Stanley Cup Playoffs: 1st-round predictions
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The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Wednesday night, and your favorite sports app's NHL editors have made their opening-round picks. Remember: We can predict the future. It's one of the perks of working at theScore.
Shall we?
Eastern Conference
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Craig Hagerman | MTL |
| Flip Livingstone | NYR |
| Sean O'Leary | MTL |
| Sonny Sachdeva | MTL |
| Navin Vaswani | NYR |
| Cory Wilkins | NYR |
| Josh Wegman | MTL |
| Josh Gold-Smith | MTL |
| Ian McLaren | MTL |
- Montreal gets the edge, with six editors to three, but still, this series could go the distance.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | BOS |
| Livingstone | OTT |
| O'Leary | BOS |
| Sachdeva | BOS |
| Vaswani | BOS |
| Wilkins | OTT |
| Wegman | BOS |
| Gold-Smith | BOS |
| McLaren | BOS |
- This one's 7-2 in favor of Boston. That bodes well for the Senators, who've been doubted all season.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | WSH |
| Livingstone | WSH |
| O'Leary | TOR |
| Sachdeva | WSH |
| Vaswani | WSH |
| Wilkins | WSH |
| Wegman | WSH |
| Gold-Smith | WSH |
| McLaren | WSH |
- Mr. O'Leary's a dreamer, and we dig that about him.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | PIT |
| Livingstone | CBJ |
| O'Leary | PIT |
| Sachdeva | PIT |
| Vaswani | PIT |
| Wilkins | PIT |
| Wegman | PIT |
| Gold-Smith | PIT |
| McLaren | CBJ |
- Fifty wins and a record 108 points, and the Jackets get the defending champs in the first round. Life ain't fair.
Western Conference
Blackhawks vs. Predators
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | CHI |
| Livingstone | CHI |
| O'Leary | CHI |
| Sachdeva | CHI |
| Vaswani | CHI |
| Wilkins | CHI |
| Wegman | CHI |
| Gold-Smith | CHI |
| McLaren | CHI |
- We love Nashville as a city, but Chicago wins the Cup every two years since 2013. So, yeah, sorry Predators fans.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | STL |
| Livingstone | MIN |
| O'Leary | STL |
| Sachdeva | MIN |
| Vaswani | STL |
| Wilkins | MIN |
| Wegman | STL |
| Gold-Smith | MIN |
| McLaren | MIN |
- Another tight one, with five editors taking the Wild over the Blues. This one's going seven, too.
Ducks vs. Flames
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | ANA |
| Livingstone | ANA |
| O'Leary | ANA |
| Sachdeva | ANA |
| Vaswani | ANA |
| Wilkins | ANA |
| Wegman | CGY |
| Gold-Smith | ANA |
| McLaren | CGY |
- We're going to assume Mr. Wegman's and Mr. McLaren's Flames picks were typos.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Hagerman | EDM |
| Livingstone | SJS |
| O'Leary | EDM |
| Sachdeva | EDM |
| Vaswani | EDM |
| Wilkins | SJS |
| Wegman | EDM |
| Gold-Smith | EDM |
| McLaren | EDM |
- We're not giving last year's Cup finalists much respect, but they're up against Connor McDavid. And, let's face it, the spring will be more entertaining with at least two rounds featuring the sport's most dynamic player.