Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018: Unheralded Teams Primed to Make Noise in Postseason

If you thought March Madness was unpredictable with its plethora of upsets, just wait until ice hockey's Stanley Cup Playoffs puts men's basketball to shame.

Each year from April to June, we witness miraculous runs by teams that were counted out at the start of the postseason because of their regular-season records.

In 2017, the Nashville Predators were the surprise of the NHL postseason, as they swept Central Division winner Chicago Blackhawks in the first round and went on to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.

Since the current playoff format was introduced in 2014, three division winners have advanced to the conference finals.

With upsets expected throughout the postseason, unheralded teams from both conferences are going to make their way into the headlines.

Below is a look at a few teams that will demand your attention during the playoffs.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks come into the postseason with one of the most experienced rosters in hockey.

Not only have the Ducks qualified for the postseason in six straight seasons, but they advanced to the Western Conference Final as a division winner in two of the past three years.

Randy Carlyle's team pushed Chicago to the brink in 2015 and challenged Nashville a year ago, but it couldn't get over the final hurdle to return to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Ducks, who are the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division, combine their experience with a four-game winning streak to make them one of the most dangerous teams in the postseason.

Although Ryan Miller, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are among some of the most battle-tested players in the Western Conference, the Ducks dropped out of the spotlight this season because of the Vegas Golden Knights' emergence.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

While Vegas surged to the top of the Pacific, Anaheim fought through the wild-card picture to jump into the top three spots in the division to avoid Vegas in the first round.

The Ducks' offense comes together as a unit to succeed, as it doesn't contain a 100-point player like other rosters.

Rickard Rakell leads the team with 67 points, while Getzlaf is second with 60, a mark he reached for the ninth time, breaking Teemu Selanne's team record despite playing in 55 games, per AP's Greg Beacham:

The difference-maker for the Ducks could be Ryan Kesler, who is working his way back to 100 percent since hip surgery in June.

If the 33-year-old is able to produce in the postseason, the Ducks are going to be hard to stop.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils possess a Hart Trophy candidate, a four-game winning streak and experience from what is arguably the NHL's toughest division.

Although they look like a division winner, the Devils are the fourth-best team in the Metropolitan Division and are set to face the Washington Capitals in the first round as a wild-card team.

What benefits the Devils most entering the postseason is the play of Taylor Hall, who is sixth in the NHL with 93 points and is the front-runner for the Hart Trophy in the minds of some analysts.

With his 39 goals and 54 assists, Hall became the first Devils player since Zach Parise in 2008-09 to reach the 90-point mark, per NHL Public Relations:

Hall, who recorded 80 points once in his first seven NHL seasons, scored in four of the past five games to secure New Jersey's spot in the postseason.

In addition to Hall being in the form of his life, the Devils have a hot goalie in Keith Kinkaid, who let in four goals in the past three games.

Kinkaid's numbers against Metropolitan Division teams will give Devils fans hope for postseason success, as he has 14 wins in 20 games with a save percentage of .910.

The Devils need production from their supporting cast in case Hall is shut down. Rookie Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri, who are respectively second and third on the team in points, need to find a way to match Hall's production in order to keep opposing defenses honest.

Philadelphia Flyers

The strength of the Metropolitan Division could show in the other half of the Eastern Conference bracket, where the Philadelphia Flyers reside as the second-best wild-card team.

The Flyers, who have to lock up their playoff position with a win Saturday, would take on the Atlantic Division winner, which will be either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning.

While Dave Hakstol's team features plenty of younger stars, it carries experience through Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, who lead the team in points.

Giroux, a Hart Trophy candidate, is one point shy of 100, and he enters Saturday's regular-season finale against the New York Rangers with five goals in his past four games.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

What drives the Flyers is the fearlessness of their young players mixed in with Giroux and Voracek's leadership.

As the underdog in their first-round matchup, the Flyers have a chance to play loose while either the Bruins or Lightning face a mountain of pressure.

However, there are concerns about goalie play, as Brian Elliott recently returned to the net after a two-month injury layoff and gave up three goals to the Carolina Hurricanes.

If Elliott doesn't round into form during the postseason, the Flyers are going to have to rely on their offense to bail them out of games while the goalie situation plays itself out.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from NHL.com.