NHL Playoff Preview

THE STATUS OF THE LEAGUE

Officially, there is 5 days left until the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs commence.  15 teams have officially made the playoffs with the final seed in the west still in contention.  Almost every team has 2 games left with a couple unfortunate clubs only having 1.  This weekend could feature a shit storm shake up in the standings the likes of which we haven't seen since Hurricane Katrina.

IN THE EAST: Boston has the #1 seed and the Penguins have #2. The remaining 6 seeds could  completely change this weekend.  Philadelphia, Columbus, and Detroit are all tied with 91 points and hold seeds 6-8, respectively.  Look up the ranks a bit, the 3-5 seeds are Montreal (98pts), Tampa (97pts), and NY Rangers(95pts).  I haven't seen nonsense like this since '63.  The real battle is for seeds 6-8. The loser of that ordeal will face Boston in the first round; and trust me, no one wants to do that. 

Sugar's Eastern Conference predictions: Round 1

#1 Boston vs #8 Columbus

#2 Pittsburgh vs #7 Detroit

#3 Montreal vs #6 Philadelphia

#4 Tampa Bay vs #5 NY Rangers

IN THE WEST: Hide yo kids! Hide yo wife! If you thought the East was bad...the West will give you nightmares.  At the top we got: Anaheim (112pts), Colorado (111 pts), and Saint Louis (111 pts). All three have 2 games left to sort out the top 3.  Chicago and San Jose hold seeds 4 & 5 but both are tied with 107 points and 2 games remaining.  The 6 & 7 seeds are held by LA (99 pts) and Minnesota (98 pts); both teams only have 1 game left. The final seed in the west is still up for grabs.  Dallas has 89 points while Phoenix has 87 points; both have 2 games left.  Ironically enough these two clubs face off this Sunday night in what could very well decide who goes to the playoffs and who goes golfing.

Sugar's Western Conference Predictions: Round 1

#1 Anaheim vs #8 Phoenix

#2 Colorado vs #7 Los Angeles

#3 Saint Louis vs #6 Minnesota

#4 Chicago vs #5 San Jose