The Stanley Cup playoffs are just around the corner and hockey fans around the world are predicting who will bring home the trophy — the championship trophy awarded annually to the NHL playoff champions.
Colgate University men’s hockey senior forward Alex DiPaolo gave his opinion.
“I’m a big Maple Leafs fan and they are always up there with other favorites to make a deep run, but tend to usually disappoint and underperform in the playoffs. However, I’m still riding with them to win it all,” DiPaolo said.
DiPaolo’s statement holds true: despite the Leafs being a strong team (they are ranked first in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division as of April 8), in recent years they’ve made multiple first-round exits in the tournament. Many fans believe that the team plays too conservatively in the playoffs, not advancing enough offensively and in return overwhelming their defense. If DiPaolo’s prediction comes true, it will be the Leafs’ first time winning the Cup since 1967.
Aside from the Maple Leafs, DiPaolo also predicted that the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers have the best chances at winning the Cup. The Dallas Stars are currently ranked second in Western Conference Central Division, with a total of 105 points, only five points behind the Winnipeg Jets. The Stars are also a well-rounded team — they have both a strong defensive and offensive component, which the Maple Leafs lack. The Stars’ top three players are a defenseman, a goaltender and a forward.
Miro Heiskanen, the defenseman, was drafted third overall in 2017 and has lived up to his draft stock. Heiskanen is known for his impressive skating ability, which is far more technical than many of the players he is up against. As of April 6, Jake Oettinger, the Stars’ goalie, had a career save percentage of 91.3%. And their lead scorer, Jason Robertson, the forward, rounds out the team’s strengths across the ice.
The Florida Panthers are currently ranked third in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division, behind the Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers won the Stanley Cup last year and have continued to play well since. They’re known for both their physicality and ability to score.
As for the wildcard teams in the tournament, DiPaolo predicted that the Minnesota Wild, who are ranked second in the Western Conference as of April 8, are likely to succeed as underdogs once all their players are healthy. The Wild are known for their tenacious and aggressive defense, but many of their strongest players are injured. The team was struggling without these players and had lost four games in a row. However, on April 6, they put together a nail-biting, 3-2 win over the Stars in overtime with goals from Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and Marcus Foligno.
The Edmonton Oilers are always a threat, as they have the best player in the league in captain and center Connor McDavid. McDavid is often compared to Wayne Gretzky, widely considered to be the greatest hockey player in history. McDavid is extremely fast, consistently a top scorer and he has the vision and timing to set up his teammates with perfect assists. He is a crucial leader who consistently puts his team in a position to win.
The Oilers could very well win the Cup. With McDavid leading offensively and their goalie, Stuart Skinner, sitting at a season save percentage of .894 (as of April 8) the team is another strong contender to take home some hardware in June. Fans will see how things shake out as the regular season wraps up in the weeks leading to April 19, the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
