2019 Stanley Cup predictions: Eastern Conference

It's this time of the year again!

My favourite team in the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators, haven't made the playoffs and have actually finished dead last in the regular season. The Senators had a terrible season with a coach change, destructive trades and often terrible efforts. I went to the last home game yesterday and was hoping the team would show up in front of a nearly sold-out arena but the Senators played dreadfully to be honest. At least, some of the young guns have already been playing great hockey like Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson.

That being said, I'm quite neutral about the playoffs. I'm not rooting for any team. Being a hockey fan, I'm still looking forward to actively watching the games. These are my predictions for the first round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Tampa Bay Lightning (1st in Atlantic Division) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (2nd Eastern Conference wild card)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have played an absolutely outstanding regular season and broken numerous records. The team's offensive qualities are incredible, the defense looks solid and even the goalkeepers have improved over the past few seasons. The Columbus Blue Jackets have gone all in with a few risky trades that brought Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene to Ohio. They have numerous other great players, especially Artemi Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois that need to be pointed out. Their goalkeeper tandem of Bobrovsky and Korpisalo is also very good. If the Blue Jackets had played against any other team in the playoffs, I would have predicted them to keep the momentum of the last few regular season games and win the series. However, I can't imagine them beat the incredibly strong Tampa Bay Lightning. To be honest, I can't actually see any team beat the Tampa Bay Lightning

Prediction: Tampa Bay in six games.

Washington Capitals (1st in Metropolitan Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (1st Eastern Conference wild card)

The Washington Capitals are the defending Stanley Cup champions and even though they pretty much have the same team that won last season's honours, the team's regular season was less stunning this time around. The Carolina Hurricanes have developed excellent team spirit with a solid mixture of promising youngsters and motivated veterans that has even brought respectable crowds back to Raleigh. The future for this team looks quite bright and I admire this franchise's resilience. They won't move to Quebec City or Hamilton anytime soon and that's a good thing. The players are certainly everything but a bunch of jerks. Still, the Washington Capitals have the better line-up and much more experience that should pay off in this series.

Prediction: Washington in five games.

Boston Bruins (2nd in Atlantic Division) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd in Atlantic Division)

The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs has intensified over the past few years because of some intense playoff duels. I'm looking forward to watching this series in particular and I'm expecting plenty of new intense and memorable games. The Boston Bruins have numerous outstanding veterans on their roster and it might be their last occasion to actively compete for a Stanley Cup. I'm sure they will be particularly motivated and the constant high-quality season the team has played will carry on throughout the post-season. The Toronto Maple Leafs rather consist of younger players that might compete for a Stanley Cup in three to five years. Their regular season had significant ups and downs and especially the last few regular season games were worrisome regarding the team's defensive efforts and goaltending. Boston has the momentum here and will become the most hated sports team in the Greater Toronto Area.

Prediction: Boston in six games.

New York Islanders (2nd in Metropolitan Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3rd in Metropolitan Division)

The New York Islanders have unquestionably been the biggest positive surprise of this past regular season. Despite a new coach and the departure of star player Tavares, the young team has played great hockey in its small arena in front of small crowds and has become a resilient underdog. The Pittsburgh Penguins have played less convincingly throughout the season but have ended the regular season on a rather strong note with their numerous star players. Theses veterans might have one more shot at winning a Stanley Cup before they will become too old to compete at the very highest post-season level. Right now, I still see Pittsburgh's experience, motivation and quality a notch above the New York Islanders.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in six games.

My Western Conference predictions will be following shortly.