The NHL playoffs have plenty of fresh blood, and a new Stanley Cup champion will be crowned
The Stanley Cup will have a new home this year after the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers had their season derailed by injuries. They’re not the only perennial contender to miss the playoffs, either, with the Buffalo Sabres among the roughly half dozen newcomers in the 16-team field. The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the dance, too.
The Colorado Avalanche have been dominant since October and go in as the favorite after clinching the best regular-season record in the NHL. That has rarely been an indicator of who hoists the Cup at the end of four rounds, and it’s anyone’s guess who comes out of the Eastern Conference, as well as the West. “Every team in the playoffs can win,” Dallas Stars defenseman Tyler Myers said.
“Every series is a tough series. That’s what’s so amazing about the NHL playoffs: It brings out the best in everybody, in every team, and it creates an unbelievable battle no matter who’s playing. ” New blood in the NHL playoffs Buffalo ended the longest postseason drought in league history at 14 seasons and did so after losing 18 of its first 29 games.
“It’s something that we strived for from Day One,” said Lindy Ruff, who is among the favorites to be coach of the year. “You’ve got to feel good about getting there. It’s hard.
We’re in a division that’s been extremely hard to get there. You’ve got to look back and say that we did a lot of good things to get to this point. ” The Sabres also look as if they can do some damage in the wide-open East without Florida.