Your Sunday Evening Remaining NHL Playoff Preview – West & North Divisions

Like I said yesterday – this was much easier to type early than some generic Open Thread. Plus, I get to take shots at the Leafs!

Now, the North starts late because the Canucks – who aren’t even in the playoffs, or playing a playoff team – have to run out their schedule before the round-robin can begin up here. So if you are wondering why the Bruins & Caps played yesterday but the Leafs & Habs get until Thursday, it’s because Gary Bettman had to make NBC happy in the last year of its contract & give them a Sunday game. Since he doesn’t give two fucks about Canada

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HONDA WEST DIVISION

Colorado Avalanche (1) vs. St. Louis Blues (4)

• Monday, May 17, 10 p.m.: Blues at Avalanche/Golden Knights | NBCSN, SN1, TVAS
• Wednesday, May 19, 10:30 p.m.: Blues at Avalanche/Golden Knights | CNBC, SN360
• Friday, May 21, 9:30 p.m.: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Blues | USA, SN360, TVAS
• Sunday, May 23, TBD: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Blues | TBD
• *Tuesday, May 25, TBD: Blues at Avalanche/Golden Knights | TBD
• *Thursday, May 27, TBD: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Blues | TBD
• *Saturday, May 29, TBD: Blues at Avalanche/Golden Knights | TBD

Oh, this is gonna be good. Two high-powered teams who can absolutely light up the net. If this were 1986, it would be Flames-Oilers and the games would all end 6-5. The Avs are set to be the team of the next half-decade in the West. They are littered with talent from top to bottom, and Nathan MacKinnon should/will be leading the Canadian team at the next Olympics. St. Louis is still cruising off their Cup win from two years ago, and they’ve lost a few players from that core. But they still have Tarasenko & Ryan O’Reilly, so anything’s possible if they can shut down MacKinnon and Landeskog.

Prediction: Avs in six.

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Vegas Golden Knights (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (3)

• Sunday, May 16, 3 p.m.: Wild at Avalanche/Golden Knights | NBC, SN, TVAS
• Tuesday, May 18, 10 p.m.: Wild at Avalanche/Golden Knights | NBCSN, SN360, TVAS
• Thursday, May 20, 9:30 p.m.: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Wild | NBCSN, SN360, TVAS
• Saturday, May 22, 8 p.m.: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Wild | NBC, SN360, TVAS
• *Monday, May 24, TBD: Wild at Avalanche/Golden Knights | TBD
• *Wednesday, May 26, TBD: Avalanche/Golden Knights at Wild | TBD
• *Friday, May 28, TBD: Wild at Avalanche/Golden Knights | TBD

I don’t know what it is about the Wild that makes me dislike them so much. Is it their jerseys? Is it that they aren’t the North Stars? Is it that they had Jacques Lemaire as a coach – the man who ruined hockey in the late 90s with the Trap? It’s totally irrational, but they just… bug me as a franchise. So I can’t root for them.

Good thing they are running up against a Vegas team that feel justified in running everyone out of the building on their way to the Conference Finals. You just know the guys who own the Kraken are looking at this team’s evolution & drooling at the possibilities.

You just know the League is going to fuck them hard.

Prediction: Vegas in five.

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SCOTIA NORTH DIVISION

Toronto Maple Leafs (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (4)

Sorry – force of habit.

• Thursday, May 20, 7:30 p.m.: Canadiens at Maple Leafs | NHLN, SN, CBC, TVAS
• Saturday, May 22, 7 p.m.: Canadiens at Maple Leafs | CNBC, SN, CBC, TVAS
• Monday, May 24, TBD: Maple Leafs at Canadiens | TBD
• Tuesday, May 25, TBD: Maple Leafs at Canadiens | TBD
• *Thursday, May 27, TBD: Canadiens at Maple Leafs | TBD
• *Saturday, May 29, TBD: Maple Leafs at Canadiens | TBD
• *Monday, May 31, TBD: Canadiens at Maple Leafs | TBD

Let’s break out the memes!

Now that that’s out of the way, I have to accept that the Leafs look pretty good. They have three solid lines, and were able to stay ahead of the Oilers for the whole season. The Habs are half-broken & missing their star players, and only got into the playoffs because the Canucks, Flames & Sens are all in Year ∞ of an  ∞+1-year rebuilding plan. I hate Hate HATE the Leafs, but I can’t ignore the fact that they are destined for Round Two, where the media knob-slobbery will be too much to bear.

Prediction: Leafs in 5

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Edmonton Oilers (2) vs. Winnipeg Jets (3)

• Wednesday, May 19, 9 p.m.: Jets at Oilers | NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS
• Friday, May 21, 9 p.m.: Jets at Oilers | NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS
• Sunday, May 23, TBD: Oilers at Jets | TBD
• Monday, May 24, TBD: Oilers at Jets | TBD
• *Wednesday, May 26, TBD: Jets at Oilers | TBD
• *Friday, May 28, TBD: Oilers at Jets | TBD
• *Sunday, May 30, TBD: Jets at Oilers | TBD

I’m torn. I lived in Winnipeg for a time & have nothing but pleasant memories about the place, so I want them to do well. They traded Patrik Laine to Columbus but actually might’ve gotten the better of the deal when they got Pierre-Luc Dubois back. Their window for success is closing, so this might be their last, best shot at a Cup. And as a Canucks fan, I am pre-conditioned to hate the Oilers. But I also have to recognize that they are the North’s best chance to prevent the Leafs from getting to the semi-finals. Part of me also doesn’t want to see the Oilers waste the best years of McDavid’s career like the Packers did Rodgers.

Prediction: Oilers in six.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Playoffs:
    • Tampa Bay vs Florida – 7:30pm | NBCSN / Sportsnet
  • Playing out the string:
    • Vancouver at Calgary – 10:30pm | Sportsnet1 / NHLN
• NBA:
  • Pacers vs. Raptors – 7:00pm | TSN
  • Grizzlies vs. Warriors – 10:00pm | TSN2
• Futbol:
  • MLS:
    • Seattle vs. LAFC – 9:30pm | TSN
•  MLB:
  • St. Louis at San Diego – 7:00pm | ESPN / TSN3

STOMP STOMP CLAP!