Justin Baltes and Conall Fisher – Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- The National Hockey League regular season has ended and the playoffs have begun.

This was a good season with lots of high-scoring games and impressive seasons for star players.

The NHL this season, however, has been dominated by one team – the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins had a very impressive season, getting the most points everr in an NHL season. The Bruins got 135 points, which beat the previous record of 132 points set by the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens.

The Bruins are led by star forward David Pastrnak. Pastrnak had 113 points this season with 62 goals. The Bruins playoff run started off strong with a 3-1 win over the Panthers aided by Pasternak.

Staying in the Eastern conference the Tampa Bay Lightning will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round for the second year in a row. Last year it was a tough competition, but the Lightning came out on top in the seventh game.

LRHS sophomore Dominick Kerman said, “I think the Lightning will dismantle the Leafs in 5 games and go on to win the Stanley cup in a rematch against the (defending champion Colorado) Avalanche.”

Further down the Eastern Conference bracket, The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers look to be locked in for a close series.

The elite goaltending of Igor Shesterkin and the strong special teams of the Rangers may give the Rangers the advantage.

The Devils will have to rely on the young star center Jack Hughes to stand a chance. Hughes had 99 points this season with 43 goals and 56 assists.

The Carolina Hurricanes had a very tight finish to win their division and open the playoffs against the New York Islanders. The Islanders are going to have to rely on the goalie Ilya Sorokin to try and stop the home stadium energy of the Hurricanes.

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In the West, The Dallas Stars will spar against the Minnesota Wild in their opening playoff series. This is going to be a series won by the balanced attack of the Stars.

The stars also have the veteran leadership of Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, an upcoming star in Miro Heiskanen, and Star Goalie Jake Oettinger.

The Avalanche will start their run against the newest team in the NHL, the Seattle Kraken. The Avalanche have two 100 point scorers and a great goalie in their favor.

The Edmonton Oilers play the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. The Oilers are coming in hot off a nine-game win streak.

Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will hope to overcome their recent playoff failures and lead Edmonton to a Stanley Cup championship with both having over 100 points this season.

The Winnipeg Jets are playing the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. The Jets have to rely on the goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who played the most games as goalie this year.

Vegas will have to rely on the long-time playoff veteran of Jonothan Quick and former Winnipeg Jet Laurent Brossoit.

With interesting matchups sprawled across both sides of the playoff bracket, the 2022-2023 NHL playoffs seem to promise fans an entertaining postseason.