Ode to the NHL Playoffs

It's time for my Ode to the NHL Playoffs.

The Lindgren Bowl (Capitals vs Rangers) 

Brothers must now get ready to fight

When the Caps meet the Rangers on Sunday night  

Charlie Lindgren’s been Washington’s star in the crease

But older brother Ryan will give him no peace

The Rangers are the number-one seed 

A Stanley Cup is what fans truly need 

But the Caps are as loose as they’ve been in years

And will play like a team with nothing to fear.

Didn’t we do this last year (Islanders vs Hurricanes)

The Storm Surge must now be ready

For a team that has become very steady

With talent galore the Canes still fear

They’ll fall short of the Cup again this year

The Islanders went on a real nice run

But facing the Canes is never fun.

The only way New York can advance 

Is if their goalies give them a chance 

Sunshine State showdown (Lightning vs Panthers)

The Panthers are looking to settle the score 

Against the Lightning, who've won twice before

While the Panthers have the division crown

They don’t want to let their fans down 

Even though the Lightning haven't been their best 

Everyone knows they can pass the test 

The only thing I can surely say:

Stamkos and Kucherov are ready to play

Revenge is a dish best served cold (Maple Leafs vs Bruins)

For the third time in eight years 

The Bruins and Leafs are in our ears 

Boston needs to make us forget

That last season ended with so much regret 

The Leafs want to win more than a round 

And we know that stadium will be loud  

Matthews has lit the lamp all year 

But with Samsonov in net, there’s always some fear 

Western Conference 

Go Stars (Golden Knights vs Stars)

Dallas has been great all year

Too bad their opponent has no fear 

The only thing that stands in their way 

Is their scoring touch going away 

Vegas is here to defend its crown

While all other fans hope they go down

But one bit of praise the Knights deserve —

They’re great at using long-term injured reserve

Will snow cover a Jet? (Avalanche vs Jets)

One thing that genuinely shocks me 

Is that these teams’ seeds are two and three

While the Jets won when these teams last met 

Their postseason failures are hard to forget

For the Avs this round, everyone is needed 

To make sure last year isn’t repeated

Colorado’s got offensive talent galore 

But their goaltending can make it too easy to score 

Can a Canadian survive a deadly hunt? (Predators vs Canucks)

Vancouver wants to end Canada's drought

With Hughes as captain, a defense they can mount

Demko’s healthy now, so all that’s left

Is to see if the offense can pass the test

Nashville struggled to get things going

Until Barry Trotz grounded its Boeing 

Since management stopped them from seeing U2

The team won more when its anger grew 

Is it Groundhog Day?  (Kings Vs Oilers) 

It’s three straight years we’ve seen Oilers-Kings

But the past two winners didn’t get rings.

The Oilers want to stop that trend

And win their Cup before Connor’s stay ends

The Kings hope the third time’s a charm

And the Oilers firepower, they can disarm.

With Doughty and Kopitar all they need

Is a goalie who is better than me 

To everyone in the dance, I wish you luck

Including  the Rangers, who do not suck

GO CAPS #ROCKTHERED