Going for the Cup!

The regular season has ended, but there’s still plenty of hockey to be played. The next step in the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins on Wednesday, April 11th, when eight teams take the ice. Even if you disagree with sixteen of the thirty NHL teams making the playoffs, it’s all or nothing at this point for those left in contention. Win four out of seven and their hopes are alive. Lose, and their dreams of holding the cup are over. Which teams made it this far, and who faces who in the first round? Let’s take a look.

In order of how they finished for the year, the following teams are in:

Eastern Conference

1. Buffalo
2. New Jersey
3. Atlanta
4. Ottawa
5. Pittsburgh
6. NY Rangers
7. Tampa Bay
8. NY Islanders

Western Conference

1. Detroit
2. Anaheim
3. Vancouver
4. Nashville
5. San Jose
6. Dallas
7. Minnesota
8. Calgary

Yes, I know that’s over half of the total NHL teams that made their way into the playoffs, and I know that’s not a popular policy for the NHL to have. With that said though, could it be any more thrilling than watching the NY Islanders win their final game of the season in a shootout, to secure their spot in the playoffs and play spoiler to Toronto’s dreams? I think not. That’s excitement at its best. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the Islanders or the Maple Leafs, your heart, mind, and soul got poured into that game. You cheered or screamed (probably both at various times) at the television and possibly even sent furniture or objects flying throughout your home. For Islander fans, the ending was beautiful, not so good for Maple Leaf fans who will now have to wait for next year. That’s passion folks, and the playoffs are going to see what you’ve got left in the tank. Be prepared for even more hand slaps, cheers, flying objects, slamming hands into furniture, expletives escaping your mouths, and anything else you can imagine, because the time is now and the playoffs are here!

It all gets started on Wednesday with the following matchups (seeds in parenthesis):

San Jose(5) vs. Nashville(4)
Dallas(6) vs. Vancouver(3)
Pittsburgh(5) vs. Ottawa(4)
Minnesota(7) vs. Anaheim(2)

The other eight teams get started Thursday:

Calgary(8) vs. Detroit(1)
NY Islanders(8) vs. Buffalo(1)
Tampa Bay(7) vs. New Jersey(2)
NY Rangers(6) vs. Atlanta(3)

Some of the matchups sure look like easy walks in the park for some of the teams, while others could go either way. I mentioned the NY Islanders squeaking into the playoffs earlier, and they draw the team with the best record in the NHL in the first round: number one seeded Buffalo. I’d ask if that final shootout win was really worth it, but we all know the answer of any single one of their players, coaches, or fans would be a resounding “YES!”. Not to mention the possibility that their momentum swing could be enough to make this an extremely interesting series. Anything can happen in a short series. Players can get hot, players can get cold, and it even applies to entire teams. Who will be hot, who will be cold, and who will be responsible for what upsets this year?

The best hockey is yet to come, so stock up on party items, get those invites out, gather up around the television, and root for your team! Even if your team didn’t make it this far, all the marbles are on the table (or ice as the case may be), and these teams will fight (literally!) until the bitter end to keep their season and dreams alive. If you’re not a big hockey fan, or haven’t really checked out what this ‘hockey thing’ is, turn on the television and see what these athletes do in order to be the best of the best and call themselves “Stanley Cup Champions”.

I wish everyone and their respective teams luck, and hope the playoffs are as entertaining as humanly possible this year. May the best team win!

Going for the Cup!

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