NHL Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

Who will Hoist the Cup this Year?

The 2014 NHL Playoffs have begun and 16 teams are hoping to win the Stanley Cup (technically 11 because St. Louis, Detroit, Columbus, Dallas, and Tampa Bay have been eliminated). My prediction is that the Boston Bruins will play the Chicago Blackhawks in Stanley Cup Finals. Both of these teams have great leadership and have hoisted the cup within the past couple of years.


The Bruins are led by 6' 9" Slovakian defender Zdeno Chara, who is the tallest player in the NHL. He not only has the fastest slap shot in the league, but he is an enforcer who rarely, if ever, loses a fight. Having Chara on the ice gives the Bruins a major advantage. But Chara is not the last line of defense for this Bruins roster. Goalie Tuukka Rask, from Finland, has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL all year. His save percentage on the year is a staggering .930, meaning that when opposing players can get past the likes of Chara, only 7% of their shots on target actually reach the back of the net. The defensive nature of this Bruins team will make them very tough to beat in the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks are very different than the Boston Bruins. They are led by center Johnathan Toews, from Canada, and right wing Patrick Kane, from the United States. The two combined for 137 points in the regular season, with Kane registering 69 points in 69 games and Toews recording 68 points in 76 games. These two forwards are some of the game's best, making plays that most others cannot. It will be very interesting watching these two, along with teammate Patrick Sharp, go against the likes of Zdeno Chara and company.

The motto, defense wins championships, will hold true in 2014. The Boston Bruins will prevail over the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games to win the 2014 Stanley Cup!