If you’re a hockey fan, then you’re probably doing nothing but watching the playoffs. This year’s playoffs feature several exciting battles, including St. Louis vs Chicago and San Jose vs LA. Today, I’ll be talking about my playoff predictions, and who I think will win the Stanley Cup for the 2013/2014 season. So lets get right into it!
This week, I’ll be looking into the Western Conference, whereas next week, I’ll be looking into the Eastern Conference. I’ll be going through each series individually. The first matchup features the Ducks and the Stars. As we all know, the Ducks were the heavy favourites going into this series, considering they finished 1st in the western conference. The Stars however, were major underdogs. Finishing last in the conference, they barely managed to clinch a playoff spot. Even though the Stars put up a good fight, they just weren’t able to compete with the Ducks, who took the series 4-2.
The following series features the Sharks and the Kings. These teams have been rivals for years. The Sharks eliminated the Kings 2011 season, and the Kings managed to do the same last season. This season will be the tie breaker between the two California rivals. They are both tremendously talented teams who both have past Olympians on their teams, strong forwards, and amazing goalies. Since the Sharks are my favourite team, I’m going to have to go with them for this series.
This leads us to the third series, the Avalanche and the Wild. I’m going to have to place my bets on the Avs for this one. They’ve been determined all season with their new coach, Patrick Roy, taking over as head coach. They also managed to get the 1st overall pick, Nathan McKinnon, last year. They’ve been solid all seasons, and they’ve managed to outplay the Wild.
One of the most exciting series was Chicago vs St.Louis, two very solid teams. I already knew Chicago would win, considering they’ve won two Stanley Cups over the course of the past five years. The St. Louis Blues put up a very interesting battle, but it simply wasn’t enough to bring down the defending cup champions.
So now we’re left with two match-ups, the Ducks and Sharks, and the Hawks and Avs. In regards to the Sharks vs Ducks, I’m placing my bets on the Ducks. They’re just a bit stronger than the Sharks, in my opinion. With the Hawks and Avs, I’m going to have to go with the Hawks, only because they’re the defending cup champions. This leads us to the western conference final, featuring the Hawks and the Ducks. This one was tough to decide, but I had to go with the Hawks.
Well, those are my predictions for the western conference! Stay tuned for next week when I’ll be talking about the eastern side of the bracket.
