Mars Schmidt – Sports Editor

With the NHL playoffs well underway, every hockey fan is wondering who will come out on top. In the regular season, three teams rose above the others–the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Devils–all ending the season above 110 points and with outstanding amounts of wins.

However, the playoffs are a completely different game, and not all teams are cut out for it. The teams entering the playoffs are the Golden Knights, the Jets, the Oilers, the Kings, the Avs, the Kraken, the Stars, the Wild, the Bruins, the Panthers, the Leafs, the Lightning, the Hurricanes, the Islanders, the Devils, and the Rangers.

The first round saw some major upsets, such as the Bruins, who’ve had the most dominant season in NHL history, losing to the Panthers, who were not expected to make it past round one.

The Leafs also advanced to round two after a massive 19 years without winning a playoff series, finally ending their drought. The Kraken, in their first playoff appearance, beat the Avs, who were the reigning Stanley Cup Champions from the 2022 season.

The Golden Knights defeated the Jets without much issue; the Hurricanes crushed the Islanders; and the Stars narrowly triumphed over the Wild. Finally, the Devils had a comeback victory over the Rangers, ending the second longest series-win drought.

However, it took a few games for the team to get used to the playoffs, as the majority of the players had yet to make an appearance in them.

So, between the remaining teams, it’s anyone’s game to get the Stanley Cup, but some teams certainly seem to have the advantage.

In the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes seem like the most qualified candidate, as their overwhelming power seems indomitable when compared to the other teams, blowing past the Devils even on their record-breaking season.

In the West, the Golden Knights beat the Oilers, and shouldn’t have too much trouble in the conference finals against the Stars, who recently beat the Kraken in game seven. In the end, I think this year’s Stanley Cup finals will be when the Hurricanes fight the Golden Knights, and the Hurricanes will come home with the trophy.