Let's Rank The Most Intriguing Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs Matchups
I woke up with a spring in my step this morning because we're just two days away from the start of one of the most magical two months on the sports calendar.
Sure, I wasn't as thrilled a couple of days ago when my Flyers blew their shot at a surprise postseason appearance, but I'm over that (sort of) and I'm ready to fill out my bracket, crack a beer, and kick back for some playoff puck.
We won't know what all of the Western Conference first-round matchups will be until after Thursday night's games, but the Eastern Conference matchups are set.
So, which ones should we be excited about?
Well, let's bust out the Intrigue-O-Meter — which is a hypothetical device I made up, but I imagine looks and sounds like a Geiger counter with lights and hot rod flames on it — to see which series are going to be "meh" and which ones are worth canceling plans to watch.
New York Rangers-Washington Capitals
Peter Laviolette is squaring off against his old team, but aside from that, there’s not a whole lot else to get fired up about.
The Capitals limped into the Playoff picture and were the last team to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Could the Rangers clam up and bow out of the Playoffs in the first round like other Presidents Trophy winners have in recent history? Of course, they could. Is that likely? I don’t think so.
The Rangers will look to ward off the curse of the Presidents' Trophy against the Capitals, a team some argue is one of the worst to make the playoffs ever. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
That’s because the Capitals are arguably the worst team to limp into the playoffs in years, How they’re not only in the playoffs, but were the team in the driver's seat at the end, speaks to the monumental late-season collapses from the Red Wings and Flyers and the horrible start to the season that the Penguins couldn’t dig out of despite a pretty good second half.
I think most people would agree that this is the Rangers’ series to lose, and while the Caps may steal a game, I’d be stunned if this went more than 5.
Not a ton of storylines beyond the Rangers being in a position to fall flat on their face, like the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning or 2023 Boston Bruins.
Intrigue-O-Meter Score: 3.5 out of 10. If this series is on in the bar with the sound off, take a peek, but don't crane your neck too hard and hurt yourself.
Hurricanes-Islanders
I’m still kind of shocked that the Islanders not only made it into the postseason but are the third seed in the log jam of a division that was the Metropolitan.
Patrick Roy managed to drag those fellas into the playoffs, and what do they get to show for it? A date with a team I think might be the one to beat: the Carolina Hurricanes.
This is a rematch from the first round of last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, or as it should be known, the Sebastian Aho Bowl.
Can the Islanders get revenge against the Hurricanes in a first-round rematch? (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Hurricanes won last year’s series 4-2, and there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case again in 2024. Hell, when I fill out my bracket, I’d be comfortable picking the Canes to win this series 4-1.
That’s not a knock against the Isles, it just goes to show how well Rod "The Bod" Brind’Amour has his boys playing, especially after picking up Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the trade deadline.
It takes a big man to admit when he was wrong, and while I’m not ready to do that, I will say I miscalculated in my prediction that Guentzel would lay an egg without Sidney Crosby centering him. The guy put up 8 goals and 22 points in 16 games. I was a little off.
I don’t think this will be a close one, but I think it’s intriguing because it’s a rematch, I think it could be a bit more interesting.
Intrigue-O-Meter Score: 6.5 out of 10. Watch if you can, but if the original Planet of the Apes is on TCM or something, maybe just pop in during commercials.
Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs
This is a historic rivalry that we all thought we were going to get a taste of last season, only the dominant 2022-23 Bruins couldn’t get it together against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers and earned themselves some early May trips to Cancun (which is a pretty good time to go, but you’d rather be playing hockey).
The expectations aren’t as high for the Boston Bruins, but they’re still coming in as the better seed. As for the Maple Leafs, the expectations are always sky-high, especially after last season when they proved that they were capable of winning a playoff series for the first time in nearly two decades.
Both the Bruins and the Maple Leafs will come into the Stanley Cup Playoffs feeling like they've got something to prove. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
Bruins-Leafs will always be intriguing because it’s an Original Six matchup, but I’m fascinated by the Leafs. Their core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares only having one playoff series win on their CV is just insane. It’s not unusual for a couple of those guys to do Invisible Man impressions come the post-season, and that team is still so top-heavy, that they can’t have the big dogs disappear.
To that point, this version of the Leafs has more depth up front including former Bruin Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. They’ve got Ryan Reaves for some edge too, but he’s been hit-and-miss this season. Goaltending will also be a concern for the Leafs, seeing as that has been spotty this year. Ilya Samsonov has had some high highs and low lows this season.
I think Boston takes this one, but it might be close. I could see this puppy going 7, and if that’s the case we all win (unless you're a fan of either team, in which case you’ll probably lose some years off of your life).
Intrigue-O-Meter Score: 9 out of 10. This will be a must-watch unless you have some kind of medical emergency. Even then you can watch it on your phone in the back of the ambulance.
Florida Panthers-Tampa Bay Lightning
Here we go, folks. If there's a series that I think is most likely to give us that prototypical brand of playoff hockey that we all know and love, I think it's this one.
The Panthers and Lightning may play in "non-traditional" markets, but they have a heck of a rivalry going.
Both teams have been great in recent years. The Eastern Conference champ has come from Florida over the last 4 seasons with the Lightning winning two Cups in that span and the Panthers making an appearance in the Final just last season.
The State of Florida has had a lot of playoff success in recent years, so expect the Lightning and Panthers to give us a show. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)
I think the Panthers are one of the toughest teams to face in a seven-game series. They're a good team and they're mean. The longer the series goes, the more they'll wear you down.
As for the Lightning, few teams have the amount of playoff experience that they have. Sure, it caught up to them — backstop Andrei Vasilevskiy is still sort of battling back from injury — but they can't be underestimated.
I think the Panthers would have much rather drawn the Leafs in the first round, but for those who like some nasty, intense hockey, we should be glad the two Sunshine State teams are meeting in the first round.
This one has seven games written all over it, but I think the Cats will come out on top… and Victor E. Rat will be going nuts the entire time.
Intrigue-O-Meter Score: 12 out of 10. Oh, man… this is worth skipping your buddy's wedding over. It might even be worth skipping your wedding over.
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We'll tackle the Western Conference on Friday, but in the meantime, let me know which matchup you're most looking forward to by shooting an email to mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com.