(Photo by Mitchell Layton/NHL via Getty Images)
The race to the Cup continues for the eight remaining teams as round one is over and round two begins. If round one was an indication of how this playoff season will go, all hockey fans are in for a treat. Not a single team was able to sweep away their adversaries and two series went the distance to a game seven. In the East, the Crosby vs Ovechkin debate has returned to post season discussion after a seven-year hiatus in one matchup. The other series has the Lightning looking to advance to the East Final in back-to-back seasons in a matchup with, arguably, New York’s best franchise, the Islanders. In the West we have some new faces with the Blues finally knocking off the Blackhawks taking on the Stars and the surprising Predators taking on the Sharks. This is sure to be another couple weeks of exciting NHL action, but who will advance to the Conference Finals?
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals
The Penguins had little difficulty getting past the Rangers in round one. Lundqvist struggled and they took advantage going 8/21 on the power play and averaging 31 shots on goal per game. Crosby had a great series with eight points and Letang added five off the blue line. Washington’s journey to round two was much more eventful. The Flyers took them to a game six and put forth a valiant effort against the President’s Trophy winning Caps. They struggled on the power play, 1/24, and ran into a brick wall between the pipes in Vezina finalist Braden Holtby. His 0.84 GAA and .968 save percentage to go with two shutouts are stats many only see in video games on the easy setting, but Holtby has taken his game to another level after a great regular season. If Washington can continue to average thirty-one shots on goal and carry over their power play success, 8/27, they have a great chance to advance. Murray is doing a great job in net for the Pens himself though with a 1.33 GAA and .955 save percentage, so scoring will come at a minimum for both teams in this round. I think this may be Washington’s year though and Holtby will Halt, pun intended, the Penguins playoff run here.
Prediction: Capitals in 6
New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Although he struggled in game one, Ben Bishop had a phenomenal first round with a 1.61 GAA and .950 save percentage and will get back on track in game two. The Lightning had an easy time getting past Detroit who managed to go 1/25 on the power play and struggled to find the back of the net. Tampa will have to improve on their own power play in round two should they hope to advance. They only scored on 4/23 opportunities, not enough with the man advantage in my opinion. The Islanders played an exciting six game round one against the Panthers where each team averaged nearly forty shots on goal per game. Greiss’ 1.79 GAA and .944 save percentage was the difference though and if they can continue to pepper the net with pucks to compliment his stellar play they may make an appearance in the East Final. Keep an eye on Tavares (11 points) for New York and Kucherov (9 points) for Tampa, these two will be the driving force behind their teams’ success.
Game one of this series is in the books with a 5-3 victory for New York. Although Tampa did manage to get 36 shots on goal, the Isles controlled the puck winning 60% of face offs and had the better goalie. Expect a lengthy back and forth series here with the advancing team being the ones who have better puck control and take advantage of power play opportunities
Prediction: Lightning in 7
St. Louis Blues vs Dallas Stars
Each of these teams had lengthy round ones and will need to improve on the penalty kill in this series. Dallas gave up four power play goals on sixteen opportunities to the Wild, and similarly St. Louis allowed Chicago to go 6/19. That will not cut it now. If St. Louis also allows Dallas to average 37 shots on goals this series, like they did Chicago, it could be the shortest of all four in round two. Lehtonen and Elliott did also not have stellar performances for their respective clubs unlike the goalies in the Eastern Conference. Tarasenko is the leader of the Blues and his six points are a great starting point but he’ll need to take it to the net level should the Blues aim to advance. The Stars advanced without Seguin as well, so if he can get healthy they become an even more dangerous team then they already are.
Prediction: Stars in 6
Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks
This series is the most intriguing of all for me. I will fully admit that I expected Anaheim to cruise past Nashville in a quick four or five games. Alas, this is playoff hockey and you should come prepared to expect the unexpected. Despite going 1/24 on the power play the Preds found a way to make it to round two. Pekka Rinne has done a commendable job in net with a 2.45 GAA and .915 save percentage but they’ll need him to be better to reach the conference final. Scoring fourteen goals in a seven game series may sneak you through one round, but certainly not two. The Sharks made easy work of the Kings in five games going 5/21 on the power play and kept L.A to only 25 shots on goal a game. The Joe & Joe duo along with Brent Burns on the blue line provides this team with a group that may very well be the Western Conference representative in the Finals.
Prediction: Sharks in 5
I would like to give two honourable mentions to Michael Neuvirth of the Flyers (0.67 GAA and .981 SV% with a shutout) and Frederik Andersen of the Ducks (1.41 GAA and .947 SV% with a shutout).
Although their seasons may have come to an end they played at all elite level and should be commended for giving their franchises a fighting chance each night.
Round two is under way and playoff hockey continues. Agree with my predictions? Disagree? Comment below and follow me on Twitter @GHam614 along with Super Two Sports @SuperTwo_Sports and I hope you continue to enjoy post season NHL action.
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