NHL players are beginning to return to practice as they prepare for a unique playoff format. The NHL will feature a 24-team playoff format giving the top four teams in each conference a chance to reseed in a round-robin format. The other teams will play in a best of five play-in round to advance.
The top teams out of the Eastern Conference are the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Philadelphia Flyers. The teams without a first-round bye are the Penguins, Canadiens, Hurricanes, Rangers, Islanders, Panthers, Maple Leafs, and Blue Jackets.
The top four teams from the Western Conference are the reigning champion St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars. The teams that will be playing in the first round are the Oilers, Blackhawks, Predators, Coyotes, Canucks, Wild, Flames, and Jets.
This should open up doors for some upsets early on and a way to cash out on the situation. The teams playing in the first round could have a small advantage being able to play at most five games before facing any of the top teams. Home-ice advantage has also been wiped away with the implementation of the hub cities.
Teams to Look Out For
The teams out of the first round I will be watching out for are the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers.
While Chicago has a tough first-round matchup, they have some key players with tons of playoff experience on their side, and a well rested Crawford in net could give other teams trouble. The Panthers have not been able to put together the season they wanted to, but they have plenty of talent on their roster, including a new goalie that could provide a deep run that not many expect.
The top teams to watch out for in each conference are the Avalanche and the Lightning. After the Lightning finished with the most points last year, they were swept in the first round. They should be looking at this as an opportunity to redeem themselves and make a push for the Cup with their very talented roster.
The Colorado Avalanche are always mentioned when we discuss the best rosters in the league, however, they never seem to be able to finish the season the way they want. This may present a chance for them to finally get the job done if they can ignore the distractions and dial in.
From a betting standpoint, this is very exciting. This situation provides less of a home-ice advantage to top teams and should lead to more upsets, especially early on.
I also would not be surprised to see one of the lower teams that advances carry that momentum into the next series and get an early lead. I would absolutely put money on at least one of the Stanley Cup Finalists coming from that first round of teams and possibly a team that would not have made the playoffs otherwise.
