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EAST
1 Boston Bruins vs 8 Carolina Hurricanes
The 2031 Canes are as unpredictable as it comes. Boston has had an incredible season but the Canes volatility is something to take note of.
Players to watch: Filip Chytil and Sean Monah.... Gabe Vilardi
2 Philadelphia Flyers vs 7 Toronto Maple Leafs
Both clubs added a veteran presence at the deadline. Can the Leafs take out the defending champions?
Players to watch: Lucas Raymond and Trevor Zegras
3 Detroit Red Wings vs 6 New Jersey Devils
The Wings battled top spot in the East for most of the season while the Devil's wavered in the second half.
Players to watch: MacKenzie Blackwood and David Pastrnak
4 Montreal Canadiens vs 5 Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets defenders will have their hands full and will be the story of the series if the Habs offence can be tamed.
Players to watch: Michael Dal Colle and Kevin Poulin
WEST
1 Nashville Predators vs 8 Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are no pushover but will need to steal a couple games early in the series to thwart a powerful Preds roster from getting up to full gallop.
Players to watch: Brandon Dubinsky and Bo Horvat
2 Anaheim Ducks vs 7 Calgary Flames
The Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the last month. If the Flames defenders keeps it together we could see a 6 to 7 game series here.
Players to watch: Martin Necas and Malcolm Subban
3 Winnipeg Jets vs 6 Arizona Coyotes
The Jets head into the post season on an eight game win-streak. The Yotes collective depth is a strength to not overlook.
Players to watch: The player swap from last season; Leon Draisaitl and Evgeny Kuznetsov
4 Seattle Kraken vs 5 LA Kings
The top offensive team in Seattle vs a streaky team in LA. This could be a fun one to follow.
Players to watch: Frederik Gauthier and Jack Eichel
The heart-breaker award goes to the Edmonton Oilers with an above .500 record and enough points to have placed 8th by three points if they resided in the East.
The Rangers and Capitals may also be feeling the sting as they both finished one single point from taking the spot over the Hurricanes.
Good luck to all 16 clubs headed for the post-season and a tough road to 16 more wins.
12/14/2024 - 385 words