April is the most exciting time of every year for hockey fans. The NHL regular season has ended and the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup is beginning. Each year, 16 teams make the playoffs: eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. The top three teams from each division are automatically playoff bound, and the next best two teams in the conference are added to make eight for the conference.
This begs the question, which teams will join the playoff run in 2018, and who will drop out of the playoffs in 2018? This article will focus on the Eastern Conference only. The Western Conference will be coming shortly.
The Eastern Conference is comprised of two divisions: the Atlantic and the Metropolitan. In April 2018, the Metropolitan Division will see two major changes to the playoffs.
Big Changes
Washington Capitals
Fans of the NHL have watched the Washington Capitals win the Presidents Trophy the past two seasons (2016 and 2017), and then go on to be eliminated in the second round to their arch rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins would go on to hoist the Stanley Cup just over a month later.
The Washington Capitals will not be starting the 2017-18 season with forwards Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson. They also lost defensemen Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk and Nate Schmidt. While the Capitals kept their core intact, losing half their defense will be a blow to the team. The Washington Capitals have been a team of strong defense, and their Stanley Cup window is closing.
On the positive side, the Capitals were able to sign forward Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year contract. They also re-signed forward Andre Burakovsky and backup goaltender Phillip Grubauer.
This season, look for the Capitals to finish as a wild card team in the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have not seen postseason hockey since their sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. Though there are rumors that the Hurricanes may be sold soon, they are on the right track to get back to the playoffs.
The Hurricanes' biggest problem is their lack of goal scoring. Their 20th ranked 2.59 GF/GP (goals for per games played) needs to improve. This is the perfect time for Hurricanes fans to get excited. Sebastian Aho impressed and turned many heads last season with his 49-point rookie season (24 G, 25 A). Aho has a great chance to improve in his sophomore season and avoid the sophomore slump.
Along with Aho, Victor Rask played in all 82 games, getting 45 points (16 G, 29 A). While that was not a career-high for Rask (48 points in 2015-2016) Victor Rask and Sebastian Aho are the future of the Carolina Hurricane’s forward group.
The Hurricanes were also able to steal Justin Williams away from the Washington Capitals, signing him to a two-year contract for a second go with Carolina. Williams was a member of the Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup Champions team. The three-time Stanley Cup champion will help the Hurricanes with his leadership, and he will help some younger players break into the league. Philip Di Giuseppe had seven points last season, but he is ready to come back and score more in the 2018 season.
Carolina remains one of the best defensive teams in the league. Led by Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin, the Hurricanes' defense boasted the sixth best penalty kill at 84.2 percent. With Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin on the blue line, the Hurricanes have a solid top-four defense which can score and kill penalties effectively.
This past offseason, the Hurricanes addressed their goaltending issues. In 2015, Carolina acquired Eddie Lack hoping he would be able to replace Cam Ward as a starter. That plan failed, and the Hurricanes needed a better goalie. After his rights were traded to the Hurricanes, goaltender Scott Darling agreed to a four-year deal with Carolina. Recently, the Hurricanes announced that Darling will be their number one goalie. After playing behind Corey Crawford, Scott Darling is an elite goalie looking to prove he can be a starter.
With a hungry defense and a new goalie, look for the Hurricanes to improve on their 2.80 GA/GP (goals against per game played) and find a playoff spot once again.
Easily In
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are a powerhouse right now. They are the first team to win the Cup in two consecutive seasons since Detroit did it in the late 90s. With most of their roster returning and a healthy Kris Letang, the Penguins have the potential to make another deep playoff run.
Backstopping the team to their Stanley Cups, Matt Murray is now the official No. 1 goalie in Pittsburgh and fans are excited to see what he can do without Fleury with him. Last season he played 49 games in the regular season. With the struggling Antti Niemi as his backup, look for Murray to play over 60 games this season.
The Penguins will easily return to postseason hockey in April 2018.
Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus is proving they are a team to fear. With Zack Werenski healthy at the beginning of the season, the Blue Jackets have a solid defense with Seth Jones and Jack Johnson. Trading for former Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin, Columbus has a solid offensive core which was sixth in the league at 3.01 GF/GP.
Backstopping the Blue Jackets is Sergei Bobrovsky who had a league leading 93.1 save percentage last season and was good enough for fourth with a 2.07 GAA (goals against average). Coming off an excellent season, look for Bobrovsky to carry the Blue Jackets to another playoff appearance in April 2018.
Head coach John Tortorella expects his players to work hard and will help the team return to the playoffs and finally win their first ever playoff series.
On the Cusp
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers will return to the playoffs soon, but not in 2018. Young Shayne Gostisbehere impressed in his first two full seasons on the Flyers’ blue line, recording a total of 85 points. While Philadelphia has defense and good offense, their new goalie, Brian Elliot, is going through his third team in as many seasons. While his potential is high, Elliot will make or break this Flyers team in 2018.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders traded for Jordan Eberle from Edmonton. His arrival will add much needed scoring depth to the Islanders' lineup. With John Tavares open to negotiate an extension, the future looks good for the Islanders. Their young players like Joshua Ho-Sang give the Islanders a promising future, but their problems with Barclays Center could be distracting. Look for the Islanders to barely miss the playoffs in 2018.
New York Rangers
The Rangers bought out the rest of Dan Girardi’s contract, but the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk has improved the Ranger blue line. Derek Stepan’s departure will allow the young talent to step up and prove themselves NHL-worthy. Henrik Lundqvist is still an elite goalie and he will help the Rangers return to the playoffs in 2018.
Out of the Playoffs
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are coming off a disappointing season by coming in last in the Eastern Conference and 27th overall in the league with 70 points. This is a team that is rebuilding and is not ready for playoff hockey.
The Devils traded for Taylor Hall in 2016 to help with scoring. His presence added goals to their stat sheets, but a torn meniscus last season slowed the Devils down. Kyle Palmieri led the Devils with 26 goals and 53 points last season. New Jersey’s 2.20 GF/GP was bad enough to land them 28th in the league in scoring. With the addition of Marcus Johansson, their scoring will improve in the 2017-18 season.
The Devils’ backstop, Corey Schneider, had a difficult time behind the weak Devil’s defense last season. Led by defenseman Andy Greene, the Devils’ 2.94 GA/GP landed their defense 24th in the league in goals against.
With their lack of depth and poor defense, the Devils will once again miss the playoffs in 2018.
Follow Us
Subscribe