NHL Playoff Picture

In the 2018 NHL playoffs, the Boston Bruins faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fortunately for Bruins fans, it seems like the odds are in Boston’s favor, considering that they have fewer goals scored against and a better penalty-kill percentage compared to the Maple Leafs. If they win this seven game series, it is likely that they will play the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that Boston had beaten four out of the five times they played them during the regular season. However, Tampa still has the advantage. They have a better power-play and more goals scored on average this year compared to the Bruins. The main reason that Boston beat Tampa this regular season was due to the injury of the Lightning’s star player Steven Stamkos. Every time these two teams faced off, he was injured. This left Tampa with a huge spot to fill on their top line, which nobody could fill to the fullest. Even if Boston somehow beat the Lightning with Stamkos being at his best, they would then most likely have to beat either Pittsburgh or Washington. The likelihood of that happening is considerably low, taking into account that Boston lost almost all of their games against these two teams, and both of those teams have better stats overall than Boston, including goals for, goals against, power play% and penalty-kill percentage. In the Eastern Conference Finals, it is likely that we will see Tampa Bay play either Washington or Pittsburgh and after that, the winner will face whoever comes out on top in the Western Conference. On that side of the bracket, it is most likely that the Nashville Predators will have won, beating the Vegas Golden Knights (a team developed this year), in the Western Conference Finals. Personally in the Stanley Cup Finals, I have Washington beating Nashville, and if Washington doesn’t lose to Pittsburgh, like they have been since the 2009-2010 season, it is very probable that this will happen.

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