To determine a champion of the league, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs began on April 19. Sixteen teams battled it out in a seven-game series, bracket-style, where the victor hoists the Stanley Cup.
There is one thing that happens for certain in the NHL playoffs: there has to be a winner. Fans watch and cheer for their team, but after it is done, the best team wins. Fans’ opinion on who will win varies from person to person.
“I think the Washington Capitals have the best chances of winning the cup because of how good they were in the regular season, and their goaltending has been phenomenal so far in the playoffs,” junior Ryan Burke said.
The playoffs are made up of the best teams, so there is never a clear winner until it’s actually over. “For me, I think it is between the Stars and the Capitals, but I think that the Capitals will pull through and win it all,” junior Drew Savarese said.
Some teams are favored and others are underdogs, but just because they are supposed to lose doesn’t mean they will. Every year in all sports, there are upsets and surprising teams.
“The St. Louis Blues have surprised me so far because, with them going up against one of the best teams in the league, it’s a 2-2 series heading into game five,” Burke said, “and the Blues started the series down 2-0 but have won two in a row and are carrying a lot of momentum going into game five.”
For Savarse, experience is more than understanding the game, it is having knowledge, wisdom and the ability to perform under pressure.
“Experience is important, but also not knowing how to play under pressure is a big deal, especially for Canadian teams,” Savarese said, “but a player like Cole Caufield only played under 10 regular season games in his rookie year but exploded in the playoffs, helping taking the Habs [Canadians] to the 2021 Stanley Cup final.”
No one knows what is going to happen; there can be upsets or the favorite can win it.
“I think the Dallas Stars will win it all, because they just got out of a tough game seven against the Colorado Avalanche, but they have a lot of momentum going into the next round,” hockey fan Brian Russell said.
Home ice has the fans creating an impact on the game. On home ice, fans can get loud and rowdy, creating a hostile environment for opposing players.
“Home ice advantage is huge in the playoffs. Just like on the ice, the intensity is kicked up a notch in the crowd,” Burke said.
According to Savarese, teams that work hard and play smart will go deeper in the playoffs.
“It is super competitive in the regular season. But in the playoffs, it intensifies by a large margin; every shift and every move counts,” Savarese said.
Intensity is raised, the stakes are high and playoff time brings many emotions, much more than the regular season.
“It is either win or go home, so every loss counts, whereas in the regular season.one loss isn’t a big deal since there are 82 games,” junior Carter Morris said.“