SNN Predicts: 2018 NHL Division Finals

Wales		Campbell
Doogie	Result	Doogie	Result
4-1	4-1	4-3	4-0
4-2	4-3	4-3	4-0
4-3	4-2	4-1	4-2
4-2	4-2	4-1	4-1
W-L	7-1	PS	3

#NailedIt

Definitely no real paper mismatches for round two. This has the makings of a long, highly entertaining run of hockey, which is really what the NHL was going for when they revived the '80s playoff format. Of course, they probably weren't gunning for arguably the top two teams in the League meeting in the division finals, but that's kinda what happened back then, too. Of course, now the Smythe is the tragicomedy and the Norris is the knife fight in the alley, but details.

Adams Division Finals

(1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (2) Boston Bruins

Playoff History: Roloson's Last Stand. I'm still astonished that the Oren Koules-owned Bolts were a 1-0 shutout away from the Stanley Cup Finals. What a train wreck they became.

2011 CF
4-3

Season Series: Team Records: 1-3-0 (TBL), 3-1-0 (BOS); Goals: 10-8 (BOS); Possession: 52.6% (BOS)

Gratuitous YouTube Embed: Poor Roli the Goalie.

Doogie Says: Man, I honestly didn't expect to find that Boston had rather definitively won the season series against Tampa, much as such a thing could be said about four regular-season games. Anyway, this should be a heck of a series between two very good teams, with maybe the two best top lines in all of hockey. At this point, I'm going to shrug my shoulders, wave my hands, and say Bruins in seven, because something something two-way play or defence. Yeah, that.

	2	4	4	4	3	4
	6	2	1	3	1	1

Patrick Division Finals

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins

Playoff History: lol

1991 DF	1992 DSF	1994 CQF	1995 CQF	1996 CQF	2000 CQF	2001 CQF	2009 CSF	2016 DF	2017 DF
4-1	4-3	4-2	4-3	4-2	4-1	4-2	4-3	4-2	4-3

Season Series: Team Records: 2-2-0; Goals: 13-12 (WSH); Possession: 50.8% (WSH)

Gratuitous YouTube Embed: Did you know that Carl Hagelin has played for every team that's eliminated the Washington Capitals from the playoffs since 2012? (Excluding 2014, the year they missed altogether.) I didn't until I found out from Deadspin commenter jakajaka. Anyway, here's the only goal he scored in any of those five games.

Doogie Says: Talking about the Caps' legendary playoff struggles in the second round, in series they lead by two games, and against the Pittsburgh Penguins is all boring by now. They came back from 0-2 down to the Jackets to win, just as they came back from 1-3 down to the Rangers a few years ago. Heck, they came back from 1-2 down to the bloody Maple Leafs last year. Didn't matter then, doesn't matter now. These Penguins are vulnerable, as we saw in their series against Philly, but as long as Matt Murray can put together four not-awful games, that doesn't matter, either. These are the Capitals and these are a much less capable version of the Capitals than the last two years, and we saw how they went. So instead, let's talk about the Penguins for a second.

1980-1984	1976-1980	1956-1960	1984-1986	1991-1993	1997-1999	2016-2018	1974-1976	1987-1988
19	13	10	9	9	9	9	8	8

So that's a list of all the teams that, like the Pens, have won at least eight consecutive /playoff series in NHL history. You can asterisk some of those for having best-of-threes or even best-of-fives mixed in there, but it doesn't change the overall point, which is that this is really fucking hard to do. You can count on both hands the number of times it's happened ever in 100+ years, under any format. The Pens' ninth straight series win puts them into a four-way tie for the fourth-most ever; a win over the Caps would put them into a tie with the late-1950s Habs dynasty for third, with only two other dynasties ahead of them. It should not be understated how impressive this feat is, especially with the added handicap of the parity-enforcing salary cap and overtime rules. I'm definitely going to be keeping track of this until the Pens finally do fall, and it's something that we should probably be cherishing, because it's unlikely we'll see anything similar again any time soon. Unless, of course, you're a fan of the Washington Capitals and are no longer physically capable of cherishing playoff hockey, in which case...I'm sorry?

Oh, yeah. Prediction. Penguins in seven, Hagelin with the dagger again, because the sporting gods really do hate Washington, DC, that much.

	2	4	4	1	6	2	4
	3	1	3	3	3	1	2

Smythe Division Finals

(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (3) San Jose Sharks

Playoff History: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Season Series: Team Records: 3-0-1 (VGK), 1-2-1 (SJS); Goals: 14-12 (VGK); Possession: 51.6% (VGK)

Gratuitous YouTube Embed: William Karlsson with a dandy that holds up as the winner in the last regular-season meeting between these two teams back on March 31.

Doogie Says: I stand by what I said last round. I don't know much about the West anymore, but Vegas is fun and a good story, and fuck it, they've probably already wrecked your favourite team's season, statistically speaking, so why not. Golden Knights in seven.

	7	3	4	0	5	3	4
	0	4	3	4	3	0	2

Norris Division Finals

(1) Nashville Predators vs. (2) Winnipeg Jets

Playoff History: Newp.

Season Series: Team Records: 3-1-1 (NSH), 2-3-0 (WIN); Goals: 22-19 (NSH); Possession: 51.6% (WIN)

Gratuitous YouTube Embed: The last time any Winnipeg team played in the second round was 1987, when the original Jets beat the Calgary Flames to earn a date with the Edmonton Oilers. It...didn't go well for them.

Doogie Says: I mean, I kind of have to pick Nashville, right? They are my Cup champions, after all. But man, Winnipeg looked real good in pantsing the Wild, while Nashville had more trouble with the Avs than they really should have, honestly. Then again, their possession was still an elite 55% and expected goals were similar (despite apparently loving the perimeter game) so maybe they just had one more bad game than expected. Narratives! Falling asleep by midnight like an actual adult whether I wanted to or not!

Also, Winnipeg has every injury right now, and against a team that's not missing their best defenceman and also way better, that probably makes the difference in what should be an instant classic. Seriously, check out the scores in those games; for two teams with great defence and goaltending, they sure did like to make it rain. Predators in seven is the official call, though I will be like 0% surprised if Winnipeg pulls this out. They're legit.

	1	5	4	2	2	4	1	3
	4	4	7	1	6	0	5	4