That said, it shall be exciting, if short lived for most as the powers that be still reside south of the border, specifically in Chicago. The Habs and Oilers had the best record among Canadian squads but have tough first round matchups and in Edmonton's case may have forgotten what playoffs are. (Tongue in cheek Oil Country, we love you) Connor McDavid should be the league MVP and leads his team against the defending western conference champion San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are banged up but still a veteran squad who will give the young Oilers a quick introduction to what it takes to win this time of year.
In Montreal the Habs face original six rival the New York Rangers and if they can get by the Broadway Blueshirts their path to the East final is much easier than the vaunted Metropolitan Division. The Habs have Caery Price in net and will go as far as he, well, carries them. They don't score a ton of goals but this isn't likely to be that kind of series anyway.
That other Canadian original six city, the Toronto Maple Leafs surprised, well, pretty much anyone who has even seen a hockey game and qualified for the playoffs with an incredibly young and inexperienced roster. In fact nine Leafs will be making their post season debut against the regular seasons best team two years running, the Washington Capitals. The young buds have been impressive (enough for a Sens fan to admit it) but don't seem ready to bloom against a very potent and experienced Caps team. Top to bottom Washington has more depth and talent and should make quick work of a team that ought to be just happy the rest of the Atlantic Division was so terrible (Looking at you Florida/Tampa) so they could get in. However, the Caps don't exactly inspire confidence come the spring (See every Caps post season ever). That said, they look poised to make a run this year, particularly with Pittsburg being so banged up on the back end.
In the other national Capital the Sens take on the Bruins in what seems like an very evenly matched series that ought to go 6 or 7 games. Injuries on the back end for both teams (Methot and Krug) will play a big part in who gets the upper hand. If Ottawa can get off to a good start at home they should win but the Bruins have veteran guys who have won a Cup still playing a key role, and of course Brad Marchand's antics can only add to the intrigue/Sens fans ire.
Back out west, in what may be one of the most contentious, series the Flames look to take out the Anaheim Ducks. This would however require they win at the Honda Center which is like asking Lanny McDonald to throw on the flaming C again. The Flames haven't won there in the regular season in over 20 games and the Ducks will not go quietly with the likes of Kesler and Getzlaf up front. However Cam Fowler being injured hurts the Ducks and since it was on a hit by Calgary captain Mark Giordano, they'll certainly look to settle the score. Star Calgary rookie Matthew Tkachuk will no doubt look to continue mixing it up, employing his own version of Duck Hunt, but with the size of the Ducks, be careful what you wish for. Johnny Hockey Gaudreau
The defending Stanley Cup chaps had a solid campaign, mostly while being decimated by injury on the blueline. All Star Kris Letang is out for the year and this will no doubt hurt the Pens chances of repeating. They match up with the Columbus Blue Jackets who have little to no use for the champs and this is one of the more true rival matchups. Brandon Dubinski will no doubt try to get under Sidney Crosby's skin, as he continues to prove himself the heel, but few seem more willing to ply the role.The Blue Jackets had a great season and their reward: The toughest first round match up ever in terms of combined points. That NHL playoff system eh?
The Blackhawks continue to look like the team to beat and with good reason. The west isn't what it was a few years ago as St Louis has played well but seem in flux with the unproven thought talented Jake Allen in net. After a strong start Minnesota has fallen off the rails for which Bruce Boudreau seems to have escaped the blame he deserves. Seriously, is there a more overrated coach in the league? Not that he'd admit that's his fault either..They Blackhawks still have their core guys together and performing at a high level. The rest of this plug and play lineup seems to always fit in perfectly or contribute just enough to continually keep them at the top. In my eyes they're the best team in the league and have the depth and experience to take home a fourth cup in the last decade, cementing what is possibly already a dynasty. We'll know for sure when the puck drops, and it doesn't get any better than that.
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