It's the time of year that every hockey fan loves as after 82 hard-hitting NHL regular-season games, the NHL schedule has wound down and 16 teams will now vie for one of the richest prizes in sports: The Stanley Cup. After a memorable season, it has all boiled down to these two months where some familiar teams get back into the playoff mix while some others end postseason droughts.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions: Eastern Conference Atlantic Division bracket
It is sure to be an exciting two months of hockey as head-rattling hits, game-changing goals and heart-stopping saves are sure to all be a part of each series as each team comes into the postseason with one goal in mind, hoisting the Stanley Cup
In the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division bracket, the Penguins enter as favorites but will have to avoid past struggles and have to face a team that is hungry after making the playoffs for just the second time in its history while the Rangers and Flyers reignite their heated rivalry in what is sure to be a must-see best-of-seven series.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions: Western Conference Pacific Division bracket
Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division Round 1 Bracket
Pittsburgh Penguins (51-24-7, 109 points, No. 1 Metropolitan) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (43-32-7, 93 points, No. 1 wild-card)
Pittsburgh enters as an early Cup favorite in their eighth consecutive playoffs and will look to hoist the Cup for the first time since 2009 and build on a 2013 finish that saw them get swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals by the Bruins while Columbus makes the postseason for just the second time in franchise history and first time since 2009.
The Penguins won all five matchups against the Blue Jackets this season and only trailed for 56 seconds throughout the entire duration of the series.
Pittsburgh's offense runs through captain Sidney Crosby, who led the NHL with 104 points and 68 assists while adding 36 goals. The team is hoping to have Evgeni Malkin (23-49--62) back from a foot injury while they're still loaded with depth with guys such as Chris Kunitz (35-33--68), James Neal (27-34--61) and Jussi Jokinen 21-36--57) having huge years and looking to expand on their success this spring.
Columbus will have to be careful about taking penalties as Pittsburgh led the NHL by converting on 23.4% of their power plays.
The Blue Jackets offense was the best it's been in franchise history as the team scored a franchise-record 226 goals. Ryan Johansen had a breakout year for the Blue Jackets, posting a team-high 33 goals and 63 points while adding 30 assists. Other X-factors for Columbus were Brandon Dubinsky (16-34--50), Artem Anisimov (22-17--39) and Cam Atkinson (21-19--40).
Nathan Horton is out for six weeks following surgery while R.J. Umberger and Nick Foligno may miss Game 1 of the series with injuries.
The Penguins boast a healthy defense with the returns of Kris Letang (stroke) and Paul Martin (broken hand) to the unit while Columbus' blueliners revolve around Jack Johnson, who had 33 points, 128 blocked shots and 182 hits this season and James Wisniewski, who has proven himself to be a play-maker, leading the team with 44 assists this season.
With the goalie matchup, all eyes will be on Marc-Andre Fleury as the Pens' netminder has had a rough go of it in the postseason the last few years, owning a 4.11 GAA in his last 11 playoff appearances. Fleury was solid once again in the regular season, finishing second in the league with 39 wins, tied for third with five shutouts and adding a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky will be between the pipes for the Blue Jackets, after going 32-20-5 with a 2.38 GAA and a .923 save percentage while also mounting five shutouts.
It is conceivable that Bobrovsky is good enough to steal one or two games for Columbus, especially if Fleury can't shake off the demons of playoffs past, however the Pens are far too good and will likely take advantage of the playoff-inexperienced Blue Jackets and cruise towards the second round if Fleury can stay on point.
The Pick: The Penguins over the Blue Jackets in five.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions: Western Conference Central Division bracket
New York Rangers (45-31-6, 96 points, No. 2 Metropolitan) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (42-32-10, 94, No. 3 Metropolitan)
This series between two heated foes can be summed up in four words as Rangers forward Brian Boyle told the New York Daily News: "We hate each other."
New York makes the playoffs for the fourth straight year after an abysmal start to Alain Vigneault's first season as Rangers coach and is looking to build on a second-round exit at the hands of the Eastern Conference champion Bruins last season. Philadelphia, meanwhile, was able to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight year by shaking off a rough start and turning the season around.
Despite the fact that the Rangers were better on the road, notching an NHL-best 25 wins away from New York City compared to 20 at home, home-ice may play a huge factor. The teams split their season series 2-2 with each team winning at home twice. The Flyers have won three straight at Wells Fargo Center while the Rangers own eight wins in a row at Madison Square Garden. If there is a Game 7, it will be held at MSG.
The Rangers are equipped with big names such as Rick Nash, who led the team in goals (26), Brad Richards and the newly-imported Martin St. Louis, but the bulk of their attack has come from a line consisting of Mats Zuccarello, who led the team in points (59) and assists (40), Derick Brassard (18-27--45) and Benoit Pouliot (15-21--36).
If the Rangers can get their big guns going and have the Brassard line play at its peak, they should have a great series. Brassard, however, exited practice early Tuesday with a back injury but said he should be fine for Game 1 on Thursday. St. Louis is a question mark as he scored just one goal in 19 games since being traded to Broadway from the Lightning and amassed just eight points. He'll likely be on a line with Nash and Derek Stepan (17-40--57).
While coach Craig Berube may change up his lines, the Flyers top line has mostly consisted of Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek. Giroux started off slow this season but mounted a comeback to end up third in the league with 86 points while ranking first on the team in assists (58) and second in goals (28). Hartnell (20-32--52) and Voracek (23-39--62) played big roles in Philadelphia's mid-season turnaround as well.
Wayne Simmonds led the team in goals with 29 while adding 31 assists for 60 points this season and will likely be a big factor in the series along with Brayden Schenn (20-21--41). Vincent Lecavalier (20-17--37) may stay on the fourth line, and if he does the Flyers boast a 20-goal scorer on every line.
New York is sound defensively, boasting shut-down top pair Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who returns from a shoulder injury, while Marc Staal is also a gritty defender. Girardi and McDonagh logged the most minutes on the team this season. Philadelphia's blueline is anchored by Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, who will look to shut down the Rangers top unit.
In net, the Rangers turn to former Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist, who started out slow but is coming into the postseason hot. Lundqvist went 33-24-5 in the regular-season with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Flyers backstop Steve Mason is dealing with an upper-body injury that may be concussion-related, and will give way to Ray Emery at least to start the season. Emery lost to the Rangers 4-1 earlier this season, but is 7-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .936 save percentage against the Blueshirts in his career.
This series could end up being a blood bath as these two teams strongly dislike each other and there is guaranteed to be scrums throughout. The Flyers will have to try and be disciplined and not take bad penalties against the Rangers if they hope to succeed while the Rangers will need to find some scoring from guys like St. Louis and Richards. If the regular-season in any indication, home ice could be huge in this series. The Rangers are no strangers to Game 7s, having played three in the last two years, and this series likely won't be any different.
The Pick: The Rangers over the Flyers in seven.
With these predictions, the Penguins would host the Rangers in a Round 2 best-of-seven series.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs kickoff Wednesday night as the Quest for the Cup begins with 16 teams vying to be the champion of the National Hockey League.
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