5 reasons why the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs will be amazing

No. 4: The Western Conference Arms Race

We’re not here to disregard the Eastern Conference. We love them. Whichever team comes out of there is going to be bloodied, tested and absolutely ready to go the distance if necessary in the finals. It’ll be glorious.

But the West has been playing gladiator for months now. And these aren’t flesh wounds. In the last few weeks alone, six (!) teams have been flip-flopping nightly between third in their respective division or a wild card.

It’s not a good year to be placing bets, whether you’re a fan of the Central Division or the Pacific. Any guess at who knocks out whom is simply that: a guess. There are going to be a lot of highly talented and well-deserving clubs that get taken out in just the first round. Which is sad, but let’s not go the “everybody gets a ribbon” route.

Yet, that’s what makes this year so incredible. Good money is probably being put on Tampa Bay, Boston or Pittsburgh to make it to the end, and rightfully so. They’ve dominated for most of the season and they have excellent players both young and veteran brewing together on the ice.

In the West? Not so easy. Of course, there are good arguments to be made for Nashville, Winnipeg or Vegas, sure. But to ignore a San Jose or Minnesota  would be foolish. Eight of the top ten teams in overall GAA come from the West. And we know you’ve heard it from your granny a thousand times that defense wins championships.

Again, it’s not to disparage the East, but to belabor how tight the gap is on the other side. We love and cherish the unpredictable nature of sports. It’s what keeps us watching. A bounce here or there, a puck off the post at a critical time and everything can change.

Speaking of unpredictability…