The Stanley Cup playoffs start Wednesday night.
The Capitals look to duplicate their biggest rival, the Penguins, accomplish by repeating as Stanley Cup champions. If Washington does, it would mean four straight years of either Pittsburgh or Washington hoisting the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning will try to become the first Presidents’ Trophy team under the current playoff format to get to the conference final. The 2013 Blackhawks were last Presidents’ Trophy winner to also hoist the Cup. People forget that.
There will be eight teams trying to be the first Western Conference team to hoist the Cup since the 2015 Blackhawks. The Flames earned the West’s top seed, while the reigning conference champion Golden Knights are the No. 3 seed from the Pacific Division.
Here are SCH’s preseason picks:
Brad: Maple Leafs over Jets
Brandon: Jets over Lightning
Dave: Sharks over Lightning
The trio isn’t sticking with their exact preseason picks.
SCH’s 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions
| Voter | TB v CBJ | BOS v TOR | WSH v CAR | NYI v PITT | CAL v COL | SJ v VGS | NSH v DAL | WPG v STL | East champion | West champion | Stanley Cup | Conn Smythe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon | TB | BOS | CAR | NYI | CAL | VGS | NSH | WPG | BOS | WPG | WPG | Mark Scheifele |
| Dave | TB | TOR | WSH | PITT | CAL | SJ | NSH | WPG | TB | WPG | TB | Nikita Kucherov |
| Matt | TB | TOR | CAR | PITT | CAL | SJ | NSH | WPG | TB | WPG | TB | Andrei Vasilesky |
| Shalyn | TB | TOR | WSH | PITT | CAL | VGS | NSH | WPG | TB | WPG | TB | Nikita Kucherov |
| Shepard | TB | BOS | WSH | PITT | CAL | VGS | NSH | WPG | TB | VGS | TB | Brayden Point |
| Brad | TB | TOR | CAR | NYI | COL | SJ | NSH | WPG | TB | WPG | WPG | Patrik Laine |