By: Mike Rifkin
The most incredible playoffs in all of sports are upon us. Here is a preview of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Eastern Conference
ATLANTIC DIVISION : (1) BRUINS VS (WC2) PANTHERS: The Bruins had a historic regular season, having the most wins and points in a regular season. The Panthers did defeat the Bruins twice during the season. The biggest question for the Panthers is what should they do in goal. Should they roll with the hot hand in goal with Alex Lyon, who played well down the stretch, or do they go to Sergei Bobrovsky? Lyon defeated the Bruins in January, while Bobrovsky lost to Boston in October in their only start against them in the regular season. Aleksander Barkov had two goals and four assists against the Bruins. Linus Ullmark was 2-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a .925 save percentage against the Panthers. David Pastrnak had four goals in four games against the Panthers.
Prediction: Bruins in five
(2) Maple Leafs vs. (3) Lightning: This is a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup that saw the Lightning win in seven games. The Lightning are looking to get to their fourth consecutive Cup Final, while the Leafs are looking to win their first series since 2004. The Leafs won two of three meetings during this regular season. William Nylander had three goals and three assists during the regular season meetings. Ilya Samsonov, the presumed starting goalie for the Leafs, did not play against the Lightning in the regular season. Andrei Vasilevskiy went 1-2 with a 3.06 GAA and .911 save percentage against the Leafs in the regular season. In 104 playoff games, Vasilevskiy is 63-38 with a 2.30 GAA and a .923 save percentage. The trio of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos combined for a goal and five assists against the Leafs during the season.
Prediction: Lighting in seven
Metropolitan
- Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Islanders: The Hurricanes took three of four meetings against the Islanders during the regular season. Brock Nelson had three goals in the four meetings. Sebastian Aho had three goals in the season series. Frederik Andersen was 2-1 with a 2.67 GAA and a .905 save percentage. The Hurricanes will be without Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov, who are injured. Ilya Sorokin, who should be a Vezina finalist, was 1-3 against the Hurricanes with a 2.79 GAA and .911 save percentage.
Prediction: Islanders in seven
(2) Devils vs. (3) Rangers: The Devils won three meetings during the regular season. Jack Hughes had four goals and six points in the four games. In four meetings, Nico Hischier had four points (1g, 3a). Vitek Vanecek went 3-0-1 with a 2.70 GAA and a .908 save percentage. The Devils did add Ondrej Palat during the offseason. In 138 playoff games, Palat has 48 goals and 94 points. Igor Shesterkin was 1-2-1 with a 3.23 GAA and a .907 save percentage against the Devils. Last year in the playoffs, Shesterkin had a 2.61 GAA and a .928 save percentage. Chris Kreider has 34 career goals in the playoffs. Kreider also had three goals in four meetings against the Devils this season. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and three assists in the four meetings.
Prediction: Rangers in seven
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