Let the NHL post-season games begin
Will Canadian team hoist Stanley Cup? Oilers, Leafs, Jets, Canucks are contenders
The National Hockey League has just completed its 107th regular season. The real season (playoffs) begins Saturday, when 16 teams begin their quest for the Stanley Cup.
Each playoff round is a best-ofseven series. The team with homeice advantage hosts games one, two, five and seven. Their opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6.
For the first time in many seasons, Canadian-based teams have a legitimate chance of winning the Stanley Cup. In the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs will carry the hopes of Canadian hockey fans.
In the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers have qualified for post-season action. The best chance for a Canadian team to advance to the Stanley Cup final will likely come from the Western Conference.
But don’t tell that to Leaf supporters, who believe this year the Maple Leafs will end their 57-year Stanley Cup drought. The last Leaf team to win the Cup was in 1967.
That 1966-67 group included a veteran, battle-tested bunch, who were anchored by a capable blueline that included Red Kelly, Bob Baun, Larry Hillman, Allan Stanley, Marcel Pronovost and Tim Horton.
The club was backstopped by the goaltending tandem of Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk.
Up front, the Leafs were led by the great Dave Keon, who captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable playoff performer.
Other forwards included Ron Ellis, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Larry Jeffrey, Pete Stemkowski, Mike Walton, Jim Pappin, Brian Conacher, John Brenneman, Eddie Shack and captain George Armstrong.
The current Leaf roster includes super sniper Auston Matthews, the league’s preeminent goal scorer.
Other top Leafs are Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Reilly and captain John Tavares. Good players to be sure, but I don’t believe the Toronto goaltending tandem of Joseph Woll and Illya Samsonov is good enough to end Toronto’s long quest to capture the Stanley Cup.
In the West, all three Canadian teams have a legitimate chance to win Lord Stanley’s prize. Winnipeg is currently playing well. They are undefeated in seven games, and finally secured second place ahead of Colorado. The round-one series between the Jets and Colorado Avalanche should be a dandy.
The Jets are well-coached, and are a well-rounded squad. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers lead the Jets’ offence, but their lineup also includes Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, two veterans with playoff savvy. Of course, the Jets have all-star goalie Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes.
Any team that boasts a lineup that includes Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard must be considered a Stanley Cup contender. But I am not sure Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner has the post-season pedigree to win four playoff rounds.
Perhaps the most intriguing Canadian squad is Vancouver. Led by coach Rick Tocchet, the Canucks seem poised for a long playoff run. Offensive talents Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser are supported by a determined cast of characters including Nils Hoglander, Elias Lindholm and Conor Garland. They also have perhaps the best offensive rearguard in the league this year, captain Quinn Hughes. Filip Hronek is a dependable blueliner. But, like most teams come playoff time, Vancouver will go as far as goaltender Thatcher Demko takes them.
At Stanley Cup time, a number of playoff pools begin. There are online pools and pools among friends. I have enlisted a small group of local prognosticators, who have agreed to participate in the inaugural Baldwin’s Banter Bracket NHL Challenge. Next week, I will announce the participants, and analyze their predictions. Stay tuned.