(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (W1) New York Islanders
With Steven Stamkos out, the Lightning have their youth leading the way. Nikita Kucherov leads the team in points, while Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn are averaging at least a point-per-game. Even Johnathan Drouin is thriving after it looked like he would not be in Tampa Bay's future plans. Victor Hedman and co. are still good enough defensively, but they definitely miss Anton Stralman. Ben Bishop has been good in net for the Lightning. For the Islanders, it's been John Tavares, John Tavares, and John Tavares. He leads the playoffs with 11 points, while the next closest teammate is Kyle Okposo with seven. Their defense has been ok, but does need to pick it up for this round. Goaltending has been a question. Jaroslav Halak is still injured, putting Thomas Greiss in the spotlight. Greiss, for his part, played well for the Islanders last round, but will need to be better against the other Florida team. As dominant as Tavares' line can be, the rest of the team had trouble against the Panthers. The Lightning's depth is better than their state rivals, and I can see them causing even more trouble for the Islanders. Tampa Bay in six.
(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins
Yes! Crosby vs. Ovechkin! (and this time it's wanted and not forced down our throats). This is the second time these two have ever met in the playoffs, and funny enough, last time was a second round matchup as well. For the Penguins, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel have also helped the Penguins offensively, while Kris Letang and co. hold up the defensive end. The question will be in goal. Marc-Andre Fleury is still out with a concussion, putting the weight on Matt Murray and Jeff Zatkoff to carry the team in net. Murray will carry the load to start the series, as he comes off a pretty good performance in round one (earning three wins and a shutout). He does have the potential to pull a Dryden and be the rookie netminder who leads his team to victory. The Capitals side is the most loaded it's ever been. Ovi aside, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeni Kuznestov (granted, he didn't have a good series last round) have made a nice one-two punch at centre. Marcus Johansson and T.J. Oshie chip in from the wing. The defense is headlined by John Carlson, who's having a pretty good playoffs so far. Braden Holtby has been a rock in the Capital's net, giving them the goaltending they desperately needed for years. Everything seems to lean Washington's way, but this is still a demon they need to conquer, as they have not been to the third round in the Ovi years. Pittsburgh in seven (although I wouldn't mind Washington advancing either).
(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (C2) St. Louis Blues
This matchup features two polar opposite styles. Dallas is a high-flying attack team, relying on offensive weapons like Benn, Seguin, and Spezza to outscore their opponent. Not like St. Louis though, as they play a more defensive game, headlined by Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk on the blueline and Brian Elliot in net. Looking at the flip-side of each team's coin, the Blues are much better off than the Stars. St. Louis does have weapons on offensive, most notably 40-goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko. For Dallas, their backend has been atrocious. Goaltending is another story, as Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi have split duties, with neither of them playing well enough to claim being number one. The big news of this series though, is who's behind the benches. Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis) and Lindy Ruff (Dallas) square off against each other for the first time since the 1999 Stanley Cup Final. If this series doesn't end on a controversial call then it'll be disappointing. St. Louis in six.
(P3) San Jose Sharks vs. (W1) Nashville Predators
The series of surprises. Granted, San Jose might not be a big one as they are a really good team, but they had to slay a playoff demon to get this far. Nashville stunned Anaheim, taking them to seven games and winning in the do-or-die matchup. San Jose looks like the team they should be, with Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns being the core leading the team while Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau still contribute plenty to the offense. Martin Jones looks like the goalie the team has been missing for a while, as he outdueled his mentor last series. Nashville was a complete surprise, as they took a good Anaheim team to seven games, and winning in the do-or-die game. Their offense isn't as heavy with names (as proven with Colin Wilson leading the team), but guys like Filip Forsberg, James Neal, and Ryan Johansen can pick it up. Shea Weber and Roman Josi highlight a defense that's pretty solid (not as much in previous years, but still good). Pekke Rinne has shown flashes of his old self last round, but will need to be more consistent this time. The Sharks seem like they would be too much for the Predators, but I also thought that of the Ducks too. Still, I'm hopping on the bandwagon. San Jose in six.
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