It’s an early vibe check as the Stanley Cup Semifinals kick off this weekend. The four teams we all expected, of course; the Lightning, Golden Knights, Islanders and.... Canadiens.
Whatever the vibes are, they sure are weird. The Stanley Cup Playoffs always have strange vibes because upsets and mood changes and impossible-to-keep momentum, but boy these playoffs feel outright cursed.
Vegas in its third Semifinals in its four years of existence, the CANADIENS, Tampa Bay looking to repeat, the Islanders just kind of winning for some unexplainable reason (do not tweet stats at me I understand). It’s as if Mercury retrograde invented these playoff matches.
It’ll be fun though and there’s still some hilarious results on the table, so let’s check those vibes.
New York Islanders
The vibe: Really want to say New York Saints throwback NLL again if that’s allowed
Energy check: Here We Go Again
Once again, the Islanders and Lightning meet in the Semifinals. Once again, the Lightning *should* win. But also, a lot of teams should have won so far and haven’t, so really, who is to say. The Islanders did a great job overwhelming the higher-seeded Bruins and Penguins, but, faced far different goalie situations than what they will see from Tampa Bay. Perhaps Barry Trotz can invent another scandal or they can cosplay a 1990s pro lacrosse team again or something.
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 Second Round schedule, TV info]
Tampa Bay Lightning
The vibe: $18 million over the cap, right Dougie?
Energy check: The cringe troll meme from like 2012
No one really wants the Lightning to repeat because it’s boring but, consider this: the Lightning winning the Cup and everyone being mad about the salary cap is probably the funniest result left. Like, we can talk cap circumvention forever but the Lightning did everything within the rules so why are people mad at them? Not to be the tweet of “inventing a guy to get mad at” because most people are not mad, but for those who are, relax. It’s funny.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 08: The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate a goal scored by Ross Colton #79 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on June 08, 2021 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Vegas Golden Knights
The vibe: Did you know there’s four Mormon rock bands out of Vegas alone
Energy check: Finally the favorite
So, Vegas was technically a favorite with the Wild, but the Wild were everyone’s favorite dark horse pick (sorry). Then, the Avalanche are just naturally favorites against everyone. This is the first series the Golden Knights are like, expected to win for real. If they lose people will be surprised and or annoyed. The Canadiens are a fun opponent for that since they only defeat teams they are not supposed to. Either way, the Knights are playing out of their minds right now and Jonathan Marchessault is suddenly Mr. Playoffs, so what can go wrong?
Montreal Canadiens
The vibe: The Ottawa Senators playing spoiler but if it was in the playoffs
Energy check: This tweet
The Canadiens are in the final four and I will keep saying it until it’s not true because it is still wild. Like, yeah the Canadian division was bad. But they still beat the teams that were supposed to be the best there! I guess this series is the best illustration of how bad the Canadian division was, since it’s the first time a team from Canada is going across the border this year. It’ll also tell us if the Maple Leafs were actually any good, so that will be fun.
---
Marisa Ingemi is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop her a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Ingemi.