2022 NHL Playoffs

[mellongraig]

Well the stage is set for the 2022 NHL Playoffs even though the regular season concludes on Sunday, we've got the first-round series matches all locked up.

Eastern Conference:
(A1) Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals (WC2)
(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A3)
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins (WC1)
(M2) New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M3)

Western Conference:
(C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators (WC2)
(C2) Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)
(P1) Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars (WC1)
(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings (P3)

Coverage will be split among the ESPN and Turner networks as part of the new media deal, and for Canada it will be on the Sportsnet networks and CBC.

[ooboh]

I’m prepared for the Capitals to disappoint me again.

[wink87]

I’m prepared for the Capitals to disappoint me again.

I actually think they could take Florida out. Florida has had a very easy schedule of late, so it may be more difficult for them than people think.

I get what you are saying though. The team I root for, the Leafs, are in tough against Tampa. Hopefully they win their first series since 2004.

[mellongraig]

Well the Leafs have home-ice advantage, so that could be the difference maker in the series now that the fans have fully come back, but they still have to execute their game plan to win a 7-game series.

I think some could make the argument that this playoff format is flawed and that it should go back to the 1-8 conference format, but others could make the argument that the New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vegas Golden Knights, and Vancouver Canucks should have been in the playoffs this year or at least be in a play-in tournament format like the NBA does after the regular season concludes.

[pannoni1]

I’m prepared for the Capitals to disappoint me again.

Expectations are lower now that they're playing the top seed. Looking at the various predictions, I see quite a few "Panthers in 7" calls. That said, they've finished the regular season with a four-game skid after failing to have a shot at the #6 seed, so I'm expecting them to be out in five, maybe six. One one of 16's NHL.com staff writers predicts the upset. At least there's the title from four years ago to live off of, even if it seems like a rebuild is on the horizon. ESPN's "Breaking all 16 NHL teams" does ironically call for both a first-round loss of both the Panthers AND the Capitals, and if Washington can cape advantage of Florida's shaky defense and goalkeeping, who knows. But Ovechkin is currently questionable for Game 1, and if he's out for longer than expected, don't be surprised at a Panthers' sweep.

[TPIR_rules]

Here are my first round & Stanley Cup Final predictions:


Florida over Washington in 6
Carolina over Boston in 6
Pittsburgh over NY Rangers in 7
Tampa Bay over Toronto in 7
Colorado over Nashville in 5
Dallas over Calgary in 7
Minnesota over St. Louis in 7
Edmonton over Los Angeles in 5


Stanley Cup Final:   Colorado over Carolina

[FieldsFan336]

Leafs take Game 3 5-2 to take a 2-1 series lead over the Lightning

[mellongraig]

And the Oilers take a 2-1 series lead with an 8-2 win over the Kings in Game 3, with Game 4 going Sunday night.

[mellongraig]

Mixed bag for Canadian teams last night:

Leafs win 4-3 over the Lightning to take a 3-2 series lead and push the defending Stanley Cup champions to the brink of elimination. Toronto has had the history of struggling to close first-round series before, so we'll see if this is finally the year to advance to round 2 since 2004.

Kings win 5-4 in OT over the Oilers despite blowing leads several times during Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, and the Oilers have lost 2 games at home in the series which is unusual for them.

In the other games last night, the Blues won 5-2 over the Wild and the Hurricanes won 5-1 over the Bruins to take 3-2 series leads respectively. So far the Avalanche are the only team to advance to round 2 with a 4-0 series sweep over the Predators.

The rest of the first round series so far - Penguins lead the Rangers 3-1, and the Capitals-Panthers as well as the Stars-Flames series are tied at 2-2 with Game 5 going tonight for all of the games.

Finally, the Canadiens who finished last have earned the #1 pick in the Draft Lottery that will take place on July 7-8 in Montreal.

[mellongraig]

At least 3 first-round series match-ups are going to Game 7s, the Lightning force a Game 7 with a 4-3 OT win over the Leafs meaning the Leafs were unable to close the series out again. Also the Oilers force a Game 7 of their own with a 4-2 win over the Kings (they had to do it without Darnell Nurse), and the Bruins with a 5-2 win over the Hurricanes, all going on Saturday. History has shown that Game 7s have not been kind to the Leafs but with home-ice advantage and a full house of fans, maybe this Game 7 will finally be the one to win at home (or the Lightning could win it on the road).

Meanwhile the St. Louis Blues move on to Round 2 with a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, and they will face the Colorado Avalanche.

[wink87]

At least 3 first-round series match-ups are going to Game 7s, the Lightning force a Game 7 with a 4-3 OT win over the Leafs meaning the Leafs were unable to close the series out again.

The Leafs did really did just about all they could against Tampa last night, they just couldn't put the game away. That 5 on 3 power play goal really hurt.

[mellongraig]

Yeah, it really does hurt but they do get one more chance at home to close the series out.

Two more games are going to Game 7s - New York Rangers defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 and the Dallas Stars win 4-2 over the Calgary Flames, and those games will be on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers win Game 6 in OT with a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals to win their first playoff series since 1996.

Three Canadian teams are at home for Game 7 - Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and the Calgary Flames. All three could move on if they win their games at home. There's also the realistic possibility that all three could lose at home, or one or two of them could move on to Round 2.

[ooboh]

I’m prepared for the Capitals to disappoint me again.

Surely enough, they did.

[mellongraig]

The curse continues yet again... despite the third period being the best chance for the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the disallowed goal and the home crowd, the Tampa Bay Lightning will move on to round 2 and face the Florida Panthers with a 2-1 win.

Have to wonder if Sheldon Keefe is going to keep his job for next season after this loss...

[mellongraig]

And with that, the first round is officially complete. Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs being eliminated in the first round, two Canadian teams are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup - Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, both winning their Game 7 series (with the latter being in overtime), and it also means one of these two Canadian teams will move on to the Western Conference Final. Also the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers won their Game 7s as well (with the latter in overtime).

Here's the second round series match-ups:

Eastern Conference:
(A1) Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A3) (Battle of Florida)
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers (M2)

Western Conference:
(C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)
(P1) Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers (P2) (Battle of Alberta, first time since 1991)