NHL Playoffs Summary
On April 16, the greatest non-Olympic event began: the National Hockey League playoffs. With the history of Stanley’s Cup and rivalries, mixed with new conferences and a revamped playoff format, this year’s playoffs’ expectations were even higher than normal. Before the playoffs even started, the hype was already forming.
The Colorado Avalanche returned to the playoffs after a three year drought, refueled by rookie of the year candidate Nathan MacKinnon and the return of team legend Patrick Roy as the new head coach. The defending champions Chicago Blackhawks also returned, as did their opponents in last year’s finals: the Boston Bruins. The Bruins would face off against fellow “original six” foe, the Detroit Red Wings, who managed to keep their twenty-three season playoff appearance streak alive.
The first round lived up to its billing. In the West, the Kings—after putting themselves in a three games to none hole—rallied back to win the last four of the series to face the Anaheim Ducks in the second round. MacKinnon, at just eighteen years old, dazzled with ten points, despite his team losing in seven to the Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks were able to win their final four games after losing the first two to face the Wild in the next round. In the East, Boston dominated the Red Wings after dropping the first game due to Pavel Datsyuk’s late game heroics. In somewhat of a surprise, the Montreal Canadiens swept the Tampa Bay Lightning to play archrivals Boston. The Pittsburgh Penguins put away the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games, while the New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in seven in a back and forth series.
In the second round, the excitement for the NHL playoffs surged even higher. The Boston-Montreal game, arguably the greatest rivalry in sports, was in full display during a seven game thriller. The Canadiens eventually won that series on the road, powered by defenseman P.K. Subban’s seven points and outstanding play by goaltender Carey Price. The Rangers climbed out of a three to one series deficit versus the Penguins to defeat them in seven. This led to the firing of Pittsburgh's GM after a five year Cup drought despite having one of the most talented rosters in hockey. The Blackhawks dispose the Wild to move onto their second straight conference finals. Meanwhile, the Kings were able to hold off the Ducks in seven games to play the Blackhawks in the playoffs for the second time in two years.
As of Wednesday night, the Kings are up 3-1 on the reigning champions and the Rangers are up 3-2 on the Canadiens. Eighty-four games, twenty-one overtimes and five hundred sixty-six goals later, it looks as if the Kings will play the Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals. The teams in the two largest U.S. cities will play each other for the right to lift the cup and be forever engraved upon its surface.
So while many of you cram for finals, prepare for graduation, or watch that other league’s playoffs, keep in mind what you are missing. “Why is this such a big deal?” you may ask. Because it’s the cup.