It is officially here. The Stanley Cup Qualifiers have finished and the stage is now set for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For many, it’s the first professional postseason to watch since the infamous COVID-19 made it’s way to Earth. For others, that PLL Championship was wild, eh? Anywho, we here at Puck Puck Pass got the Belly Up Hockey Panel together to give these first round predictions the good ole trade-school try. Before we bust out the bold takes, be sure to check out the pinned tweet on our twitter page (@PuckPuckPassPod) and join the bracket challenge for a chance at a free shirt! Here are the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, first round match-ups.
Western Conference
(8) Chicago Blackhawks @ (1) Vegas Golden Knights:
Game 1: Tuesday, August 11th @ 10:30p EST. The Chicago Blackhawks bested the Edmonton Oilers on Edmonton’s own home ice in just four games during the qualifying round. It was a series that displayed little to no desirable defense from either side. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights swept the round robin, winning all three of their games. Vegas amassed 15 goals over those three games, meaning Chicago’s defense will have their work cut out for them yet again.
ZachMac: Vegas in 5
KJ: Vegas in 6
Mike Brown: Vegas in 5
Kevin Langley: Vegas in 5
Dan Damico: Vegas in 6
Anthony Kristensen: Vegas in 5
Nate Herman: Vegas in 6
Damien Leininger: Vegas in 5
Zane Chappelear: Vegas in 4
(7) Arizona Coyotes @ (2) Colorado Avalanche:
Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th @ 5:30p EST. The Arizona Coyotes took down the Nashville Predators in four games to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ll come off riding that high into playing one of the most complete teams in the West. The Colorado Avalanche posted the only shutout of the round robin games. The Avs finished at 2-0-1, losing their only game in OT to the top-seeded Golden Knights.
ZachMac: Colorado in 6
KJ: Colorado in 5
Mike Brown: Colorado in 4
Kevin Langley: Arizona in 6
Dan Damico: Colorado in 5
Anthony Kristensen: Colorado in 4
Nate Herman: Colorado in 5
Damien Leininger: Colorado in 6
Zane Chappelear: Colorado in 6
(6) Calgary Flames @ (3) Dallas Stars:
Game 1: Tuesday, August 11th @ 5:30p EST. The Calgary Flames dispatched the Winnipeg Jets in four games, averaging four goals per game against a Vezina Finalist in Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets were injury-riddled, though, and the Flames have a more daunting task ahead of them. The Dallas Stars went 1-2-0 in the round robin, good enough for the three seed in the West. Their sole win came from an OT victory over the St. Louis Blues.
ZachMac: Calgary in 6
KJ: Dallas in 6
Mike Brown: Dallas in 5
Kevin Langley: Dallas in 6
Dan Damico: Calgary in 7
Anthony Kristensen: Calgary in 6
Nate Herman: Calgary in 7
Damien Leininger: Calgary in 7
Zane Chappelear: Dallas in 7
(5) Vancouver Canucks @ (4) St. Louis Blues:
Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th @ 10:30p EST. The Vancouver Canucks also only needed four games of their five game series with the Minnesota Wild in order to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It appears there may be a trend in the West? On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues went 0-2-1 during the round robin. That would be good (or bad) enough to land them the fourth seed in the West.
ZachMac: St. Louis in 5
KJ: Vancouver in 7
Mike Brown: St. Louis in 5
Kevin Langley: Vancouver in 7
Dan Damico: St. Louis in 6
Anthony Kristensen: St. Louis in 6
Nate Herman: St. Louis in 6
Damien Leininger: Vancouver in 5
Zane Chappelear: St. Louis in 5
Eastern Conference
(8) Montreal Canadiens @ (1) Philadelphia Flyers:
Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th @ 8:00p EST. The Montreal Canadiens shocked the hockey world with their four game series win over the fifth seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. After dropping game two, Montreal is riding a two game win streak as they head into their match-up with the Flyers. The Philadelphia Flyers picked up right where they left off. Philly swept the round robin in convincing fashion with their smallest margin of victory being two goals just once.
ZachMac: Philadelphia in 5
KJ: Philadelphia in 4
Mike Brown: Philadelphia in 4
Kevin Langley: Philadelphia in 4
Dan Damico: Philadelphia in 5
Anthony Kristensen: Philadelphia in 5
Nate Herman: Philadelphia in 5
Damien Leininger: Philadelphia in 4
Zane Chappelear: Philadelphia in 5
(7) Colombus Blue Jackets @ (2) Tampa Bay Lightning:
Game 1: Tuesday, August 11th @ 3:00p EST. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the only team to prevail from the qualifying round that needed all five games to get the job done. Nonetheless, they sent Toronto “home” packing and now the opponent ahead is a familiar face. Tampa, after being swept by Columbus in the 2019 NHL Playoffs, gets a crack at immediate revenge. The Lightning’s 2-1-0 record in the round robin was good enough to secure the two seed.
ZachMac: Colombus in 7
KJ: Tampa in 6
Mike Brown: Tampa in 5
Kevin Langley: Columbus in 7
Dan Damico: Tampa in 6
Anthony Kristensen: Columbus in 6
Nate Herman: Tampa in 6
Damien Leininger: Tampa in 6
Zane Chappelear: Columbus in 6
(6) New York Islanders @ (3) Washington Capitals:
Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th @ 3:00p EST. The New York Islanders dispatched the Florida Panthers rather easily in the qualifying round, and although it was not a clean sweep, this gentleman’s sweep was equally as convincing. The Washington Capital’s 1-1-1 record through the round robin was only good enough for the third seed, so they draw the New York hockey Islanders to start.
ZachMac: Washington in 7
KJ: Washington in 5
Mike Brown: New York in 6
Kevin Langley: Washington in 5
Dan Damico: Washington in 5
Anthony Kristensen: Washington in 5
Nate Herman: New York in 6
Damien Leininger: Washington in 7
Zane Chappelear: Washington in 7
(5) Carolina Hurricanes @ (4) Boston Bruins:
Game 1: Tuesday, August 11th @ 8:00p EST. The Carolina Hurricanes swept through the New York hockey Rangers in three straight games to punch their ticket into the first round. Carolina’s three wins are quite the opposite of their opponent, who is coming off three straight losses. That’s right, Boston’s 0-3-0 round robin record drops them to the four seed to take on the red hot Hurricanes.
ZachMac: Boston in 6
KJ: Carolina in 6
Mike Brown: Carolina in 5
Kevin Langley: Boston in 6
Dan Damico: Boston in 7
Anthony Kristensen: Boston in 5
Nate Herman: Carolina in 7
Damien Leininger: Boston in 6
Zane Chappelear: Carolina in 6
Let us know who you’re picking, and stay tuned to all the hockey happenings over at @PuckPuckPassPod on twitter. We’ll see you back here for the second round!
