By Jason Benedek, Sports Editor
The 2022-23 NHL season is coming to an end, and all of the playoff matchups are just about set. Unfortunately, the local team, the Washington Capitals, have failed to extend their playoff clinching streak to a ninth season. With that being said, Caps fans all over the DMV will be forced to pick a different team to root for during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
One of the biggest stories of the regular season is the Boston Bruins dominant one; they’re this year’s favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Coming off of an all-time great season with a record 64 wins and 133 points, the Bruins are looking to make another splash in the playoffs, like we typically see from Boston sports franchises.
Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has also been dominating the headlines this season. With a season leading 64 goals and 88 assists, he is only the 6th player in NHL history to have a 150+ point season, and the last since Mario Lemieux in the 1996 season. With defense and goaltending in the league at an all time best in the past decade, Connor McDavid is putting up video game numbers in the hardest era to score goals in. In addition to McDavid, the Oilers have 2 additional 100 point scorers this year: Leon Draisaitl (125 points) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (103 points). The Edmonton Oilers are absolutely stacked.
“I’m probably going to root for the [Minnesota] Wild,” claims senior Evelyn Dzubak, “Minnesota is a true ice hockey state, and I think their fans deserve at least one [Stanley] Cup.” Other teams in the playoffs this year that have never won the Stanley Cup including the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, Las Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers. Senior Chris D’Antonio isn’t going to root for any underdog. “To be honest I kind of want the Tampa Bay Lightning to win. It would be pretty cool to see them turn into a dynasty,” he stated. Although the Lightning didn’t win the Stanley Cup last year, they lost in the finals and won the two previous Stanley Cups.
The other options of teams to root for are the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche (reigning Stanley Cup champions), Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings. Whether you love or hate any of the teams in the playoff, there will be no shortage of exciting hockey to watch. In the hockey world, mid April to early June is the best time of the year, because the best hockey is on display at the highest level. With the stakes being higher in the playoffs, intensity, physicality and emotions are to an extreme. To sum it up perfectly, senior Iain Snoddy explained that “Playoff hockey is electric.”