NHL Push for the Playoffs: Not many potential series look ‘easy’ this year

Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who’s leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more.

In the NHL, fans are accustomed to Cinderella runs. It’s fair to call certain outcomes “upsets,” but these upsets happen often enough that it’s almost an upset when all of the favorites succeed.

(In fact, I’d argue that it’s a shame that we don’t really get to see two powerhouse favorites slug it out in a Stanley Cup Final all that often.)

That said, most postseasons include teams that “shouldn’t be there.” To be clear: some of the teams who seemingly don’t belong end up making deep runs. The 2020-21 Canadiens rank as the most immediate example. It’s far too easy to forget that the Habs really did seem to make the postseason by default (the North Division’s lower ranks were dreadful). If you want to take a snapshot of Montreal’s 2020-21 mediocrity, consider that they allowed nine more goals than they scored.

Looking at the potential 2021-22 playoff field, it’s striking that just about every playoff team … belongs there?

It’s most obvious in the Eastern Conference. Remarkably, the eight-team East playoff field was already set by April 17.

Obviously, there’s still a serious standings gap between the best of the best, and the wild-card ranks. But this is truly a year where it really shouldn’t be that much of an embarrassment to lose in the first round.

If someone told you that the Bruins, Penguins, or Capitals went deep in the playoffs, would you find that unthinkable? All three of those teams are hovering around the wild-card spots, but