NHL Conference Finals

Well...I'll be the first to admit that I was pretty far off on what teams would get to the Conference Finals of the NHL Playoffs. I did correctly predict that the Vegas Golden Knights would knock off the San Jose Sharks in six games. That I was correct on. But the other three series...way off.

Now yes I predicted correctly pick Tampa Bay over Boston, but I said in six games and they dominated the series, knocking off the Bruins in five games. So that leaves us with our Conference Finals. In the Western Conference, it's the Vegas Golden Knights (an expansion team) going up against the Winnipeg Jets (who won a playoff series this year for the first time in team history). In the Eastern Conference, it's the Washington Capitals (notorious for not being able to win in the playoffs) going up against the Tampa Bay Lightning (the only team in the conference finals that has experience and a Stanley Cup championship under their belts). Now I know the series have already started (I have a regular full time job so I wasn't able to write this blog before the two series started). As of the writing of this blog, the Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets are tied at a game a piece while the Washington Capitals have a 2-0 series lead over Tampa Bay. So what are my predictions for the rest of these series?

Western Conference: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets - Vegas wins in 7 games.
I'll be honest...I didn't expect much from the Jets when the playoffs started. I mean I thought they might get out of the first round, but knowing their history it's kind of understandable that I wouldn't pick them to beat the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators. But they have surprised me in every aspect of their game in these playoffs. Despite all of that, I still believe the Vegas Golden Knights will continue their unbelievable first year in the league and will become the first ever expansion team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year. Every aspect of the Golden Knights is extremely good. Scoring, goaltending, defense...it's all VERY good. This series is already showing that it's going to be extremely good. But I think Vegas will take the series in seven games.

Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - Washington wins in 6 games.
Over the years, the Capitals always seem to have one of the best teams during the regular season, but can't seem to put it together in the playoffs. You can't say that about this year's Capitals team. Not at all. Had I been able to write this article before the series began, I would have picked Tampa Bay. But for the Capitals to go into central Florida and take both games on Tampa Bay's home ice has shown me otherwise. I think Tampa Bay will get a couple wins in these playoffs, but Washington has been too dominate in the series and I think will take the series in six games.

Stanley Cup Finals prediction: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals.

2018 NHL Second Round Playoffs Prediction

When the NHL playoffs started, I made my first round predictions. I'm proud to say that I called correctly seven out of the eight teams correctly to move onto the second round, and in three of those match-ups I also called correctly how many games those teams would win. I was perfect in predicting that the Tampa Bay Lightning would defeat the New Jersey Devils in five games, the Boston Bruins would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, and the Pittsburgh Penguins would defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. The one prediction I was completely off was thinking the Anaheim Ducks would beat the San Jose Sharks in seven games. Props to San Jose on the four-game sweep.

So with the second round set to begin tonight, here's my predictions on who will advance to the conference finals:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins - Tampa Bay wins in 6
The Boston Bruins proved against the Toronto Maple Leafs that they won't go down without a fight.They fought back constantly in that series to take down the Maple Leafs. But with that said, Tampa Bay is a whole new bear to try to take down. The Lightning are too quick for the Bruins and Boston won't be able to keep up. The Lightning also have too many scorers who can put the puck in the net from anywhere on the ice. So it's my prediction that Tampa Bay wins the series in six games.




Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - Pittsburgh wins in 7
This series will be extremely competitive. Both teams are good. There's no denying that. This will be a back and forth seesaw affair for sure. But the Capitals have a knack for coming up short on the big stage. And I believe that will happen again. Both sides have good defense, good scorers, and good goaltenders. But the Penguins have the experience it will take to win a game 7 and move onto the conference finals against Tampa Bay.  So it's my prediction that Pittsburgh wins the series in seven games.



WESTERN CONFERENCE
Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets - Nashville wins in 5
The Jets were impressive in their first round win over the Minnesota Wild. But it's going to take a lot more effort for them to take down the Predators. The Preds have too much strength on defense and too good of scorers on offense. And it helps that their goaltender is pretty good too. The Jets won't have the capability to keep up with the likes of Mike Fisher and the rest of the Preds. So it's my prediction that Nashville will win this series in five games.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks - Vegas wins in 6
The Golden Knights are making history with every playoff win, but it's San Jose that shocked me. I did not see their sweep of the Ducks coming. They won't have it as easy against Vegas. James Neal and the rest of the Golden Knights look determined to re-write our expectations of an expansion team. They are quick, the strike from almost anywhere, and their goaltender is nearly unstoppable. While this round won't be as easy for the Golden Knights either (they swept the Los Angeles Kings in the first round), I believe we will see history once again. So it's my prediction that Vegas wins the series in six games.

I was pretty close to dead on in the first round. Can I be that accurate again with a spot in the conference finals on the line for these teams? Guess we will have to wait and see. Second round of the 2018 NHL Playoffs begin tonight.