As the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are set to kick off this weekend, fans and media are going to debate and discuss their picks to go far in the tournament.
Many will count out the lower seeds in the first round, but some of them have a better shot at doing some damage in Round 1 and beyond.
Back in March, THN.com’s Jacob Stoller selected the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators as squads that shouldn’t be slept on in the playoffs. While this writer doesn’t see the Preds continuing their improved play into the playoffs, the path looks clearer for the other three to go deeper than many expect as the playoff matchups get finalized.
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Let’s look at each of those teams:
Winnipeg Jets
Perhaps it’s because most of their games aren’t played nationally to Canadians, but the Jets always seem to be a team people gloss over, and this season is no different.
They’re locked into a first-round showdown against the Colorado Avalanche. Though the Avs won a Cup two years ago and are the pick of many people in this series matchup, the Jets went 3-0-0 against the Avalanche this season – outscoring the Avs 17-4 – and Winnipeg has the better goaltender in star Connor Hellebuyck.
After the Jets went out meekly in last year’s playoffs, some observers will be in “show me, don’t tell me” mode regarding Winnipeg’s chances to win. That’s fair, but what isn’t fair is surmising that the Jets will repeat recent history and once again let down their fans. They may need the full seven games of the series to eliminate Colorado, but the Jets are in a solid position to do some real damage in this post-season.
Winnipeg was the league’s second-best defensive team (2.42 goal against per game), and Hellebuyck is capable of stealing games all on his own. There’s a lot to like about the Avalanche, too, but we should be giving the Jets more credit for being a legitimate Cup contender.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning were 1-2-0 against their first-round opponents, the Florida Panthers. But the Bolts aren’t the clear underdog in this series.
To the contrary – Tampa Bay went 12-4-2 to close out the regular season, and its playoff pedigree is one of the most impressive in the league. The Lightning have the NHL’s top power play (28.6 percent efficiency), and their penalty kill (83.3 percent) is third-best in the Eastern Conference and fifth-best in the league.
Here’s Kucherov’s assist to Point. He’s only the 5th player in @NHL history to record 100 assists in a single season. #GoBolts
An MVP performance.
— Diandra Loux (@Diandra_loux) April 18, 2024
The Bolts also have an elite coach in Jon Cooper, and they’ve already proven themselves to be a formidable opponent, regardless of who that opponent is.
The Panthers aren’t going to be an easy out for the Lightning, but Tampa Bay has a slew of performers who know exactly what it takes to win it all. They have also had a better No. 1 goalie since the trade deadline than the Panthers, with Andrei Vasilevskiy’s .916 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average outperforming Sergei Bobrovsky’s .902 SP and 2.70 GAA. They’re our personal pick to beat the Panthers, even if it takes them seven games to get the job done.
The Lightning may be nearing the closure of their competitive window, but Tampa’s management believes they’ve still got one more lengthy playoff run in them. From what we’ve seen in the second half of the season, they’re probably right. Count out the Bolts at your peril.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings’ first-round opponent is yet to be determined – but they’ll either take on the Edmonton Oilers or Dallas Stars. This writer has spoken many times about liking the Stars to win the Cup this year, but if Los Angeles faces the Oilers, we’ve got a hunch the Kings can upset Edmonton and move on to the second round.
The Kings went 1-2-1 against the Oilers this season, and they were 0-3-0 against Dallas. But although L.A. doesn’t have the type of generational talent the Oilers have, the Kings are, very quietly, one of the league’s top defensive teams. At an average of 2.54 goals against per game, they’ve got the third-best mark in the league in that category – and they have a well-balanced group of forwards that can play either a high-octane, run-and-gun game or grind it out with a 1-3-1 neutral zone trap.
No matter who they take on to begin the playoffs, the Kings are at a point in their competitive cycle where they must take the next step forward or arrive at a crossroads. We think they’ve got it in them to knock off the Oilers, but time will ultimately tell.
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News Summary:
- NHL Playoffs: Path is Clearer for Jets, Lightning and Kings To Surprise in Round 1
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.