Stanley Cup Playoffs: Expect the unexpected if the postseason happens

With talk about the return of hockey in July, teams heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an underdog mentality may have the advantage.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Hockey is the most competitive professional sport out there, in that weaker teams can knock off the league’s best on any given night. The same can be said during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It is very rare to see a number one seed take home the Stanley Cup, with lower seeds, especially in the most recent past, not standing down from the stronger competition. With the halt in play, we can see wild-card teams make a bigger splash in the playoffs than ever before.

Elite teams like the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues have had extraordinary seasons up to this point. Both were slated to finish at the top of their conferences, which meant a first-round matchup against the second wild card teams for each division.

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But with the unknown format of this year’s playoffs, the seeding may be altered. Postseason matchups may be based on winning percentage or by points after 68 games (min. amount played). Some positive news broke the surface yesterday, as the NHL is looking to get play started back up sometime in July, with a priority on finishing the regular season.

Regardless of how the league decides to go about it, the aspect of the underdog is going to come to the forefront. We saw last year what happens when high-caliber teams sleep on their “unworthy opponents”.

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered last year’s playoffs as one of the best regular-season teams of all-time, with such high expectations. But quickly that expectation took a turn for the worst as the pressure seemed to get the most of them, as they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team who entered the playoffs as the second-wild card spot.

Even the Washington Capitals, who finished first in the Metropolitan Division were upset by the storm-surging Carolina Hurricanes, who then went on to sweep the New York Islanders. Staying on the Islanders for a brief moment, even their first-round sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins had an underdog feel, as the Islanders have had very little success against the Penguins for years.

With the regular season a top priority, the underdog mentality will be stronger than ever. Teams on the outside looking in will have a second chance at a once bleak season to fix what was broken and find a way to sneak into a playoff spot. And to win those games late in the year is just a momentum-boost that teams that sit at the top of the standings will not be able to match.

Players that seemed out for the rest of the season will now have the ability to return and help their clubs out, which just adds even more momentum. Teams in the Eastern Conference like the Islanders, who are on the outside looking in and the Blue Jackets, who are safe in the last wild-card spot by a slim tie-breaker, are coming back healthier, with weapons that could surely impact the standings come playoff time.

For the Islanders, fourth-line centerman Casey Cizikas will be back from injury, a player that has missed the last few months with a lacerated leg after being cut with a skate. And while a fourth-line player means practically nothing to most NHL teams, this Islander fourth line is the identity of this team, and when healthy, they are dominant in all facets of the game.

The Blue Jackets will be welcoming back one of their most prized possession in offensive-defenseman Seth Jones. A hairline fracture back at the beginning of February slated him to be off the ice for eight to ten weeks following a surgical procedure, meaning his season would have been done, with a potential return in the playoffs if his team could hold on to that last wild-card spot in his absence. But now this halt in play gives him a chance to contribute.

On a team where all the stars fled to other franchises, that opened up the door for Jones to be the poster child in Columbus. His return as a number one defenseman gives Columbus another chance at another first-round upset.

And while the underdog stories are amazing to see, especially if your team is the one doing it, those top teams are not at a complete disadvantage.

The Western Conference-leading Blues will be getting their superstar back in Vladamir Tarasenko who has missed practically the entire season after being injured in early October, resulting in shoulder surgery.

The second-place Colorado Avalance will have their superstar back as well, in Nathan Mackinnon, who went down with a lower-body injury a week before play was stopped due to COVID-19.

Now, these top teams are where they are for a reason. Their ability to overcome injuries with depth players and consistent play from other top guys put them in their position. Now getting their prized weapons back makes them stronger, which could counteract the momentum of these bubble teams.

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Regardless, this postseason will be like no other. With what is going on in the world, the ultimate return of the sport will provide extreme pressure and immeasurable outcomes that will have these players and fans at another level of excitement.

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