The new Stanley Cup champion will be crowned in a little over a month
By CAROLYN (CARI) FENN — sports@theaggie.org
With the first round of the playoffs in the National Hockey League (NHL) completed and the Super 16 now becoming the Elite 8, one team is a step closer to claiming the coveted Stanley Cup. The Elite 8 teams entering the second round of the playoffs are the Florida Panthers, the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Dallas Stars, the Colorado Avalanche, the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Of the eight remaining teams, all are ranked first or second within their division except for the Avalanche, ranked third, having beaten out the second-ranked Winnipeg Jets.
While all the teams are vying for the coveted title of champion and the ability to hold the Stanley Cup over their head in celebration, for some, the win would be a rather monumental occasion for their franchise. For the Canucks and Panthers, this year could signify their first-ever Stanley Cup win. The Canucks have been in the NHL since 1970, and the Panthers have been in the NHL since 1993, so for both teams, a Stanley Cup win this season could end a franchise-long drought.
Although no team has officially claimed a spot in the conference finals, many have predicted who they believe will make it to the final four from each division matchup.
Atlantic Division: A1 Florida Panthers vs. A2 Boston Bruins
Going into game three, the series between the Panthers and Bruins is tied 1-1. Despite the current tie, the Panthers are given better odds of winning the next matchup with a money line (ML) of -125, while the Bruins have an ML of +105. Additionally, of the 24 workers at ESPN who were asked to predict the winner of each division, they predicted that the Panthers would win in 23 of the 24 picks, with the most common prediction being that the Panthers would win in six.
In the first matchup between the Bruins and Panthers, the Bruins won by a landslide with a final score of 5-1. The large deficit for the Bruins was due to goalie Jeremy Swayman’s impressive performance, who saved 38 shots and had an impressive save percentage of 0.947%. Although the Bruins won game one by a large margin, the Panthers didn’t allow the Bruins to celebrate for too long, as in game two, the Panthers came back and beat the Bruins 6-1. While many players contributed to the Panther’s overwhelming victory, center Aleksander Barkov, who had two goals and two assists, and center Sam Reinhart, who had four assists, were major playmakers of the night.
Metropolitan Division: M1 New York Rangers vs. M2 Carolina Hurricanes
Going into game four, the Rangers swept the Hurricanes in the series with a 3-0 lead. Even though the Rangers are currently dominating the Hurricanes in the series, the odds are rather divided on which team will win the series. Based on betting odds, the Hurricanes are favored to win the next matchup, as shown by the money line (ML) of -145, while the Rangers have an ML of +125. In contrast, of the 24 workers at ESPN who were asked to predict the winner of each division, they predicted that the Rangers would win the series in 14 of the 24 picks, with the most common prediction being that the Rangers would win in seven.
In the first and second games of the series between the Rangers and Hurricanes, the Rangers won with a final score of 4-3. Their victory in the second game came during the second overtime from a goal by center Vincent Trocheck at 7:24 minutes. In the third matchup, the Rangers again came out with a winning score of 3-2 after left-wing Artemi Panarin scored a goal in only a minute and 43 seconds into overtime. Additionally, The Rangers largely owe their win in game three to their goalie, Igor Shesterkin, who made 45 saves, which resulted in a save percentage of 0.957%.
Central Division: C1 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
Going into game three, the series between the Stars and Avalanche was tied 1-1. While the series is anybody’s game, the Avalanche has better odds of winning the next game with a money line (ML) of -130, as the Stars have an ML of +110. Additionally, of the 24 workers at ESPN who predicted the winners of each division, the workers said that the Stars would win in 17 of the 24 picks, with the most common prediction being that the Stars would win in seven.
Following the first game, the Avalanche led the series after winning 4-3 in overtime with a goal from left-wing Miles Wood at 11:03 minutes. In the second game of the series, the Stars came back and beat the Avalanche 5-3 to prevent a 0-2 deficit in the series. Although the Stars won the game, the Avalanche were close to making a comeback when they closed the 0-4 Stars lead to 3-4 after scoring three goals in the third period. However, after opening up the goal and creating a 6-on-4 scenario to better increase their chances of making a comeback, the Stars were able to grow the deficit to 5-3 and secure their win after defenseman Esa Lindell scored on the open net.
Pacific Division: P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. P2 Edmonton Oilers
Currently, the Canucks lead the series 1-0 with at least three to possibly six more games still to follow, depending on if the Oilers can prevent the Canucks from creating a more significant lead. Between the two teams, the Oilers are viewed by many to have a better chance of winning the next game with a money line (ML) of -125 odds, while the Canucks have an ML of +105. Additionally, of the 24 workers at ESPN predictions, the workers predicted that the Oilers would win in 23 of the 24 picks, with the most common prediction being that the Oilers would win in six.
In the first game, the Canucks came back from a 4-1 deficit to win 5-4 with three goals in the last period of the game from center J.T. Miller, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and right-wing Conor Garland. Despite it still being only the beginning of the series and the Oilers are favored to win, game one of the series has been the closest that the Oilers have come to beating the Canucks all season. In the four matchups between the Oilers and Canucks during the regular season, the Oilers lost all five games by a total margin of 21-7. Only time will tell if a similar pattern will occur in the rest of the series.
As the competition begins to intensify, the title of champion is up for grabs for a new team this year, as the previous Stanley Cup winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, were knocked out of the race for the title during the first round of the Super 16. With multiple games left to go in the second round and the conference finals prior to the final, we will have to wait till June to learn which team will take home the coveted title.
Written by: Carolyn (Cari) Fenn — sports@theaggie.org
