i had winnipeg over boston in the final. wasn't surprised tampa won though. washington i thought would lose in the first round probably. vegas i knew if they won one round, they'd win two, though the sharks started playing better than they were at the end of the season.

winnipeg is just loaded. they can come back from a deficit. they never blow a late lead. they were the best team at home during the year. they just won three out of four in nashville. you don't wanna give them a power play really, but they are the best team five-on-five. hellebuyck hasn't had two bad games in a row yet and he hasn't had many bad games at all. even when they give up a lot of shots, there aren't many second chances or opportunities for sloppy goals (let's face it most goals are scored within 10 feet of the net).

I wouldn't count Vegas out, they are playing very well as a team. They seem under-sized against Winnipeg though, and it seems like the Jets are playing just as well with a more talented team.

I think Tampa in the East, they have a very solid team and it's pretty healthy for this time of year.