Breaking down NHL playoff matchups if season ended today

The NHL’s 2023 Stanly Cup Playoffs begin on April 17, which means that teams have only one more month to punch their tickets to the postseason and earn a favorable seed or matchup in the spring tournament.

With such little time remaining before the field of teams is narrowed from 32 to 16, fans, analysts, and everyone else in the hockey world will look ahead at playoff races and projected first-round matchups.

The NHL standings that we see entering play on Friday will change many times before they settle in a few weeks, but it’s always fun to think ahead and try to predict what will happen.

What would the NHL postseason look like if the season ended today?

The favorite among most people in the hockey community is the Boston Bruins, the only team to win 50 games and the lone squad to clinch a playoff berth as of St. Patrick’s Day. Boston has led the league for basically the entire season and is on a historic pace.

While the Bruins lead the Atlantic, other division leaders include the Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan), Dallas Stars (Central), and Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific). All of those teams are expected to be legitimate threats come playoff time.

In addition, you’ve got the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the current playoff field, as well as the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In other words, there is no shortage of talented teams that are capable of making a deep run through the playoffs.

As those teams prepare for the postseason, some positions seem to be all but locked in, while others will come down to the very last day of the regular season. Regardless of the race, teams have between 12 and 16 games left to solidify their positions.

Not only is the NHL regular season nearly over, but the sports world has its attention fixed on the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. So, in the spirit of March Madness, let’s imagine how the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs would play out if the season ended today.

Atlantic Division

(1)Boston Bruins vs (WC2)New York Islanders

If you think back to last year’s opening playoff round in the NHL, you’ll recall a defensive slugfest between the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. This would be the 2023 version of that series.

New York is the type of team that would thrive in the postseason, as its defensive brand of hockey is built for the playoffs. However, this is an unfortunate matchup for the Isles, because Boston’s defense just so happens to be the best in the NHL.

I’ll give the Islanders a fighting chance here, but I’ll go with the Bruins in five games.

(2)Toronto Maple Leafs vs (3)Tampa Bay Lightning

In the late 2010s, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals that fans became accustomed to seeing go head-to-head on an annual basis in the playoffs. Now, it’s the Lightning and the Maple Leafs.

This is one of the matchups that feels destined to happen in round one, as the Bruins are well ahead of both clubs, and no other Atlantic rival is a threat to either of these teams in the standings.

Until the Maple Leafs prove they can win a playoff series, I just can’t pick them. Give me the Bolts in six games.

(1)Boston Bruins vs (3)Tampa Bay Lightning

At some point, Tampa Bay’s reign of terror is going to have to come to an end. The 2023 Bruins could be the team to do that, so I’ll take the B’s in this projected round two series, four games to two.

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.

Central Division

(1)Dallas Stars vs (WC1)Seattle Kraken

“Wild card” is the perfect descriptor for the Seattle Kraken. I think it’s fair to say that as they prepare for their first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL’s newest team is a bit unpredictable.

Dallas certainly has more firepower than Seattle, but the Stars are a boom-or-bust team. If their top players aren’t leading the offensive charge, there may not be much scoring from the team at all. The Kraken on the other hand bring a balanced attack to the ice.

This is a series that Jake Oettinger could steal, just like he did last season against the Calgary Flames, but I’m going to take my chances with the Kraken in Game 7.

(2)Minnesota Wild vs (3)Colorado Avalanche

If Minnesota and Colorado do battle in this year’s opening round, fans would be in for a treat. The Avs have won four straight games and five of their last six, while the Wild have earned at least one point in each of their last 14 contests.

The Wild would be missing Kirill Kaprizov if this series started today, but the Avalanche would be without a plethora of players. To me, the X-factor in this matchup would be the goaltending, and while Colorado’s has been good, Minnesota’s tandem has been great.

Last year was the Avalanche’s year, but this season doesn’t have the same feel. I’ll take the Wild in six games.

(2)Minnesota Wild vs (WC1)Seattle Kraken

My favorite thing about this hypothetical matchup is that the NHL is guaranteed a fresh face in the Conference Finals. Seattle has enjoyed a strong season, but I’m not sure that this team is built to win multiple series, plus Minnesota will still be hot. The Wild win with a surprising sweep.