Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Unheralded Teams Primed to Make Noise in Postseason

The Stanley Cup playoffs are typically strewn with upsets. 

Before division winners Washington and Vegas made the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, no first-place teams from the NHL's four divisions qualified for the championship series in the current playoff format, which began in 2014. 

Even though division champions thrived in 2018, their success is considered an outlier if you look at the last five postseasons. 

With the 2019 postseason on the horizon, most of the top teams are centered in the spotlight, but there are a few unheralded sides in each conference who could make noise over the next two months. 

Unheralded Teams Primed To Make Noise 

Toronto Maple Leafs

Some will argue why Toronto is considered an unheralded side, but when the two best teams in hockey are in your division, you are bound to get overlooked. 

Toronto faces the most difficult path to a title, as it has to play Atlantic Division rival Boston in the first round, and if it wins that series, Presidents' Trophy winner Tampa Bay likely awaits. 

While the Maple Leafs will be the underdog against the Bruins, they can't be counted out with John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews headlining the attack. 

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Tavares, Marner and Matthews combined for 110 goals and 143 assists, and they'll give any opposing defense headaches with the stakes increased in the postseason. 

While Toronto's top three scorers receive most of the spotlight, it has a few other players, like Morgan Reilly and Kasperi Kapanen, who can take over games as well. 

Toronto is also one of the better road teams entering the postseason, as it has a 23-12-5 road mark, which is three wins more than Boston recorded. 

With all of the pressure on Boston to set up a colossal clash with Tampa Bay in the second round, the Maple Leafs should play with no fear in the first round, which makes them even more dangerous. 

But in order to overcome Boston, the Maple Leafs have to reverse the 1-3 regular-season record they had against the Bruins. 

Dallas Stars

As the top wild-card team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars will take on a familiar foe in the first round. 

The Stars will face the winner of the Central Division, which will be determined Saturday between Nashville, Winnipeg and St. Louis. 

Dallas went 3-1 in the regular season against both Winnipeg and St. Louis, and it won a pair of contests against Nashville.

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Since the Stars have had so much success against the best teams in their division, they will know exactly how to break down their first-round opponent. 

Jim Montgomery's team enters the postseason in decent scoring form as well, as it put six goals past Philadelphia Tuesday and scored five goals on the road in Winnipeg a week ago. 

In the buildup to clinching a playoff berth, the Stars showed they could win close games by knocking off Calgary and Edmonton by one goal on the road. 

Dallas' three wins in its recent four-game road swing was a positive development for a team that has the second-worst road record of the 16 playoff participants at 19-18-4. 

Dallas carries experience at the top of its offense in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, while veterans like Jason Spezza should provide a steady influence in the locker room.

If the Stars end up dropping into the second wild-card position, they'd still be in good shape going against a Calgary team it won three games against in the regular season. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90