NHL Round 1 Playoff Preview

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us once again, and wow, these regular season games are coming down to the wire. One spot remains in the East, with the New York Islanders looking to clinch their spot tonight.

The eight spots in the West were sealed last night when the Winnipeg Jets won to secure the 2nd Wild Card spot, eliminating the Nashville Predators. However, the current seeding order could change amongst many teams.

CONNOR HELLEBUYCK SAID "WE'RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS, BOYS" 🥶 pic.twitter.com/xj56QMHqh0

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2023

Things could also shift around in the East in the Metropolitan Division and in the Wild Card. The New Jersey Devils trail the Carolina Hurricanes by just one point with one game remaining for the top spot in the division. The leader draws the 1st Wild Card team, while the loser faces the New York Rangers.

Speaking of the East Wild Card, the Florida Panthers lead the New York Islanders by one point and the Pittsburgh Penguins by two. Pittsburgh is eliminated if the Islanders at least force overtime tonight at home against the Habs. The Panthers still control the 1st Wild Card spot if they win Thursday against Carolina, regardless of what the Islanders do tonight.

Find all the betting information on each game on our NHL Picks page.

Eastern Conference

• A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 New York Islanders
• A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
• M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Florida Panthers
• M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders

• Season Series: 3-0 Islanders
• NYI 4-3 SO in BOS
• NYI 4-1 in NYI
• NYI 6-2 in BOS

Although the Bruins set the NHL Regular Season record for most points, they have struggled against the Islanders. New York has won every single meeting, including two on the road. In a 3 game sample size, the Islanders have the upper hand, but that might not be the case in a seven game playoff series.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

• Season Series: 2-1 Maple Leafs
• TB 4-3 OT in TB
• TOR 4-1 in TOR
• TOR 4-3 in TB

Two teams with plenty of history. After an incredible first round series last year that went to seven games, we will get these two matched up again! The Lightning are coming off a 3rd straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance, with the Leafs looking to finally make some noise in the postseason. This should be a great series once again.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

• Season Series: 1-1 (Playing on April 13th)
• FLA 3-0 in FLA
• CAR 4-0 in CAR

These two teams play in the final game of the regular season, and may matchup in the first round as well. Both teams boast a shutout victory at home against the other. Carolina has felt the absence of Andrei Svechnikov, and it will be interesting to see if they can survive the Panthers offense onslaught.

New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

• Season Series: 3-1 Devils
• NJ 5-3 in NYR
• NYR 4-3 OT in NYR
• NJ 4-3 OT in NJ
• NJ 2-1in NJ

Having played each other four times already, these teams are very familiar with each other. The Rangers come with plenty of playoff experience, while the Devils, led by young stud Jack Hughes, have not been here since 2018. In fact, New Jersey has only made the playoffs once in the last decade. That may come into play against a deep New York Rangers squad that made the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Western Conference

• C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
• C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
• P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
• P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken

• Season Series: 2-1 Kraken
• SEA 3-2 in COL
• COL 2-1 SO in SEA
• SEA 3-2 OT in COL

The reigning Stanley Cup Champions look to defend their title but may have a difficult task in round one. The Kraken have beat them twice, forcing the only Avalanche win to go to a shootout. With Cale Makar's injury, the Avs might find themselves in a tough spot in Seattle.

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

• Season Series: 2-2
• MINN 6-5 SO in DAL
• DAL 4-1 in MINN
• DAL 4-1 in DAL
• MINN 2-1 SO in MINN

Both of these teams return to the playoffs after first round exits last year. Krill Kaprizov will be the biggest question mark for the Wild, as he has yet to play like normal since returning from injury. The Stars are peaking at the right time, and could be a dangerous team to face.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets

• Season Series: 3-0 Knights
• VGK 5-2 in VGK
• VGK 2-1 OT in VGK
• VGK 6-5 in WPG

Although the Knights have swept the regular season series against the Jets, it should be noted that these teams have not played since December 13th. That is plenty of time for adjustments to be made, and we will see two completely different teams in this playoff series. Goalie injuries could be the Golden Knight's kryptonite.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

• Season Series: 2-2
• LAK 3-1 in EDM
• LAK 6-3 in LAK
• EDM 2-0 in EDM
• EDM 3-1 in LAK

Two teams very familiar with each other who also faced off in the first round last year. The Oilers took it in seven games last year, and have closed out the season on a fantastic win streak. The Kings have motivation from last season's early exit, and will be looking for revenge this year.

First Round Predictions

Here are my humble opinions on the winner of each series for the first round.

Eastern Conference

• Bruins over Islanders in 6
• Maple Leafs over Lightning in 7
• Panthers over Hurricanes in 7
• Rangers over Devils in 6

Western Conference

• Avalanche over Kraken in 7
• Stars over Wild in 6
• Knights over Jets in 7
• Oilers over Kings in 4

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