NHL Playoffs 2017: Stanley Cup Bracket, Schedule and Predictions (2024)

The Stanley Cup playoffs are set, and as we learn every year, anything can happen from this point forward.

While the Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars had the best records in their respective conferences last season, neither was able to make it past the second round. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final a year after the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning. None of those teams finished first in their divisions.

This means while the Capitals and Blackhawks earned a lot of points this season, that won't guarantee success in what should be an exciting postseason.

Schedule

Bracket

Eastern Conference Predictions

Based on the way this season has gone, it seems likely the Eastern Conference champion will come out of the Metropolitan Division.

The Capitals are once again the top team in the NHL, with the best defense and one of the top offenses in the league. Braden Holtby has had an outstanding year in net, while Alex Ovechkin has plenty of help around him on offense.

Pittsburgh is all about offense, with a league-best 282 goals scored, andSidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still as dangerous as anyone in the NHL.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are a sleeper with arguably the top goaltender in the league this season in Sergei Bobrovsky.

Although the team doesn't have one go-to player on the front line, there are 12 players with at least 10 goals this year and nine players with at least 20 assists. That balance could be a positive in the playoffs instead of relying upon one or two elite players.

With that said, Washington remains the favorite to advance beyond the first few rounds and finally break through with success in the playoffs.

From the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins have the talent and experience to make a deep run.

Western Conference Predictions

With three Stanley Cup wins in the past eight seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks are the obvious favorites to advance in the Western Conference.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have been leaders for the team in all of the title runs and are still making a major impact. However, past success doesn't guarantee anything for the future.

One of the biggest threats will be the St. Louis Blues. Despite finishing with just 99 points on the year, there are few hotter teams in the NHL, with the Blues recording 15 wins in the final 19 games, including two overtime losses.

"It feels really good," Blues coach Mike Yeo said, per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That was something we set our sights on and really pretty impressive of our group, to be honest with you. These last couple months have been quite a run, and now we can get excited and get geared up for a real tough opponent."

This team reached the conference final last year and is just as dangerous this time around despite a worse overall record. The special teams could also come up big, with the No. 4 penalty kill in the NHL.

The Minnesota Wild won't be an easy out in the first round, but this sleeper could go the distance.

While the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers are both capable of winning it all, the Oilers might be a bit too young to trust in these playoffs while the Ducks are inconsistent offensively.

Final Prediction

The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won an NBA title and Sergio Garcia has won a major. Why can't the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup?

Recent history has not been kind to the Capitals. They have reached the playoffs eight of the past nine years with six first-place finishes. This has resulted in zero trips past the second round.

The key for this team is balance, with anyone on the top two lines capable of making a game-changing play. Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie are also capable of creating goals on their own when everything else breaks down.

Holtby won the Vezina Trophy last year and improved in almost every major category, making him even more dangerous going into the postseason.

This is the best team in every aspect of the game and should finally live up to the promise with a Stanley Cup.