Labar: Experts Pick the Biggest Surprises of the Stanley Cup Playoffs So Far

By Abby Labar
Sportmoney Columnist

In any sport, the postseason always presents its fair share of surprises, unexpected twists, turns and excitement. However, as somebody who knew nothing about the NHL seven years ago before covering it and quickly falling in love with the game, I’ll argue that the Stanley Cup playoffs are among the best to watch in all of professional sports. 

After being a part of several postseason runs with the Carolina Hurricanes, I learned first-hand the amount of moving parts that have to be in sync in order for a team to make a long run and win it all. Goaltending, injuries, special teams, you name it – which is why we witness so many upsets and Cinderella stories. As the Conference Finals began last night, I asked some of my colleagues in hockey their thoughts on the biggest surprises thus far in the postseason: 

• EJ Hradek (NHL Network): “My biggest surprise going into the conference finals is that there weren’t as many surprises as we usually see. The conference finals feature three division winners, including the best team in the Pacific Division over the past five months of the season. The underdogs haven’t fared well this spring and usually one finds its way through. Not this year. There are no Cinderella stories this season.”

• Nick Alberga (NHL Broadcaster): “The most surprising thing about Florida’s second straight run to the Eastern Conference Final is how ordinary Sergei Bobrovsky has been thus far. Through 11 outings, the Russian netminder, who was a Conn Smythe front-runner last spring, has posted a pedestrian .902 save-percentage. Suffice it is to say, the Vezina Trophy finalist will need to up his game substantially against the Rangers if the Cats are going to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.”

• Anna Dua (NHL/NHL Network Host and Reporter): “The biggest surprise of these playoffs for me has been a player in Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars. Now, the way he’s playing isn’t necessarily a surprise because he has the ceiling he has always had since he entered the NHL. He’s always been a talented player with so much potential and upside, I just don't think anyone expected him to perform this well in the postseason this early on in his career – I know I didn’t. He turned 21 years old during these playoffs and he has collected 11 points through 13 postseason games. He's tied for the fourth-most goals in the NHL and leads Dallas during this postseason with seven goals. Johnston has consistently been a big part of helping this Dallas Stars team punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final. Dallas is one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, they're tied with Florida right now depending on what sportsbook you take a look at, but considering this team is a front-runner, you have to take a look at Wyatt Johnston when considering the Conn Smythe Trophy frontrunners. The odds have been getting better and better after each round. Right now on Fanduel he is +1400 to win it, and if he keeps having the impact he’s had thus far he’s been by far one of the biggest studs this postseason. I feel like that's a no-brainer and that's a really good value.”

• Erika Wachter (NJ Devils and NHL Network Host and Reporter): “As we gear up for the conference finals, we’ve gotta talk about Dallas and Wyatt Johnston. When asked for a prediction going into the playoffs I said Johnston was going to be the guy to watch on the Stars – and that he would be their leading scorer. The youngster had a stellar regular season, but the playoffs are a different beast. And yet, his star has just kept rising. Johnston (who just turned 21 last week!) has certainly embraced the big stage. He has been so, so impressive on this Stars run (nearly a point/game with seven goals already), as they have taken down the last two Cup Champions. Again, they’ve had a very challenging path to get to this point, but this group seamlessly blends their youth and veterans and it’s a recipe for success. Love watching them and I can’t wait to see what Johnston and the Stars show us next.”

  (Anna and Erika had no clue that they both essentially gave the same response, but I wanted to include them both because it carries more weight in regard to the surprise player Wyatt Johnston has been.)

• Julie Stewart-Binks (NHL/Sports Broadcaster): “When you look at the bigger picture, I think the biggest surprise is that the Oilers made the conference final. Sure, they have incredible players. They’ve been here recently. But remember the beginning of the season? They fired their coach and were on the outside of the playoffs looking in. They’re giving St. Louis Blues vibes. If somehow both the Oilers and Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, not only would it be the Mark Messier Final, but we’d see former Hartford Wolfpack Head Coach Kris Knoblach against the New York Rangers, a team that went outside the organization to hire Peter Laviolette. By the way – I think Lav has done an incredible job, and even as someone who has watched literally every Rangers game this year and still wasn’t sure about them, they’ve continuously found a way to get it done. Mostly because they win one-goal games. While the goal differential skews the analytics, the point is they can get it done under pressure, and they have insane goaltending. But so does Florida, so it’s going to be a great Eastern Conference Final.”

• Jonny Lazarus (NHL Host/Analyst for Daily Faceoff and VSiN): “So there's been a lot of big surprises throughout the NHL postseason, but I think the biggest surprise to me at this very moment is from a betting perspective. The Rangers are now underdogs in back-to-back rounds where they have home ice. They were the Presidents’ Trophy winners. They were the second-best home team in the playoffs and they just took down the team that was the favorite to win the Stanley Cup in the Carolina Hurricanes. They are the biggest underdog at +400 on DraftKings. The Florida Panthers are the favorite at +215 then the Dallas Stars are +260 and Edmonton Oilers +280. The discrepancy to me seems pretty crazy when you look at the team, which was technically the best team in the NHL all season long. The Rangers are being disrespected by the sportsbooks after only having two losses in the playoffs thus far. They've been winning one goal games, they've had a lot of comebacks and their goaltending is excellent.”

Now as far as I’m concerned, it’s tough to not reiterate the thoughts of my friends above because I can easily echo any of these sentiments. Being in New York and working at MSG Networks, my eyes have naturally been on the New York Rangers. Naturally for the Rangers, eyes are on their goaltending, special teams and star players. 

But one player in particular that has really stood out this postseason is Alex Lafreniere. A player who has been so patient and steadily grown with New York over the last few years isn’t one you immediately point to and say “he’s going to be the difference maker in the playoffs.” Surrounded by talent on his line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, the three have been the most productive for New York (14 of the team’s 35 goals). Lafreniere, not overpowered by the other two, has contributed with four goals of his own and six assists. It's players like Lafreniere that are such an integral part of a team’s postseason success, and it’s been fun to watch him flourish.