NHL Pandemic Playoffs: As Unpredictable As Ever

alt="The official NHL Playoffs 2020 logo"

NHL Pandemic Playoffs: As Unpredictable As Ever

Throughout these entire NHL playoffs, the teams that fans usually count out continue to break barriers and prove everyone wrong.

These 2020 NHL Playoffs have been like the year of 2020 has been for us: nothing is guaranteed, no one knows who or what is going to strike next. Who would’ve thought that this year we would see teams like the New York Islanders and Dallas Stars be in the conference finals of the Stanley Cup? Those two teams went through some very important changes to be where they are today. Let’s refresh our memories.

In July 2018 John Tavares, the captain of the New York Islanders, scandalously left the team after being with them for nine seasons. The Islanders were during a rebuild phase and they were hoping to resign Tavares to better their teams’ chances. After that, many Islanders fans felt betrayed and thought that the team would be stuck for a while. Little did they know, all that happened was a blessing in disguise.

Barry Trotz, NHL Playoffs 2020. Credit: Getty Images / Elsa

The team acquired Barry Trotz, a Stanley Cup winner coach, who won the cup with the Washington Capitals in June 2018. 14 days after their win, the New York Islanders hired him as the team’s head coach. It was extremely important for the Islanders to hire a coach with playoff experience and a rigid defensive structure. His coaching experience with the Washington Capitals helps them win playoff series. Now, it’s paying off. A motivated team, with stars like Matthew Barzal, 23,  Josh Bailey, 30 and Anthony Beauvillier, 23 is looking to take their shot at winning the Eastern Conference Finals to inch even closer to the most desired trophy of all time- the Stanley Cup. The last time the New York Islanders came this close was in 1993!

Last year, the Dallas Stars went against the St. Louis Blues in double OT in game 7. Game 7’s losses are always more heartbreaking than the others, because teams come so close to winning. They are always so unpredictable, anything could happen. Yet, their whole season was a learning curve. They welcomed a new coach into the team and grew not only as an organization, but as players as well. Yet, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. During the first round of the NHL playoffs last year, the team was underperforming. The president of the Stars didn’t keep quiet about it, publicly calling out the teams’ star players, who take up a large portion of the salary cap.

The Dallas Stars Celebrate Their Win. Credit: Nick Shwartz

These playoffs, however, the Dallas Stars are like a whole different team. They came here to win and it’s showing. They feel like a more cohesive unit where everyone’s giving their all.

Every single time the NHL playoffs prove that anything can happen and that fans should believe in miracles. Let’s see what team is going to take it all in one of the most historic playoffs ever played in hockey history.

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