After a long regular season the 2017 NHL Playoff bracket has been decided. Games begin this coming Thursday for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualifying teams. We preview every series below.
New York Rangers at Montreal Canadians
The Rangers head to the Bell Centre in Montreal for game one of the Eastern Conference finals. The Rangers finished the year off with a 48-28-6 record but haven't been very convincing coming into the playoffs with 3-4-3 in their last ten.
The Rangers have a lot questions to be answered in their lineup with the only position not raising heads is in the net. Hendrik Lundqvist is the glue for the team, even though fans and management seem to hold Lundqvist accountable during a slump or defeats to the top teams instead of looking at their defense. At this stage in the year he is the most important person in their lineup. The Rangers do offer a deep offensive end which is lead by their top goal scorer Chris Kreider who also two years ago injured Carey Price in game one of the Estern Conference Finals, where the Rangers prevailed. With a lacking defensive end they do welcome back Ryan McDonagh from injury.
Montreal Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic Division and will try and gain revenge for the 2014 loss to the Rangers in six. Leading into the playoffs the Canadians went on a 16-7-1 run to complete a 47-26-9 season. They will be boosted with the return of Shea Weber who is one of their best on the blue line and Jordie Benn who are both back from injury after spending two weeks on the sideline. The Habs won all three meeting this year with two away victories over the Rangers with two games heading into OT. At the other net Carey Price has had a great year and just like Lundqvist he could be the difference as the Rangers struggle to score with him in the net this yr.
In a close battle I'm picking the Habs in six!
TIP: Montreal Canadiens- Series win - $1.80 at Sportsbet
Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators
The Bruins showed enough to sneak into the Wild Card position and now will face the Ottawa Senators in round one. The Bruins have had a two year absence from the playoffs and enter this game pretty satisfied they get to play their division rival. Brad Marchand who was suspended for the final two games is back as he lead the Bruins offensive with 39 goals, 46 assists for 85 points. The Bruins have a lot of playoff experience and an extended lineup of talent behind Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara but Boston should be mostly thanking Tuukka Rask for the team making the playoffs. Two main defenseman will be out in this one with Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo out with injuries.
The Senators have had a year break from playoff hockey and get a chance to get a fast start as they are at home for game one. The Sens won all three games against the Bruins in the regular season which as we know means nothing in Playoff hockey. Ottawa strive on defense and tend clog up the neutral zone and push for turnovers. They have been quite successful with this during the regular season. With the defensive end so strong the offense do struggle on home ice with the powerplay scoring 18 goals from 124 chances. The Sens will be happy to see the return of Erik Karlsson who has sat out the last five games with injury.
With Boston having a more experience behind the net I believe Boston will take this series in 7.
TIP: Boston Bruins series win - $1.48 at Sportsbet
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins
Columbus enter Thursday's game in Pittsburgh looking for their first playoff series win. A lot has changed with the Jackets since they met with the Penguins in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. The Jackets were all over teams throughout the regular season until the last two weeks when they finally hit a skid and lost six of the last seven games. Columbus success this year has come from all star winger Cam Atkinson 36 goals and 28 assists, Nick Foligno 26 goals and 25 assists, and of course Sergei Bobrovsky who had 41 wins this year and a GAA of 2.06. The strength of the Jackets also lies with their defense with the young rookies like Zach Werenski and Seth Jones who also have double digit goals.
Last years Stanley Cup winners Pittsburgh come into the Playoffs with major injury concerns. Just to name a few like Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz all fighting to be fit. But just like good teams do they find a way to win and that's why they finished the year off second in the league behind Capitals. If Pittsburgh are to overcome Columbus, experience will get them across the line with captain Crosby taking charge and Matt Murray who took over the playoffs last year. Pittsburgh are 31-6-4 at home this year and are first in goals and shots on goal. Expect this series to go the distance
TIP: Columbus Blue Jackets series win - $2.50 at Crownbet
St Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild
The Blues finished the year off with third position in the central division behind Chicago and Minnesota. They come into the playoffs with a type of X factor status, having won the last three regular season games and 7-1-2 in the last ten. The Blues base their strengths on offense with Vladimir Tarasenko having a year to remember. In the last three victories he has two goals and three assists, which tallied Tarasenko to 39 goals and 36 assists for the year. He also enjoy playing against Dubnyk, in 2015 playoffs he scored six goals in six games. The Blues enjoy scoring goals but the defense offer big bodies with no one under 6’2” and they can certainly make you earn the puck.
Minnesota were the hottest team early in the season until they hit a slump on the road, which made it hard to regain confidence. Since that slump they have picked up again winning the last four matches which saw them finish three points behind Chicago. Minnesota have what it takes to go the distance but need Devon Dubnyk at his best as the defense allows over 30 shots on goals per game. Right winger Mikael Grunlund has a ability to scores goals as he led the team in points with 69 this season and has scored seven goals and nine assists from 29 career playoff games.
TIP: St Louis Blues series win - $2.18 at Sportsbet
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers
The Runners-up in the 2016 Stanley Cup have made the playoffs for the second year straight and hope to better the result this year. San Jose have been hit with injuries with Joe Thornton and Logan Couture racing to get fit for the opening match. The Sharks will rely mainly on their defense to get the job done. Brent Burns provides so much for the Sharks with preventing goals to scoring them when needed. Martin Jones behind the net took things to a new level last year, and you can't doubt him to do it again.
The Oilers put together a fantastic season and open a playoff season at home for the first time in 27 years. There is a reason to get excited about this team. The Oilers have great offense lead by McDavid who lead the league for points and assists this year and tallied 30 goals. With all this strong offense you have to be concerned about the defense especially when Cam Talbot played 73 games this season with backup goalie Laurent Brossoit only recording eight games. With injuries to key players for the Sharks I expect the Oilers to get the job done.
TIP: Edmonton Oilers series win - $1.67 at Crownbet
Toronto Maple leafs at Washington Capitals
Toronto ended up with the last wildcard spot with a loss to Columbus on their final regulation game. They will face the number team in the league the Washington Capitals. Toronto didn't just claim a wild card spot to be knocked out without giving it a crack. Toronto have a young team but this team is full of confidence, led by Auston Matthews who is the best rookie scorer since Ovi. Toronto away record is 19-14-8 and their offense is a ton better than their defense. There are a lot of rumors surrounding Friderik Anderson who is struggling to be fit for game one.
The Washington Capitals had the best record for the second year running. They are injury free and fully prepared to take it all this year. In the past the Caps have struggled in the playoffs and it's certainly noted by fans and the media but I feel this year could be different. The Caps have terrific power play lines, with TJ Oshie matching up with Nicklaus Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin which give teams a no idea on who to follow. The most important player to perform in my eyes if Evgeny Kuznetsov who of late has provided pace and skill to enter the blue line.
TIP: Washington Capital series win - $1.30 at Sportsbet
Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks
The Preds will take on the Blackhawks after claiming last spot in the wild card position. The Preds will come into this playoff series confident to knock off the best. They have one of the best defenseman in the league in PK Subban and with left winger Viktor Arvidsson who leads the goal department, the offense is ready to take over. Defense is definitely important when facing Chicago but you need to turn defense into offense. Nashville struggle on the road with the worst record of any team 17-20-4 and Pekka Rinne has been good but not great.
At some point during the year it looked like Chicago weren't built for finishing on top of the Western Conference, but with a slump by Minnesota they saw an opportunity to fight for top spot. Just like The Caps the Blackhawks have one of the best core groups in the league. The list goes on and on from Toews to Seabrook to Kane and it's hard to poke a hole in such an organized group. Chicago do have injury worries which may be a concern, with Michal Rozsival having face surgery and Artem Anisimov Struggling to be fit for game one. Despite this Chicago still have a lot in the tank and with a home record of 26-10-5 expect the Blackhawks to take the first two games at United Center.
TIP: Chicago Blackhawks series win - $1.48 at Crownbet
Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks
Calgary are the biggest surprise in the Western Conference with claiming the first spot in the wildcard race. After a rough start early in the season Calgary came to play in the second half. This game may have more feeling than expected, with last time the teams met a brawl broke out with a low hit on Ducks star Cam Fowler. Calgary play fast paced and share the puck around with over ten players having more than ten goals and assists with left wing Johnny Gaudreau leading the way.
Anaheim finished first place in the Pacific division and have had couple of weeks to remember with a 8-0-2 record in the last ten. Anaheim strive on defense and are third in the league for goals allowed registering 2.40 per game. Anaheim lead the regular season series 4-1 and are on a winning streak at home of 25 games games against the Flames. The only downfall for the Ducks is that Cam Fowler will miss the remainder of the year.
TIP: Calgary Flames series win - $2.35 at Sportsbet
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