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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Bolts By The Bay Staff Predictions – Round 1

By Dan Herrejon

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Apr 9, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) shoots the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

By Tasha St. Pierre

The 2014-15 National Hockey League season has come to a close, and the only thing left now is the battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup. There are a lot of hot matchups on the schedule over the next couple of weeks, and the only thing that could serve as a bit of a downer is the ability to find time to watch them all.

Eastern Conference:

Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators

One of the hottest matchups on the schedule is the one between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. This game is going to come down to a battle of the goaltenders. There is no denying that Carey Price has been one of the hottest netminders in the league this season, but “The Hamburglar” Andrew Hammond has been on fire as of late. When these two titans of the net come together, it is going to be one heck of a battle.

The Canadiens may have seen success against a battered Tampa Bay Lightning team in the first round of the playoffs last season, but they won’t have such an easy journey this time around.

Tasha’s Prediction: Ultimately, when it is all said and done, I believe that the Montreal Canadiens will take his series in 6 games.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

Speaking of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the series between the Bolts and the Detroit Red Wings is going to be another one to watch. The Tampa Bay Lightning took the season series this year, dropping only one of four games to the Red Wings. This doesn’t mean that the Lightning are going to have an easy journey ahead of them, it simply means that we know for a fact that we have all the tools we need in order to get the job done.

One of the big differences between this season and last season is that we have a healthy Ben Bishop between the pipes this time around. While the entire future of a team definitely does not sit on the shoulders of one particular player, missing a player like Bishop is most definitely a detriment to any team, no matter how good.

Having home ice advantage is a very powerful thing; especially when you have dedicated fans like those of the Tampa Bay Lightning. True Lightning fans bleed blue and would do anything to see their Boys in Blue succeed, even if it does entail screaming and cheering until they lose their voices.

When it comes to the matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings, I am confident that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the team advancing to the next round.

Tasha’s Prediction: If anything, I suspect that this series will make it to 5 games before the Lightning are ready to move on.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

After taking a look at the matchup between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is plain to see that this is going to be pretty cut and dry; especially if the Penguins’s heavy hitters like Crosby and Malkin can’t seem to get things moving. The man who was once leading the NHL in points has only been able to muster four points – 2 goals and 2 assists – “ in the Penguin’s last five games. Crosby’s partner-in-crime Evgeni Malkin has found himself scoreless in the same stretch of games.

The blame for the Penguin’s recent stretch of bad luck cannot sit squarely on the shoulders of the offense. It is plain to see that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t been playing up to Fleury level as of late, and if he can’t seem to find his groove after dropping 4 of the last five games then the Pens are going to be in real trouble
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On the other hand, you have the President’s Trophy winners, the New York Rangers. Left wing Rick Nash and center Derick Brassard have been lighting it up all season long. Nash leads the team in goals with 42 while Brassard leads the team in assists with 41.

While Fleury has dropped four of his last five games, Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist has won four of his last five. If it comes down to the man between the pipes, we’re not sure that Pittsburgh has it in them.

Tasha’s Prediction: At the end of the day, I am predicting that the New York Rangers will defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders

The one matchup that is incredibly difficult to call is the matchup between the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders. Both teams finished off the season with 101 points, putting them in the fourth and fifth place positions in the Eastern Conference. Just in case that didn’t make the decision complicated enough, these two teams also split their season series against each other right down the middle.

The Capitals and the Islanders both has at least one star that stands out among the rest; Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Islanders captain John Tavares. Remember what we said about being matched right down the middle? Well….Ovechkin finished off the season with 81 points while Tavares ended with 86.

The main difference maker between the two of them is that Ovechkin’s numbers are mainly in goals. Ovechkin leads the National Hockey League in goals, winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy this season. As much as people have to say about Ovechkin’s tactics, there is no denying that he can score.

This game is not going to be a cake walk by any means, and I think if any game in the Eastern Conference is going to go the distance in the 1st Round, it is going to be this one.

Tasha’s Prediction: This is a very tough call to make, but I am going to have to give this one to the Washington Capitals in 7 games.

Western Conference:

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild

Making our way to the Western Conference, we take a look at the matchup between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild. This is going to be a, for lack of a better word, wild series between these two teams.

The St. Louis Blues have some incredibly skilled players at their disposal. Players like Vladimir Tarasenko lead the way for the Blues. Tarasenko led the Blues this season with 37 goals and 36 assists for a total of 73 points. Right behind Tarasenko is left wing Alexander Steen with 24 goals and 40 assists.

There is most certainly no lack of scoring on the Blues side, but they do have one rather large obstacle they’ll have to overcome if they want to make it through to the next round. That obstacle would be Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubynk.

Since being traded to the Minnesota Wild back in January, Dubnyk has put up some spectacular numbers. Dubnyk holds a record of 27-9-2 in his time with the Wild along with a Goals Allowed Average of just 1.78 and a Save Percentage of .936. Dubnyk also has 5 shutouts to his name.

Tasha’s Prediction: While the Blues may have the scoring power, that is all for naught if they can’t find their way past someone like Devan Dubnyk. It is because of this that I have to give this one to the Minnesota Wild in 5 games.

Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Now, we take a look at the Chicago Blackhawks who will be taking on the Nashville Predators. This is going to be another one of those series that you won’t want to take your eyes off of. The Chicago Blackhawks are a very physical team with tons of control on the ice. They also have something in their arsenal that is incredibly hard to combat against; right wing Patrick Kane.

Despite missing the last month and a half of the season due to a broken collarbone, he still managed to find himself in second place on the Blackhawks in points with 27 goals and 37 assists for a total of 64 points. The question I pose to you is, can you imagine how high his point total would be had he not been injured?

At the same time, the Nashville Predators have something to their advantage as well. They have a goaltender by the name of Pekka Rinne. There is one thing about Rinne that will either play to the Predator’s advantage or their detriment. When Rinne is on his game, there is no stopping the 32 year old netminder; however, if Rinne has an off day, the rest of the team seems to follow suit. This is something that simply cannot happen in a playoff situation.

Once you find yourself at the end of the line, the slightest mistake can make the difference between holding Lord Stanley’s Cup or jetting off to the golf course. We all know that while most hockey players do enjoy a round of golf from time to time, the ice is where they truly long to be.

Tasha’s Prediction: This is an incredibly hard decision, but I have to give this one to the Chicago Blackhawks in 6.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets

Let us now take a look at the matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and the Winnipeg Jets. Unlike the matchups that have come before this one, we think that this encounter is a little lopsided. During the regular season, the Anaheim Ducks had the number of the Winnipeg Jets, successfully completing the season sweep of the Jets; however, in the Jet’s defense, two of the three defeats were decided by just a single goal.

While both teams will be starting the post season on a high note, winning their final game of the regular season, the Jets had a bit of a better run in the final weeks of the season. The Jets won 4 of their last five, while the Ducks won two of their last four.

There is no denying that this is going to be an uphill battle for the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks led the Western Conference with 109 points, holding the tiebreaker over the St. Louis Blues who also had 109 points. If you compare the top scorers on each team, you come up with a battle of the captains; Jets left wing Andrew Ladd and Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf.

Getzlaf takes the lead with 25 goals and 45 assists for a total of 70 points in 77 games. At the same time, Ladd has 24 goals and 38 assists for a total of 62 points in 81 games.

Tasha’s Prediction: Based solely on the numbers, we’d have to give this one to the Anaheim Ducks in 5 games.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames

Last, but certainly not least, we take a look at the Western Conference matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames. This is going to be a fun matchup to watch. Both teams have solid goaltenders guarding the pipes and both teams have offensive firepower that can give their respective opponent’s goaltenders a run for their money. This one may very well come down to sheer will.

Offensively, the Canucks have their pairing of the Sedin twins. Combined, the brothers have a total of 149 points this season; Daniel Sedin leading the way with 20 goals and 56 assists for a total 76 points. Right behind him is his brother Henrik with 18 goals and 55 assists for a total of 73 points.

On the other side of the ice, the Flames have center Jiri Hudler. Hudler has been amazing this season; especially in the final weeks of the season. Hudler has 31 goals and 45 assists for a total of 76 points in 78 games. In Hudler’s last five games of the season, he came up with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points.
Aside from the offensive side of things, both teams have solid netminders that are more than capable of defending the pipes. The Canucks have an incredibly talented Eddie Lack, who has really stepped up and taken charge since Ryan Miller went down to injury this season.

On the other side of the ice, you have the veteran Jonas Hiller. Hiller has plenty of playoff experience, having seen post season play three times with his former team, the Anaheim Ducks. As we mentioned before, there is a good possibility that with the amount of talent on both sides of the ice that this one is going to come down to a battle of sheer will.

Tasha’s Prediction: If a decision has to be made, which it does, we would give this one to the Calgary Flames in 6 games.

Next: Who Did Kyle Choose to Make It Through Round 1?

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