of the first round. When it comes to the state of Florida, you think college football rivals. This Florida series has been epic. This is the 4th time in the last 5 years the Lightning and Panthers have met on a date in the Stanley Cup post-season. The Panthers finally slayed the bolts last year and won it all. The Lightning have won back to back Stanley Cups in 2020 and ’21. Can the Panthers defend their title run this season or will fatigue play a role in back to back grinding post-season play? The Lightning have been hot while the Panthers finished the season threading water. The Panthers may be without Matthew Tkachuk who was a big part of why this Florida team went all the way last year. The Lightning still have the stopper in goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had the most wins with 37 during the regular season. The Panthers acquired Seth Jones from the Blackhawks during the season. Jones is over paid and will need to find his game he lost years ago to help prevent the Panthers from being derailed early on.

Another X-Blackhawk, Brandon Hagel, had 35 goals this season for Tampa Bay. The Lightning have the fire power as Jack Guentzel’s first year in Tampa Bay he had a 40 goal season. This Lightning team is in the top ten at killing penalties. They are 6th in the fewest goals allowed with an average of 2.40. The Lightning always had the Panthers’ number. Without Tkachuk for the Panthers who is the heart and soul of this team, it will be tough for Florida to overcome. I like the Lightning striking in a long drawn out epic series between these two powerhouses.

OUR PICK: LIGHTNING IN SEVEN GAMES