The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 20th, and it only took to the final games of the regular season before we got the 16 teams qualifying to face off in the Stanley Cup. In addition, it took until the final night of regular season play to get the matchups set in the Eastern and Western Conferences. Some teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers will wonder what could have been when the playoffs begin this weekend. But now the field is set, it is time to dive into the preview of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs as we quickly look at each series.
2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview
Eastern Conference
New York Rangers vs. Washington CapitalsÂ
Here we go again as the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will meet for the 10th time these two teams will meet in the postseason. It is the sixth time in the Alex Ovechkin era in Washinton the Capitals and Rangers are meeting. Washington won in 2009 and 2011, while the Rangers won in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Outside of the 2011 series, where the Capitals won in five games, four of these series went seven games.Â
Entering this series, the Rangers should win in five games. They should, as New York is the superior team on paper. However, Ovechkin and the Capitals play this team tough. Washington has a belief with Charlie Lindgren between the pipes. Spencer Carbery has this team playing the right way. It will not be pretty. The Capitals will not outscore their opponent, but defensively, they will make you work. And we know the Capitals can still strike on the power play with Ovechkin. Not to mention, the young Capitals have been carrying them.Â
Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers with 120 points (49 goals and 71 assists). His 120 points are second behind Jaromir Jagr‘s 123 points in Rangers history. The offense runs through him. He has elevated Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. The top-line players, Mike Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Jack Roslovic, have been very effective. Alexander Wennberg has given the Rangers depth down the middle. But the Rangers have an identity with their four-line playing physical. The Rangers have a good power play, as their five-on-five play could be better.Â
The Rangers have the edge between the pipes. Igor Shesterkin is coming into his own in the second half of the year, and Jonathan Quick played well during the year. Again, everything favors the Rangers, but come the puck drops in Game 1, you never know.Â
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York IslandersÂ
It is a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the New York Islanders. The Islanders are coming in on an eight-game winning streak, excelling under the guidance of new head coach Patrick Roy. The Hurricanes lost their final game of the regular season. However, the last two meetings have gone the way of the Hurricanes. Carolina swept the Islanders out of the playoffs en route to the Conference Final 2019. Last year, Carolina won a hard-fought six-game series.Â
The Hurricanes are a different team this season. Management changed their method after losing in the Conference Final again last year to Florida Panthers by going after Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the NHL Trade Deadline. The Hurricanes usually don’t go after pending UFAs; however, these players have put them over the edge to win this year. This team is also healthy offensively with Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis, and Brent Burns. Add in Frederik Andersen, and the Hurricanes are a threat to make a deep run.Â
Carolina plays as their head coach Rod Brind’Amour did, but they will be in tough against a battle-tested team in the Islanders. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has built this team for the playoffs. The core has not changed since the back-to-back Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021. Patrick Roy has gotten this team to play better defensively and gave Carolina fits last year, stifling their offence. Semyon Varlamov should start Game 1 as it is his net, which is why the Islanders are here. Ilya Sorokin is no slouch, but you can tell he needed a break. But like the Hurricanes, the Islanders have a great one-two punch between the pipes.Â
The Islanders have a shot with Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Noah Dobson leading the way. Dobson is a big question mark. He missed the remainder of the regular season with an upper-body injury. And we know what Jean-Gabriel Pageau can do in the playoffs. But we know it is never easy to win in Carolina. Islanders will need to do that to have a chance in this series. Carolina is the favourite to win, but when you count out the Islanders, they are the most dangerous.Â
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Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
It is the Battle of Florida Part III as the Florida Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning won the previous two matchups. In both cases, the Lightning went on to the Stanley Cup Final. In 2021, they won the Stanley Cup; in 2022, they lost in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Florida is looking to cement their stake in this rivalry. The Panthers playing the Lightning in the regular season just fine, winning the season series 2-1. But in the playoffs, it is a different monster.Â
Both teams are playing well heading into the playoffs. The Florida Panthers won the Atlantic Division on the final days of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lightning are a team nobody wants to play in the playoffs with their pedigree. They lost last year in the first round, but they had a longer summer than the previous three years. Andrei Vasilevskiy is back to playing like his old self after back surgery. The Lightning still have one of the best power plays in the NHL. Remember, that is what burned the Panthers in the previous series. Everything runs through Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point.Â
The Panther’s offence can expose the Lightning’s defence, which is missing Mikhail Sergachev. Florida has excellent balance, with Vladimir Tarasenko added to the fold. He joins a group that went to the Stanely Cup Final last year, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. We know what Matthew Tkachuk can do in the playoffs. We have seen what Sergei Bobrovsky can do as well. If “Bob” is on his game, he can match “Vasy.” Throw in Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour, and Aaron Ekblad; this team is tough to play against.Â
Paul Maurice will be able to counter anything Jon Cooper throws his way. This should be a heck of a series when it starts.Â
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple LeafsÂ
Familiar Foes meet again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Boston Bruins. This is the 17th time these two clubs will meet in the playoffs. Toronto and Boston have won eight games, but the Bruins have won the last six straight in the playoffs. The Bruins have an edge over Toronto. Not to mention, Boston won the regular season series 4-0. And this Maple Leafs group is fragile regarding the Bruins losing in Game 7 in the previous three meetings.Â
It was going to be Boston or Florida for the Maple Leafs. This group has to get over the mental hump. The Auston Matthews-led Maple Leafs have come up on the losing side against the Bruins. And no one showed up both times in Game 7. The Maple Leafs rallied in 2018 to force Game 7 and then blew a 3-2 series lead to the Bruins in 2019. Something about the matchup drives the Maple Leafs crazy.Â
However, the Maple Leafs’ one problem is that their stars do not show up in the playoffs. Their captain, John Tavares, did get them out of the first round for the first time since 2004 last year against Tampa, but after that, the Maple Leafs went to sleep. Mitch Marner has to be better. The only guy who does show up is William Nylander. Defensively, the Maple Leafs have to improve, and so do the goalies.Â
Boston has the edge between the pipes with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Offensively, the Bruins might not be as dangerous but David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand can still put the puck in the net. Even without a number-one center, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle have been a solid one-two punch. And this is when Jake DeBrusk likes to step up. The Maple Leafs can expose the Bruins defense, but it is a mental thing for Toronto. The Bruins love to play physically against the fragile core of Toronto. What a series this will be.Â
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference begin Saturday with Carolina hosting the Islanders and Toronto at Boston.Â
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