It’s the calm before the storm.

Each team has played 82 games and the 2024-25 NHL regular season has come to an end. On Saturday, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin.

Before things get going, let’s make some predictions. In this Roundtable, we’ll at the Oilers heading into another series with the Kings, which first-round matchups are the most interesting, and who looks like the favourite to win it all.

Cam Lewis: This series seemed to get easier each year, with the Oilers winning in seven games in 2022, six games in 2023, and five games in 2024. It’s difficult to see that pattern continuing this year with an Edmonton sweep. This is the best version of the Kings we’ve seen in the past few seasons and they’re arguably the best home team in the league. The Oilers know how to beat the tight-checking Kings and can do so even with some injuries, but 2025 is poised to be the toughest installment of this head-to-head yet.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I feel fine about it from an Oilers perspective. I get that this Kings team plays a different style of play than the ones in the past, and their forward group is a bit deeper, but I’ll still take the high-end skill of this Oilers team. I think McDavid and Draisaitl are going to be back to their usual selves after being in and out of the lineup down the stretch. Darcy Kuemper concerns me a little bit, but the Kings have had the advantage between the pipes every time they’ve met, and the Oilers have won each time. I’m still taking the Oilers.

Zach Laing: This is probably the least confident I feel going into one of these series, but that’s almost solely due to the Oilers’ health. I remain unconvinced that the L.A. Kings are significantly better than last year, and while they’ve made some defensive improvements at five-on-five and the penalty, getting some luck in the goal department with a 10.8 shooting percentage — one of two times in the last 19 years they shot over 10 percent — some of it’s come at the expense of their five-on-five play driving.

Liam Horrobin: They’re the odds-on favourites to win the round, and I believe that too. Darcy Kuemper has had a Vezina-calibre season, but the Oilers will crack him just like they’ve cracked the other goaltender LA has thrown at them.

Baggedmilk: The NHL set up the standings the way they did because they wanted more rivalries in the playoffs, and we’re getting a dose of that logic for four straight years with the Oilers taking on the Kings in Round 1. As much as it might be fun to face someone else in round one, neither the Oilers nor the Kings were able to win the division and that means we’ve got Round 4 on deck. The system works.

Cam Lewis: Since making back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Tampa Bay Lightning have lost in the first round two years in a row. With Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy playing at elite levels and a very strong supporting cast, the Bolts look like serious contenders again. They finished seventh in the league standings with a 47-27-8 record and second with a plus-75 goal differential.

Tyler Yaremchuk: If I had to pick one favourite, I’d probably say the Colorado Avalanche. They have some concerns on the blueline, but I like their goaltending duo and their forward group is very team-oriented. They have a lot of experience, and if they can get past Dallas, which I think they will, considering their injuries, they’ll likely have a pretty easy time with Winnipeg. Out East, I think Toronto has a sneaky good chance at going on a deep run.

Zach Laing: Sportsbook Bet365 has the Florida Panthers as the favourites out east and the Colorado Avalanche the favourites in the west. Florida could be in tough against Tampa in the first round, but I can see this being a year the Carolina Hurricanes break through and I don’t think we should count out the Washington Capitals, either. Out west, the path certainly feels tougher. The Avalanche look poised to make a run, but the Winnipeg Jets feel like a bit of a sleeping giant, so long as Connor Hellebuyck can hold up.

Liam Horrobin: The field is incredibly even in both conferences. The Oilers are still my favourite to win, thanks to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Additionally, they’re a much deeper team than last season, too.

Baggedmilk: If I had to pick a favourite to win this year outside of my biased Oilers belief, it would probably be the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are rolling right now, their vibes are sky-high with the return of Gabriel Landeskog, and they seem to have some magic building.

Cam Lewis: The first Battle of Ontario in over two decades should be electric. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators met in the playoffs four times between 2000 and 2004, but haven’t since then. The Sens are 6-1-0 against the Leafs over the past two seasons and will be looking to beat Toronto in the playoffs for the first time in team history.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Hard to not pick Toronto vs Ottawa, but honestly, I’m very excited to see playoff hockey back at the Bell Centre. That building is the best in the league and if the Canadiens were to come back for Game 3 with a win under their belt, then the atmosphere will be absolutely insane.

Zach Laing: Ottawa and Toronto is an easy one, but the Florida and Tampa Bay series should be solid as always.

Liam Horrobin: The Tampa Bay and Florida series is going to be a fantastic matchup, which could go either way. I’d have them as my favourite because of how close they both are skill-wise.

Baggedmilk: I think Toronto vs. Ottawa will be fun. It’s been nearly two decades since those two teams last squared off in the playoffs, and I think it’s going to get spicy. I’d also apply the same logic to the Battle of Florida. I think the Lightning and Panthers are going to beat the hell out of each other, which will be a lot of fun to watch.

Cam Lewis: Jets, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Oilers, Senators, Lightning, Capitals, Hurricanes. I’m not sure I would consider third-placed Edmonton or Colorado advancing an upset, so my only underdog story in the first round is the Sens. As mentioned earlier, they’ve played very well against the Leafs in recent years and they’re built for the playoffs.

Tyler Yaremchuk: In the West, I have the Oilers, Avalanche and Jets all somewhat predictably moving on. My big stunner is the Minnesota Wild. We’re due for a crazy, out-of-nowhere upset in the NHL, and I think the Wild are going to give it to us. Out East, I have the Maple Leafs barely getting by Ottawa and then going on a deep run. I have Tampa Bay and Carolina both moving on, and in another stunner, I have the Canadiens beating the Capitals in seven games.

Zach Laing: In the West: Winnipeg over St. Louis, Colorado over Dallas, Minnesota over Vegas and Edmonton over Los Angeles. In the East: Ottawa over Toronto, Tampa over Florida, Washington over Montreal, Carolina over New Jersey.

Liam Horrobin: Winnipeg, Colorado, Vegas, Edmonton, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Washington, and Carolina.

Baggedmilk: In the Western Conference: Winnipeg over St. Louis, Colorado over Dallas, Vegas over Minnesota, and Edmonton over Los Angeles. In the Eastern Conference: Toronto over Ottawa, Tampa over Florida, Washington over Montreal, Carolina over New Jersey.

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