Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference X factors

The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday with two Eastern Conference series (Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders; Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs) kicking things off. There's no shortage of superstars in this year's field, but there's always some big X factors that can swing a series in a particular direction. Sometimes it is a goalie, sometimes it is a depth player and sometimes it is a head coach. 

Here are five of the biggest potential X factors for the Eastern Conference in this year's first round. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy, goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning

Vasilevskiy's play will almost certainly determine the ceiling for the Lightning in this year's postseason. 

He is one of the best big-game goalies in NHL history, having already backstopped the Lightning to a pair of Stanley Cups while also owning a .921 career save percentage in the playoffs. That ranks 11th all-time among goalies with at least 50 playoff games. 

But the 2023-24 season was statistically the worst of Vasilevskiy's career. The Lightning were still able to overcome that and easily made the playoffs with 98 points, but if he plays up to his normal career level, it could instantly make them a formidable Stanley Cup contender in the East. They already have a top-five offense and a potential MVP in forward Nikita Kucherov, and if Vasilevskiy returns to form they will be tough to beat. 

Ilya Sorokin, goalie, New York Islanders

There is nothing the Islanders do particularly well as a team, ranking 18th or worse in goals scored, goals against, power-play percentage, penalty kill percentages, shots on goal per game and shots against per game. On paper, they seem to be at a decisive disadvantage in their first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. What the Islanders do have, however, is top-tier goaltending, specifically as it relates to Sorokin. He has finished the top-six of the Vezina Trophy voting twice (including as a runner-up a year ago) and has been a top goalie since entering the league. 

While he has not played up to his normal level this season, he does have the potential to put the team on his back and steal a series against a superior team. He has done it before.

Alexis Lafreniere, forward, New York Rangers

The Rangers have a great veteran core led by forwards Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, defenseman Adam Fox and starting goalie Igor Shesterkin. But if the Rangers are ever going to truly go from a Stanley Cup contender to a Stanley Cup champion, they are going to need their recent top draft picks to become stars. Specifically former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere. He had a breakout year in 2023-24 by setting career highs across the board (28 goals, 29 assists, 57 points, 217 shots on goal) and finally looked like the cornerstone player the Rangers hoped he would be. If he carries that over to the playoffs, the Rangers could bring the Stanley Cup back to Broadway. 

Jim Montgomery, head coach, Boston Bruins

Montgomery might have one of the most challenging head-coaching jobs in this year's playoff field simply because he has to figure out how to juggle the Bruins' goalie situation.

The problem isn't that he doesn't have a good starter.

He has two of them (Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman), and he has to devise a plan on how to use them. The Bruins have used a 50-50 split the past two years, but teams tend to want one set starter for the playoffs. Does Montgomery pick one and roll with him? Does he keep splitting the playing time and go against conventional playoff wisdom? His team is more flawed than the 65-win club he had a year ago, and the goaltending is going to have to carry it. How he handles that will determine how far the Bruins can go. 

Morgan Rielly, defenseman, Toronto Maple Leafs

When it comes to the Maple Leafs, all eyes will be on the forwards, especially two-time 60-goal scorer Auston Matthews. But while the forwards drive everything, there is going to be added pressure on Rielly, the Maple Leafs' top defenseman. Not only is he their top all-around defenseman, he's probably their only true impact player at the position. Defense has been a significant weakness for the Maple Leafs all season. If they're going to make a deep run in the playoffs and challenge for a championship, they will need Rielly to not only play big minutes, but also play them exceptionally well to help change games.