Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference favorites
Now every team's win and loss columns reset to zero. And, supposedly, regular season success or failure isn't supposed to have any type of impact once post-season play gets underway. But that doesn't mean there aren't a couple squads that are favored to make the best run at Lord Stanley's Mug.
In spectacular fashion, the brackets for the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs weren't set until just before the regular season expired. While some teams didn't punch their playoff ticket until that final weekend of the season, others sealed their fate and snagged a playoff bid a way's back. All four of the Eastern Conference's first round series look as though they will be very entertaining, and very closely contested. But even with the competition tight, there are a couple favorites that have emerged from the pack just ahead of games getting underway. Here are a few favorites in the Eastern Conference.
Washington Capitals
There might not be a team with more weight on their shoulders heading into these Stanley Cup Playoffs than the Capitals. They might even have more of a focus on them than the Penguins – and Pens are the defending Stanley Cup champs. Not to say that there isn't usually pressure on Washington at this time of year, with their stacked lineup yet dismal playoff history. Things get extra interesting heading into Round 1, being that this marks the end of what general manager Brian MacLellan said was the "two year window" for the team to win the Cup.
That being said, the Capitals are still the heavy favorite to win the East, and for good reason. Their already-dominant squad got a mid-season boost with the addition of mega-trade Kevin Shattenkirk. They have gotten scoring from up and down the lineup, not just from Alex Ovechkin. And netminder extraordinaire Braden Holtby is coming off another Vezina Trophy-worthy campaign. Washington is already expected to make quick work of the young Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, but they look like a team that can get farther than that too.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Despite a so-so end to the regular season, this Blue Jackets team should be everyone's Eastern Conference sleeper pick. They are a fresh young team with rookie talent, but they aren't so young that they could get lost in the wonder of just making the playoffs. (Which is the argument many are making for why the Toronto Maple Leafs won't make a deep run.)
What will be most interesting is how CBJ performs in Round 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They dropped the regular season series finale 4-1, but that doesn't mean that it is written in stone that Columbus can't win the upcoming series. Their big test? Bashing through the Pens' defense, which has taken a major blow with the loss of Kris Letang due to a season-ending neck injury.
It is quite remarkable how the Habs have rebounded from a 2015-16 season that ended so dramatic, one might have though they were the subject of a midday soap opera. But the current squad is a bit deeper, and showed that in the regular season by snagging first place in the Atlantic Division early on. They have a beefier blue line thanks to the off-season acquisition of Shea Weber from Nashville, and their beloved starting goaltender, Carey Price, is finally healthy and regularly posted up between the pipes.
Montreal can make a real dent in the playoffs if their offense can get going early and often. Newly-minted (well, sort of) bench boss Claude Julien has taken a bit of heat for shuffling up his lines in order to get the offense going. Being that Montreal has faired quite well since Julien arrived on the scene in February, perhaps he is on to something there.
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