With the NHL playoffs set to begin tonight, the Daily makes sense of the four Eastern Conference showdowns:
No. 1 Washington Capitals vs. No. 8 New York Rangers
(Regular season head-to-head: Rangers 3-1-0): The Capitals enter the playoffs as a puzzling No. 1 seed: Despite their dominance for stretches of the season, they also went through one particularly horrible losing streak, which was well-documented in HBO's "24/7" program leading up to the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh. Of course, the away team in each Winter Classic has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup finals, so at least the Capitals have that going for them.
Superstition aside, though, the Capitals have a stacked team, particularly offensively, where perennial MVP candidate Alexander Ovechkin continues to show off his skating and shooting skills, and forwards Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble continue to add to their scoring totals. Washington was also boosted by the midseason acquisition of Jason Arnott from the New Jersey Devils, who will provide much-needed experience for the playoffs.
The Caps battle a Rangers team that made the playoffs on the last day of the season. Besides star veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the team is loaded with young, exciting but inexperienced players like forward Mats Zuccarello. But against the Washington powerhouse, it's unlikely that the Rangers will be able to match the Capitals' scoring talent. Lundqvist will win a few games for the Rangers single-handedly, but besides him, there is little standing between the Caps and the second round.
Prediction: Capitals in six
No. 2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 7 Buffalo Sabres
(Regular season head-to-head [four games]: Flyers 2-1-1/Sabres 2-2-0): The Flyers, much like the Capitals, are an enigma: Despite the fact that they held the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference for the majority of the season, a mixture of injuries, bad form and inconsistent play dropped Philadelphia down to the No. 2 seed. In fact, Philly lost 16 of its final 25 games, getting blown out in several, and hardly look like the dominating team they once were.
But despite the struggles, the reigning conference champions still have the weapons to make an extended run to the Stanley Cup finals. Forward Jeff Carter has had a monster year, leading the team in goals, while fellow forward Claude Giroux has amassed a gaudy 51 assists. The Flyers will also be bolstered by the eventual return of veteran Chris Pronger, who has missed the last month with a wrist injury.
The Sabres, on the other hand, are coming into the playoffs streaking, having finished the season on a 28-11-6 tear since Jan. 1. Buffalo will also be helped by the return of star goalkeeper Ryan Miller from a minor upper body injury, as well as the possible return of center Derek Roy, who has been out since before Christmas. Look for Thomas Vanek to pepper the Philly goal with shots and for Miller to be a stone wall: If that happens, the series will go right to the wire.
Prediction: Flyers in seven
No. 3 Boston Bruins vs. No. 6 Montreal Canadiens
(Regular season head-to-head [six games]: Canadiens 3-2-1/Bruins 3-3-0): Once again (it seems like fate), these two Original Six teams will meet in the playoffs. And also once again, the series will be marked by bad blood for events that happened during the regular season, most notably Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara's extremely controversial hit on Montreal forward Max Pacioretty that left the Habs player with a major concussion but drew no suspension from the league.
Besides the scuffles, though, Boston will be looking to make up for last year's disastrous playoff defeat to the Flyers in a series in which they held a 3-0 lead. The Bruins will be relying heavily on Vezina Trophy candidate Tim Thomas to guide them through the series, while Chara will also play a critical role spearheading a defense that is often considered to be among the most physical (and to some, dirtiest) in the league.
The Habs, meanwhile, will be working with a slightly different formula: While Montreal will certainly rely on goalkeeper Carey Price, who is having a career season, the squad will have to rely on quickness and finesse rather than physicality to have a chance to pull off the upset. In the end, it will likely be a very tight series, and don't be surprised to see a few suspensions along the way.
Prediction: Bruins in seven
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Tampa Bay Lightning
(Regular season head-to-head: 2-2-0): Of all the clubs in the playoffs, Pittsburgh undoubtedly has been through the most adversity this season. Being without stars Sidney Crosby (concussion) and Evgeni Malkin (knee) for much of the latter portion of the season, the Penguins were forced to rely on a tried-and-true formula: stellar goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, tough defense and opportunistic offense.
Being without the two stars for the playoffs, though, is a much different matter. The Penguins will certainly need former role players like Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kunitz to step up in a way that they have not in the regular season; it is telling that Crosby still leads the team in goals with 32 despite having played just 41 games.
The Lightning, meanwhile, have three top-notch scoring stars at their disposal: Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos. The question marks for Tampa, then, lie at the back, and especially in goal, where despite Dwayne Roloson's consistency since his midseason acquisition from the Islanders, much uncertainty still remains.
Prediction: Lightning in six
Conference Finalist: Washington Capitals
Winner: Capitals in seven
Conn Smythe Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin
