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Breaking down NHL playoff matchups if season ended today

By Matt McGinnis

TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 20: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates against Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 20, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Lightning 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 20: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates against Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 20, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Lightning 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Carolina Hurricanes, Jordan Staal #11, New Jersey Devils, Timo Meier #96
Carolina Hurricanes, Jordan Staal #11, New Jersey Devils, Timo Meier #96. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Metropolitan Division

(1)Carolina Hurricanes vs (WC1)Pittsburgh Penguins

A first-round battle between the Hurricanes and Penguins is one of the more unpredictable series fans could see in April. Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov has recently been ruled out for the season, and how the Canes deal with his absence remains to be seen.

On the other side, the Pens have been wildly inconsistent this year, not only on a game-to-game basis but on a period-to-period basis. The reality here is that it’s hard to know what you’ll get from either team, so this series is up in the air.

The ceiling is high for both teams, but I’d take the Hurricanes in six games, as their floor is much higher than Pittsburgh’s.

(2)New Jersey Devils vs (3)New York Rangers

This would be an incredibly fun playoff series in 2023. For starters, these are two long-time rivals, which would make for a long, tough, intense series. Plus, this year’s Devils team is reminiscent of last year’s Rangers team, as both surprised fans by becoming contenders.

The Devils and Rangers have split their season series so far, with two games going to overtime and three games ending as one-goal decisions. Both teams are loaded with young stars and have impressive defensive weapons as well.

I would anticipate this series being long, I’ll say seven games, and being tightly contested throughout. Right now, I’ll give New Jersey the edge, four games to three.

(1)Carolina Hurricanes vs (2)New Jersey Devils

Once again, I’m going to give the Devils the edge. They’d come into this second-round matchup with fewer expectations, and being able to play loose can go a long way (again, look at the 2022 New York Rangers, who also happened to beat this Canes franchise in round two).

Eastern Conference Final: (A1)Boston Bruins vs (M2)New Jersey Devils

The Devils are young and inexperienced, and while that can be a benefit at some points, it’s a detriment here. The Bruins have been to the Cup Final as recently as 2019, and they are built to win now. They overcome the Devils in six games.

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