Bold Predictions for Every 2025 NHL Playoffs First-round Series

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here and they're spectacular. The greatest postseason tournament in professional sports gets underway at long last and our excitement cannot be contained.

The matchups in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference are all fascinating and the 16 teams that made the cut to chase Lord Stanley's prized trophy now get to start fresh and see who can be the first to win 16 games.

Since this is the start of the playoffs, it affords us the chance to make some predictions. With the Cup on the line, that means if we're not going big, we're going home early. To kick off the postseason, we've got one bold prediction for each team to share with you.

Washington

Alex Ovechkin will lead them, but their hopes are in Logan Thompson's hands

It may not seem overly bold to say that a team's fate rests in the hands of its goalie, but with how well the Caps have played this season with Ovechkin leading the way to Jakob Chychrun's great season to Dylan Strome's phenomenal play, Logan Thompson is getting his first true run to carry a team in the playoffs.

Thompson's playoff history consists of four games with Vegas last season in which he went 2-2 as the Golden Knights were bounced in the first round in seven games. What he learned last season should help him moving forward, but being on the top team in the East comes with the pressure of needing to live up to those expectations.

Montréal

Memories of 2010 will provide cold comfort

When last we saw the Canadiens in the postseason, they just stormed their way through the Canadian division playoffs during the truncated 2021 season to the Stanley Cup Final. When last we saw them against Washington, however, it was 2010 and Jaroslav Halák helped the Canadiens shock the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in seven games before they were knocked out in the Eastern Conference Final by Philadelphia.

Could Sam Montembeault be the next Halák? Can Cole Caufield play the role of Mike Cammalleri? Is Nick Suzuki the second coming of Tomáš Plekanec? Will Patrik Laine invoke the spirit of Andrei Kostitsyn? They'd better if they're going to have a chance at all against these Capitals. They'd better have all the old Forum ghosts aligned if they're going to stun the hockey world again because the odds are stacked against them.

Carolina

Some lessons are never learned

It wouldn't be the start of the Hurricanes' playoff run without the biggest question surrounding them being about goaltending, but here we are once again. Carolina closed the season losing seven of their last eight games while allowing more than four goals per game in that stretch,h including losses to Detroit, Boston and Buffalo on the road.

They've adamantly stuck by Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov and as noble as it is to stick to the guys they know and believe in, they're long past the time where it's just OK making the playoffs. They have to go deep. They've been too good for too long to keep falling short.

New Jersey

Nico Hischier will light the way without Jack Hughes

The Devils going without Jack Hughes in the playoffs would seem like a total non-starter for their chances, but having a player like captain Nico Hischier to lead them softens the blow quite a bit.

Hischier's all-around excellence on the ice creates a quiet, guiding presence for New Jersey that they'll need to steady themselves while they've got plenty of questions surrounding them entering the postseason. Getting Dougie Hamilton back on defense is huge for them as well, but it's Hischier who drives the team from the front. He's not a household name, but the spotlight of the playoffs can change that.

Toronto

The Leafs are actually prepared for the playoffs

If you've watched the Maple Leafs at all this season, a couple of things have stood out about them under Craig Berube. They're not as high-flying and loose as they've been in the past and they've gotten remarkable goaltending to go along with the more defensive style. In short, they've been playing the kind of hockey that works best in the postseason.

The bigger question is: Will it work for them? If it doesn't and Mitch Marner walks in free agency, the offseason will be harsh for them. Putting faith in Anthony Stolarz and/or Joseph Woll to stay strong and win the toss-up games in the past would've seemed like a poor plan when you've got Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, but they've never been this ready for the rigors of the playoffs before.

Ottawa

Unleashing Brady Tkachuk is their best chance and biggest risk

It's a lot of fun seeing the Senators back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and it's even more exciting watching Brady Tkachuk leading them there. His fiery, competitive nature makes every game against a hated rival must-see TV and provides the fire the Sens need against the Leafs.

But it's that naturally heated behavior that needs to be harnessed for them to have a chance. We know he's going to be a wrecking ball on the ice and any scrums will develop around him because that's how it goes. But if he goes too hard and it leads to the Leafs getting power-play opportunities because of it, this could be a short series. If Brady's taken enough notes from brother Matthew, however, this series could get interesting, especially if it leads to doubt creeping into the Leafs' thoughts.

Tampa Bay

The Lightning are poised for greatness

If there's one team in the East everyone should be concerned about, it's the Lightning. So much of how they've played this season looks and feels like the Stanley Cup-winning teams we've seen in the past. Nikita Kucherov is unreal. Victor Hedman is playing great defense. If not for Connor Hellebuyck's incredible season, Andrei Vasilevskiy would be far and away the Vezina Trophy frontrunner.

The Lightning are scary, deep and extremely good. The biggest problem for them is they've got to deal with their hated rivals, who are trying to repeat as Cup champs in the first round and that's a massive roadblock to deal with right off the hop.

Florida

Rat hockey will guide them

When the Panthers added Brad Marchand, their plan was clear for the postseason that they were going to embrace being the kind of team that makes the internet screech. Marchand, Sam Bennett and, ideally, a healthy (or healthy-ish) Matthew Tkachuk will push every button and find a few others the Lightning and anyone else might have if they advance. And they're going to need to do it, too.

Florida stumbled their way through the end of the season to the point where Ottawa got within sniffing distance of them for third in the Atlantic. The Panthers don't fear mucking it up and when you've got Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart to provide the goals, they can get away with it, too. But make no mistake, the Panthers will do everything they can to upset everyone as long as they're in the playoffs. It's what they're born to do.

Winnipeg

Connor Hellebuyck will silence doubters

There's no doubt that Connor Hellebuyck is arguably the best goalie in the NHL. He's on his way to winning his second straight and third overall Vezina Trophy this season and he's a workhorse in goal. But the thing that's plagued him to this point in his career is his lack of postseason success.

This time around, things will change. Hellebuyck's focus and resolve are strong and after going through harsh playoff defeats in the past, his motivation as he's gotten older has become steeled. Now is the time for him to shine.

St. Louis

The return of Jordan Binnington should worry everyone

The Blues are roaring into the playoffs and perhaps the biggest reason why they are is the outstanding play of goalie Jordan Binnington. The way he's played has evoked memories of the run he made late in the 2019 season when he carried the Blues to the Stanley Cup. No doubt should concern the Jets, but the Blues have rallied because of it.

St. Louis has some tough injuries to Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway to dance around when they'll need everyone to be able to take down Winnipeg, but if Binnington continues to play like he has since the Four Nations Face-Off, it makes them a wild card in the truest sense in the postseason.

Dallas

Jake Oettinger will allow them to survive injuries

It's really easy to be down on the Stars going into the playoffs. Miro Heiskanen is still banged up, Jason Robertson was injured in their season finale and Tyler Seguin just got back in the lineup after being out since December. That's a lot of questions for a team that's got Stanley Cup aspirations, but fortunately, Jake Oettinger helps erase a lot of doubts.

The playoffs are always centered around goalies, but with a guy like Oettinger who can steal series on his own gives the Stars confidence they'll need to steel themselves against the Avalanche in the first round and beyond and that's something they'll need a lot of because, hoo boy, the fates seem aligned for them.

Colorado

The Gabriel Landeskog factor is immense

It's so easy to pick the Avalanche to go deep because they have two MVP-caliber players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to guide them. Add in Martin Necas and Devon Toews and it gets a bit more daunting. But if/when Gabriel Landeskog rejoins their lineup for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2022? Good freakin' luck.

A team getting a heart-and-soul captain back for the first time in three years is the kind of inspiration that is generally saved for books and movies, but the Avalanche are looking at having that happen with Landeskog's looming return. Whether he's able to return to the level he was at previous to his knee injury or not, his presence alone is a massive factor for them and cannot be measured.

Vegas

Jack Eichel makes the Golden Knights a wagon waiting to happen

If it seemed like Vegas very quietly rolled to the Pacific Division title this year, you're not alone, and while it's odd for anything Vegas-related to be quiet, it's the performance of Jack Eichel that drove them and will push them to go deep this year.

Eichel had a career year and has developed his two-way game to a point where he's worthy of Selke Trophy discussion. The Knights have a lot of star power, and they've got the kind of depth that makes them a contender, but it's Eichel who takes the lead and as he goes, so will the rest of the team.

Minnesota

The Wild don't want to just be happy to be here, but that'll have to do

It's really hard to feel hyped for the Wild in the playoffs this year. They tripped, stumbled and dragged themselves over the finish line to reach the playoffs. They were able to sort of stave off the Blues so they didn't have to face Winnipeg in the first round and they prevented the Flames from having a great Cinderella story, but sheesh fellas, it didn't have to be this interesting!

Getting Kirill Kaprizov back late in the year gives them a reason to be scary in the postseason, however, but they'll have to do a lot to prove they can be the team we saw earlier this season instead of the one we watched nearly fall out of the playoff picture at the end.

Los Angeles

Defense will win championships

If you've been sleeping on the Kings this year, you've done so at your own peril. They've dominated at home this season, they've gotten outstanding goaltending from Darcy Kuemper and their overall team defense is punishing.

Having Anze Kopitar leading the way as one of the best two-way forwards of all time, while Quinton Byfield grows into becoming a superstar, gives them a one-two punch up front that's hard to contain. When you factor in offensive stars like Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala along with two-way mavens like Philip Danault and Trevor Moore, they're a team up front that's hard to deal with. Then you have their blue line with a healthy Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Brandt Clarke and Vladislav Gavrikov they're a team that can win the Cup...so long as they can finally get past Edmonton.

Edmonton

They'll need to win games the old-fashioned way

This bold prediction is purposefully misleading. You might think this means to slow things down, dump and chase and all that and, no, that's not what we mean. If the Oilers are going to win without Mattias Ekholm, they'll have to do it the way the Oilers did it in the 80s by outscoring the world.

Having MVPs like Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid allows them the luxury of having hyper-powered offensive stars who can help cover up a lot of issues. After all, they've been doing it for years now, but with no Ekholm, goaltending that hasn't been inspiring from Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard, allowing those two to open up both barrels might be the chance they have to survive the first round and beyond.