In the NHL, any team that makes the playoffs can actually win the Stanley Cup. These are my predictions for the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Starting in the Western Conference, I think the first-round matchups will be:
2.Golden Knights vs. 3.Wild.
The Jets will blow past the Canucks in five games. Winnipeg’s offense runs the league. With goal scorers Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele paired up with lockdown defensemen like Josh Morrisey, this team will be very hard to beat. On top of that, they have the best goalie in the world with Connor Hellebuyck in net.
Next, the Stars and Avalanche will last game seven. Both of these teams contain stars on offense and defense, but Dallas will come out on top. This is because Jake Oettinger performs better than any goalie in Colorado. Oettinger will put on a master class and push the Stars into the second round.
The series between the Oilers and Kings is always a great one. These two teams faced off in the first round for the past three years, with the Oilers winning all three. I predict the same to happen here. While the Kings are a good team, I just don’t believe they have the defensive power to stop Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers will move on in six games.
To round out the Western Conference first round, the Vegas Golden Knights will sweep the Wild. The Wild have a young team, while they have some veterans, they still lack playoff experience. Vegas, on the other hand, won the Stanley Cup just two years ago, and in less than 10 years as a franchise, has already become one of the winningest franchises in the league.
The Eastern Conference first round will have:
2.Maple Leafs vs. 3.Lightning,
and 2.Hurricanes vs. 3.Devils.
The Capitals being the top seed, and the Red Wings the lowest seed, this won’t be a long series. The Red Wings have very little playoff experience outside of Patrick Kane. The Capitals consist of the young players to play fast hockey, and the right veterans to beat down the opponent. Washington will win this series 4-1.
Maple Leafs vs the Lightning is another series we have seen before. This year, I think the Lightning will come out on top. They know what it takes to win, and the Maple Leafs’ star players always seem to disappear come playoff time. If Auston Matthews doesn’t take control of this series fast, the Lightning will win in six games.
Florida vs. Boston will be a very gritty series. Both teams play hard, physical and rough hockey. Guys like Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy will have to put some skill aside and play more physically. The Panthers win this series in a rough six games.
A young and inexperienced Devils team facing an experienced Hurricanes team doesn’t seem right. The Hurricanes will run the Devils out of every single game, and win this series in four games.
Now, round two. The series are:
Stars vs. Jets,
Oilers vs. Golden Knights,
Capitals vs. Lightning,
and Panthers vs. Hurricanes.
Dallas vs. Winnipeg has potential to be a great set of games. They’re both well-rounded teams with great goaltenders. It’s tough to pick the better team, but I think the young players on the Stars like Johnston and Stankoven will put them on top. The Stars win this series in seven games.
Edmonton vs. Vegas is another tough series. The Oilers are the more skilled team, but Vegas has the heavier team. They have more depth, better goalies and better defense. These are two great teams, but I think the Golden Knights will win in six games.
Washington vs. Tampa Bay will be an all-time series. I think it’s simply going to come down to Nikita Kucherov vs. Alexander Ovechkin. Nobody would say Ovechkin is a better overall player than Kucherov, but I think that there is a chance he outperforms him this year. I believe the Capitals will win a game seven thriller in overtime.
To finalize the second round, the Panthers play the Hurricanes. The Panthers stand as the defending champions, but the Hurricanes are due for success. The only thing that has been holding them back is a lack of an absolute superstar. That all changed when they made a blockbuster trade for Mikko Rantanen. I think Carolina will win this series in five games.
The Western Conference Championship: Dallas vs. Vegas, again. These teams have now played each other three times in the Conference Finals. They split the first two series, making this the rubber match. In the regular season this year, the games between these two teams came down to a few players, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson and Jack Eichel. This time, I think Eichel will take control of the series quickly, the Stars’ game seven magic will run out and Vegas will win this series 4-3
To determine who makes it out of the East, the Capitals will take on the Hurricanes. This is where the Capitals’ magical season will end. They’re a great team, but not good enough to get past the Hurricanes. Carolina will knock out the Caps in six games, and advance to the finals.
Finally the Stanley Cup Finals, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes. I predict that in game one, Vegas’ captain, Mark Stone, will take a cheap shot at Mikko Rantanen and get away with it. Rantanen is the best player on the Hurricanes but will miss the rest of the series. This will lead to Vegas winning another championship, setting them up to potentially become a dynasty.
