NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs is in the books. To read my recap, wait until tomorrow. The NHL decided to do that stupid thing where they start the next round in a conference even though the first round in another conference isn’t over, which is stupid. The NBA does it all the time and I guess the NHL figures that if it works for the NBA, it can work for them as well. This is stupid thinking, but the NHL isn’t exactly run by geniuses.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders

Goaltending: Ben Bishop is the best goalie left in the playoffs. There’s no goalie left in the west with an impressive track record, Marc-Andre Fleury has a ring but is currently injured, and Braden Holtby had a great regular season but doesn’t have the playoff success of Bishop, who was in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Thomas Greiss was much better than expected in the first round, including his momentum changing penalty shot save in overtime in Game 4, but Bishop’s track record, including his brilliance in the first round, speaks for itself.

 

Best Player: Steven Stamkos is skating, but his status for the series remains questionable. Even if he were healthy, I’d still be tempted to give the nod to John Tavares. Tavares proved in the first round that he can takeover games with his scoring ability. I like Victor Hedman and the Lightning defense, but they’re going to be hard pressed to stop Tavares and his line.

Other Factors: Always be afraid of the team that has overtime momentum. The Islanders won three of their four games in OT against Florida and feel very comfortable playing in the extra frames. A lot of teams get tight in OT, leading to mistakes, the Islanders should be very relaxed. The Lightning need to get more from their secondary scoring.

Prediction: I’m buying in to this Islanders team. I think Bishop will play great, but the Islanders will shut down Tampa’s top line and ride Tavares into the conference finals. I really hope my fiancé doesn’t read this. Islanders in six.

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Goaltending: Marc-Andre Fleury may or may not return for this series. If he doesn’t, the Penguins will have to rely on Matt Murray, who played fine in round one, but benefitted from Henrik Lundqvist shitting the bed. Braden Holtby was outstanding in round one and has been outstanding all year. The Capitals hold a big edge here.

Best Player: Sidney Crosby. Alex Ovechkin. Take your pick. Both teams have superstars on top of superstars. Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov flank Ovi while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel flank Crosby. Maybe both teams will agree to just play 3-on-3 with those three the entire series and we can have some awesome 50-49 games.

Other Factors: Washington in the Ovechkin era has never made it out of the second round. The joke is “you can’t spell Ovechkin without Choke.” This is the best team he’s ever had and he’s matched up against his biggest rival and the best player in the last decade on an equally stacked team. This Pens core has a Cup and went through a lot of adversity this season.

Prediction: There’s only been one playoff battle between these two teams and it was awesome. I expect this series to be the same. The Capitals have to get to Murray early and often. If they can, I think they can ride that momentum. If they can’t, the doubt will creep in. Capitals in seven.