The regular season is over, and the quest for the 2019 Stanley Cup begins Wednesday. The winners and losers as the playoff matchups got settled: Winner - Boston Bruins. They've ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs their past two postseason meetings with impressive third periods in Game 7. The Maple Leafs, who added John Tavares and Jake Muzzin, are deeper since then, but they stumbled down the stretch. Loser - Columbus Blue Jackets. Coach John Tortorella faces the team that he once led to a Stanley Cup, but his Blue Jackets haven't figured out the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, going 0-3 and being outscored 17-3. That was before they beefed up at the trade deadline, but if they go out quickly, it might be difficult to hang on to their handful of key free agents. Winner - Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. The NHL leading scorer and likely MVP feasted on the Blue Jackets this season, with four goals and five assists in three games. The Carolina Hurricanes could have been the first-round opponent if they had lost on Saturday, and they had held Kucherov without a goal. WHO WILL BEAT THE LIGHTNING? These five teams can upset Tampa Bay Loser - Hurricanes. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and their reward is the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Washington Capitals swept Carolina this season, including in back-to-back games last month. Winner - Dallas Stars. Goalie Ben Bishop returned from an injury and shut out the Minnesota Wild in the season finale. It was his seventh shutout of the season. The Stars will need Bishop (1.98 goals-against average, .934 save percentage) to be on top of his game if they are to get past the Nashville Predators. Loser - Vegas Golden Knights. They have lost seven of their last eight games and looked to catch a break by playing the equally struggling San Jose Sharks. But the Sharks won their last two games and got defenseman Erik Karlsson back in the lineup. Winner - NHL fans. The Pittsburgh Penguins held on to the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and won't have to face the Capitals in the first round. That sets up (if Washington wins) an intriguing second-round series of either the Penguins-Capitals rivalry or the Capitals facing the New York Islanders and their former coach, Barry Trotz. Plus, the Penguins-Islanders series will be entertaining in the first round. Loser - NHL fans. No Connor McDavid in the playoffs for the second year in a row. There's plenty of star power in the playoffs and he might have been out anyway with an injury, but the Edmonton Oilers need to figure out a way to build a team that gets the NHL's best player the exposure of postseason appearances.<doc-sep>Here is USA TODAY Sports’ rankings of the NHL playoff teams, based on the likelihood to win the Stanley Cup: 1. Tampa Bay Lightning: If the Lightning win the Stanley Cup, they will likely go down as one of the top teams in NHL history. They won 62 games in the regular season and aren't showing any holes in their game. 2. Washington Capitals: The defending champion Capitals are still a threat to win it all, but the loss of defenseman Michal Kempny to injury creates an alarming crack in their defense. 3. Boston Bruins: The Bruins were 29-9-3 at home this season. Only the Lightning were better. Patrice Bergeron might be the best all-around player in the game. 4. St. Louis Blues: The Blues caught everyone’s attention by recovering from an early collapse to make the playoffs. They were 16-19-4 on Jan. 5 and then have gone 29-9-5 to make the playoffs. Rookie goalie Jordan Binnington (24-5-1 record, 1.89 goals-against average, .927 save percentage) is the key. STANLEY CUP PREDICTIONS: How we see things playing out WINNERS/LOSERS FOR NHL PLAYOFFS: Breaking down the field HOW LIGHTNING WILL LOSE:FIve teams that could knock them off 5. Pittsburgh Penguins: They've advanced to the playoffs every year since 2007, winning three titles in four trips to the Stanley Cup Final in that span. The Penguins’ organization, particularly Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, understands what it takes to be successful. 6. Nashville Predators: The Predators are mediocre offensively, but they have the NHL’s most talented defense. Pekka Rinne is a difference-maker in net. 7. Calgary Flames: The confidence level in the Flames’ goaltending is much lower than the confidence level in the other parts of their game. 8. Vegas Golden Knights: Coach Gerard Gallant’s Golden Knights are difficult to beat in their own arena but they are the only playoff qualifier with a losing road record in the regular season. 9. Winnipeg Jets: They won 47 games this season and didn’t play up to their ability. They are the wild card of the playoff field because they have the talent to win it all. 10. Toronto Maple Leafs: They haven’t improved enough this season to live up to lofty expectations. The Maple Leafs give up too many scoring chances. 11. New York Islanders: They are the No. 1 defensive team and yet it doesn’t seem like they are polished and advanced enough to make an extended playoff run. 12. San Jose Sharks: The Sharks’ NHL-worst .889 team save percentage will hurt them in the playoffs. 13. Carolina Hurricanes: It feels like the Hurricanes are the good karma team. But they are a long shot against the Capitals in the first round. 14. Dallas Stars: Goalie Ben Bishop’s .934 save percentage and seven shutouts helped the Stars overcome their lack of scoring. The Stars were tied for 28th out of 31 teams in scoring average (2.55). That won’t work in the postseason. 15. Colorado Avalanche: Coach Jared Bednar said he is “hopeful" the injured Mikko Rantanen might be ready for the playoffs. But that isn't enough to move the Avs beyond longshot status. 16. Columbus Blue Jackets: The trade deadline deals were not as transformative as the Blue Jackets hoped they would be.<doc-sep>It may be the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights are only in their second season, but they already have a playoff history with the San Jose Sharks. Last season the newcomers defeated San Jose in six games before falling in the finals to Washington. So what have they done since? Well, both franchises made blockbuster trades with the Ottawa Senators to improve their chances of lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. SN STAFF PREDICTIONS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Stanley Cup In September, the Sharks acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson in exchange for a bevy of picks and prospects. Five months later, the Golden Knights landed Mark Stone, who was the biggest fish landed at the 2019 trade deadline. Both deals bolstered two of the best offenses in the league and have set the stage for what is sure to be an unforgettable series for the second consecutive year. San Jose Sharks (-110) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-110): Schedule, breakdown, prediction Date Matchup Time (TV channel) April 10 Game 1 at San Jose 10:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN) April 12 Game 2 at San Jose 10:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN) April 14 Game 3 at Vegas 10 p.m. ET (NBCSN) April 16 Game 4 at Vegas 10:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN) *April 18 Game 5 at San Jose TBD *April 21 Game 6 at Vegas TBD *April 23 Game 7 at San Jose TBD (*if necessary) Season series Vegas blew the Sharks out of the water in their first meeting of the year in Nevada on Nov. 24. The Golden Knights scored four goals in the first period alone, before going on to win 6-0. Future Hall of Fame netminder Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 24 of the shots he faced and first-year Golden Knight forward Max Pacioretty had a two-goal game. Sharks goalie Martin Jones didn’t have many big games in the regular season, but he did stop 36 of the 38 shots he faced against Vegas in January. He backstopped the Sharks, coupled with two clutch third-period goals, in a 3-2 win. However, on March 18, Jones was chased from his crease by Vegas’ offense and three power-play goals. The first goal on Vegas’ man-advantage came from Stone, but the real star of the game was Jonathan Marchessault who burned the Sharks with a four-point night. DATE AWAY HOME RESULT Nov. 24 Sharks Golden Knights VGK, 6-0 Jan. 10 Sharks Golden Knights SJS, 3-2 Mar. 18 Golden Knights Sharks VGK, 7-3 Mar. 30 Golden Knights Sharks SJS, 4-3 (OT) The Sharks evened up the season series at home less than two weeks later as Norris Trophy candidate Brent Burns ripped a one-timer through goalie Malcolm Subban during a rare overtime power-play opportunity. San Jose deserved to win the final game of the season series after they dominated the 5v5 shot share with a 56.16 percent Corsi (CF%). There may have been an even split of the games, but the Golden Knights won the matchup as both of their wins came in regulation and they outscored the Sharks 18 to 10. Offense The Golden Knights and Sharks both controlled the puck a lot during the regular season. Both teams were elite in the shot share at 5v5 as the Sharks finished first in the NHL with a 54.87 CF% with Vegas not far behind (54.36 CF%). Another indication of the quality of these offenses is that both teams finished in the top-five in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5v5 (XGF/60). Although Vegas’ offense has been trending up in the last few months, the Sharks’ offense put up more goals at even strength by a significant margin. A lot of that has to do with San Jose shooting above 9.0% at 5v5 with a special group of skaters. The Sharks are just one of two teams with five players who scored 25 or more goals this year. Veteran Joe Pavelski led the way with 38 goals and Thomas Hertl scored 35 in a breakout season. Emerging Swiss star Timo Meier also hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. San Jose and Vegas both upgraded their offense at the trade deadline, but there’s no doubt that Stone was a bigger addition than Gustav Nyquist. If you’re looking for a line to watch in this series, it has to be Vegas’ top line of Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith who were a Top-5 line in 5v5 production. That trio combined for six goals in the season series against the Sharks. Edge: It’s close, but Vegas. (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/31/b2/brent-burns-joe-pavelski-erik-karlsson-san-jose-sharks-040719-getty-ftrjpeg_m1yz8ickxip3123xiot6t1jma.jpg?t=-114429367&w=500&quality=80 Defense Drew Doughty may not be a fan of Burns’ style of play, but the Sharks defenseman is undoubtedly one of the best in the game. For a team that has the puck as much as the Sharks do, he is an ideal weapon. The top-scoring defenseman in the league this season (16 goals, 67 assists), is a serious contender for the Norris. Brent Burns is up to 81 points in 81 games this season. That's the 2nd highest total by a defenseman in the last 20 years. He has one game left to surpass Erik Karlsson's 82 points from 2015-16. #SJSharks — /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) April 5, 2019 Of course, the Sharks also have Karlsson on their blue line. The two-time Norris winner missed a lot of hockey due to injuries this season, but when he dressed he brought the Sharks to another level. He and Brenden Dillon have the best-expected goals for ratio at 5v5 (61.8) among all NHL defensive pairs that have played at least 400 minutes this year. For Vegas, Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt are both coming off of exceptional regular seasons. Theodore found his scoring touch (12 goals, 25 assists) and doubled his goal production from last season. Schmidt has the best even-strength goals for ratio among Vegas’ blueline regulars. His stats (nine goals, 21 assists, +22 plus/minus) would be even better if he hadn’t missed 20 games due to a suspension. This will be a big series for him. Edge: Largely because of the star power, it’s the Sharks. Goaltending<doc-sep>As the Washington Capitals look to go back-to-back with Stanley Cups, they will face off in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs against a Carolina Hurricanes team that, after a decade, has finally punched a return ticket to the postseason. Washington has been able to see a lot of growth this season. Under new head coach Todd Reirden, the Capitals were still able to finish first in the Metropolitan Division for the fourth straight season and return to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Following last year’s breakthrough and eventual first-ever championship, they are prepared to do it all again. Carolina, however, will be no easy opponent. The “Bunch of Jerks” have been surging this season under new captain Justin Williams, as the locker room and team dynamic has changed for the better. They’re also getting much-needed leadership and scoring from their youth, and ultimately, have built depth down the lineup. SN STAFF PREDICTIONS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Stanley Cup Washington Capitals (-135) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (+115): Schedule, breakdown, prediction Date Matchup Time (TV channel) April 11 Game 1 at Washington 7:30 p.m. ET (USA, SN360, TVA) April 13 Game 2 at Washington 3 p.m. ET (NBC, SN, TVA) April 15 Game 3 at Carolina 7 p.m. ET (CNBC, SN, TVA) April 18 Game 4 at Carolina 7 p.m. ET (No TV) *April 20 Game 5 at Washington TBD *April 22 Game 6 at Carolina TBD *April 24 Game 7 at Washington TBD (*if necessary) Season series Needless to say, it was all Caps in the season series, outscoring the Canes 15-9. Alexander Ovechkin (three goals, two assists), John Carlson (two goals, four assists) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (five assists) led the way Washington. Netminder Braden Holtby, who will start in the playoffs, posted a 2.21 goals-against and .918 save percentage in the four wins. For the Canes, Sebastian Aho played a role in six of their nine goals (three goals, three assists) and has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 12 career games — his highest points total against any team. DATE ROAD HOME RESULT Dec. 14 Capitals Hurricanes WSH, 6-5 (SO) Dec. 27 Hurricanes Capitals WSH, 3-1 Mar. 26 Hurricanes Capitals WSH 4-1 Mar. 28 Capitals Hurricanes WSH, 3-2 Offense Led by 33-year-old Alex Ovechkin, who won his eighth Rocket Richard — surpassing Bobby Hull's seven — with 51 goals this season, Washington has an impressive offensive arsenal. The Capitals finished with seven 20-goal scorers on the roster this season, including players like Jakub Vrana (24 goals, 23 assists), Tom Wilson (22 goals, 18 assists) and Brett Connolly (22 goals, 24 assists), who exceeded expectations. All down the lineup, the Capitals have depth, even on that fourth line with Nic Dowd, Travis Boyd and Andre Burakovsky. Ultimately, the fifth-ranked goals scoring squad in the NHL with 274 assists, has firepower. Across the aisle, Carolina is benefitting from their youth, with 21-year-old Aho leading the way with 30 goals and 83 points. In addition to young guns and 20-goal scorers Teuvo Teravainen (21 goals, 55 assists) and Andrei Svechnikov (20 goals, 17 assists), the biggest story — and a key player to watch — is 37-year-old Justin Williams. The captain and former Capitals winger finished with 23 goals and 53 points this season. Carolina also got a steal when acquiring Nino Niederreiter from Minnesota in January. He went from struggling with the Wild (23 points in 46 games) to 14 goals and 30 points in 38 games with the Hurricanes. Edge: Capitals. Washington has seen a number of their players find their spark on the forecheck, and outnumber the Hurricanes in regards to goal-scoring. Defense With Michal Kempny out for the season with a torn hamstring, there’s no doubt that the Capitals will feel the impact of his absence. It's already happened as Reirden has shuffled the pairings and experimented in all kinds of ways to fill the void. Still, the Capitals have 2019 All-Star and Norris Trophy candidate John Carlson who can log large chunks of ice time, and leads the team in TOI (25:04). Nick Jensen, who was acquired just days before the trade deadline, has fit in seamlessly on the blue line and has been excellent, and surely enough, he’s a guy that can slot in on the top-pairing. Though the Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov pairing needs some work, Washington still has a lot of depth, with Brooks Orpik thriving and young blueliners like Christian Djoos able to step up and play top-pairing minutes. Waiting in the wings, Jonas Siegenthaler and Tyler Lewington have provided depth to the lineup and can step up if needed. Looking at Carolina’s defensive corps, they’ve benefited from the acquisition of Dougie Hamilton, who has completely taken charge and has provided an offensive boost (18 goals, 21 assists) while leading the charge on the backcheck (even plus/minus). In addition to Hamilton, the Canes have Jaccob Slavin, Justin Faulk and Brett Pesce rounding out the top-4. They are all reliable and versatile defensemen who can move the puck up the ice. Calvin de Haan, who is expected to return from a late-season upper-body injury before the playoffs start, and Trevor van Riemsdyk are expected to be the third pairing. Edge: Capitals. WIth Carlson and Jensen’s versatility, as well as veterans and youth rounding out the lineup, Washington has the upper hand, even without Kempny. Goaltending Both Washington and Carolina has benefitted from excellent goaltending this season, with Holtby and Petr Mrazek proving their worth between the pipes. While his stats aren’t as good as they’ve been in the past (2.82 GAA, .911 save percentage), Holtby has come a long way since the start of the season. He’s been phenomenal in the final stretch, winning his last five starts and boasting a 1.60 GAA and .945 save percentage. Looking at his playoff history, the 29-year-old the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner is one of the best in the business. Since 2012, he has registered a 2.04 GAA and .929 save percentage in 82 postseason appearances.<doc-sep>
Three of the top seven teams in the NHL are packed into a four-team murderers' row playoff bracket and only one can reach the Eastern Conference final. The Tampa Bay Lightning's reward for finishing 21 points ahead of the rest of the league during the regular season is a first-round matchup against Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and the all-in Columbus Blue Jackets, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs meet for the second consecutive year in the other Atlantic Division series. ''If you do win a round or two going through those two big guys, there's still a couple rounds to go after that,'' veteran Maple Leafs winger Patrick Marleau said. ''It's a hard path to win it, whichever way you look at it. It's one of those things where you can't get ahead of yourself.'' It's not much easier in the Metropolitan Division half of the East bracket where the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals face the Carolina Hurricanes, who just ended the league's longest playoff drought, and Barry Trotz's New York Islanders meet the 2016 and 2017 champion Pittsburgh Penguins. ''Every game's going to be tough,'' said Islanders center Valtteri Filppula, who faced Pittsburgh in the playoffs last year with Philadelphia. ''It'd be pretty much the same (no matter) who we'd play, it would be tough games. Hopefully we can play well and get a good start at home and get the playoffs started the right way.'' For all the championships won by the Bruins, Penguins and Capitals over the past eight years, the East has plenty of fresh blood. The Islanders have home-ice advantage in the first round for the first time since 1988, the Hurricanes are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and the Blue Jackets are looking to win their first series in franchise history. The first-round matchups in the Eastern Conference: BLUE JACKETS-LIGHTNING (Game 1 at Tampa Bay on Wednesday) Story continues All the pressure is on Tampa Bay after lapping the field this season, tying the NHL wins record and boasting the league's leading scorer in Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning haven't played meaningful games for a couple of weeks and are now expected to flip a switch and raise their level in the playoffs. ''We've been ready for a while,'' captain Steven Stamkos said. ''We're ready for playoff hockey.'' Columbus has plenty of urgency, too, given that Panarin and Bobrovsky and deadline additions Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Adam McQuaid are pending free agents. Things could blow up there if the Blue Jackets bow out in the first round. MAPLE LEAFS-BRUINS (Game 1 at Boston on Thursday) These teams went to seven games a year ago but are trending in very different directions now. The Maple Leafs don't know which version of goaltender Frederik Andersen will show up and have to hope their defense can withstand the big, bad Bruins. Boston tied Calgary for the second-most points in the league, has gotten strong goaltending from Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, and is deep at forward and on defense. ''I like our team,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''We play hard. We're one of the better teams from start to finish I think in the National Hockey League, specifically the second half of the year. We've played well at the right times. We've earned our way.'' HURRICANES-CAPITALS (Game 1 at Washington on Thursday) There's no bigger contrast in the first round than Washington, in the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years, going up against Carolina, which has 12 players who have not played before in the NHL postseason. The Hurricanes do have three-time Cup-winner Justin Williams as their captain and one-time champion Jordan Staal as their second-line center, but the Capitals' big guns of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby are seasoned for this time of year. Winning last year also gives the Capitals extra confidence. ''It's a fun time,'' Ovechkin said. ''You have to believe in each other and work hard. You can see we was down almost every series and we bounced back and win the series, so that's the most important thing.'' PENGUINS-ISLANDERS (Game 1 at New York on Wednesday) Nassau Coliseum will be rocking after the Islanders went from allowing the most goals in the league last season to the fewest this season and finished second in the Metropolitan Division.