Anthony’s NHL Conference Finals Rundown

An adrenaline rush is defined as “a physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands”. Some people ride roller coasters, drive fast in cars, watch scary movies, or do a few other things to get this rush. Well, what if I told you all you had to do to get your adrenal glands pumping was to watch some playoff hockey? Yes, I am being sarcastic to an extent here, but this year’s NHL playoffs have been EVERYTHING one could hope for. We have had a plethora of incredible storylines and we have seen multiple HEAVY FAVORITES go down to huge underdogs. There have been fights, close games, blowouts, incredible goals, incredible saves, BONE CRUNCHING hits, and everything in between, and yet we still have 2 rounds to go. After 31 days of playoff hockey, we are now down to just 4 teams, and these are certainly not the 4 teams MOST people thought would be here. Now we are going to do a brief rundown of each team as well as look a little closer at their matchups.

The Current Favorite – Carolina Hurricanes (+200)

Carolina started these playoffs at +1200 odds to win the whole thing. Most people picked them to overcome the Islanders in round 1 (I was not one of them unfortunately) despite going into the series without Star Andrei Svechnikov (Out for the season Torn ACL). They did so in 6 games, really seeming to control most of the series despite a lack of scoring. For the 2nd round, they came up against division rival the New Jersey Devils. A team they had numerous close battles with all season. As we have said before though once the playoffs start those regular season games don’t mean much. The Hurricanes completely manhandled the Devils, winning in just 5 games. Outscoring the Devils high powered offense 24-13 over the series. A team in Carolina without 2 of their Leading scorers (Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen) outscored a full-powered Devils team by 11 goals in 5 games (the Devils won game 4 by a score of 8-4). If you take out the lone Devils win in that series the Canes outscored New Jersey 20-5. In previous playoff pieces I have written I have talked about how I didn’t believe the Canes offense would be able to get them enough goal-scoring to go all the way. They have very clearly proven me wrong. One thing I did not take into real consideration here was just how good this Carolina defense could be and honestly, I will eat the crow on that one. This was the team that allowed the 2nd fewest goals over the course of the season this year with only 213 (Boston was first at 177). This team has been led defensively by Brent Burns and Jacob Slavin, both are the current team leaders in +/- (Burns at +8 and Slavin at +14). They have been causing fits for opposing offenses. Pair their incredible play with the goalie pair of Fredderik Andersen and Antti Raanta posting a combined .915 Sv%. Andersen has been the real star though. In the 6 games he has started his Sv% is .931%. If Andersen can stay upright (he has only started half their playoff games) it is very hard to envision anyone getting past this Carolina team.  

The Next Best Thing? – Vegas Golden Knights (+225)

I am not sure I feel it’s fair that the people making the odds here are housed a few doors down from where this team plays their home games. I personally think Dallas Is the most complete team remaining but there is no doubting what this Vegas team has overcome. Having to start multiple Goalies all year including last round when their original playoff starter Laurent Brossoit went down with what looked like a severe lower-body injury. Adin Hill has since stepped in and utterly dominated the league’s best offense, the Edmonton Oilers. From the time he stepped on the ice in game 3 versus Edmonton, he has only allowed 9 goals on 132 shots which equals out to a .931 sv%. This would tie him for the lead in remaining playoff goalies with Carolina’s Fredderik Andersen. On offense, they have gotten superb play from the players you would expect. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, and Jonathan Marchessault have scored 22 of their 41 goals this postseason and have 24 of their 69 assists. All this paired with relatively consistent play from defenders like Alec Martinez, Alex Pietrangelo, and Zach Whitecloud has gotten Vegas to this point. Due to their strong regular season, Vegas will have the home ice advantage versus Dallas, a team that they dropped all 3 regular season matchups.  

The Most Complete Team Left – Dallas Stars (+325)

A lot of people believe Dallas not being favored here is criminal. If you look back at the last round though Seattle even though they lost may have exposed some real issues for Dallas. For one Jake Oettinger after hovering around 2 goals allowed per game in round 1 against Minnesota jumped up to over 3 goals per game against Seattle. Also, Seattle seemed to target the defensive pair of Jani Hakanpaa and Esa Lindell. They both posted multiple games of -2 or worse versus Seattle. It got to the point that Hakanpaa was scratched for game 7 and replaced in the lineup by Colin Miller. Nevertheless, Dallas overcame these obstacles and was able to outlast Seattle winning game 7 on home ice by a score of 2 to 1. They won’t have the luxury of home ice versus Vegas despite beating Vegas in all 3 regular season matchups.  We talked about Hintz, now let’s discuss their other bright young star, Jason Robertson. After posting the best scoring season in Dallas Stars history this season, he has really struggled to find the back of the net in the playoffs with only 2 goals thus far. At times it has seemed like they could really use some more scoring, and one must think it will only be a matter of time before Robertson gets going, right? Well, Robertson only has 3 goals across 20 career playoff games. Playoff hockey brings a different level of intensity on a nightly basis, and this is something Jason is going to have to adapt to if Dallas wants to head back to the Stanley Cup Finals. We have said it too many times to count at this point, the playoffs are a different animal. Those 3 regular season wins mean absolutely nothing heading into this series, especially with how hot Vegas has been.

How The Hell Did They Get Here? – Florida Panthers (+375)

If you have been following my articles you should know the date by now. March 29^th. This is the day the Panthers’ season turned around. Maurice laid into his team on the bench during the game, the next day Keith Tkachuk (father of Panthers Forward Matthew Tkachuk and hockey legend in his own right) called the team soft and essentially said they were playing with no heart. Well, they certainly responded only losing 2 regular season games the rest of the way to rally their way into the playoffs. They then followed that up with the 1st round upset of the Boston Bruins in 7 games and a 2nd round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 games. It is crazy to see the Panthers who opened the playoffs with +2200 odds to win it all walk into this round with still the worst odds at +375 but the jump is borderline historic. After team Alternate Captain Matthew Tkachuk’s father made those comments back in March he has really elevated his game. He has 28 points over that 20-game stretch (including 16 so far in the playoffs good for 2nd amongst active skaters). It hasn’t just been the scoring though that has had Matthew propelling this team. His gritty, in-your-face style is regularly causing scuffles with opponents and gets under other players’ skin. He seldom misses a chance to mush an opponent in the face after the whistle or let other players know just how physical the game can be. His +10 rating in the playoffs is only behind Jacob Slavin’s +14 in regard to players remaining. Also shining bright for the Panthers is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. After winning games 5, 6 & 7 versus Boston in round 1 he held the Leafs to only 2 goals per game in round 2 with a Save Percentage of .942. If “BOB” can stay on this heater this may be the toughest team to play right now.

Eastern Conference Final Canes vs Panthers

Prediction-  

I haven’t picked either of these teams once yet in the playoffs. I had pretty much written off Carolina due to injuries and ultimately felt Florida wouldn’t really hit a high enough ceiling to get all the way to the Cup Finals. Clearly, I was wrong, and with that no more Chalk picks. I think the Panthers’ relentless forecheck and physicality matches up well versus Carolina and think the 5-day layoff could be HUGE for “BOB”. Give me the Cats.

Canes Panthers in 6

Western Conference Final Knights vs Stars

Prediction-  

I have regularly questioned the Knights’ ability to continue to overcome these injuries and they keep proving me wrong. I do truly believe Dallas is the most complete team still playing but that doesn’t necessarily matter. Honestly, this series is a real toss-up and I do believe it’s going 7. My gut is telling me it’s Vegas. They have overcome every obstacle thrown their way ALL YEAR and I don’t think it stops now. Give me the Knights.

Stars Knights in 7

Staff Picks