Will the Presidents’ Trophy curse be raised? In clinching the Presidents’ Trophy– granted to the group with the very best routine season record– the New York Rangers now want to break menstruation that supposedly jinxes its holders to playoff failure. It’s been a years considering that a Presidents’ Trophy-winning group, the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, went on to win that year’s Stanley Cup. Are the Rangers that type of group? The Rangers have 5 gamers– Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Fox– with more than 60 points this season. They score a lot on the power play (26.4%) and work on the kill (84.5%). They’re great in the faceoff circle (52.3%) and excellent in overtime (win portion:.750). They’ll even beat you when you’ve got them beat– New York had 28 return wins this year, the most in the league. New York can likewise be unpleasant. Early in 2024, the Rangers appeared like they ‘d lost their touch, dropping 7 of 10 video games through January, consisting of to groups such as San Jose and Montreal, before lastly striking a winning streak once again. Another sight: New York’s objective differential in five-on-five scenarios for the season was simply, uh … one. The Rangers are not terrified to trigger a racket, and they might need to depend on power play objectives to get them through. A most likely face-off with the powerful Carolina Hurricanes might wait for the Rangers in the 2nd round– that is, unless they crash out in an upset to the Washington Capitals (who they lost to two times this season). Menstruation will not be simple to break. Probably to emerge from the West Teams such as Colorado, Vancouver, and Edmonton have actually had more attention this year, however the Dallas Stars are the real last manager in the West. Destiny had 8 forwards with 20 or more objectives, and 2 with 30 or more this season, the sort of depth that the majority of groups– specifically those who technically score more, thanks to a couple of crucial gamers (see: the Leafs)– can just imagine. Integrated with strong goaltending from Jake Oettinger (.904 save portion), the fifth-best power play in the league, and the third-best goals-for-per-game (routing just Edmonton and Toronto), destiny are a major competitor. Dallas begin where they ended last postseason, versus the Vegas Golden Knights in the preliminary. Disallowing a repeat, destiny would then deal with either Winnipeg or Colorado– neither of which would be simple– to get to the West last. All things thought about, Dallas are poised to go deep. Canada’s finest opportunity Back in October, the Edmonton Oilers looked terrible. They won just 2 video games through the very first month of the season. Their once-great power play was going no place. Their goaltending was abysmal. And super star captain Connor McDavid was on a multi-game scoring dry spell. A training modification in November showed to be a turning point. The Oilers went on a historical 16-game winning streak in between completion of December and the start of February. As the season injury down, the Oilers beat both the Avalanche and Golden Knights, however just after a dressing-down from Dallas– a 5-0 loss that appeared to expose a few of Edmonton’s sticking around weak points, consisting of inefficient power plays and several turnovers. Still, the Oilers, who will deal with LA in the preliminary, are skilled and determined. The Oilers were a pre-season Cup favourite– and might still be. When it comes to the other 3 Canadian groups, the constantly woebegone Leafs are stuck in an unique type of hockey hell where their option of first-round playoff challengers is constantly either Florida males or, like this year, guys from Boston. Possibilities of success are a strong perhaps. Vancouver’s unexpected success this year was driven by excellent defence (other than on the charge kill) and constant scoring (often from in close). They do not shoot really frequently, ranking just 26th total in the league. If challengers can require the Canucks to take charges and keep them far from the internet, Vancouver might have a hard time. The Jets are storming into the postseason on an eight-game winning streak, looking strong. It’s really hard to score on Winnipeg– they permitted the least objectives of any group this season (196 ), however had a hard time to preserve discipline on the charge kill. And the Jets power play was anaemic, reliable less than 20% of the time. Probably to upset The Nashville Predators came online in the 2nd half of the season, publishing an eight-game winning streak through February and a six-game streak in March. Middle of the pack in unique groups, the Preds can still count on Juuse Saros in between the pipelines, and the trade due date additions of Gustav Nyquist and Jason Zucker have actually included depth. They might decrease, however it most likely will not be simple. In other places, the Washington Capitals squeezed into the playoffs just to discover themselves dealing with the Rangers. Can the Capitals make some magic occur? Anything’s possible, however elements of the Caps’ video game, including their considerable unfavorable objective differential, recommends otherwise. When it comes to the New York Islanders, a strong season surface, consisting of one win and one shoot-out loss to the Rangers in April, will provide hope. The adventurous Islanders have actually turned a corner of late, however might be reversed by the number of objectives they enable, regardless of a great goaltending set. The Los Angeles Kings are, like the Jets, difficult to score on, enabling just 206 objectives versus this season (3rd finest general). They likewise boast the second-best charge kill in the NHL. LA might irritate the Oilers a lot (once again) in the preliminary. Western Conference last It appears like a Dallas v Edmonton match might be in the works, restoring a timeless competition. Eastern Conference last An Original Six match in between New York and Boston would be terrific, however it’s most likely the Hurricanes will deal with the Florida Panthers. Stanley Cup last The Dallas Stars win in 5 video games versus the Hurricanes to clinch their 2nd championsip. The NHL playoffs are infamously unforeseeable, however on balance, destiny appear like the most total group heading into the postseason. Their depth, their size, and their cravings after being so close many times just recently might all integrate into the ideal champion mix.
NHL 2024 playoff forecasts: will the Rangers end the Presidents’ Trophy curse?
