It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as the quest for the Stanley Cup began Saturday, April 19.
Only one team will claim the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. Here are my predicted winners for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
The Winnipeg Jets enter the playoffs with the best record (56-22-4) and the most points (116) in the NHL.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues rode a 12-game win streak late into the season to get into the final wild card spot.
The Jets, led by Vezina Trophy frontrunner Connor Hellebuyck, aim to become the first team to win both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup since the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks.
While St. Louis has been red-hot, the inconsistency of their defense and goaltender Jordan Binnington makes them unpredictable.
Even though the playoffs haven’t been kind to Winnipeg in recent years, Kyle Connor should be able to capitalize on the Blues’ shaky defense to push the Jets to the next round.
Prediction: Winnipeg wins 4-1
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche
Widely considered the marquee matchup of the first round, this series sees former Avalanche players Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene aiming to knock out their old club.
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Dallas defeated Colorado in the second round last year in a wild 4-2 series. The Avalanche now seek revenge against their division rivals.
The big storyline involves Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson possibly missing most of the series due to knee injuries.
Injuries may prove too much for Dallas to overcome in a long, grueling series.
Prediction: Colorado wins 4-3
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers
This marks the fourth-straight year these teams have met in the first round — but this time, Los Angeles holds a home-ice advantage.
The Kings boast the NHL’s best home record at 31-6-4.
The Oilers went much of the season without Hart Trophy frontrunner Leon Draisaitl and perennial All-Star Connor McDavid, but both are expected to return.
Los Angeles is powered by a suffocating defense that allowed the second-fewest goals in the NHL at 203.
Edmonton still has depth, with Zach Hyman putting together another solid season in Draisaitl’s absence.
While the Oilers thrive on the power play, Los Angeles counters with a top-10 penalty kill that could neutralize Edmonton’s biggest strength.
With the Kings’ dominant home record and a ferocious crowd behind them, it will be a steep hill for the Oilers to climb.
Prediction: Los Angeles wins 4-1
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild
The Golden Knights ended the regular season tied with Winnipeg for the fewest losses in the league, and they won the Pacific Division.
Minnesota, without star forward Kirill Kaprizov for a significant stretch, fell out of third place in the Central Division.
Minnesota will look to Kaprizov to carry them, but Vegas is likely to come out fast and maintain pressure throughout.
Prediction: Vegas wins 4-0
Eastern Conference
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Capitals finished with the NHL’s second-best record (51-21-9, 111 points).
Montreal barely snuck into the final wild card spot after a frantic playoff race.
Washington saw history made this season as Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, scoring his 897th career goal.
Montreal will lean on Cole Caufield and his 37 goals to challenge the Capitals’ explosive offense and fifth-ranked penalty kill of 82%.
While Montreal might steal a game or two, they appear overmatched.
Prediction: Washington wins 4-2
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
The battle of Ontario should be an exciting one. William Nylander scored 45 goals for Toronto, while Linus Ullmark has been solid in net for Ottawa with a 0.909 save percentage.
Toronto will rely on Mitch Marner, who finished third in assists (75), to feed Nylander.
Ottawa counters with Brady Tkachuk’s 29 goals and Tim Stützle’s 55 assists.
Though Ottawa finished the season strong, Toronto finished with the NHL’s fourth-best record (51-26-4).
Ullmark will be tested heavily, but the Leafs’ relentless attack should prove too much.
Prediction: Toronto wins 4-1
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
Carolina finished second in the Metropolitan Division and led the NHL with an 83.6% penalty kill. New Jersey, meanwhile, had the third-best power play (28.2%) and second-best penalty kill (82.7%).
The Devils are led by Nico Hischier’s 35 goals, while Jack Hughes’ season-ending injury was a major blow.
Carolina stumbled at the end of the season, losing three straight, but was still driven by Seth Jarvis (32 goals) and Sebastian Aho (45 assists).
Both teams are defense-minded, making this one of the most balanced and physical series of the round.
Prediction: Carolina wins 4-3
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers
The battle of Florida features two recent champions looking to return to the top.
The Panthers aim for a third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance, while Tampa Bay nearly completed a three-peat two years ago.
Nikita Kucherov led the league with 121 points, and Tampa paced the NHL with 3.56 goals per game. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy returned to form, posting 38 wins and a 0.921 save percentage.
Florida, by contrast, limped into the postseason, losing seven of their last 10 games. They’ll need Sergei Bobrovsky (33 wins, 0.906 save percentage) to hold off Tampa’s attack.
Though Florida will battle hard, the Lightning’s firepower could be too much to handle.
Prediction: Tampa Bay wins 4-3
Simon Reseigh is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @simon_reseigh
