After a wild regular season in the National Hockey League, the race for the Cup started this weekend. The Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes kicked things off on Saturday, so let’s break down the bracket and look at what series matchups will bring the most fireworks.
Eastern Conference marquee matchups
Atlantic No. 1-seed Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9) vs. Eastern Conference wild card Boston Bruins (45-27-10)
The Sabres are having a historic season after winning the Atlantic Division for the first time in 16 years and making their first postseason appearance in 14 years, ending the longest drought in NHL history. Led by 40-goal scorer Tage Thompson up front and Rasmus Dahlin on the back end, this squad could do some serious damage. The Sabres scored the fifth-most goals per game in the entire league this season at 3.45, and on top of that, their goaltending is sound, with three starting goalies averaging above a .900 save percentage: Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Colten Ellis. Luukkonen is expected to start the first game.
The Bruins, on the other hand, are back in the playoffs after missing out last season and ending an eight year postseason streak. They clinched the first wild card spot after an impressive last half of the regular season with the help of 100-point scorer David Pastrnak and 65-plus point scorers Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha. The Bruins have one of the best goalies in the league in Jeremy Swayman, but their defensive core may be a point of concern down the road due to a lack of depth.
The Sabres should take this one, but Boston is always a tough out in the playoffs. The series starts in Buffalo on Sunday night at 4:30 p.m.
Metropolitan No. 2-seed Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16) vs. No. 3-seed Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12)
The Penguins are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, giving their veteran core one more shot at a deep postseason run. Led by all-time great centerman Sidney Crosby and defenseman Erik Karlsson, this team is balanced and incredibly deep, making it a tough first-round opponent for the Flyers’ defensive core to counteract. However, the Penguins’ weak point is goaltending, as their average goals against per game sits at 3.15, and their starting goalies – Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner – both have save percentages of .888.
The Flyers solidified their playoff spot with a shootout victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. This is their first time in the playoffs since the 2019-2020 season, thanks in large part to the hiring of head coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet has done a terrific job developing rising star forwards Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov, and adding forward Porter Martone from Michigan State, among other changes to the team. Similar to the Penguins, the Flyers are incredibly balanced on both sides of the puck, but their power-play percentage is what holds them back from being great—currently, they have a 15.7% conversion rate. The Penguins overmatch them in this stat, with a 24.1% conversion rate.
The Penguins have the experience to go deep this year, but don’t sleep on the Flyers’ young core, as we could easily see Michkov and Zegras take over against a weak goaltending crew. The puck drops Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Pittsburgh.
The Rest of the East
The Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, No. 2-seed from Atlantic Division) look to once again make a deep push in this year’s playoffs. They have the league’s second-leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov, who has tallied an outstanding 130 points so far this season. The Lightning take on the Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, No. 3-seed from Atlantic Division), who are led by 51-goal scorer Cole Caufield. While the Canadians have a talented roster, they’re ultimately overmatched by Tampa on both sides of the puck with Kucherov and company up front, and Vezina Trophy frontrunner Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.
The Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, No. 1-seed in Metropolitan Division) take on the Ottawa Senators (44-27-11, second wild card). The Canes have one of the best power-play units in the NHL, currently at a 24.9% conversion rate. They also score the second-most goals per game, at 3.55. The Sens ranked eighth in the league in goals scored, with 275, led by forwards Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson. The Canes handled the Sens in the first game of the series at home, winning 2-0 on Saturday, and I expect them to come out on top in this series and go on to win the Eastern Conference.
Western Conference marquee matchups
Central No. 2-seed Dallas Stars (50-20-12) vs. No. 3-seed Minnesota Wild (46-24-12)
The Stars have loads of offensive firepower, highlighted by 96-point scorer Jason Robertson and 86-point scorer Wyatt Johnston. In net, they’re incredibly strong, as Jake Oettinger has been awesome all season with a save percentage of .899 and 35 wins. Because of this, the Stars are the second-best defensive team in the league, allowing only 2.71 goals per game. Arguably, their greatest strength is their power-play percentage, currently at a 28.6% conversion rate.
The Minnesota Wild are also stacked up front, with 85+ point scoring forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. They acquired standout defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12 of this year in a trade, and his impact has made this team a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the puck. The Wild allow 2.87 goals per game on average, which is good for fourth-best in the league.
This matchup has seven games written all over it, and while the Stars have a slight edge in offensive depth and goaltending, this series could easily go either way, as these are two offensive and defensive powerhouses. The first game starts Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas.
Pacific No. 1-seed Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17) vs. Western Conference Wild Card Utah Mammoth (43-33-6)
Vegas clinched the Pacific Division one-seed on Wednesday night when it beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1. Offensively, the Knights are led by 90-point scoring forward Jack Eichel and 80-point scoring forward Mitch Marner. Defensively, their group has averaged 2.95 goals allowed per game, putting them around the middle of the pack in defensive rankings. They have a power-play conversion rate of 24.6%, good for sixth-best in the league.
The Mammoth are making their playoff debut as the NHL’s newest expansion team. Led by star forwards Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Dylan Guenther, this squad ranks 12th in the league in goals per game, with 3.27. They’re also strong on the defensive side of the puck, allowing only 2.93 goals per game on average, much to the help of starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who has 38 wins and a save percentage of .897.
This will be an extremely tight matchup, with near-identical defensive metrics and offensive firepower on both sides, and Vegas holding a slight edge in experience and power-play efficiency. Puck drop is set for Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. in Las Vegas.
The Rest of the West
The Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, No. 1-seed in Central Division) are expected by many to win their series against the Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, No. 2 wild card in the West), as well as the Stanley Cup. Their roster is loaded front to back with talent—most notably 127-point scoring forward Nathan MacKinnon and two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar on the defensive end. On top of that, their starting goalie, Scott Wedgewood, has the best save percentage in the league at .921. The Kings have a deep roster as well, highlighted by 70-plus point scoring forwards Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe, but unfortunately for them, they may be overmatched against arguably the best team in the league this year. The puck drops Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in Colorado.
The Edmonton Oilers (41-30-11, No. 2-seed in Pacific Division) are looking to handle the Anaheim Ducks (41-33-6, No. 3-seed in Pacific Division). The Oilers have the best power-play in the league with a 30.6% conversion rate, much to the help of superstar forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, as well as Norris trophy-contending defenseman Evan Bouchard. The Ducks, on the other hand, have a balanced offensive core led by star forwards Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson. On the defensive side of the puck, they stand at the bottom of the league in goals against per game at 3.51. Expect the Oilers to make a deep run this year and disrupt the stacked West. The first game starts Monday at 7:00 p.m. in Edmonton.
Final thoughts
The Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes emerge as the best teams primed for deep runs and potentially a Stanley Cup, based on their regular-season dominance, star power and special-teams play. The Edmonton Oilers are also looking for revenge from last year when they lost in the finals, and don’t count this hot Buffalo Sabres team out from making a deep run. Expect fireworks across the bracket, as anything can happen in playoff hockey.