THE CONFERENCE FINALS ARE UPON US! Two of these four teams
will meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. And then one of them will win the Stanley
Cup. That’s how this stuff works. LET’S GO!
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Goaltending: Ben Bishop remains the best goalie remaining.
Matt Murray remains the best goaltending story of the playoffs. SOMETHING MUST
GIVE! The Lightning have a huge advantage here. Bishop might turn in a dud
performance, he’s extremely prone to them despite his great track record, but
you know he’s going to bounce back strong every single time. Murray is still a
mystery. He’s played well above his head in the first two rounds, but now he’s
up against the defending Eastern Conference Champions and a team that is
rolling. Murray could continue to surprise everyone with his great play, but
the smart money is on Bishop.
Best Player: Victor Hedman. Is Hedman better than Evgeni
Malkin or Sidney Crosby? No, but he’s far more important to the Lightning’s
success. The Pens knocked out the best team in the league with no notable
contributions from Malkin and Crosby, so they’ve proven they can win without
them playing great. The Lightning can’t afford to have a bad series from
Hedman. Not only does that mean Crosby and Malkin are probably scoring a lot,
it also means that Hedman isn’t chipping in offensively.
Other Factors: Experience is a wash. The Lightning were here
last year and the Pens core has their name etched. Will Steven Stamkos and/or
Anton Stralman return this series? And if they do, how effective will they be? The
Penguins have been the best team in the league since January, but the Lightning
are hitting their stride at the right time.
Prediction: The Lightning are playing great, but let’s be
honest, they’d had an easy path to the conference finals. The Red Wings were an
old and mediocre team while the Islanders were an inexperienced team.
Meanwhile, the Penguins had to go through two of the top four teams in the east
(these two are the other two, in case you’re lost). Injuries finally catch-up
to Tampa Bay and Murray continues to be the story of the playoffs.
Pick: Penguins in Six.
St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks
Goaltending: Brian Elliott and Martin Jones aren’t household
names. And I doubt they ever will be due to their generic nature. But both
goalies have played well in the playoffs. There are more holes in Elliott’s
game, but Jones isn’t perfect.
Best Player: There are a ton of great players in this series
and I can’t say any one is jumping out at me. My gut tells me Joe Pavelski is
the best player on either team and if he has a huge series then the Blues are
in trouble. Along with Pavelski, the Sharks have Logan Couture, Joe Thornton,
and Brent Burns. However, the Blues have guys like Vladimir Tarasenko,
Alexander Steen, and Paul Stastny, all of whom are more than capable scorers. This
could come down to depth and not stars.
Other Factors: The Sharks were the best road team in the
league during the regular season and have become the best home team in the
playoffs. That’s a big deal. The Blues play a more physical style, which can be
wearing in a seven game series, but the Kings tried that against the Sharks and
failed because you can’t hit what you can’t catch. Also, the Blues take some
penalties with all their hitting and the Sharks power play is deadly.
Prediction: Both teams have a history of choking in the
playoffs, so something has to give in this series. The loser won’t be
considered a choker (unless they blow a lead in every game and blow a series
lead, which is totally possible), but one team will definitely exercise some
demons of playoff past. I like the way the Sharks are playing right now and
think the Blues might be drained after two seven-game series and a hard-hitting
style.
Pick: Sharks in Seven.
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