It's the most wonderful time of the year again. The 2017 NHL Playoffs kick off tonight and this will be my second year creating my bracket challenge where anyone can join. This year I actually feel a little confident with my bracket since I do not have to be biased towards the Detroit Red Wings for the first time in my life.
Here is my serious bracket
I am in three-four leagues and this is my serious one while in others I have a Final of the Edmonton Oilers vs the Toronto Maple Leafs because why not ya know? But in all seriousness, as much as I dislike both of the teams I picked, I just have a strong feeling that this will happen this year and I might cry a little bit if it works. I am not going to go deep into each picking I chose so I am only going to dive into the first round and the final round this time around.
First Round
Western Conference
CHI vs. NSH: For the winner, I chose the Blackhawks in six games because they are a power team over the Predators every time they face them. Yes, the Preds stepped up their game with the addition of P.K. Subban, but that is not enough to get past Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. Goaltending might be a little trouble for the Blackhawks since Corey Crawford is not outstanding and a little help from Scott Darling, they will still be able to pull this victory off.
MIN vs. STL: I chose the Blues to defeat the Wild in four games simply because the Wild just cannot make it past the first round. I feel like the Wild will be a little spooked for the first game or two, but the Blues are going to be powerful and want to make it farther than they did last year. Will they actually make it farther than last year? I do not think so, but it will give them a step higher than the Wild.
ANA vs. CGY: For this game, I went back and forth a little bit because this series can go either way. The Ducks know how to play in the playoffs, but the Flames could make it to at least the second round because of the little fire within them. Johnny Gaudreau can bring this team further with his speed and quick hands to more goals, but Jonathan Bernier has been a fire the past couple of weeks which can stop them in their tracks and even cause a victory for the Ducks. That is the main reason why I chose the Ducks in five games for this series.
EDM vs. SJS: For this series, I chose the Oilers in seven games because I honestly believe that Connor McDavid can carry this team into the second round. The Sharks made it far last season, but I feel like they cannot match up against the Oilers and the excitement they are creating in the city currently by making it into the playoffs. I feel like the Oilers will not be phased by it since they have current players on the team who have been in the playoffs before and some even have won the Stanley Cup so it will not affect them much.
Eastern Conference: For this one, I literally picked and chose because all of these series can go either way.
MTL vs. NYR: I felt like the Rangers could take a final win in seven games because they want to prove they can actually win the series over the Canadiens. I also felt like the Canadiens can be very difficult this time around since there are times that they are not very good, but that can also go for the same with the Rangers and their defense.
OTT vs. BOS: For this series, I honestly could not choose a winner for any reason. I just randomly picked the Bruins and I cannot even give a good reason. This series can truly go either way and I am not even going to bother to go into full detail for this.
WSH vs. TOR: Everyone is easily saying that the Capitals will take the win and with the Maple Leafs players some of them just do not have confidence in themselves. I, however, believe that the Leafs can take a victory in seven games and challenge the Caps. The Caps really did nothing new except get Kevin Shattenkirk who has made it to the third round last year with the Blues, but with Auston Matthews having 69 goals this season, I feel like he can truly give them a run for their money especially with him on a line with Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Also. Mike Babcock can push this team into something that he knows they can do without a problem and send the Capitals home packing.
PIT vs CBJ: I chose the Penguins to sweep the Blue Jackets due to the fact, the Penguins will be the stronger team out of the two. Yes, the Jackets were on fire this season, but I feel like the Penguins can outsmart them and create a better outcome.
Stanley Cup Final
For the final round of the tournament, I chose the Chicago Blackhawks to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2017 Stanley Cup. Personally, I believe that the Penguins can make it back into the Final this time again, but due to Kris Letang being out I believe the Blackhawks can beat Sidney Crosby and them in six games. As much as I would love for Phil Kessel to be a back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion, it will not be this time around. Maybe Jonathan Toews will create a spark during the playoffs and actually create goals to help his team out this team and not rely all on Kane and Panarin.
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