Three Potential Upsets in the First Round of NHL Playoffs
The NHL postseason is upon us! After an intense and thrilling 82-game regular season, in which the playoff seeding was decided on the penultimate day of action, the 16 clubs who made it to the postseason are locked in and ready to begin their quest to host the Stanley Cup in June. Connor McDavid and the Oilers are hoping to win their first Stanley Cup under his leadership, the New York Rangers are trying to break the President Trophy winner's curse, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Las Vegas Golden Knights have a target on their back. These are just a few of the notable storylines that surround the playoffs, which get underway on Saturday. With a three-seed or lower making the Conference Finals the previous four seasons, the NHL playoffs always have the potential to produce surprising upsets. Here are three potential series that could see an upset occur in the first round of the 2024 NHL playoffs.
1. (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs
The Bruins and Maple Leafs are gearing up to provide fans with another exciting postseason series for the third time in seven seasons. The series has advanced to a winner-take-all Game 7 on the previous two occasions, with the Bruins emerging victorious in both instances. For the third consecutive year, the Boston Bruins hope to avoid losing in the opening round going into the postseason. Against the Bruins this time around, the Maple Leafs are hopeful that it will be their lucky third time. With Auston Matthews leading the way, the Maple Leafs have been among the league's most effective offensive teams all season long, ranking second in goals per game (3.63) and seventh in power play percentage (24%). Matthews concluded the regular season just one goal shy of 70 goals in a single season.
Even though the Maple Leafs lost the regular season series 4-0, if their defense and key players can perform well in crucial situations this postseason, they can surprise the Bruins. In the previous two postseason series between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins, Matthews, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander were not as productive for Toronto as they usually were. Marner has been the most productive against the Bruins, with Matthews and Nylander playing mediocre roles. With three goals and four points this season, Matthews leads the core four forwards in scoring versus the Bruins, despite Tavares and Nylander's two goals in four games. It is now everyone's responsibility to lead and overcome a rival who has already vanquished them several times. The Maple Leafs must execute their effective power play and gain some depth scoring, something the Bruins have excelled at this season.
2. (C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche
After an unexpected elimination from the first round by the Seattle Kraken last postseason, Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche are looking to make up for their disappointment. The Jets are a tough team that defeated the Avalanche in all three games of their regular-season series by a combined score of 17–4. Even with their dismal regular season record against Winnipeg, the Avalanche have what it takes to surprise their division opponent if they can maintain their strong scoring output and strengthen their goaltender reliability. The Avalanche had the league's best goals per game (3.68) and fifth-best power play percentage (24.5%) in the regular season. The Avalanche's goaltenders, who ranked 16th in goals against per game (3.07) and 20th in save percentage (.902%), have struggled recently, and their play has been inconsistent as the regular season came to a close. The second part of the season has seen streaks and erratic play from Alexandar Georgiev. More essential, though, is that he is losing control of his emotions. Georgiev has experienced a mini meltdown on a few occasions, which has affected his performance and resulted in his removal from the game for a few games.
3. (A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning
With both teams hoping to improve on their postseason performances, the Panthers and Lightning are playing for bragging rights in this in-state playoff matchup. The Panthers want to complete the job after falling short against the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Meanwhile, following their first-round elimination by the Maple Leafs last postseason, the Lightning are hoping to avoid a second straight early playoff exit. Against the Florida Panthers in the regular season, the Lightning had a record of 1–2-0. That being said, the Bolts aren't the series' obvious underdog. Oppositely, Tampa Bay finished the regular season with a 12-4-2 record.
The Lightning have the most effective power play in the NHL (28.6%), and they rank third in the Eastern Conference and fifth overall in the league with an 83.3% penalty kill. The Bolts have also demonstrated that they are a dangerous opponent, regardless of who their opponent may be, and they have an excellent coach in Jon Cooper. The Lightning won't find the Panthers easy to beat, but Tampa Bay boasts a wealth of players who understand what it takes to win it all. Since the trade deadline, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the stronger starting goalkeeper than Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, with a .916 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average compared to Bobrovsky’s .902 save percentage and 2.70 GAA.
