2015 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

It's that time of the year again. The chase is on for the holy grail in professional hockey. Its been a long road to reach this point. Eight months and 1,230 regular season games later, we have reached this point. We started this journey with 30 teams all fighting for the prize, now sixteen are left standing. The second season is about ready to start. Yes that's right, the Stanley Cup playoffs have finally arrived. A few interesting storylines hit up this years playoffs. There will be a new champion crowned this season, as last years Champions the Los Angeles Kings missed the playoffs.The Winnipeg Jets made the playoffs for the first time since they relocated from Atlanta, but how far can they go? Calgary has made the playoffs for the first time since 09, the Islanders have made the playoffs for the 2nd time in 3 seasons but are they going to advance for the 1st time in 22 years? Does the Presidents Trophy mean a whole lot for the Rangers as we have hit the playoffs? So with all this in mind, here's how I see the first round of the playoffs going down.

First up is the Atlantic Division Champions the Montreal Canadiens going up against the Wild Card winning Ottawa Senators. The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic division, earning 110 points. This marks the 2nd division title in three years for the Habs. This also marks the 3rd straight year and 10th time since 2000 that Montreal has made the post season. Montreal's 110 regular season points are the most they have picked up since 1988-89, when they rang up 115 points (that year they lost in the Finals to the Calgary Flames). As for the Senators, they finished the regular season as the Eastern Conference's first wild-card, earning 99 points. This marks the 3rd time in the last four years the Senators are playing hockey in the spring. This is the second playoff meeting for these teams; their only previous meeting was in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Ottawa won in five games. During the regular season this year, Ottawa took three of the four games between the clubs.

Here are the dates and times for each game in this series:
April 15 Ottawa Senators 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 17 Ottawa Senators 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 19 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre  
April 22 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 24 Ottawa Senators TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 26 Montreal Canadiens TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 28 Ottawa Senators TBD Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa is coming into this years playoffs red hot, winning six of their last ten games, and Ottawa has come down the stretch going 23-4-4 in their final 31 games. Most of what has gotten Ottawa here is they have been riding the back of Goalie Andrew Hammond, who has been playing out of his mind. Hammond has only one regulation loss, going 20-1-2 in his 24 games this season. It's going to be a very good matchup between Hammond and a guy who I'd go so far as to say might win MVP this season in Carey Price of Montreal. Ottawa has been riding the play of Hammond and its helped get more confidence going in the rest of the team, started getting production from across the lineup, especially from rookie forward Mark Stone, center Kyle Turris and defenseman Erik Karlsson. Stone has picked up points in the final twelve games of the season. As good as the Canadiens have been this year, they are going in at a bit of a disadvantage. Why? They are without the services of Max Pacioretty, who missed the final two games of the season with a concussion. Pacioretty was the Habs leading scorer with 37 goals, 67 points and a plus 30. Don't get me wrong Montreal has been a good team without Pacioretty, but not having him there is going to hurt their chances. Add in the fact that the senators are a red hot team, I'm calling an upset.

Pick: Senators in 7!

Next up is the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Detroit Red Wings, in a battle of Atlantic Division teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic division, earning 108 points, the most the franchise has ever earned in a single season. The previous record for the Lighting had been 106 points, something they did in 2004 the year they won the Stanley Cup. For the 24th straight year, the Detroit Red Wings are in the playoffs, as they got there by picking up 100 points on the season. This is the most points Detroit has picked up since 2012 when they collected 102 points. This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams, while Tampa Bay won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 16 Detroit Red Wings 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 18 Detroit Red Wings 3:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 21 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 23 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 
April 25 Detroit Red Wings TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
April 27 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 29 Detroit Red Wings TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

Yes its great to see the Red Wings back in the playoffs again, keeping this long streak going of playoff appearances. But what has to be a bit of a concern going into the post season is the fact that Detroit doesn't have a defined, set number one goalie going in. Most would think Jimmy Howard would have the job locked down, but that hasn't been the case. In fact, Petr Mrazek started the regular-season finale and made 35 saves in a 2-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. He started six of the final nine games of the season. This makes you wonder a bit considering the fact that Mrazek has yet to start a playoff game at this level, while Howard has 45 playoff starts under his belt. They will be going up against a somewhat banged up lighting team. Braydon Coburn missed the final 14 games of the season with a lower-body injury. Jason Garrison and Andrej Sustr missed the last six games of the season each with an upper-body injury. But all are expected back early in the round. Detroit is very very good, but they are going against the best offense in the entire NHL. Its going to be a somewhat close series, but a quick one at that.

Pick: Lightning in 5!

Now we have the Wild Card winners the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Presidents Trophy winning New York Rangers. The Rangers earned the Presidents' Trophy as the league's best regular season team, earning 113 points. Those 113 points the Rangers recorded were the most in franchise history, beating out the 112 points the team earned in the 1993-94 season. Ironically, that was the last time the Rangers won the Presidents Trophy, the very same year they claimed the Stanley Cup. The Pittsburgh Penguins finished as the Eastern Conference's second wild-card, earning 98 points. This is the sixth playoff meeting for these teams, with Pittsburgh having won the first four of the five previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the previous year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, which New York won in seven games. New York won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 20 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 22 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 24 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden  
April 26 New York Rangers TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 28 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden

If recent history has been any indication for the Rangers, this series may go the distance, the Rangers have won a series in fewer than seven games once since 2008, which covers six playoff wins. What is going to stand out in this series from a Rangers perspective is how well can Rick Nash actually perform? Nash had three goals in 25 playoff games last season because of a paltry shooting percentage (3.6 percent). He has five goals in 37 games with the Rangers over the past two playoffs and six goals with a 3.6 shooting percentage in 41 career games. He had a slowed scoring pace at the end of the season, which has to leave you worried about how well he can perform during this series. They also need to see some of the same effort from the role players on the team like they saw last year. Martin St. Louis and Chris Kreider are the only guys who scored more than 20 goals for the blueshirts, besides Rick Nash. But because the Defense has been as good as it has, the Rangers shouldn't have much of a problem The problem going into the series with the Penguins is how banged up they are. If they were healthier, then I would give them more of a chance. Yes they still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but there isn't much else to be happy about. Oh and Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't looked the same in the playoffs since 2009.

Pick: Rangers in 6!

The final matchup in the Eastern Conference is a meeting of Metropolitan Division teams as its the New York Islanders going against the Washington Capitals. Washington finished second in the Metropolitan Division earning 101 points, the first time they have cracked the 100 point mark since 2010-11 when they collected 107 points. After missing the playoffs last year, Washington is back in for the 7th time in the last eight years. As for the Islanders, they also earned 101 points during the regular season, but they finished third in the Metropolitan Division as Washington won the second tie-breaker of head-to-head points. The last time the Islanders were able to pick up 100 or more points was 1984 when they grabbed 104. That year they fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the finals. The Islanders are still looking for their first win in a playoff series since 1993. This is the seventh playoff meeting for these teams, with New York having won five of the six previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals, which New York won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series, with each team winning twice at home.

Here's the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 15 New York Islanders 7:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 17 New York Islanders 7:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 19 Washington Capitals 12:00 p.m. New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
April 21 Washington Capitals 7:30 p.m. New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
April 23 New York Islanders TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 25 Washington Capitals TBD New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
April 27 New York Islanders TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center

Both teams have been pretty even this season, each team managed to win both games on home ice during the regular season, which is why home ice may be critical in this one. There are some question marks for the Islanders going into this series. Can the Islanders stop the league's top-ranked power play that the Capitals have? The Islanders are near the bottom in penalty killing, which means thay are going to pretty much have to stay out of the box. Also they need to focus in on 52 goal scorer Alex Ovechkin. Braden Holtby is having a stronger season than Jaroslav Halak, which is something that could hurt the Isles. Halak was brought on board to sure up goaltending, which he as to a degree. If the Islanders hope to move on in this series, Halak needs to look like his 2010 self. I just have this feeling that, even though the Islanders are a little banged up, they can pull off the upset. Nobody is giving them much of a chance, and Washington has looked below average in the playoffs their last few times out. If the Islanders really pull this one off, they need a couple things to fall their way. We talked about Halak. The defense needs to get healthy and play up to par. From an offensive perspective, they rest of the team really needs to step up to the level of the teams best player in John Tavares. All of that should fall into place, once the team really gets healthy. Should be a good series.

Pick: Islanders in 7!

First matchup in the West we look at is the Central Division Champions the St. Louis Blues taking on the Wild Card winners the Minnesota Wild. St. Louis finished first in the Central division, earning 109 points. This marks the 3rd time in the last four years the Blues have cracked the 100 point mark in a season, winning the division crown for the 2nd time in the last four years. As for the Wild, they finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 100 points. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Wild have cracked the 100 point mark during the season, and the 3rd year in a row that the Wild have made the playoffs. This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 16 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 18 Minnesota Wild 3:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 20 St. Louis Blues 8:00 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 22 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 24 Minnesota Wild TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 26 St. Louis Blues TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 29 Minnesota Wild TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center

There a few things that stick out for me in this series, as its going to be a tough series, and a very even series between the two clubs. Minnesota has been the best team in the NHL the 2nd half of the season, a lot of that coming from the play of Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk has solidified the goaltending position for the Wild, as he has gone 27-8-2 with a 1.73 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and five shutouts in 38 straight starts for the Wild. This performance has given confidence to the rest of the team, allowing it to rise to the occasion and have been one of the best scoring teams in the league. Providing the scoring punch for the Wild would be 20+ goal scorers Mikko Koivu, Chris Stewart and Nino Niederreiter. Throw in the playoff experience of Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, and you got yourself some offensive depth and punch. Add up the outstanding play of guys like Ryan Suter (who plays about a half hour a game almost) and Jonas Brodin, Minnesota is going to cause problems for the Blues. With St. louis I don't really trust the goaltending tandom just yet. Brian Elliott and Jake Allen don't really have much experience to run with. Allen was the backup last year to Ryan Miller, and saw just one minute of playing time. Elliott has played 18 games in the post season but that doesn't leave one with much confidence. Elliott would have the starting job because of past playoff experiense. From an offensive upside, with the way Vladimir Tarasenko (37 goals), Jaden Schwartz, David Backes, Alexander Steen ,T.J. Oshie and Paul Stastny have been playing it gives the Blues equal scoring depth with that of the Wild. Minnesota can go, but the depth of the Blues will win out here.

Pick: Blues in 6!

Next we have a battle of Central Division teams as the Chicago Blackhawks will travel to Music City to play the Nashville Predators. Nashville finished second in the Central Division, earning 104 points, marking only the 3rd time in team history that the Preds ever hit the 100 point mark (2010-100pts, 2012-104pts). This marks the first time in two years since the Preds last saw the playoffs, coming after three straight years of making it. Chicago earned 102 points during the regular season to finish third in the Central Division. This marks the 6th straight year for the Blackhawks in the post season and the and the 4th time in that stretch the team has hit the 100 point mark. This marks second playoff meeting for these teams, the last time being the 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Chicago won in six games. Chicago won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here are the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 15 Chicago Blackhawks 8:30 p.m. Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 17 Chicago Blackhawks 9:30 p.m. Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 19 Nashville Predators 3:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 21 Nashville Predators 9:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 23 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 25 Nashville Predators TBD Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 27 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena

Had you told me this was going to be the opening round series by the all star break, I would have said I'd take Nashville in the series.  Why? Because at the time Pekka Rinne had been the best goalie in the league. Ever since he got hurt with that knee injury in late January, he hasn't quite been the same. Sure, Rinne finished with a 41-17-6 record, but in the 2nd half of year he was nowhere near as good as he had in the beginning of the season. Sure he's an outstanding goalie but, come playoff time, I trust the Blackhawks Corey Crawford a lot more in the playoffs. Crawford has won two cups with the Hawks and has proven that he can play in pressure situations in springtime. What is going to stand out for both teams is the offense. Chicago is going to have Patrick Kane back for game one of this series, as he has been cleared to play after missing the final 21 games with a shoulder injury. The Blackhawks were 12-8-1 without Kane, who had 64 points in 61 games before the injury. Chicago proved they still had scoring depth without him there. Think about it, they still have Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw and Marcus Kruger. Chicago has been fine without Kane, but with him back, they will be that much better. If Nashville is going to have a chance in this series, they need their scorers to step up and have an impact. Filip Forsberg has been having an outstanding rookie year, and combine that with the play of veterans like Mike Ribeiro, Colin Wilson, Mike Fisher and Craig Smith. This gives the Predators a little bit of balance and depth that can possibly hold its own against the Hawks. But here in lies the problem. Both teams have slumped a little heading into the playoffs. Chicago has come in losing four straight, while the Preds have lost six in a row. Nashville is looking now just like the Blues did a season ago, and it resulted in a first round playoff exit. Combine that with the play of the Blackhawks as a whole, its kind of easy to make the pick here.

Pick: Blackhawks in 6!

Then we have the best team in the West, the Pacific division winning Anaheim Ducks going up against the Wild Card team the Winnipeg Jets. Anaheim finished first in the Pacific division, earning 109 points. This marks the 3rd straight year and the 8th time in the last ten years that the team has made the post season. For the 2nd year in a row the Ducks have cracked the 100 point mark. As for the Winnipeg Jets, they finished as the Western Conference's second wild-card, earning 99 points. This marks the most points the franchise has ever had and the first time they have made the playoffs since the move from Atlanta. This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams. Anaheim won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here are the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 16 Winnipeg Jets 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 18 Winnipeg Jets 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 20 Anaheim Ducks 9:00 p.m. Winnipeg Jets MTS Centre
April 22 Anaheim Ducks 9:30 p.m. Winnipeg Jets MTS Centre
April 24 Winnipeg Jets TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 26 Anaheim Ducks TBD Winnipeg Jets MTS Centre
April 28 Winnipeg Jets TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

This series is going to be an interesting one to say the least. Winnipeg has a lot of speed to burn. The line of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler has carried the Jets since the move to Winnipeg four years ago. Those three guys have each bagged 20 or more goals this season, powering this team. They have good role players up front, with guys like Lee Stempniak, Jiri Tlusty, Drew Stafford and Michael Frolik. Coming off the back end is going to be Dustin Byfuglien. Big Buff has played both forward and defense and can hang with some of the big power forwards that the Ducks have. Throw in the size of Tyler Meyers, skills of Toby Enstrom and Jacob Trouba, the Jets have something to work with. What has to be a slight cause for concern here for the Jets is between the pipes. Ondrej Pavelec lost his starting job to rookie Michael Hutchinson. Pavelec was supposed to be THE GUY in the Winnipeg net, but has been a work in progress for a while now. His lack of playoff experience is cause for concern, especially considering what he's going up against in the Ducks Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are leading the charge, with a little help from experienced forward Ryan Kesler. Anaheim depth up front includes Matt Beleskey, Jiri Sekac, Kyle Palmieri and Andrew Cogliano, will make it tough on the Jets. Sure Winnipeg will have jump and energy to feed off from the home crowd, but its not going to be enough.

Pick: Ducks in 6!

Last is the Pacific Division matchup between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver finished second in the Pacific Division, earning 101 points. This marks the 7th time in the last decade that the Canucks have made the playoffs, and a bounce back season after missing the playoffs totally a season ago. These 101 points that the Canucks earned mark the 1st time in three years that they hit the mark, this coming after four straight years of 100 or more points. Calgary earned 97 points during the regular season to finish third in the Pacific Division. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Flames since 2008-09, a team that hasn't won a round in the postseason since going to the Finals in 2004. Those 97 points are the most the Flames have picked up since that 2009 playoff appearance. This is the seventh playoff meeting for these teams with Calgary having won four of the six previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Calgary won in seven games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.

Here's the dates and times for the games in this series:
April 15 Calgary Flames 10:00 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena
April 17 Calgary Flames 10:00 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena
April 19 Vancouver Canucks 10:00 p.m. Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 21 Vancouver Canucks 10:00 p.m. Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 23 Calgary Flames TBD Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena
April 25 Vancouver Canucks TBD Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 27 Calgary Flames TBD Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena

This is probably going to be the most intriguing series of the opening round. Both teams played well down the stretch, and Calgary really surprised people by even making the playoffs this season. Goaltending could be an issue in this matchup. Calgary has a solid tandum in Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo, but so to does Vancouver with Eddie Lack and Ryan Miller. Millers is the best goalie in this series, but after coming back from his injury, he hasn't been right in net. Lack has done a fine job taking over for him but is nowhere near playoff ready, at least not by comparison to Miller. Calgary is going to surprise a few people and force this series to the distance. Kris Russell, Dennis Wideman and Anton Volchenkov have played outstanding in front of Hiller this year, both from a defensive and an offensive perspective. Providing the Flames offensive punch has been the line of Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan, and Johnny Gaudreau. The line scored 86 of Calgary's 237 goals and had 202 points. Lance Bouma, Joe Colborne, Josh Jooris and Markus Granlund have all stepped up to provide offensive touch. The difference here is going to be experience. Vancouver still has the Sedin twins, who happen to be the best one two scoring punch in the league. Throw in the likes of Alexandre Burrows, Chris Higgins, Nick Bonino, and Derek Dorsett you got plenty of depth to go around. As tough as Calgary is going to make this series, Vancouver has too much skill.

Pick: Canucks in 7!