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Canes Country Staff 2021 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

How will this year’s field of 16 play out? Our staff makes their picks.

Carolina Hurricanes v Nashville Predators Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

The 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, which means it’s once again time for our staff to make predictions. Each of us made our picks for every first round series, the final four, Stanley Cup Final and how far we see the Hurricanes advancing.

Check them out in the table below

Canes Country Staff Playoffs Predictions

Writer Hurricanes vs. Predators Panthers vs. Lightning Penguins vs. Islanders Capitals vs. Bruins Avalanche vs. Blues Golden Knights vs. Wild Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Oilers vs. Jets Final Four Stanley Cup Hurricanes advance
Writer Hurricanes vs. Predators Panthers vs. Lightning Penguins vs. Islanders Capitals vs. Bruins Avalanche vs. Blues Golden Knights vs. Wild Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Oilers vs. Jets Final Four Stanley Cup Hurricanes advance
Andrew Hurricanes in 5 Panthers in 7 Peguins in 7 Bruins in 6 Avalanche in 4 Golden Knights in 7 Maple Leafs in 5 Oilers in 6 Hurricanes, Bruins, Avalanche, Oilers Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
KayDee Huricanes in 6 Panthers in 5 Islanders in 6 Capitals in 7 Avalanche in 4 Golden Knights in 5 Canadiens in 6 Oilers in 5 Hurricanes, Capitals, Golden Knights, Oilers Hurricanes over Oilers Win Cup
Brian Hurricanes in 5 Panthers in 7 Peguins in 7 Bruins in 5 Avalanche in 6 Wild in 6 Maple Leafs in 4 Oilers in 6 Bruins, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Leafs Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Brett Hurricanes in 4 Panthers in 6 Penguins in 6 Bruins in 7 Avalanche in 4 Golden Knights in 6 Maple Leafs in 5 Oilers in 5 Hurricanes, Bruins, Avalanche, Leafs Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Ryan Hurricanes in 5 Panthers in 5 Penguins in 6 Bruins in 7 Avalanche in 6 Wild in 7 Maple Leafs in 4 Oilers in 5 Hurricanes, Avalanche, Penguins, Oilers Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Alec Hurricanes in 5 Lightning in 7 Penguins in 7 Bruins in 6 Avalanche in 5 Golden Knights in 5 Maple Leafs in 4 Oilers in 6 Hurricanes, Avalanche, Bruins, Leafs Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Cody Hurricanes in 6 Panthers in 7 Penguins in 5 Bruins in 7 Avalanche in 5 Wild in 7 Maple Leafs in 5 Oilers in 6 Bruins, Hurricanes, Oilers, Avalanche Avalanche over Oilers Final Four
Zeke Hurricanes in 5 Panthers in 6 Islanders in 5 Bruins in 6 Avalanche in 4 Golden Knights in 6 Maple Leafs in 4 Jets in 6 Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Islanders, Avalanche Avalache over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Sarah Hurricanes in 7 Panthers in 6 Penguins in 6 Bruins in 6 Avalanche in 6 Golden Knights in 7 Maple Leafs in 6 Oilers in 5 Hurricanes, Penguins, Avalanche Maple Leafs Avalanche over Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final
Johnathan Hurricanes in 6 Lightning in 6 Peguins in 6 Bruins in 7 Avalanche in 4 Golden Knights in 5 Maple Leafs in 5 Oilers in 5 Hurricanes, Leafs, Avalanche, Bruins Hurricanes over Avalanche Win Cup

Some observations

  • We’ve got two unanimous series, both for No. 1 seeds: We’ve all got the Hurricanes knocking out the Predators, and the Avalanche handling the Blues. There are three more series that were nearly unanimous: KayDee was the only one to pick the Capitals over the Bruins and Maple Leafs over the Canadiens, and Zeke was the only one with the Jets taking out Connor McDavid and friends.
  • We’re surprisingly bullish on the Panthers taking out the defending champs in the battle of Florida, with only Sarah and Johnathan picking the Lightning.
  • We’ve got at least a 70% majority on every first-round series, with three of us picking the Wild over the Golden Knights as the biggest point of contention.
  • None of us have the Hurricanes falling short of the Final Four, and only Cody doesn’t have them in the Stanley Cup Final.
  • We’re pretty high on the Avalanche in these parts. Nine of us have Colorado making it out of the West Division, and the same nine of us have them then advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. Eight of us have the Avs winning it all.
  • Most of us have the Hurricanes as one of the final two standing, with Cody’s Avalanche over Oilers pick as the lone outlier. However, most of us don’t have them lifting Lord Stanley. Johnathan has the Canes beating the Avalanche, while KayDee has them taking home a 2006 rematch with Edmonton. The seven of us that have the Hurricanes losing in the final round all have them losing to the same opponent, you guessed it, the Avalanche. Avalanche over Hurricanes is a ridiculously popular pick for us, with 70% of our staff choosing it.

How do you see the field playing out? Let us know in the comments below!