The Stanley Cup Playoffs Will Be As Heart-Pounding As Ever

Playoff hockey has an intensity unlike any other sport. Here's why this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs will be one of the best.

In the wide world of sports, nothing else has the stress or intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s not a slight to the other big leagues in America, but there is just something different about playoff hockey. The pace, physicality, and chaos—along with what’s on the line—creates a commotion that’s unique in all of sports. Combine that with the fact that the NHL has plenty of parity, and it’s a recipe for beautiful mayhem. Since 2017, No. 8 seeds have beaten No. 1 seeds four times (compare that to the NBA, where it’s happened four times ever). And last year, the lower seed won five of the eight opening-round series.

You can watch every single Stanley Cup playoff game with Sling Orange. Here is why you should be excited about the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Parity and High Scores

As alluded to above, the parity in the NHL is on another level this season. All eight teams in the Eastern Conference had over 100 points, meaning every one of them is capable of making a run. The Tampa Bay Lightning are trying to become the first team since 1982 to win three straight Stanley Cups, but they’ll face a testy Toronto Maple Leafs team that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2004 (misery, thy name is “Leafs Fan”). Time will tell if the high-scoring regular season will translate to the playoffs, as the playoffs typically see lower-scoring and more compact games. However, this was the highest-scoring NHL season in 26 years, with an average of 6.3 goals scored per game. Goals and upsets? Sign us up.

The Favorites

This year the NHL saw two teams fly above the rest: the President’s Trophy-winning Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche. The former is the best offensive team in the league, scoring a whopping 340 goals. But don’t forget, last year netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was replaced midway through the first round; he will be Florida’s key piece this postseason. A hot goalie can take you all the way to the promised land, and the Avs invested in exactly that this season. Darcy Kuemper was brought in to be the final piece of the puzzle and has had a resurgent year, but defensive lapses have started to creep in, as Colorado lost six of their last seven games entering the playoffs. Both of these teams are flooded with offensive stars, but they’ll need their defense to step up if they want to meet in what would be a rematch of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals.

Overtime

We’ll keep this one short and sweet: Is there anything better than overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? The sudden death battle that can end in the blink of an eye, or go on into the wee hours of the night. Fans who have watched such OT games know there’s nothing more intense than that.

Check out the first round schedule below, followed by the current odds to win it all.

NHL Hockey - Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1

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Odds to win the Stanley Cup (Via DraftKings):

Colorado Avalanche +330

Florida Panthers +550

Calgary Flames +700

Toronto Maple Leafs +900

Tampa Bay Lightning +1100

Carolina Hurricanes +1200

New York Rangers +1600

Minnesota Wild +1600

Boston Bruins +1600

Pittsburgh Penguins +1800

Edmonton Oilers +1800

St. Louis Blues +2000

Washington Capitals +3000

Nashville Predators +4500

Dallas Stars +4500

LA Kings +6000

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