In the world of professional sports, the Stanley Cup is one of the most difficult trophies to win.
The Stanley Cup is the most established existing trophy and most significant titles for the hockey players. Ice hockey is another structure of hockey; the vast majority know about field hockey. As a matter of fact, time, place, members and equipment needed to play ice hockey are different from field hockey.
The Stanley Cup playoffs have gone through several iterations, with the latest changes happening in 2013-14. Within the two conferences, the top three teams make it to the first round. Those winning teams are joined by two wild cards.
Other Professional Sports Playoff Systems
By the time a team wins the Stanley Cup, that team could have played 28 games. Compare that to the other professional sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB. In the NFL, all games are single elimination and there are four rounds, with the fourth being the Super Bowl. The NBA has a playoff system that is similar to the NHL with four best-of-seven rounds.
The MLB does not have as many games to get through, but since the games are not bound by the clock, they can go on for hours. In the MLB, there is a Wild Card single-elimination play-in game. Then, the best-of-five Division Series, the best-of-seven League Series. Followed by the best-of-seven World Series.
The 2018 Stanley Cup Winners
The 2018 Stanley Cup Champions were the Washington Capitals. The Caps defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of four games to two in the first round. In the second round, the Caps defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the same number of games. In the third round, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. This put the Caps up against the Vegas Golden Knights who they defeated them in five games.
This was the Golden Knights first season in the NHL, and, the first Stanley Cup win for the Capitals.
The 2019 Playoffs – Round Two
Now that the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs are in full effect, the second round teams have already been decided. In the Eastern Conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins are playing each other and the Carolina Hurricanes are playing the New York Islanders. In the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars are playing the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche are playing the San Jose Sharks. In these four matchups, all are tied at 2-2 except the Hurricanes and Islanders – the ‘Canes are up 3-0.
These second-round teams are rather different than the 2018 teams. Only the Sharks and Bruins were in the second round last postseason. Both were knocked out. In 2018, the Avalanche were knocked out in the first round and so were the Blue Jackets.
The Best Records in the NHL
So, who is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup? It was the Tampa Bay Lightning who finished the season with a record 62-16. The next closest record in the Eastern Conference belonged to the Boston Bruins at 49-24.
In the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames had the best record at 50-25. After the Flames, the second best record belonged to the Nashville Predators at 47-29. The Winnipeg Jets were 47-30. None of these teams are still in the playoffs.
The Bruins have the best regular season record out of the current playoff teams. That’s one basis for choosing the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Will the Bruins win? Of course, there’s a chance. But, it did take the last remaining Original Six team seven games to get past the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. Being tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets doesn’t mean much at this point.
Could Boston Teams Win All Four?
Consider the near trifecta if the Bruins do win the Stanley Cup. They would join the other Boston powerhouse teams – the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox – who both won championships. And, to make matters even more intense, the Boston Celtics are in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Imagine if every Boston team won the championship in their respective sports.
No city has ever won all four championships. The only time all sports teams won a championship was in Detroit in 1935 when the Red Wings, Tigers, and Lions won. The Pistons were not a part of Detroit until the 1940s.
Of course, the Bruins goalies, their depth, and veterans players like Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk are perfectly good reasons why the Bruins could win.
The Other Teams with a Chance
Honestly, all of the teams in the second round have a chance to move on, but a few are better prepared. The Carolina Hurricanes are one of those teams that is moving closer to the third round as they are up against the New York Islanders. The Hurricanes are winning games despite injuries, including to their veteran goalie Petr Mrazek.
As many of the unexpected players are contributing to the Hurricanes wins, the team has become one of the most exciting to watch. That’s the real fun of the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams take their game play to another level and fans get to soak it all in.
If the Hurricanes or Bruins are unable to get to the third round or the Stanley Cup round, another team to watch is the St. Louis Blues. While they may not have the same buzz as the ‘Canes or Bruins, they’ve got players who can put the puck in the goal and make clutch plays that get the W.
The Blues and Dallas Stars both are defensively strong teams and their outstanding goalies are proof. Keep your eyes on Jordan Binnington with the Blues as he is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the best rookie.
