The First Round Of The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Are About To Be A Masterpiece Of Mayhem
Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.There are just 2 days left in the 2024-25 NHL regular season, and only one playoff spot left up for grabs. If the Montreal Canadiens pick up at least 1 point against Carolina tonight, they're in. If Montreal loses and then Columbus beats the Islanders on Thursday night in regulation, the Blue Jackets are in. I'm pretty sure if Montreal loses but the Blue Jackets win on Thursday in overtime, the Habs would still be in because they've had fewer shootout wins. Either way, the majority of the first round matchups for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set.
And let me tell you right now...this lineup fucking rips.
In the East we have the Toronto Maple Leafs coming into the playoffs for the first time ever as the Atlantic Division Champions. The last two times the Leafs have won a regular season division championship, it was the Northeast Division in 1999-2000, and the one-off "North Division" in 2020-21 after realignment because of COVID. Waiting for them in the first round will be the Ottawa Senators, who are making their first trip to the playoffs since losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017.
Is this finally the year for the Leafs? Are the pesky Sens about to derail destiny? All I know is that the Battle of Ontario is going to be a total shit storm. And this is great for American fans because no matter what, the number of Canadian teams in the playoffs goes down by 1 after the first round.
From Ontario we go 1500 miles south to yet another Battle of Florida.
This will be the 4th time in 5 seasons we get a Panthers vs Lightning series in the playoffs. In 2021, Tampa was the defending Stanley Cup Champs and beat the Cats in 6 games in the first round. In 2022, Tampa was yet again the defending Cup Champs and swept the Panthers in the 2nd round. Last year Florida finally got their revenge and beat Tampa for the first time in the playoffs after taking them down in 5 games in the first round. And now this year, Florida will be the defending Stanley Cup Champs looking to make their 3rd straight trip to the Final the same way Tampa did a few years ago.
Obviously we still don't know who Washington will be playing just yet, but either scenario here rules. Montreal would clearly be the best case scenario because the Bell Centre is going to be a zoo having playoff hockey back for the first time with fans since 2017. And if it's the Caps vs Habs, then we get a 19-year-old Ivan Demidov being 2 games into his NHL career and already having a playoff series matchup against Alex Ovechkin. The greatest Russian player in NHL history going up against one of the next Russian greats just a week into his career.
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And if it's the Blue Jackets, then you get a real team of destiny who managed to turn the most tragic and heartbreaking offseason into a playoff appearance. A team playing for the honor and memory of John Gaudreau would be incredible, even if it only lasts a few games.
Out West, we already talked about the Oilers vs Kings pt 4 and how quickly that series is going to go off the rails. The Gretzky Bowl IV.
Can the Oilers bounce back from losing the Cup Final last year? Can the Kings finally shove McDavid into a locker and make Edmonton question if they'll ever get over the hump? It'll probably come down to whoever has the most players left on the bench by the end of the series, because I'm sure both teams are going to end up losing some guys along the way.
And finally we get to the Rantanen Bowl.
Nobody could have seen this one coming on January 24th when the Colorado Avalanche shocked the hockey world by trading Mikko Rantanen. Mainly because Rantanen was traded to the Eastern Conference and shipped out to Carolina. The only way he could possibly come back to haunt the Avs in the playoffs was if they met up in the Stanley Cup Final. But after Carolina fumbled that whole situation and sent Rantanen to Dallas at the trade deadline, we now get this matchup in the first round.
Mikko Rantanen is currently 5th all time in points-per-game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The only guys he's trailing are Gretzky, Lemieux, McDavid, and Draisaitl. Pretty damn strong top 5 if you ask me. He's put up 101 points in 81 career playoff games. Obviously all those points came with the Colorado Avalanche. If he can figure out a way to then have that same sort of production AGAINST the Colorado Avalanche, then Dallas is on their way to the 2nd round even if they've limped their way into the playoffs.
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We're looking at the best 2 weeks of the sports year coming up here. Bad time to be anyone who cares about basketball.