As we near the end of March and the beginning of April the NHL season comes to an end with it concluding on April 16th. With the end of season comes the postseason which starts immediately after the final day of the season. This year’s postseason is highly anticipated and sure to bring some good action and gameplay.
The Stanley Cup finals, NHL postseason, features 16 teams with 8 teams from each conference. The way the teams make the playoffs are top 3 teams in each division as well as 2 wild card teams per conference. The postseason is set up in a 4 round best of 7 elimination tournament. NHL.com says this about the structure for the playoffs, “Round 1: The divisional winner with the best record in each conference plays the lower-seeded wild card, while the other division winner plays the higher-seeded wild card. The 2nd and 3rd place teams within each division play each other. Round 2: First-round winners play to determine the Conference Finalists. Conference Finals & Stanley Cup Final: The final four teams compete to reach the final round.”
As for what to expect from this year’s playoffs there are various top contenders who are poised to make a run for this year’s Stanley Cup. The first team is the Buffalo Sabres who are the current leader of the Eastern Conference. The second team is the Colorado Avalanche who are the current leader of the Western Conference. Other teams who are in strong contention include the Carolina Hurricanes, the Dallas Stars, the Seattle Kraken, and the Minnesota Wild.
The playoffs in all sports bring out the best from the athletes. In the NHL it’s no different. According to CBS Sports here is a list of players to watch, “Connor McDavid (EDM): Consistently a top scorer and league MVP candidate. Nathan MacKinnon (COL): A dominant offensive force and high-scoring leader. Nikita Kucherov (TB): One of the league’s top point producers. Leon Draisaitl (EDM): Known for elite postseason production and playing through injuries. Auston Matthews (TOR): A premier goal-scorer.” CBS Sports also compiled a list of some rookies to watch in the playoffs. This list includes, “Lane Hutson (MTL): Talented rookie defenseman.Mavrik Bourque (DAL): High-minute, top-line potential. Kirill Marchenko (CBJ): Talented forward, part of the Blue Jackets’ surge.”
Here at Mundelein High School many students follow hockey and are very excited for the NHL playoffs to see who can take home the Stanley Cup this year. One student is sophomore Tommy Dunaway. Dunaway, being from the Chicago area, is a Blackhawk fan however he still likes to watch hockey, especially playoff hockey.
Dunaway says, “Playoff hockey is unlike any other. The atmosphere is simply electric.” Dunaway has some strong opinions for the upcoming playoffs. One of his opinions is that he thinks that the Colorado Avalanche will take home the Stanley Cup this year. Dunaway says, “Colorado has played great all season and it has set them up perfectly to do well in this year’s playoffs.” Dunaway also stated that he believes, “Nathan MacKinnon will have a huge impact on the success of the Avalanche in this year’s playoffs. He shouldn’t have an issue leading his team to success as he’s done it all season and I think he will continue in the playoffs.” It will be interesting to see how Dunaway’s predictions play out during the playoffs.
The NHL season has been a great one and it seems to be gearing up for an even better postseason. Whether a top seeded team in the playoffs wins or a lower seed is able to pull it out it is sure to be an exciting conclusion for the season finishing with a hard fought battle for the Stanley Cup.