2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff predictions (first round edition)
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are here! Time to predict every series incorrectly... because hockey.
Hello friends!
The NHL’s 24-team playoff format has been reduced to the usual 16 teams we see at the start of the postseason. There have been a lot of surprises in the qualifying rounds and the round robin, leading to some… unconventional matchups in the first round. Clearly, since the world is obviously waiting for how I think the postseason will shake out, let’s dive into what my predictions are for the first round of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens
Flyers in six
No one was expecting the Canadiens to advance against the Penguins in a shocking qualifying round matchup. Equally as impressive were the Flyers, who jumped from the No. 4 seed to the No. 1 seed thanks to a string of strong wins against the East’s best.
While Montreal was able to shut down Pittsburgh’s offense, Philadelphia is across the board a more lethal opponent than their cross-state rivals. Carey Price was excellent against the Penguins, and while I think he’ll more than likely steal a game or two from the Flyers in this series, Philadelphia’s depth will just be too much for Montreal here.
Bold prediction: The Flyers bottom six will outscore their top six.
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Lightning in six
There’s no way the Blue Jackets stun the Lightning once again in the opening round of the playoffs, right? Right? All the respect to the Blue Jackets, who dumbfounded the Lightning last year in a surprising sweep but then lost to the Bruins in the next round, I just can’t pick against the Lightning here.
Am I not giving enough respect to the Blue Jackets, who knocked off the Maple Leafs in the qualifying rounds in a five-game shocker? Perhaps. I will give all the props in the world to John Tortorella’s team for their previous postseason performances. They’ve really done a lot with their team’s structure and improved goaltending. And even though the Lightning will be without top defenseman Victor Hedman for the series due to injury, I still think Tampa Bay’s been knocked down enough in the year-plus since being swept to be able to hold on mentally and finally slay the beast.
Bold prediction: Whichever team wins Game 1 will win the series.
No. 3 Washington Capitals vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Capitals in seven
The Capitals will face off against their former Stanley Cup winning head coach Barry Trotz in this matchup. New York plays an incredibly defensive game, with a top 10 goals against per 60 minutes stat at even strength (2.37, per Natural Stat Trick) in the regular season this year.
Even though this is a tough match up for the Capitals stylistically, I still think Washington will pull ahead here in a long, drawn out seven-game series. The Capitals have too much talent on their roster to lose to this Islanders team — especially if defenseman John Carlson can jump back into the lineup after an injury that kept him out of the round robin. However, I think it’s going to be a close series, maybe too close for the Capitals’ comfort.
Bold prediction: Tom Wilson scores the series-winning goal for Washington.
No. 4 Boston Bruins vs. No. 5 Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes in five
Yes, I absolutely believe that the NHL’s best team in the regular season will get bounced early in the first round of these playoffs. The Bruins looked dreadful during their round robin matchups, scoring just four goals and going 0-3 after dropping their first seed to the Flyers.
Dougie Hamilton is back in for Carolina, and after the Hurricanes swept the New York Rangers without their best defenseman, the team looks that much stronger. Plus, the Hurricanes are coming off the most rest of any qualifying round team with their sweep, which could be a major benefit after grinding through a play-in round. Unless Boston’s perfection line (and the beating heart of this team) can get going, I just can’t see the Bruins advancing here.
Bold prediction: Andrei Svechnikov nets seven points or more in the series.
Western Conference
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks
Golden Knights in five
The Blackhawks did a tremendous job upsetting the Oilers in the qualifying round to knock out two of the league’s most dynamic players in dramatic fashion. However, the team’s magic run will end in the first round of the playoffs this year. Overall, the Blackhawks are just a weaker team than the Golden Knights in every aspect of their lineup.
Chicago has a veteran, playoff-tested lineup with Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith still making an impact, yet the team were sellers at the trade deadline as there was very little hope for the Blackhawks to make it into a normal playoff scenario. Their sellers mentality meant that the team traded their best netminder, Robin Lehner, to the Golden Knights at the deadline, who they will likely see a lot of in this matchup. Goaltender Corey Crawford can absolutely steal a game for Chicago, but the Golden Knights just have too much firepower to go down in this opening round.
Bold prediction: Patrick Kane is held to zero points in this series.
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 7 Arizona Coyotes
Avalanche in five
The Coyotes were able to take care of the Predators in four games in the round robin, but will be facing a much stronger opponent in the Avalanche in round one of these playoffs. On paper, Colorado is by far and away the better team in this series (sorry Taylor Hall), and it’ll likely be a quick one if their high-octane offense is able to feast on the Arizona defense.
Arizona was able to sustain a high level of offensive power against Nashville, but Colorado’s defense will likely be a different story. I can see Darcy Kuemper in net giving the Avalanche fits at times, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he stole a game for them in this series. However, the Coyotes have too much going against them here for them to be able to advance if all the pieces are clicking for the Avalanche.
Bold prediction: Phil Kessel nets a game-winning goal for the Coyotes.
No. 3 Dallas Stars vs. No. 6 Calgary Flames
Stars in six
Matthew Tkachuk will likely be a handful for the Stars in this series after the antagonistic forward got under the skin of the Jets in the qualifying round. The Flames offense broke out in a big way against the Jets, with Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm all showing up on the scoresheet in clutch situations.
Though Dallas didn’t play up to their potential in the round robin, the team has the better goaltenders in Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin, compared to Cam Talbot and David Rittich. It seems that the popular pick out of this series is to take Calgary, given how hot the Flames are and the struggles the Stars have seen recently, but I think if Dallas’ top talent are all healthy and ready to play, they’ll edge out Calgary here.
Bold prediction: Three games of this series will go to overtime.
No. 4 St. Louis Blues vs. No. 5 Vancouver Canucks
Blues in six
The reigning Stanley Cup champions dropped from the No. 1 seed to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference after failing to win a game in the round robin. However, unlike the Bruins and their listless performance, I have more faith in the Blues — who are returning essentially the same roster that won them the Stanley Cup last season — turning things on when the games count as a deeper team overall.
Still, these Canucks are a fun squad and shouldn’t be counted out easily. Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes are electric players that can turn games on a dime in their favor in a hurry. This series will be an exciting one for sure, but I think the Blues’ playoff experience and depth will win out in the end.
Bold prediction: Hughes notches above 1.5 points per game by the end of the series.
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