Wednesday, May 4, 2016

NHL Playoffs Update: Second Round Edition



The NHL second round is in full swing and these playoffs are still wide open with no team asserting much dominance. Let’s catch-up.

Pittsburgh Penguins leads Washington Capitals 2-1

Recap: The Capitals took Game 1 thanks to T.J. Oshie’s hat trick in overtime, but the Penguins took the thanks two games on the back of rookie goalie Matt Murray, who made 70 saves on 73 shots in those two games.

Momentum: The Capitals probably have some tight-butts right now. They cruised in the regular season, scoring at will and getting great goaltending from Braden Holtby. Now, they’re getting shutdown by a guy no one had heard of before the playoffs and Holtby has been average at best. We all know the knock on the Capitals. This core has never made it out of the second round. All the pressure is on them and they need to win Game 4 if they want to have any hope. Going down 1-3 to a team as good as Pittsburgh, with a core who actually has a Cup, is not ideal and the Caps have never shown the type of resolve to dig themselves out of such a hole.

Outlook: I think the Caps are still the better team. I certainly didn’t see this coming with Murray, but such are the playoffs. The Pens have gotten a lot of help from their secondary scoring in this series, and it’s fair to wonder whether or not that will continue. It’s also fair to wonder if Sidney Crosby will continue to struggle. This series is going seven and I still favor the Caps.


Tampa Bay Lightning leads New York Islanders 2-1

Recap: The winning team in each game has scored 4+ goals. So, score a lot and win.

Momentum: The Lightning have it. They lost Game 1 when Ben Bishop looked human, but that was never going to continue. He bounced back in Game 2, although the defense in front of him certainly tightened up as well. The Islanders had Game 3 won until Tampa Bay scored in the final minute with the goalie pulled and then won OT after a questionable hit by Brian Boyle.

Outlook: The Islanders have to get more from John Tavares and the top line. Tampa’s defense has smothered them and unless they breakout, the Islanders aren’t long for these playoffs.

San Jose Sharks leads Nashville Predators 2-1

Recap: The home team has yet to lose.

Momentum: Even though the Predators won Game 3 and have Game 4 at home, I still give momentum to the Sharks. They were the best road team in the league during the regular season. Things didn’t go well in Game 3, but this team is still in a really good position to win this series.

Outlook: Pekka Rinne finally looked like Pekka Rinne in Game 3 and the Predators defense as a whole looked a lot better. Can they keep scoring 3-4 goals a game? I have my doubts.

St. Louis Blues leads Dallas Stars 2-1

Recap: The Stars somehow won a low scoring Game 1. The Blues scored ten goals in the next two games to take the series lead.

Momentum: All St. Louis. Prior to this series, I said the Stars scoring would slow down and the Blues would grind out games. It turns out, their scoring has slowed down and the Blues have picked it up. The Stars are a mess in goal and defensively.

Outlook: This Blues team is playing with a ton of confidence after defeating the Blackhawks in round one and are an extremely scary team right now. They’re also a bad match-up for Dallas. Unless Tyler Seguin returns and lights a fire under Dallas, they aren’t long for the playoffs.

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