The champion still in Florida?
For two years, Florida has had the Stanley Cup, thanks to Tampa Bay. And the pass of three could take place this year, and not only thanks to the good season of the Lightning. The Florida Panthers also have arguments. They finished first in the regular season, thanks to Jonathan Huberdeau (85 assists and 115 points) and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (39 wins). The Miami franchise has also not cracked, after losing, at the start of the season, its coach Joel Quenneville, forced to resign, following the Brad Aldrich affair. The quest for the Panthers is daunting. Florida has never been crowned and has not won a series of play-offs since 1996, the year of its only final.
Since 1982 (and the New York Islanders), no team has won the Stanley Cup three times in a row. Tampa Bay now claims this fabulous hat-trick. The Lightning finished third in their division and can count on Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman (64 and 65 assists) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (39 wins). Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also had the opportunity to showcase himself. He will try to become the second Frenchman to win the Stanley Cup (after Cristobal Huet in 2010 with Chicago).
Toronto and Colorado, main outsiders
On paper, the Toronto Maple Leafs make your mouth water. They finished second in their division and have the top scorer of the season with Auston Matthews (60 goals). Without forgetting Mitch Marner and John Tavares. Problem: in the play-offs, Toronto thwarts. No more series won since 2004 and especially no more finals since 1967.
The New York Rangers had a great season, led by Chris Kreider, an unexpected scorer (52 goals, against 28 for his best record) and goalkeepers Shesterkin and Georgiev. The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the Western Conference, with four players at more than 85 points (Rantanen, MacKinnon, Kadri, Makar). But the Avalanche often disappoint in the play-offs.
Coach Darryl Sutter gave Calgary their best season since 1989 – the year of their only championship. The Flames rely on Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk (over 100 points) and goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The Edmonton Oilers have Connor McDavid, the season’s leading scorer (123 pts), and Leon Draisaitl (55 goals).
Finally we must always be wary of Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Alex Ovechkin has again reached the 50-goal mark with Washington, but he is doubtful for the start of the play-offs, following an upper-body injury.
The Montreal Tumble
Surprise finalists last season, the Montreal Canadiens finished last in the NHL, with just 22 wins. They were not spared from the hard knocks. Goalkeeper Carey Price underwent knee surgery and also took a step back to preserve his sanity. Shea Weber hasn’t played all season due to injuries. Corey Perry moved to Tampa Bay and Tyler Toffoli was transferred to Calgary.
For the first time in their short history, the Vegas Golden Knights (created in 2017) will not play in the play-offs. Many players were injured (Lehner, Pacioretty, Stone, Martinez) and they were also victims of certain transfers (departure from Fleury, arrival of Eichel though injured). Finally the Chicago Blackhawks missed out on their season (54 losses). And the image of the franchise has been tarnished by the Brad Aldrich affair.
The playoff table:
Eastern Conference :
Florida Panthers – Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes – Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs – Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers – Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference :
Colorado Avalanche – Nashville Predators
Calgary Flames – Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild – St Louis Blues
Edmonton Oilers – Los Angeles Kings