It was yet another exciting season around the National Hockey League — a season full of milestones, surprises and, yes, disappointments. From Alex Ovechkin scoring his 895th career goal to pass Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record to Connor McDavid reaching 1,000 career points to the fascinating 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that captured the attention of the entire sports world, the 2024–25 NHL season was certainly one to remember.
Now that mid-April has come around, it is time for the NHL and its fans to turn their attention to the best playoffs in sports: the Stanley Cup playoffs. Fifteen teams will be looking to claim their spot as the new world champions, while the Florida Panthers will be looking to defend their 2024 Stanley Cup title. Come mid-to-late June, a new set of names will be engraved on the Stanley Cup.
All eight first-round matchups are locked in. In the Western Conference, the confirmed matchups are: St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings. In the Eastern Conference, the confirmed matchups are: Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens.
All eight matchups are going to be extremely entertaining. The Battle of Florida, the Battle of Ontario and the fourth straight year of the Oilers and Kings meeting in the first round especially stand out.
Now, let’s take a look at each series.
Senators vs. Maple Leafs
The Senators, making their first playoff appearance since 2017, are looking to upset the Maple Leafs. Although the Senators are a scrappy, physical and hard-working team, and the Maple Leafs are notorious playoff strugglers, the Maple Leafs’ talent will ultimately be too much for the Senators to overcome. Prediction: Maple Leafs in 7.
Panthers vs. Lightning
Two elite teams will be going at it once again. This is a more even matchup than most believe, but at the end of the day, the Panthers are the Panthers. And come playoff time, they’re really good. Prediction: Panthers in 7.
Devils vs. Hurricanes
The Devils have had a strong season, but missing Jack Hughes due to injury will be too tall a task against a team like the Hurricanes, with vast playoff experience and superb defensive play. Prediction: Hurricanes in 6.
Capitals vs. Canadiens
The Canadiens seem to finally be on their way out of their rebuild, but the Capitals, the top team in the Eastern Conference, should take care of business. Prediction: Capitals in 5.
In the Western Conference:
Blue vs. Jets: Jets in 6.
Avalanche vs. Stars: Avalanche in 7.
Wild vs. Golden Knights: Golden Knights in 5.
Oilers vs. Kings: Kings in 6.
This year’s playoffs are filled with such incredible talent that it makes giving a Stanley Cup matchup and champion prediction extremely difficult to make. However, I’ll do it anyway: Avalanche vs. Panthers, and the Avalanche take the series in seven games.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are going to be an exciting time. There is nothing like the thrills, momentum shifts and overtime winners at home. It all starts Saturday: 16 teams, one goal.
