The Stanley Cup playoffs are about as predictable as this year’s NCAA tournament. Last year, the team with home-ice advantage won only two of the seven playoff series in the Eastern Conference. And those two victories were the fourth-seeded Penguins beating the fifth-seeded Senators in the quarterfinals and the seventh-seeded Flyers defeating the eighth-seeded Canadiens in the conference finals. So much for chalk.
We may see another upset-filled postseason this year, too. None of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference won the regular-season series against their first-round opponents.
The Capitals lost three of four games against the Rangers and were outscored 13-0 in two of those defeats. The Flyers lost the previous two times they played the Sabres. The Bruins went 2-4 against division rival Canadiens. And the Penguins split this year vs. the Lightning.
At least no one puts money on trying to figure this bracket out.
