The 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Finals are going to be insane

We’re still six weeks out from the official end of hockey’s regular season but there are already some clear signs that this year's Eastern Conference finals are going to be wild. 

As of March 4, five of the top six teams in the league were all from the Eastern Conference, which means there’s a really good chance you might be seeing some of the absolute best playoff hockey you’ve witnessed in your life.

But playoff hockey is nothing like regular-season hockey. The stakes are higher, there’s less room for error, and even some of the most experienced veterans are going to find themselves cracking under the pressure during their pursuit of Lord Stanley’s Mug. 

With that said, let’s take a look at the teams we’re pretty much guaranteed to see in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals and see what assets they can bring to bear in the postseason. 

While most hockey fans were talking about Connor McDavid joining the 50-goal club after the Edmonton Oilers game with Boston on February 27th, Bruins fans were celebrating an achievement no other team has accomplished in hockey history.

Boston became the first NHL team to beat all 31 opponents in one season, a stat that really reveals just how dominant the Bruins have been this season. 

Boston has easily been the best-performing team all year. With 49 wins for the season so far and a goal differential of +105, it's unlikely that you’re going to see the Bruins choke in the first round of the playoffs, which means the wildcard team might be in trouble. 

The Bruins addressed a few of their team's shortfalls as the trade deadline approached and picked up Dmitry Orlov to shore up their defense. They also acquired Tyler Bertuzzi, a player NBC Sports said would be an “excellent fill-in at left wing.” 

The Carolina Hurricanes are trailing Boston by 15 games at the time this article was written and they only had a goal differential of +51, but Money Puck was still giving them the highest odds of winning the Stanley Cup this year at 18 percent. So what makes them so special?

The Hurricanes have arguably one of the most valuable defense lineups of any team in the league in Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns. This dynamic duo will be coach Rod Brind'Amour’s saving grace as he battles his way to the final rounds. 

Let’s not forget that the Hurricanes are also the number two team in the league at the moment and a lot of that has been due to Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Teuvo Teravainen—expect each to do great things in this year’s postseason. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a cup since 1967 but there are definitely some signs that this could be their year under the leadership of Austin Matthews. 

The Leafs have added a few key players to their roster since their defeat in last year's postseason at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lighting. You should expect to see Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty, and Jake McCabe make a big difference this year. 

Money Puck’s March 4th predictions have given the New Jersey Devils a 99% chance of making the playoffs this year and for good reason, they’ve had a killer season. Sitting at 44-15-6, the Devils are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason. 

The biggest asset the Devils will have in this year’s postseason play is Timo Meier, who was picked up by New Jersey in late February and was expected to lace up for play with the Devils as early as March 5th according to NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky. 

There’s no bigger news in hockey right now than New York’s acquisition of Patrick Kane, but the Rangers also nabbed Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, and Tyler Motte. Expect all four to add something to a team that's already packed with stars.

The chance that the Penguins were going to make a playoff appearance this year was still in doubt two weeks ago, but it's looking like they are going to make the cut after several lucky wins. 

Pittsburgh had a tough regular season, if they’re going to make a run for the cup then they’ll need to rely on the team's veterans to carry them to victory—this is where players like Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin, and Kris Letang can make a big difference.