I will be looking at the two Eastern Conference Semifinals, as both New York and New Jersey won game 7s last night to move on. The matchups look as follows:
1. New York vs 7. Washington - This is a very anticipated matchup, as these teams have met several times in the playoffs over the last few years (3 times in 4 years). Both teams are riding hot goaltenders, as King Henrik Lundqvist (Vezina candidate) leads the way for the Rangers while rookie Brayden Holtby is doing the same for the Caps. The roles are reversed from previous playoff series, as the Caps were the higher seed both the last two times. The Rangers come into this series after a thrilling, tough fought series with the pesky Senators. They are lead by a brilliant shot-blocking formula from head coach John Tortorella, as the Rangers are noticeably better than most teams at getting in the shooting lanes. The Rangers look for consistency out of their top guys (Callahan, Richards, Gaborik, Stepan, Staal, Girardi etc.). If the Rangers are going to beat the Caps, they need Lundqvist on the top of their game. Much like John Tortorella in NYR, Dale Hunter has done a phenomenal job getting his players to buy into his defensive system. After taking over mid-season, he has gotten everyone (including Ovie/Semin) on his defensive plan and it worked in the first round upset of the defending champ Bruins. If the Caps are going to pull the upset, they need Brayden Holtby as sharp as he was in the first round. They also need their top guys going (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Green, Carlson), but need their role guys to continue to do their job (Laich, Ward, Knuble, Alzner, Brouwer, Chimera). I think this is going to be a very close series, but I expect the upset to happen
Players to Watch: NYR - Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards, Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider. WSH - Brayden Holtby, Alex Ovechkin, Troy Brouwer, Mike Green, Joel Ward.
Prediction - Much like previous years, the Caps get to the Rangers heads and beat them in a 7-game series
(CAPITALS in 7)
5. Philadelphia vs 6. New Jersey - The Devils head into this series fresh off a thrilling double-OT in game 7 last night, as rookie Adam Henrique sent them past the Panthers. The Flyers head into this series off a few days rest, as they handled the Penguins in 6 games and have been done since Saturday. For the Devils to win this series they need Martin Brodeur on the top of his game, as the Devils aren't the strongest on D and the Flyers are loaded upfront. However, the Devils also have a strong core upfront lead by the first line trio of Ilya Kovalchuk-Zach Parise-Travis Zajac, as well as others like Elias, Zubrus, Clarkson and Sykora. The Flyers have arguably the best offence in the NHL, and it showed last round. Lead by the first line trio of Claude Giroux-Scott Hartnell-Jaromir Jagr and veterans Danny Briere and Max Talbot, the Flyers look to continue to score goals at the rate they were last round. They need a solid contribution from their secondary scoring, guys like JVR, Read, Schenn, Simmonds, Voracek and Couturier. The biggest challenge remaining for the Flyers is goaltending; as they simply look for consistency out of Ilya Bryzgalov. Both teams don't wow you with talent on d, but they have reliable guys that look to shut down each other's forwards. While an upset could happen, the Flyers will march on (en route to the Cup).
Players to Watch: PHI - Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr, Scott Hartnell, James van Riemsdyk. NJD - Marty Brodeur, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Stephen Gionta, David Clarkson
Prediction - While I would love to see Marty win another cup, it is the Flyers year
(FLYERS in 6)
This would make the Eastern Conference Final #5 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Washington, with one of these teams getting a shot at Lord
Stanley.
In round one, I was 6/8 as I predicted New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Nashville but I was wrong about Chicago and Boston winning. My (early) cup prediction is St. Louis vs. Philadelphia
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News (PLAYOFF EDITION)
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