1. Washington Capitals
Washington conceded a game to Montreal but is now leading 3-1. Montreal is another team that has come on strong over the second half of this season, but Washington is the stronger team. I’m rooting for them to win it all.
2. Winnipeg Jets
The Blues have fought back hard, as the series is now tied 2-2. The Blues have become sneaky good this season and could conceivably pull it off, but it would still be a huge upset if they end up winning the series. The Jets remain my pick to win the series and for the top spot in these rankings.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
Although they lost the most recent game, the Leafs still have a commanding lead of 3-1 vs. the Senators. They look extremely strong and just need one more win to make it to the next round, which I’m very much looking forward to no matter who wins between the Lightning and the Panthers.
4. Florida Panthers
The Panthers hit the ground running this series. Having all their players back on the ice is making all the difference in the world, and they now look like true defending champions.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
The Knights are having a harder time with the Wild than anticipated. They were actually behind 2-1 but won the last game, so the series is now even at 2-2. I think they will come out on top and go on to face whoever wins between the Kings and Oilers.
6. Dallas Stars
The Stars won game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. They are strong and playing excellent hockey at the right time. They have overcome quite a few challenges this year, and they had a better offense and defense all season than the Avs.
7. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton was down 2-0 against Los Angeles, but impressively, they came back and won the next two games to tie things up. They now have the momentum, which is the last thing you want to allow to happen if you are the Kings. This next game will be huge.
8. Los Angeles Kings
While the Kings have been mighty impressive defensively this season, they have had a lot of trouble dealing with the offensive talent of the Oilers. They need to win the next game to stop Edmonton’s momentum from building further.
9. St. Louis Blues
Woah! The Blues have managed to come from a 2-0 deficit to tie the series against the top team. This really speaks to how much they have improved this season, and even if they lose the next two, at least they will have gone down swinging. That said, St. Louis shouldn’t be underestimated, and it’s hard not to root for the underdogs!
10. Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is now leading their series against New Jersey 3-1. This is looking like it is leading up to what we expected for the next round: Hurricanes vs. Capitals. Carolina has been great all season, but they will have a difficult time taking on Washington if they do end up moving on.
11. Colorado Avalanche
Having Landeskog back was a huge boost to the team’s morale to start off the playoffs, but they will now need to find a way to rally and win this next game to force game 7 back in Dallas.
12. Minnesota Wild
You gotta hand it to the Wild, they are giving the Golden Knights a run for their money. Many predicted that Vegas would dominate this series, but that has simply not been the case thus far. That being said, my money is still on the Golden Knights to move to the next round.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning fell quickly 2-0 to the Panthers, but managed to get a game back. The Panthers won game 4, though, and asking the Lightning to win three straight games against the defending champs seems like too tall a task.
14. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa managed to win the most recent game in overtime, but they are still losing 3-1 in the series to Toronto. They are hanging on by the skin of their teeth, but my guess is Toronto knocks them out next game, and the series ends 4-1.
15. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are now losing 3-1 to the Caps. Sam Montembeault, who has been amazing for them in net, was injured in game 3, and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready for their upcoming game. It’s really not looking too good for Montreal.
16. New Jersey Devils
The Devils now trail 3-1 against Carolina, and their lone win was a double overtime victory. They have had trouble finding the back of the net so far this series, scoring only 7 goals over these 4 games, and my guess is they will get knocked out before they can try to heat up.
