As the NHL regular season comes to a close, teams have been clinching their playoff spots. The Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 19. 16 of 32 NHL teams will compete for the Cup.
There’s much to look forward to in the playoffs. But despite clinching a berth, some teams should be worried. The teams that have to worry are often the ones with the highest expectations. Here are three playoff teams that should be most worried.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes should be worried about their first-round matchup: the New Jersey Devils. It’s clear that the Hurricanes are the favorite in this series. A lot of people are counting the Devils out. After all, they’re without Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Jonas Siegenthaler. Hamilton is trying to work his way back to join the Devils for the playoffs. His return would be huge for the team. The Devils are definitely the underdog in this battle based on standings.
But the Devils might be a thorn in the Canes’ sides. They have the third-best power play, while the Canes rank 24th. Although the Canes rank first in the NHL on the penalty kill, the Devils are not far behind at 3rd. The Devils rank 6th in goals against per game played, while the Canes are 8th. One area the Canes far outshine the Devils is in goal scoring. The Canes are ninth in the league in goals per game, while the Devils are 17th. But players like Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier could really cause a problem for the Canes if they light up the score sheet.
Another reason for the Canes to worry is that they aren’t ending the season on a strong note. The end of the regular season is the wrong time for a playoff team to lose steam. With their shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, though, they were able to secure home-ice advantage for the series.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
A team that should be worried is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Expectations are high, and there’s a lot of pressure on this group to change the narrative and finally go further in the playoffs. They have only won one playoff round since 2005. This series win came in 2023, and then the Maple Leafs were bounced in the first round again in 2024. They have been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs seven out of the last eight years.
The Leafs’ first round matchup hasn’t been set yet. It’s coming down to the wire to determine if they’ll win the Atlantic Division. Before getting to the playoffs, the Leafs need to focus on securing their division. This would mean a first round matchup with the second wild card in the east, likely the Montreal Canadiens.
But their reason to worry doesn’t have so much to do with who they will face in the playoffs. It’s about themselves and the same problem they keep running into each year. The Leafs are loaded with high-end forward talent, including Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies. Problem is, the team doesn’t have much in the way of depth scoring. If these players fail to step up in the playoffs, which has happened before, the team won’t go far. The stars need to come through.
1. Edmonton Oilers
The team that should be the most worried is the Edmonton Oilers. Expectations are very high for this team coming off a Stanley Cup Finals trip last season. They took the series all the way to Game 7. Now, they’re trying to get back there for another chance. That’s a lot of pressure, especially considering the Florida Panthers did exactly that last year. They made it to the Finals in 2023 and 2024, coming away with the Cup in 2024.
MoneyPuck has the Oilers’ odds to win the Cup at just 2.5%, significantly lower than most of the other playoff teams. This isn’t where they expected to be coming into this season. It doesn’t help that the Oilers have suffered numerous injuries lately. On Friday night, Stuart Skinner and Mattias Ekholm returned, but Ekholm left the game injured again. He may not be available for the playoffs. Zach Hyman left the game with an injury, as well. Luckily, Connor McDavid is back. Leon Draisaitl is expected to be back for the playoffs. The injury pile up is a major reason for concern.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers are expected to play the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are very much a dark horse. For the past three seasons, the Oilers have had the Kings’ number, knocking them out of the playoffs. It could be time for the Kings to emerge and flip the script.
Despite clinching a playoff spot, these three teams should worry. Once the playoffs start, anything can happen.