NHL Eastern Conference round one preview

NHL Eastern Conference round one preview

Which teams will come out victorious?

By Ryan Mosher

BOSTON (April 18, 2024) — The puck will drop on round one of the NHL Playoffs this Saturday April 20 when the New York Islanders visit the Carolina Hurricanes. The other three matchups in the Eastern Conference have also been decided and they will showcase the premier rivalries that the NHL has to offer.

The Hurricanes and Islanders will meet as the second and third seeded teams from the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes have the Islanders outmatched on offense and on defense. Carolina possesses the fourth best defense and eighth best offense in the league based on goals per game, while the Islanders rank No.18 and No.22 respectively.

The Islanders will need goaltender Ilya Sorokin to return to his from last season if they are to come out victorious. The Hurricanes will win the series in five games.

The Boston Bruins versus the Toronto Maple Leafs is the other series that will get started on Saturday. The two Original Six franchises have met in the playoffs 16 times, with each claiming the series win eight times. The Bruins have won the last three playoff meetings in 2013, 2018 and 2019, all in seven games.

The B’s won all four regular season matchups with the Maple Leafs but are entering playoffs after two uninspiring losses to the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators. However, the Maple Leafs have lost three straight games to end the season.

All eyes will be on David Pastrnak and Auston Mattews, but goalie performance will determine the outcome of the series. Ultimately, the Bruins have the edge in that department and will beat Toronto in game seven for the fourth straight time.

The Presidents Trophy winning New York Rangers will take on the Washington Capitals, who have a -37-goal differential, the worst in NHL history for a team that made the playoffs.

The Rangers’ Artemi Panarin finished fourth in the NHL in total points with 120, and defenseman Adam Fox finished with 73 points in 72 games, more than Dylan Strome who led the Capitals with 67 points. The Rangers will sweep the Capitals in four games.

The final first round series in the Eastern Conference is the Florida Panthers versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers claimed the Atlantic Division title when they beat the Maple Leafs in the final game of the season.

The Panthers have six players that scored at least 20 goals this season, including Sam Reinhart who scored 57. However, they will rely on their No.1 ranked defense to stop the Art Ross winner and possible Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, who amassed 144 points. The Battle of Florida will be decided in game seven, where the Lightning will walk away victorious.