(Image via ginohard.com)

Sports Editor: Tom Dunford

Email: tdunford@umassd.edu 

In the world of hockey, surprises are the norm. The NHL playoffs, a battleground for 16 teams, are a testament to this. Each team is driven by a desperate desire to claim the coveted Lord Stanley Cup, but only one can emerge victorious. 

As we approach April 20th, the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, here are five teams that are expected to make a significant impact.

5. Edmonton Oilers

When you have two of the best players in the world on the ice, the sky is the limit. For the Oilers, they have one of the most dangerous two-headed monsters the NHL has ever seen: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

When those two players touch the puck, it’s watching a magician perform a trick, leaving the rest of the team bombarded. These two are so good that they combined for 62 points in 16 playoff games last post-season, one of the highest point totals by two players in the history of the sport.

But hockey is a team sport, and this time, the Edmonton Oilers look like a well-oiled machine. There is no lack of offense for the Oilers, as winger Zach Hyman accumulated the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career, along with former first-overall pick Ryan Nugget-Hopkins. They have plenty of skill positions to rival opposing star talent. 

Along with one of the best offenses in the league, they have a strong defensive core headlined by Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse and the uprise of goaltender Stuart Skinner. The only thing holding this squad back is themselves, and they look to be scary come playoff time.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

A team that is sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference should not be a scary team to face.

That said, that team saw not one, not two, but three playoff appearances, along with back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021. The Tampa Bay Lightning are forever a threat, and they look to awaken the sleeping giant the rest of the league has glanced over.

And they have plenty of reason to make serious noise. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has struggled this season, but that was due to a lagging injury he succumbed to last season, and he has seemingly gotten back to form with each and every game. 

Sharpshooter and captain Steven Stamkos continues to dominate on both sides of the ice, having one of the best defensive seasons of his entire career. The rest of the team needs no introduction, as the core that saw three cup appearances has remained intact. 

That said, their power forward, Nikita Kucherov, will be the X factor come playoff time. If teams learn to shut him down, the rest of the team will sink. If he continues to play like he did this past season, don’t be shocked to see the Lightning strike down the opposing foe. 

3. Vegas Golden Knights

It sickens me to put this team on this list. 

But they deserve it. This team is consistently one of the best in the league, and it has been since its inaugural season in 2017. After finally hitting the jackpot and winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, the Golden Knights look to make it two in a row and are putting all the chips in for a meaningful run.

This team knows how to win and, more importantly, how to walk the line of cap space by adding new faces such as Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanafin, and Tomas Hertl this past trade deadline. 

On top of these players, superstar and captain Mark Stone is conveniently coming back to the team for the playoffs after suffering an undisclosed injury, along with one of the best goaltending duos in Logan Thompson and Adin Hill.

This team is a nightmare to deal with, but they have earned the respect of the league.

2. New York Rangers

New York is where dreams are made of, and fans have been dreaming for this team to eclipse the Stanley Cup finals for almost a decade now. And it looks like this is potentially the year they do it.

The New York Rangers are one of, if not the most well-rounded team in the entire league. 2019 free-agent signing Artemi Panarin continues to be one of the biggest offseason steals, as he eclipsed the 100-point mark again this past season, making everyone he plays with better. Along with him, the former first-overall pick in Alexis Lafrenière has finally found his footing in the NHL and looks to be a mainstay on the Rangers roster.

Where this team shines is through goaltending, as the resurgence of Johnathan Quick has helped Igor Shesterkin take an even bigger leap forward in his career. This team will be a nightmare to deal with it, but it looks like one team in the Eastern Conference may be up to that challenge.

1. Carolina Hurricanes

Some teams have star power, some teams have goaltending, and some have great defensive structures. The Carolina Hurricanes have all of this and more. 

This is my pick for the Stanley Cup winner and for a good reason.

This team can beat you in any style and any way. They have grit, defense, a great goaltender, and star power. They made it to the Eastern Conference finals this past playoff season but, unfortunately, got swept by the Florida Panthers.

This year, they bolstered a top team to become even stronger, acquiring former Penguins star Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline and adding Dmitri Orlov and Brent Burns in the offseason. 

This team is going to go far, and they will beat their opponents with defense and offense. The opposition needs to take warning.