On Wednesday, April 16, the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs commence. With 16 different teams in the mix, as well as a new playoff system, history will undoubtedly be made.
This season, the NHL put into place a completely new playoff system due to the move of several of the teams from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. Now, the conferences are split up into only two divisions (rather than the three divisions that were in place in previous years). In addition to this, a wild card division was implemented which features the rest of the teams who are not in the top three of each of the two main divisions. With this structure, the top three in each of the two main divisions automatically qualify for the playoffs. The other two teams come from the top two seeded teams in the wild card division.
Going along with this system, the matchups from the Eastern Conference include the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Redwings, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Out of the teams in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins are the favorite to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They are not only the top seed in the Eastern Conference but are also the President’s Trophy winners, which is the award given to the team with the most points in the NHL; the Bruins are 54-19-9 with a total of 117 points.
In the Western Conference, the eight teams facing off are the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche, the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings, and the Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Stars. In the West, San Jose is the favorite to have a chance at the Cup in the final round of the playoffs. Though the San Jose Sharks are not the top seeded team in the West (the Anaheim Ducks hold this distinction with a record of 54-20-8 and a total of 116 points), the Sharks are known for being a relentless team and have rising stars who successfully are able to shut down the opponent.
In the Cup Final, the guesses are split between the Bruins winning and the Sharks winning. Both teams have proved to be a major threat in the post-season in recent years, and only time will reveal the outcome. In the playoffs, as in hockey in general, the unexpected frequently occurs. With these uncertain outcomes and thrilling moments, fans wait in suspense for the drama that will soon unfold in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.