The Eastern Conference Final is set with the Florida Panthers to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Final. However, there is still one game to be played in the Western Conference second round of the playoffs. The Seattle Kraken cruised to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars to force Game 7 on Saturday night. The series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers last night concluded with a 5-2 win for Vegas.
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Similar to my last article, I will provide possible reasons Boston Bruins fans might support the remaining teams in the Western Conference during the final few weeks of the playoffs for those who want a team to cheer on.
Dallas stars
Since the Stanley Cup Final took place on the bubble for the 2019-20 season, the Stars have been pretty quiet. They missed the playoffs in 2020-21 and were knocked out in the first round last season despite having some fun and exciting young players on the roster, like Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. They also probably have the most players on their roster who they feel “deserved” of winning their first Stanley Cup – Jimmy Bean, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Sutter. Pavelsky feels especially deserving of it 125 tiebreakers In his career, he succeeded only Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, and David Craigie, all of whom have captured the Stanley Cup.
The current listing also contains many connections with Boston. Goaltender Jake Oettinger played for Boston University and was named MVP after helping the team reach its ninth Hockey East Championship title. Tyler Seguin, of course, was the Bruins’ pick with the second overall pick in 2010. His time in Boston was certainly fun, but he did help the team win their last Stanley Cup in 2011. Defenseman Colin Miller is also a former Bruin player who was acquired He was picked up as part of a Milan Lucic trade and then picked up by the Golden Knights during the 2017 Expansion Draft.
Seattle Kraken
After a disappointing first season, the NHL made a real difference in the 2022-23 season. With the new mascot and face of the franchise in 20-year-old Matty Benners, who was recently announced as Calder Cup FinalThey finished fourth in the Pacific Division with a score of 46-28-8 and 100 points. As a wild card team, they were able to defeat the defending champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round. If you like an underdog story, this is definitely a team you should consider for support on the way to the Stanley Cup.
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Kraken has two connections in Boston as well. Penners, who scored 57 points in 80 games during the regular season and currently sits at seven points in 13 post-season games, is from Hingham, Massachusetts. Another Boston native and former Bruin, Ryan Donato is currently on the roster after putting together a solid regular season for the team.
Vegas Golden Knights
There is one big reason why Bruins fans want to root for or cheer for the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final and beyond, and that is head coach, Bruce Cassidy. As many fans know, Cassidy became head coach after Claude Julien was sacked in 2017 and held the position until he was let go after a disappointing 2021-22 season. It was a move that left many confused at the time, but he’s clearly landed on his feet and has done a great job this season in Vegas.
Outside of Cassidy’s obvious connection to Boston, the roster also includes Jack Eichel, who was born and raised outside of Boston and played a season at BU. The former second overall pick is playing in his first season after starting his career with the Buffalo Sabers before being traded to the Golden Knights last year. Riley Smith, one of the team’s original captains from the inaugural season, spent two years playing for the Bruins in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
For any Bruins fans who don’t have any ill feelings for Cassidy and want to see a former Bruin and Boston product get their name on the Stanley Cup, this could be the team for you.
Prepare for the final matches of the conference
With the final second round game scheduled for tonight between the Kraken and the Stars, whichever way you look at it, this postseason has been an absolute win for teams in non-traditional markets. With Florida set to take on Carolina in the East and Vegas to reach the Western Conference Final again, there is a huge opportunity to continue expanding the sport into smaller markets and attract potential new viewers for the final two rounds.
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With two of the league’s biggest stars, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, out of the postseason thanks to second-round losses, the NHL and remaining teams will have a chance to promote and push other players into the spotlight. The conference finals approaching will provide plenty of opportunities for players to tap into the national crowd and get their name out there. With some great young players on many of these teams, the NHL would be remiss not to make an effort to promote them and move the game forward.