2015 NHL Playoffs: First Round Preview

With the 2015 NHL Playoffs only a day away, I took a look at the first round matchups set to play. With a hectic ending to the regular season, this battle for Lord Stanley's Cup looks to be a good one.

Starting with the East.

New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The defending Eastern Conference Champions, and current President’s Trophy owners, faceoff against a team that stumbled into the playoffs in dramatic fashion. In the Penguins, you have a team seemingly struggling night-in and night-out to compete, many times against non-playoff opponents. The Rangers have had the Penguins number all year. The only exception being a wild contest in which the Penguins won in a shootout after players had already retired to the locker rooms to find out that a “double-hit” by the Rangers was called back and they had to come back out to resume. This series also features a revenge matchup for the Penguins after losing to the Rangers in last year’s Eastern Conference finals. Many believe the Rangers to be this years Cup favorites, holding 6/1 odds. They also have back a stud goaltender in the always tough, Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist missed a good portion of time this year with an injury but has been back long enough to find his groove. I do believe the Penguins have the potential to be a sleeper upset pick this year given their star-studded roster and experienced goaltender. This potential may never come to fruition, however, with the Pens giving little signs of breaking out of their slump that led them to a 3-5-2 finish. The Rangers toughness and Penguins lack of team discipline led me to my ultimate decision.

My Pick: Rangers in 6

Montreal Canadians vs Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators made one of the greatest and most surprising runs to make the playoffs in recent memory. Going 21-3-3 since February 18th, the Sens pushed teams out of their way left and right. Andrew Hammond was their token of success. The young goaltender started his NHL career out breaking records and leading his team to a shocking playoff berth. This run, however, may have worn down a sizzling team that now faces up against division foe Montreal. The Canadians have been among the most consistent Eastern Conference teams this year. They have gone neck and neck with Tampa Bay for the Atlantic Division title almost since the beginning of the season. Although Hammond is hot, the Canadian tender Carey Price is probably the best goalie in the league. He is a Vezina favorite and much more experienced than Hammond. Although I think Ottawa will be a tough out, the young Senators may have met their match in this north-of-the-border clash.

My Pick: Canadians in 7

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit Red Wings

Another one of the most consistent Eastern Conference teams since the start of the season was the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have a deep group of forwards that are headlined by superstar Steven Stamkos, and budding star Tyler Johnson. Johnson particularly had a break out season finding great chemistry with Nikita Kucherov. Tampa missed out by only 2 points for the Atlantic Division title. They have the potential to put a Detroit team, that has been a subpar version of its usual top tier self, away quickly. Detroit will start the series with a young and minimal experienced Petr Mrazek in net. Mrazek has had great runs of success this season but has never lead a team in the sometimes torturous Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Red Wings do however possess some seasoned veteran forwards and defenseman, including players that have been to multiple cups and have even raised it before. Tampa Bay may just have too much scoring depth to be stopped by the Wings. I believe offense will win it for the Lightning in Mrazek’s first playoff rodeo.

My Pick: Lightning in 5

Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

Two months ago I would have thought the Islanders would have handled the Capitals easily in this divisional matchup. Come the middle of April, and New York seems like a different team than the one who jumped out to a quick Metropolitan Division lead. Like the Penguins, they have struggled in the waning months of the season to limp into the playoffs. Led by the scoring champ runner-up, John Tavares is one man who hasn’t struggled. A nice sidebar story in this series will be Tavares against fellow superstar Alex Ovechkin. Ovie has made for a great story this year. In an unusual year due to a drop league-wide in scoring, the sniper Ovechkin put up 53 goals, 10 more than the next guy. The Russian has never really figured out the Stanley Cup Playoffs, however. Both he and Tavares have a lot to prove to boost their playoff resumes and it will be interesting to see if one can carry their respective teams to a long run. Both have the potential to lead the playoffs in scoring if they can go deep into the long tournament this year. This will be a close series in my opinion, but the winner may not make it any further than that.

My Pick: Capitals in 7

Next, the West.

Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets

The Anaheim Ducks are a very deep and experienced group. Quite the opposite of their first round foe in the Winnipeg Jets. The playoffs are new territory for the young, physical Jets. This series has the potential to be one of the most rough and tough of the first round. Not many people are giving Winnipeg a fighting chance against the Ducks but its a good bet that if nothing else, Anaheim escapes the series physically exhausted. The duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Cory Perry make Anaheim click. Although they haven’t had as stable of goaltending as they’ve had in years past, they seem to be deep enough everywhere else to move on. The defense of the Ducks stands out as one of the best cores in the league. They seemingly have it all. (Youth, Experience, Grit, Speed, Pedigree) The Jets are a good team but still maybe a year or two away from being serious threats for a long playoff run.

My Pick: Ducks in 6

St. Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild

This may be the best matchup of the first round. In St. Louis, you have a top tier team with depth and a great defense and a defensive style that has given them a lot of success. In Minnesota, you get a team that struggled early on, only to surge to a playoff berth mainly due to a fresh face in net. Devan Dubnyk has been sensational for the Wild since coming over in a trade midway through the season, at a time when Minnesota was desperately searching for a savior in goal. He stringed together 38 starts in a row, an unheard of stretch for a goaltender in this day-in-age. Meanwhile, the blues have decided on the young Jake Allen to start their playoff run. He will surely be looking over his shoulder at their 1B starter, Brian Elliot. Both goalies have almost identical numbers this year in a near split of the Blues games this season. This one could honestly go either way. I like the Blues a lot this year if they make it past round one, however, this is a tough series to bet on.

My Pick: Blues in 7

Nashville Predators vs Chicago Blackhawks

Tough injuries and a mediocre record have allowed some to forget about the always playoff strong Blackhawks. Led by their proven captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks are a scary opponent for any team, let alone in the first round. This is a team that has recently won multiple Cups. They also will get back their leading point producer in Patrick Kane for game 1. He’s been out since February 24th and will bring another dynamic to a team that already would have been intimidating. The Predators have been steady all year, however, and can definitely stick with the Hawks for a series. Another close matchup, the Hawks may just have a little more than a Nashville team that does include a superb goaltender in Pekka Rinne, and a legit sniper in James Neal. This one could be a defensive duel. Whichever team’s offensive weapons solve the other team’s defensive system will yield a victor.

My Pick: Blackhawks in 7

Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are the new flavor and the Vancouver Canucks are the old flavor. These two canadian rivals will battle for western Canada bragging rights. The Flames are very young and inexperienced in the playoffs. They have a solid defense and play a good team game, but will need to fight off a more playoff seasoned Vancouver team. Some think the Flames’ push to the postseason worn them out, but this team beat the defending Champions in the Los Angeles Kings to secure their playoff birth. The Flames are also a much quicker team than the Canucks who still have their star twins, the Sedins, leading the way. The Canucks have two great goaltenders in Eddie Lack and Ryan Miller, but the Flames themselves have a guy they like in Jonas Hiller. The Flames also may get their captain, Mark Giordano, back in the coming rounds should they advance. His loss during the regular season was a huge blow but their resilience to stick in a playoff spot goes to show that they may be for real. The Flames block a lot of shots and the Canucks manage very few shots, a stat I think favors Calgary heavily. This is a classic bout between the young guns of Calgary and the chiseled vets of Vancouver.

My Pick: Flames in 6

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