(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Detroit Red Wings
On paper, it looks like a sweep for the Lightning. Tampa Bay is coming off a great season and, unlike last year, will have a healthy Ben Bishop to help guide them through the playoffs. Detroit, on the other hand, didn't clinch until late in the season and currently have goaltending questions (Mrazek looks to be the starter heading into the series). Both teams did finish top-5 in CorsiFor% (Detroit with 53.5%, Tampa Bay at 53.0%). Detroit, to their credit, does have plenty of playoff experience with Datsyuk and Zetterberg leading the way. The way the season has gone though, a Stamkos-led forward crop and a blueline anchored by Hedman is nothing to bet against. Tampa Bay in five.
(M1) New York Rangers vs. (W2) Pittsburgh Penguins
The Rangers should have this series. The Penguins limped into the playoffs and are missing two key defensemen (Letang and Maatta). They also lack bottom-six forward depth, making Crosby and Malkin more relied on. Finally, it is the playoffs, which means Fleury probably will become undependable once again. The Rangers, for there part, have gained steam as the season rode on, and continued to ride even when Lundqvist went down and relatively unknown Cam Talbot stepped in between the pipes. Unless Pittsburgh can put up numbers, it's unlikely they will do much to hinder New York. New York in five.
(C1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W1) Minnesota Wild
While the Blues are arguably better up front and on the back end, this series will come down to goaltending. For St. Louis, they will give the tandem of Jake Allen (announced starter) and Brian Elliot a shot to lead them after last year's Ryan Miller experiment. For Minnesota, the career-resurrection of Devan Dubnyk lead them into the playoffs, and may lead them on a nice run. Both teams managed to finish the year with over-50 CF% (Blues at 51.7%, Wild at 51.0%). The advantages favour the Blues, but a short series seems unlikely. Either Minnesota makes this a long series or St. Louis makes it hard on themselves to advance. St. Louis in six.
(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (W2) Winnipeg Jets
This has the potential to be a heavy series. Anaheim has been one of the top teams in the league throughout the year (albeit in a weaker division) and has a knack for winning close games (33 wins were by one goal). Winnipeg looks forward to watching the Jets 2.0 in the playoffs for the first time, and the MTS Centre won't be a friendly environment for the opposition. The Ducks do have an advantage on both sides of the ice, but Winnipeg is a resilient team and did finish the year with a higher CF% (52.5% compared to 51.2% for the Ducks). Just like other series, whose between the pipes may make a significant difference. For the Ducks, Frederik Andersen has been steady for them all year. The Jets are a different story. Ondrej Pavelec went from being barely replacement level for a couple years to having a career highs in GAA (2.28) and SV% (0.920). If that Pavelec shows up for the playoffs, then this series gets real interesting. Anaheim is the more playoff-experienced team, and that's what may end up helping them get through this series. Either way, this series won't be a pleasant one for both teams. Anaheim in six.
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