Stanley Cup Playoffs : Eastern Conference 1st Round Previews
The best time of the year starts Tuesday night! Here's a quick look at the "other conference.' Western Conference will post later tonight. Complete look at Wild is coming tomorrow.
Pittsburgh Penguins (1) vs New York Islanders (8)
Season Series: Penguins 4-1-0
| Jan. 29 -- Islanders 4-1 at Pittsburgh | |||
| Feb. 05 -- Penguins 4-2 at Islanders | |||
| Mar. 10 -- Penguins 6-1 at Pittsburgh | |||
| Mar. 22 -- Penguins 4-2 at Islanders | |||
| Mar. 30 - Penguins 2-0 at Pittsburgh |
Series Schedule
| Weds 5/1/13 | 6:30 P.M. | NYI @ PIT |
| Fri 5/3/13 | 6 P.M. | NYI @ PIT |
| Sun 5/5/13 | 11 A.M. | PIT @ NYI |
| Tues 5/7/13 | 6 P.M. | PIT @ NYI |
| *Thurs 5/9/13 | 6 P.M. | NYI @ PIT |
| *Sat 5/11/13 | TBD | PIT @ NYI |
| *Sun 5/12/13 | TBD | NYI @ PIT |
Pittsburgh Penguins
SB Nation blog : Pensburgh
Regular Season Record : 36-12-0 • 72 Pts.
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Sidney Crosby | 36 | 15 | 41 | 56 | 26 |
| Chris Kunitz | 48 | 22 | 30 | 52 | 30 |
| Pascal Dupuis | 48 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 31 |
| Kris Letang | 35 | 5 | 33 | 38 | 16 |
| James Neal | 40 | 21 | 15 | 36 | 5 |
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury 23-8-0, .916 save %, 2.39 GAA, 1 SO
Ex-Blackhawks factor
New York Islanders
SB Nation blog : Lighthouse Hockey
Regular Season Record: 24-17-7 • 55 Pts.
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| John Tavares | 48 | 28 | 19 | 47 | -2 |
| Matt Moulson | 47 | 15 | 29 | 44 | -3 |
| Brad Boyes | 48 | 10 | 25 | 35 | -6 |
| Frans Nielsen | 48 | 6 | 23 | 29 | -3 |
| Mark Streit | 48 | 6 | 21 | 27 | -14 |
Goaltender:
Evgeni Nabokov 23-11-7, .910 save %, 2.50 GAA, 3 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor:
None (unless you want to include Marty Reasoner)
Storyline/Prediction
The Penguins are the far superior team in this series, outscoring the Isles 17-9 in their 5 regular season games. These two division rivals do not like each other which should make this series a bit more interesting to watch. The Islanders are a great story for making the playoffs when nobody expecting anything from them this season. They have some exciting young players, who are coming into their own, like John Tavares and Matt Moulson. I would love to see the Isles pull of the huge upset in this series but I just don't see it happening. With Sidney Crosby cleared to practice, and possibly in the lineup for Game 1, the best team in the East just got even better. The Islanders just don't have the talent to make this much of a series. Penguins in 5.
Montreal Canadiens (2) vs Ottawa Senators (7)
Season Series: Tied 2-1-1
| Jan. 30 -- Senators 5-1 at Ottawa | |||
| Feb. 03 -- Canadiens 2-1 at Montreal | |||
| Feb. 25 -- Senators 2-1 at Ottawa (SO) | |||
| Mar 13 -- Canadiens 4-3 at Montreal (SO) |
Series Scehdule
| Thurs 5/2/13 | 6 P.M. | OTT @ MON |
| Fri 5/3/13 | 6 P.M. | OTT @ MON |
| Sun 5/5/13 | 6 P.M. | MON @ OTT |
| Tues 5/7/13 | 6 P.M. | MON @ OTT |
| *Thurs 5/9/13 | 6 P.M. | OTT @ MON |
| *Sat 5/11/13 | TBD | MON @ OTT |
| *Sun 5/12/13 | TBD | OTT @ MON |
Montreal Canadiens
SB Nation Blog: Habs Eyes On The Prize
Regular Season Record : 29-14-5 • 63 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Max Pacioretty | 44 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 8 |
| P.K. Subban | 42 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 12 |
| Tomas Plekanec | 47 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 3 |
| Andrei Markov | 48 | 10 | 20 | 30 | -9 |
| Lars Eller | 46 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 8 |
Goaltender:
Carey Price 21-13-4, .905 save %, 2.59 GAA, 3 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor:
Rene Bourque, Travis Moen, Michael Blunden
Ottawa Senators
SB Nation Blog: Silver Seven
Regular Season Record: 25-17-6 • 56 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Kyle Turris | 48 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 6 |
| Sergei Gonchar | 45 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 4 |
| Daniel Alfredsson | 47 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 1 |
| Mika Zibanejad | 42 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 9 |
| Jakob Silfverberg | 48 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 9 |
Goaltender:
Craig Anderson 24-12-9, .941 save %, 1.69 GAA, 3 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor:
Craig Anderson
Storyline/Prediction
The Habs were handed the Northeast Division crown and the #2 seed that goes with it, due to the bad play of the Boston Bruins down the stretch. This will be the first time the Senators and Canadiens will meet in the post season since Ottawa's return to the NHL. This series will come down to goaltending. Montreal, despite not having a single player with 40 points, was the 4th highest scoring team in the regular season with 3.04 goals per game. The Senators, will all their injuries, rode Park Ridge native Craig Anderson to a playoff berth. Carey Price has not played very well the last couple of weeks of the season, which should have Habs fans a bit nervous. I think Anderson is going to make the difference in this series and sparks the upset. Senators in 7
Washington Capitals (3) vs New York Rangers (6)
Regular Season Series: Rangers 2-0-1
| Feb. 17 -- Rangers 2-1 at New York | |||
| Mar. 10 -- Rangers 4-1 at Washington | |||
| Mar. 24 -- Capitals 3-2 at New York (SO) |
Series Schedule:
| Thurs 5/2/13 | 6:30 P.M. | NYR @ WAS |
| Sat 5/4/13 | 11:30 A.M. | NYR @ WAS |
| Mon 5/6/13 | 6:30 P.M. | WAS @ NYR |
| Weds 5/8/43 | 6:30 P.M. | WAS @ NYR |
| *Fri 5/10/13 | 6:30 P.M. | NYR @ WAS |
| *Sun 5/12/13 | TBD | WAS @ NYR |
| *Mon 5/13/13 | TBD | NYR @ WAS |
Washington Capitals
SB Nation Blog: Jasper's Rink
Regular Season Record: 27-18-3 • 57 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Alex Ovechkin | 48 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 2 |
| Mike Ribeiro | 48 | 13 | 36 | 49 | -4 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 48 | 8 | 40 | 48 | 8 |
| Troy Brouwer | 47 | 19 | 14 | 33 | -5 |
| Mike Green | 35 | 12 | 14 | 26 | -3 |
Goaltender:
Braden Holtby 23-12-1, .920 save %, 2.58 GAA, 4 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor
New York Rangers
SB Nation Blog: Blue Shirt Banter
Regular Season Record: 26-18-4 • 56 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Derek Stepan | 48 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 25 |
| Rick Nash | 44 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 16 |
| Brad Richards | 46 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 8 |
| Ryan Callahan | 45 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 9 |
| Carl Hagelin | 48 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 10 |
Goaltender:
Henrik Lundqvist 24-16-3, .926 save %, 2.05 GAA, 2 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor:
None
Storyline/Prediction
This is a match up between two teams that were on the outside looking just four weeks ago. Both the Caps and the Rangers played extremely well down the stretch and will meet each other for the third time in the last four post seasons. It is no coincidence that the Caps turned their season around when Alex Ovechkin remembered how to play like,well, Alex Ovechkin. The Rangers got a boost at the trade deadline when they shipped Marion Gaborik off to the Blue Jackets for Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard,and John Moore. The addition of Ryan Clowe, from the Sharks, also helped boost the Rangers lineup. This will be a very close series with two teams very familiar with each other. In the end, it is very hard to pick a team with Braden Holtby over a Henrik Lundqvist lead team, Rangers in 7
Boston Bruins (4) vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Regular Season Series: Bruins 3-1-0
| Feb. 02 -- Bruins 1-0 at Toronto | |||
| Mar. 07 -- Bruins 4-2 at Boston | |||
| Mar. 23 -- Leafs 3-2 at Toronto | |||
| Mar. 25 -- Bruins 3-2 at Boston (SO) | |||
Series Schedule:
| Weds 5/1/13 | 6 P.M. | TOR @ BOS |
| Sat 5/3/13 | 6 P.M. | TOR @ BOS |
| Mon 5/5/13 | 6 P.M. | BOS @ TOR |
| Weds 5/8/13 | 6 P.M. | BOS @ TOR |
| *Fri 5/10/13 | 6 P.M. | TOR @ BOS |
| *Sun 5/12/13 | TBD | BOS @ TOR |
| *Mon 5/13/13 | TBD | TOR @ BOS |
Boston Bruins
SB Nation Blog: Stanley Cup of Chowder
Regular Season Record: 28-14-6 • 72 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Brad Marchand | 45 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 23 |
| David Krejci | 47 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 1 |
| Tyler Seguin | 48 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 23 |
| Patrice Bergeron | 42 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 24 |
| Milan Lucic | 46 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 8 |
Goaltender
Tuukka Rask 19-10-5, .929 save %, 2.00 GAA, 5 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor
Toronto Maple Leafs
SB Nation Blog: Pension Plan Puppets
Regular Season Record: 26-17-5 • 55 Pts
Leading Scorers:
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Phil Kessel | 48 | 20 | 32 | 52 | -3 |
| Nazem Kadri | 48 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 15 |
| James van Riemsdyk | 48 | 18 | 14 | 32 | -7 |
| Cody Franson | 45 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 4 |
| Tyler Bozak | 46 | 12 | 16 | 28 | -1 |
Goaltender
James Reimer 19-8-5, .924 save %, 2.46 GAA, 4 SO
Ex-Blackhawks Factor:
None
Storyline/Prediction
There are plenty of angles for the media to eat up on the series. You have an "Original 6" match up, the Leafs return to the post season, and Phil Kessel playing against his former team. Much like the Islanders, the Leafs have been a great story to follow this season. The Bruins, who have struggled a bit of late, is a team built for the playoffs. They have the scoring depth, size, grit and experience which will make them a very tough out this post season. They still have many players who are just two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup. I think this overall edge in experience will put Boston over in this series. Bruins in 6
