Who’s Playing in the NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are underway and there are some great match-ups. Who’s your pick to win it all?

Introduction

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. The playoffs are contested by 16 teams, 8 from each of the league’s two conferences. The conference quarter-finals are best-of-seven series played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning that home ice advantage alternates between the two teams each game. The four remaining teams of each conference advance to play in the conference semi-finals, where home ice advantage again alternates between each team game by game. The two series winners advance to compete against each other for their respective conference championship. Lastly, the Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup.

Eastern Conference

The NHL playoffs are in full swing and the Eastern Conference is looking very competitive. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the top seed in the conference and they are looking to make a deep run. The Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals are also looking very strong.

Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division is made up of the following teams:

-Boston Bruins
-Buffalo Sabres
– Detroit Red Wings
-Florida Panthers
-Montreal Canadiens
-Ottawa Senators
-Tampa Bay Lightning
-Toronto Maple Leafs

Metropolitan Division

The Metropolitan Division is one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).. The division was created in 2013 as part of the NHL’s realignment plan. Its teams are located in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States.

The division currently consists of eight teams: the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals.

Western Conference

The NHL playoffs are in full swing and the Western Conference is looking very strong. The Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars are all looking like they could make a run at the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at the teams in the Western Conference and see who has the best chance of making it to the finals.

Central Division

The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Its teams are located in the Midwest and South.

As of the 2021 season, the divisional alignment consists of the following teams:

-Chicago Blackhawks
-Colorado Avalanche
-Dallas Stars
-Minnesota Wild
-Nashville Predators
-St. Louis Blues
-Winnipeg Jets

Pacific Division

-Anaheim Ducks
-Calgary Flames
-Edmonton Oilers
-Los Angeles Kings
-San Jose Sharks
-Vancouver Canucks

Conclusion

Looking at the final standings, it’s fair to say that the Tampa Bay Lightning deserved to win the Presidents’ Trophy. They were far and away the best team in the regular season, racking up 62 wins and 128 points. The next best team, the Calgary Flames, had only 107 points.

The Lightning will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Jackets are a good team, but they’re going to have their work cut out for them if they want to advance.

The other first-round matchup in the East is between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins are another strong team, but they struggled down the stretch and lost their last four games. The Maple Leafs are a talented young team, but they’re not as experienced as the Bruins. This should be a good series.

In the West, the top seed is the Nashville Predators.They’ll take on the Dallas Stars in the first round. The Stars are a solid team, but they’re not as good as the Predators. Nashville should win this series relatively easily.

The other first-round matchup in the West is between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. The Jets are one of the best teams in hockey, but they’re going to have their hands full with a Blues team that’s playing very well right now. This series could go either way, but I’m leaning towards Winnipeg.”