Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Simmer’s Game Day (picks)

Welcome to night one of the greatest sporting event on mankind’s calendar, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, featuring Canada-based teams the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers on a Monday.

Simmer’s Game Day, sponsored by Equity.Guru, has gone 11-and-4 leading up to the start of the playoffs. We essentially took last week off because the final week of the regular season features teams playing out the string and others resting their top players. Not exactly conducive to making accurate hockey-based predictions.

There’s always at least one wacky series in the first round, as in an upset, but I don’t see that unfolding with the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers. I don’t see Connor McDavid and the boys getting behind the eight-ball in this series with poor 200-foot play. If Evander Kane behaves himself and uses his power forward skills, while McDavid and Leon Draisaitl hocus-pocus-focus, I do believe the Edmonton Oilers will prevail.

For your purposes and the prognostication efforts on this occasion, all that matters is Game-One. Or should I say, Game-Ones.

What we know we will get, intensity. What I’m banking on us getting in the start of the Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs series is some scoring. I think this game will open up. I’m choosing the Bolts because I like Andrei Vasilevskiy more than I do Jack Campbell. And it is ultimately all aboui goaltending, remember. Just ask the guys on the Gulf Coast wearing the two Stanley Cup rings.

It’ll be fun, and Toronto will be full of angst this evening. I mean, what’s scarier in T.O. than the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Other Game-One, no beating around the bush, I’m selecting the Edmonton Oilers and I’m taking the under. Period.

Quick review: Lightning and the over, Oilers and the under. And yes, give up the 1+ goal to the LA Kings. Make Jonathan Quick surprise us. Big night for Mike Smith if he stays healthy. Eeek!

Happy Hockey!!