What Teams Are Left in the NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are down to the final four teams.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, and Vegas Golden Knights are the last teams standing. See which teams have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup this year.

The Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning were one of the best teams in the NHL this season. They won the President’s Trophy for the best record in the regular season, and they’re one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup. They have a deep and talented roster, and they’re coached by Jon Cooper, who is one of the best coaches in the NHL.

Their Regular Season

In order to make the playoffs, a team must first have a successful regular season. The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 54-23-5, good for 113 points. They scored an impressive 262 goals, which was tied for second in the NHL, and their +59 goal differential was tops in the league. Their defense was also stingy, as they allowed just 203 goals against, which was good for sixth in the NHL.

Their Playoff History

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Lightning have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2004. The team is often referred to as the Bolts, and the nickname was unofficially adopted following the 2003–04 season.

The Lightning were founded in 1992 as an expansion team by Phil Esposito, who played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He became the first general manager of an NHL team located in Florida.

In June 2010, Jeff Vinik became the new owner of the Lightning. He hired Steve Yzerman as general manager later that year. Yzerman built a strong roster that reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015 and 2016 but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively.

The Nashville Predators

Their Regular Season

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators have played their home games at Bridgestone Arena since 1998. The team’s name was inspired from the television series brought to Nashville by beloved country music artist and actor, Crockett.

While the team’s ownership has changed several times since their establishment, the Predators have maintained a relatively stable roster of players throughout their history. However, this does not mean that the team has been without its fair share of standout players and legends. Some of the most popular Predators players include Pekka Rinne, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Ryan Ellis.

The Predators have gradually improved since their early years, making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs several times but never making it to the Stanley Cup Finals. That all changed in 2017 when they finally made it to the big stage but ultimately lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Their Playoff History

The Nashville Predators began play during the 1998–99 NHL season. In their inaugural season, the Predators qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs, becoming the first of the NHL’s expansion teams to do so in their first season. They became only the second eighth-seeded team in Stanley Cup history to win a series, defeating the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings in six games. Although they were swept by the eventual Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche in the second round, their first appearance in the playoffs marked a successful debut for the franchise.

In 2006–07, after missing the playoffs for four consecutive seasons,the Predators returned to prominence. They finished with a franchise-record 51 wins and 110 points, good for fourth place in the Conference and second in their division. In the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, they defeated both the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks en route to their first ever Conference Finals appearance. There, they met the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings but were ultimately swept in four games.

The Predators have made five trips to the Stanley Cup playoffs in total—in each of their last seven full 82-game seasons—but have not advanced beyond the Conference Finals.

The Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

Their Regular Season

The Winnipeg Jets finished the regular season with a 44-19-10 record, good for second place in the Central Division. The Jets scored the second-most goals in the NHL this season (277), and their +56 goal differential was the fourth-best in the league. On the other side of the puck, Winnipeg allowed the seventh-fewest goals against (221) and had the sixth-best goal differential in the NHL. The Jets were one of only three teams in the league to score more than 250 goals and allow fewer than 225 goals this season.

Their Playoff History

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets began play as the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999–2000 NHL season. True North acquired the Thrashers franchise in May 2011 and relocated the franchise from Atlanta, Georgia to Winnipeg on July 1, 2011. The Jets retained much of the Thrashers’ roster and started the 2011–12 season with a truncated training camp due to a labor dispute that had delayed the start of that season’s free agency period.

The Jets reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 2015, clinching on April 9, 2015 with a 5–1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. In doing so, they became just the second team in NHL history to make the playoffs in their first season after relocating (following in the footsteps of their predecessors, who reached the playoffs three times as Atlanta before moving). Although they lost their first playoff game against Anaheim Ducks on April 15, they managed to make it all the way to Game 7 of Round 2 against Nashville Predators which they ultimately lost 5-0 on May 10th, 2018.

Despite not making it as far in 2019(losing again to Nashville Predators), hope remains high for Winnipeg as many believe them to be one of this year’s Stanley Cup contenders.

The Vegas Golden Knights

After a historic regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights are one of the teams left in the NHL playoffs. They’re looking to make some noise and take home the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at their chances.

Their Regular Season

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They began play in the 2017–18 NHL season as an expansion team, becoming the first NHL franchise based in Nevada. The Golden Knights play their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.

In their inaugural season, the Golden Knights set numerous league expansion records and won the Pacific Division before ultimately losing to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals.

During their regular season, the Golden Knights were one of two expansion teams to ever clinch a playoff spot by February, doing so in just their 51st game. They also became just the third team in NHL history to win 10 games in a row on home ice, doing so from December 14, 2017 – January 6, 2018. On March 31, 2018, they secured their first ever Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the league’s best regular season record.

Their Playoff History

In their inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights unexpectedly became one of the NHL’s best teams.

They finished the regular season with a record of 51-24-7, good for 109 points and first place in the Pacific Division. In the playoffs, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, becoming the first expansion team in NHL history to do so. Unfortunately, they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.

Despite this disappointing end to their historic season, the Golden Knights have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the NHL.