Just make the playoffs. After that, anything can happen.
That’s the mantra of all NHL teams prior to the season, regardless of how high or low external expectations are.
In the last 10 years, the only No. 1 seeds to win the Stanley Cup in this league of parity were the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks and the 2008 Detroit Red Wings. Upsets happen every season – some more unpredictable than others – and the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs will be no different.
With that in mind, here are three teams ready to pull off one or several upsets this post-season.
Minnesota Wild
Two words: Devan Dubnyk. He is the main reason to fear the Wild if you’re one of the top Western Conference seeds. Since being acquired from the Coyotes in a mid-January desperation trade, the 28-year-old has gone an incredible 26-6-1 run with a .939 save percentage, 1.70 goals-against average and five shutouts. As is the case in Montreal with Carey Price, the Wild’s success revolves mostly around the goalie, but it’s not entirely about the goalie.
The Wild are a great defensive team, structured well for tight-checking, playoff-style hockey. Mike Yeo’s squad allows the fourth-fewest shots in the league, has the top-ranked penalty kill and they’re a team you don’t want to trail either because they win 79 percent of the games in which they score the first goal. Chris Stewart has been effective on a line with Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter since being acquired from the Sabres at the trade deadline, Zach Parise is a tremendous leader on and off the ice, Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin make up one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL, and they’ve got the luxury of putting a player like Thomas Vanek and his 50 points on the third line. This is a dangerous, well-rounded team.
Los Angeles Kings
If the playoffs began today, the Kings wouldn’t even qualify. Two points back of the Jets for the West’s final wild card spot and three points back of the Flames in the Pacific Division, the Kings need a strong final six games otherwise they run the risk of becoming the first team since the 2006 Hurricanes to miss the playoffs the season after winning the Stanley Cup.
The Kings are a perfect example of “anything can happen in the playoffs.” Darryl Sutter’s team limped into the 2012 post-season as an eighth seed before beating the Canucks in five, sweeping the Blues, dominating the Coyotes in five and taking six games to defeat the Devils and hoist the Cup. Even last season the Kings weren’t a dominant regular season team. They finished sixth in the West, but Jonathan Quick plays his best hockey when it counts most and they went on to win it all. Constructed as an ideal team for lengthy playoff runs, the Kings can wear you out and gain the edge in low-scoring, physical games.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals have been an unreliable playoff team in the 21st century, never making it past the second round despite winning seven division titles and one Presidents’ Trophy. However, there’s a different vibe around the Barry Trotz version of the Capitals and it makes them a dangerous out for any top team in the East. For one, they’ve got the best power play in the NHL led by the best goal scorer in the game in Alex Ovechkin. It not all about offence with this team, either, as they allow the fifth-fewest goals per game thanks to Braden Holtby’s excellent campaign. They also boast one of the better bluelines in hockey led by John Carlson, perennially one of the most underrated defencemen in the NHL.