UNIONDALE, NY – APRIL 02: Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders is congratulated by teammates after is first NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on April 2, 2013 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Jets 5-2. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to start tonight. Although tonight will only hold games from the Western Conference, I will be giving you all my Eastern Conference predictions for the first round. The Eastern Conference has games scheduled for tomorrow; the full schedule can be found here.

I will start with the match up between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. This is an original six match ups, and hockey purists are likely to be salivating heavily over this series. The Maple Leafs have not been to the playoffs since 2004, so the city of Toronto must be buzzing with playoff excitement. The Bruins have won a Stanley Cup in recent years, beating the Vancouver Canucks in 7 games to conclude the 2010-2011 season. It is pretty easy to say that Tuukka Rask has greatly exceeded expectations this season in replacement of Tim Thomas. The same may also be true for Maple Leafs’ goaltender James Reimer. Rask was a backup for Thomas last season. It was apparent that Rask held a lot of upside, but he had never played as the number one goalie. His success this year has been key to the Bruins. Reimer has bounced back form a sub-par season this year, arguably carrying the Leafs to the playoffs. This game will feature a battle of two goalies, but I feel that the extra defensive muscle of Boston will propel the Bruins to a series win in 6 games against the Maple Leafs.

The next match up on the bracket features the New York Rangers facing the Washington Capitals. The Capitals have had a history of making the playoffs and severely underachieving. However, to the dismay of some Lightning fans, I think the Capitals are more of a serious threat this season than the team has ever been. The Rangers will be no pushover for the Caps however, especially with Henrik Lundqvist in net. The biggest key for the Capitals will not be Alex Ovechkin and his scoring; instead, it all lies within Braden Holtby. A pattern has already begun in this article: goaltending will be the key. Goaltending will both make and break my predictions. However, because Lundqvist is so consistent, the key for the Rangers will be providing the net minder with enough goal support. If this series turns into an offensive shootout, the Capitals will win easily. The Rangers will only win if they can keep up with the offense of Washington. My prediction: Capitals win in 5 games.

If a rivalry is not already in place, it will probably be cemented after the series between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. And guess what the theme of this matchup will most likely be: goaltending. Carey Price is a proven all-star, but does not have a vast amount of playoff experience. Craig Anderson will likely be in net for the Senators, and he has shown that he can single-handedly steal games from opposing teams. With the high-flying offense of the Canadiens and the sometimes spotty defense of the Senators, Anderson may have to steal one, maybe two games from Montreal for his club to win the series. Even with Erik Karlsson returning from his nasty achilles laceration, I think the Canadiens will best the Senators. Montreal wins this one in 6 games.

The final series, and in my opinion, the most interesting one, will see the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the New York Islanders. The Islanders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and a big reason is, of course, is the performance of Evgeni Nabokov. Like Anderson, Nabokov has the ability to rob teams of a win. However, Nabokov is a player that has been questioned in the past because of sub-par playoff performances with the San Jose Sharks. It is no secret that the Penguins will have Marc-Andre Fleury in net; the biggest question will be team defense. After that crazy first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers last season, many were left questioning not only the strength of the Penguins’ defense, but also the team’s mental strength. The Penguins allowed about 2.7 goals per game last year while this season they have improved slightly to 2.4 goals per game. This number is a solid one, but the Penguins have proven in the past 3 seasons that regular season dominance does not equate playoff dominance. The Islanders success is not only credited to better goaltending, but also more solid play from all-star John Tavares. The offensive numbers are there as expected, but Tavares has played better defensively this season as well, despite his -2 rating. The Islanders will need a solid, consistent team defensive theme to slow down the Penguins. If the Islanders can keep the Penguins from running up the score, they will have the chance to win every game. The final verdict: Islanders in 7.

Commend me or flame me for my predictions on Twitter: @Gabriel0430

March 4, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Eaton (4) handles the puck under pressure from Tampa Bay Lightning center Alex Killorn (17) during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The battle for the Southeast Division is as volatile as ever. The Lightning have gone 3-2-1 since Head Coach Jon Cooper has taken his place behind the Lightning bench. Amassing 7 points in that span, the Lightning have moved into 3^rd in the Division, and 13^th in the Eastern Conference. This may sound like a long way away from the playoffs; however, it should be noted that there are no more than 2 points separating each team from the bottom of the Conference, the Florida Panthers, all the way up to the 6^th place Ottawa Senators.

To make a long story short, there is still a lot of hockey to be played, and nothing has yet been made impossible.

What to Expect from the Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins sit atop the Eastern Conference with their 30-10-0 season, and have recently clinched their spot atop the Atlantic Division.

The Penguins came with 2 games of breaking the NHL-record 17 game winning streak set by them nearly 20 years ago. Unfortunately for them, they would come to drop 2 straight games following their streak. They’ve since rebounded with a 2 game win streak, one against the New York Rangers on the 5^th and the other against the Carolina Hurricanes on the 9^th.

Kris Letang will play tonight against the Lightning. Letang has been sidelined since March 26^th with a broken toe during a meeting with the Montreal Canadiens. In the 28 games he has skated this season, he has 3 goals and 25 assists for a total of 28 points.

However, the Penguins will be skating tonight without their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby has been sidelined with a broken jaw when he was struck in the face by a deflected puck on March 30^th during their meeting with the New York Islanders.

As you can see from the video, this was quite a shot the captain took. There is no current timetable for his return.

However, a Penguin we should keep our eyes on tonight is Chris Kunitz. Shy of Sidney Crosby, Kunitz is the highest points scorer on the team, with 20 goals and 26 assists for a total of 46 points.

Tonight in net will be Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun has a 10-4-0 record so far this season along with a 2.54 Goals Allowed average and a .915 Save Percentage.

What to Expect From the Lightning:

Lightning Captain Vincent Lecavalier has been on quite a hot streak lately. Lecavalier has scored 5 points, 2 goals and 3 assists, in his last 3 games. The captain has a total of 9 goals and 18 assists for a total of 27 points so far this season.

Another Lightning vet on a hot streak is Martin St. Louis. St. Louis is currently on a two game point streak with his assist on Lecavalier’s goal in the first period against Washington, and assists on the Lecavalier goal in the second, and Steven Stamkos’ Power Play Goal in the 3^rd (the game winner) against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Speaking of Steven Stamkos, the goal he posted in the 3^rd period of Tuesday’s game brought him back to the forefront of the NHL’s League Leading Goal Scorer’s. He is currently tied with the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin for that top spot with 26.

Both Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are amongst the top three teams in the NHL in Goals Scored; Pittsburgh with 129 and Tampa Bay with 123.

In the net for the Lightning tonight will be Ben Bishop. So far this season, between his time in Ottawa and here in Tampa, he is currently 10-7-0. The 6’7, Denver, Colorado native we have all come to know as Big Ben currently has a Goals Allowed Average of 2.35 and a Save Percentage of .928.

So Far This Season:

This is the third and final meeting between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. The Lightning have fallen to the Penguins in both of the first two encounters, the first on February 24^th, and the second on March 4^th, both in Pittsburgh. This is the one and only encounter to be played at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. You can bet that the Lightning will be looking to end this losing streak against the Penguins and come up with the all-too-important two points tonight.

My Take on the Matter:

It may seem like the Lightning are down, but I assure you that they are not out. As of this moment, the Tampa Bay Lightning are only of the coveted 8^th and final spot in the playoffs, currently being held by former Lightning center Brad Richards and the New York Rangers.

The Lightning have a tough road ahead of them. After tonight’s meeting with the Pens, they head on the road to face the Southeast Division leading Washington Capitals. Then, they head to New York to face the Buffalo Sabres. From there, it is off to Canada to face another divisional rival, the Winnipeg Jets.

Slowly, but surely, our key players are returning from injury. Most recently, we got back the Captain, Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone, both of which have been key players in the Lightning’s current upswing. We may possibly see Victor Hedman back on the ice as early as this weekend.

If I know my Lightning, and I assure you I do, there is still plenty of fight left in them. The Bolts will not stop fighting until that final buzzer sounds, and the lights go down on the final night of the season. I am sure that each and every one of the players know what this game means to them, their city, and most importantly, their Thunder; you, the Bolts Nation.

The Lightning are going to need every single point their can get their hands on if they hope to keep the playoff hope alive.

So here is what we, the Bolts Nation, need to do. We need to march down to the Tampa Bay Times Forum with our faces painted and our Jerseys on, scream at the top of our lungs, and show those flightless birds that we are NOT ready to back down, and that we are ready for them tonight. We need to hold or heads high, hold the line, and most importantly… Be The Thunder.

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