The One The Only Sports Central

The NHL playoffs are here, here’s what you need to know before they start...

The NHL playoffs are here, capping off what has been a wild regular season of hockey. The Boston Bruins had a historic season, the Central and Metropolitan divisions are still undecided, and anything can happen. 

Eastern Conference Playoff Picture

Going into the playoffs, the Boston Bruins are the biggest threat, as they are riding what has been a record-breaking amount of points this season, 133, which is 1 more than the 1976 Montreal Canadiens previous record. Also to note, the home team Carolina Hurricanes have the second-best record in the NHL currently, closely followed by the dangerous New Jersey Devils. Also in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Toronto Maple Leafs are dangerous, the New York Rangers are looking to avenge their loss in the Eastern Conference finals last year, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking for their 3rd Stanley Cup in 5 years.

Western Conference Playoff Picture

As far as the Western Conference goes, anyone can take it. The returning champs Colorado Avalanche have had a late season run to compete for the central division, the red-hot Oilers have an 8-game win streak along with the best offense in the league, and the Vegas Golden Knights can compete with anybody. The Seattle Kraken had a hot start to the season but cooled down before the playoffs, and the Winnipeg Jets are having a bounce-back season after failing to make the playoffs last season.

What will happen?

To find out more, we interviewed 8th grader Tyler about what he thought of the playoff picture. He expects the Oilers and Golden Knights to end up as the top two for the Western, with the Golden Knights emerging victorious. As for the Eastern side, he expects the Hurricanes to ruin the Bruins Stanley Cup hopes and defeat the Golden Knights for the Stanley Cup.

The NHL playoffs begin on Monday, May 2nd.

By Brody Wilsey