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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!