NHL Playoff Bracket 2018: Complete 1st-Round Schedule and Series Predictions

Can the Pittsburgh Penguins make it three straight Stanley Cups?

There is no easy answer to this question. The Penguins have not dominated the league in 2017-18, and they have had nearly as many downs as they have had ups while finishing second in the Metropolitan Division. However, they still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and those two formidable stars are quite likely the best 1-2 punch in the sport when they are on top of their game.

Crosby has not had his best year, and he ranks third on the team in scoring, as Phil Kessel is right behind Malkin. However, Crosby is the player who can take over any game and change the course of any series. It would be wrong to discount the Penguins.

But if the Penguins are going to have a real chance to win a third straight title, their defense must be on point and playing consistently for four rounds. That means goaltender Matt Murray must play as well as he did both of the last two playoff seasons.

Murray has had an injury-plagued season, and he comes into the playoffs with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

The Penguins' first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers could be one of the biggest tests the Penguins will face throughout the playoffs. The Flyers have the offensive firepower to push the Penguins to the limit, and this will also be an emotional series between two teams that want to eliminate the other. 

The Flyers and Penguins get underway Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Here's a link to the full first-round schedule for all eight playoff series.

The prediction for this series is that the Flyers will come through in this epic series and eliminate the defending champions in six games.

Predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, and they will play the New Jersey Devils, the No. 2 wild-card team in the conference.

While it would seem like the Lightning have a huge advantage because of talent like Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point, the reason the Devils made the playoffs has been the superb play of Taylor Hall.

The potential Hart Trophy candidate has carried the Devils for much of the last two months. Goalie Keith Kinkaid has come through with clutch performances for weeks. Look for this series to go seven games, and the Lightning will breathe a sigh of relief when they survive the seventh game at home.

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs figure to have a tight, seven-game series as well. Boston won a spectacular seven-game series between the two teams in 2013, and the Bruins had home-ice advantage in that series. Look for that factor to pay off for Boston again.

The Washington Capitals have regularly gone into the playoffs with the Stanley Cup expectations that go with the Presidents' Trophy. While they haven't gotten past the second round in the Alex Ovechkin era, they have a shot this time around. Washington beats the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games.

The Nashville Predators bear the heavy expectations that go with the Presidents' Trophy this year, and head coach Peter Laviolette's team appears ready for another long run. The Preds will beat the Colorado Avalanche in five games.

Jason Behnken/Associated Press

The Winnipeg Jets may be rid of the Minnesota Wild even faster than that. The Wild are desperately missing defenseman Ryan Suter, and they will fall in four straight games.

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights had a dream regular season, but the Los Angeles Kings know how to  compete in the playoffs. Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown will lead the Kings to a six-game triumph over the first-yea expansion team.

Finally, look for the San Jose Sharks to outlast the Anaheim Ducks in seven games.

Stanley Cup Odds (courtesy of OddsShark)

Nashville Predators, +375
Boston Bruins, +550
Tampa Bay Lightning, +600
Vegas Golden Knights, +750
Winnipeg Jets, +800
Pittsburgh Penguins, +1000
Toronto Maple Leafs, +1100
Washington Capitals, +1100
Anaheim Ducks, +2000
Los Angeles Kings, +2200
San Jose Sharks, +2500
Philadelphia Flyers, +2500
Columbus Blue Jackets, +2800
Minnesota Wild, +3000
Colorado Avalanche, +3300
New Jersey Devils, +3300