The Cobra
04-12-2016, 12:50 PM
TSN...........Their predictions and matchups
WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Pick: Capitals in six.
Why? Washington ran away from the rest of the Eastern Conference and have a deep and talented roster that has legitimate designs on a Stanley Cup. As well as the Flyers have played to surge into the postseason, they have more holes and will likely need Steve Mason (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/steve-mason) to steal the series if they are going to knock off the Capitals. The challenge there is that while the Capitals are a middling possession team, they always have a great power play and Mason has struggled in shorthanded situations this year, so if the Flyers are going to overcome the Capitals, they will need to somehow avoid getting burned by Alex Ovechkin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/alex-ovechkin) and company with the man advantage.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS
The Pick: Penguins in six.
Why? The bigger question might be ‘why not?’ The only pressing concern for the Penguins is goaltending, where Marc-Andre Fleury (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/marc-andre-fleury) and Matt Murray (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/matt-murray) are both injured, leaving Jeff Zatkoff (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/jeff-zatkoff) to backstop one of the top teams over the past four months. Since changing coaches in December, the Penguins have been dominating puck possession and have steamrolled the opposition late in the year, winning 14 of 16, even with star centre Evgeni Malkin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/evgeni-malkin) and young blueliner Olli Maata, among others, on the injured list. Going up against a Rangers team that is the worst possession team in the postseason – even before accounting for the loss of captain Ryan McDonagh (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/ryan-mcdonagh) – and that means the Blueshirts will need goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/henrik-lundqvist) to stand on his head.
FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Pick: Panthers in six.
Why? Neither team impresses as a legitimate championship contender, but the Panthers bolstered their lineup at the trade deadline and that depth should give them an edge. Florida should also hold an edge in goal, where Roberto Luongo (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/roberto-luongo) continues to be great and, after an injury to Jaroslav Halak (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/jaroslav-halak), the Islanders have turned to Thomas Greiss (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/thomas-greiss).
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs. DETROIT RED WINGS
The Pick: Lightning in seven.
Why? If they were healthy, the Lightning would be a conceivable pick to get back to the Cup Final, but they are most definitely not healthy, missing Steven Stamkos (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/steven-stamkos) and Anton Stralman (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/anton-stralman), at the very least and that should make this a competitive series. Both teams have defensive groups that can be exposed, so Tampa Bay’s edge in goal – Ben Bishop (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/ben-bishop) is my pick for the Vezina this season – is enough to give them the nod.
ANAHEIM DUCKS vs. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Pick: Ducks in six.
Why? When the Ducks started the season miserably, and couldn’t score, they found a way to win anyway, by becoming a dominant defensive team. That’s really paid off now that they are finding the net and it’s what makes Anaheim such a formidable matchup in the postseason. They have depth throughout the lineup and between young goaltenders John Gibson (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/john-gibson-39828) and Frederik Andersen (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/frederik-andersen), should have enough in net to go on a long playoff run. That the Ducks are really good presents a challenge for the Predators, who have assembled a quality team too, and they have more offensive upside than they have had in the past, but the question that hangs over Nashville is goaltending. Pekka Rinne (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/pekka-rinne) had a .908 save percentage this season and that’s not nearly good enough to get the job done, but if Rinne plays well, maybe the Ducks could be stopped before they even get started.
LOS ANGELES KINGS vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Pick: Sharks in six.
Why? After missing the postseason last year, both the Kings and Sharks are back and could be legitimate Cup contenders this year. So, naturally, they meet in the first round. The last time they met, in 2014, the Sharks raced to a three-games-to-none series lead, only to collapse and lose in seven games. The Kings have been the league’s dominant possession team all year, but they don’t appear to have a clear edge over the Sharks. This one’s probably close to a toss-up, with the winner having a legit chance to go to the Cup Final.
DALLAS STARS vs. MINNESOTA WILD
The Pick: Stars in five.
Why? The Stars have been one of the most fun teams to watch all season, with an up-tempo attacking style, and if they get Tyler Seguin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/tyler-seguin) back from his Achilles injury, they will have the horses to push the attack. Minnesota stumbled down the stretch, yet still reached the playoffs, but they’re also dealing with some injuries and it looks like they will need a standout performance in net from Devan Dubnyk (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/devan-dubnyk) (or, conversely, a poor performance from Dallas’ two tenders) if they are going to make this a competitive series.
ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
The Pick: Blues in six.
Why? It would be easy to pencil in the Blackhawks to go on another playoff run, because they have embodied postseason excellence over the past six years, winning three Stanley Cups. And yet, they come into the playoffs as a mediocre possession team, lacking depth on the blueline and missing suspended star defenceman Duncan Keith (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/duncan-keith) for the first game. These might be hurdles that the Blackhawks can overcome, but they’re also meeting a Blues team that has fought through adversity all year long, constantly dealing with injuries to key players. Heading into the playoffs, though, the Blues are relatively healthy and have the depth (behind a game-breaker like Vladimir Tarasenko (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/vladimir-tarasenko)) to push play against Chicago.
Cobra........
Look out for the LA / San Jose series, should be the best of them all....may very well come down to a last man standing contest.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Pick: Capitals in six.
Why? Washington ran away from the rest of the Eastern Conference and have a deep and talented roster that has legitimate designs on a Stanley Cup. As well as the Flyers have played to surge into the postseason, they have more holes and will likely need Steve Mason (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/steve-mason) to steal the series if they are going to knock off the Capitals. The challenge there is that while the Capitals are a middling possession team, they always have a great power play and Mason has struggled in shorthanded situations this year, so if the Flyers are going to overcome the Capitals, they will need to somehow avoid getting burned by Alex Ovechkin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/alex-ovechkin) and company with the man advantage.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS
The Pick: Penguins in six.
Why? The bigger question might be ‘why not?’ The only pressing concern for the Penguins is goaltending, where Marc-Andre Fleury (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/marc-andre-fleury) and Matt Murray (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/matt-murray) are both injured, leaving Jeff Zatkoff (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/jeff-zatkoff) to backstop one of the top teams over the past four months. Since changing coaches in December, the Penguins have been dominating puck possession and have steamrolled the opposition late in the year, winning 14 of 16, even with star centre Evgeni Malkin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/evgeni-malkin) and young blueliner Olli Maata, among others, on the injured list. Going up against a Rangers team that is the worst possession team in the postseason – even before accounting for the loss of captain Ryan McDonagh (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/ryan-mcdonagh) – and that means the Blueshirts will need goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/henrik-lundqvist) to stand on his head.
FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Pick: Panthers in six.
Why? Neither team impresses as a legitimate championship contender, but the Panthers bolstered their lineup at the trade deadline and that depth should give them an edge. Florida should also hold an edge in goal, where Roberto Luongo (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/roberto-luongo) continues to be great and, after an injury to Jaroslav Halak (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/jaroslav-halak), the Islanders have turned to Thomas Greiss (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/thomas-greiss).
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs. DETROIT RED WINGS
The Pick: Lightning in seven.
Why? If they were healthy, the Lightning would be a conceivable pick to get back to the Cup Final, but they are most definitely not healthy, missing Steven Stamkos (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/steven-stamkos) and Anton Stralman (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/anton-stralman), at the very least and that should make this a competitive series. Both teams have defensive groups that can be exposed, so Tampa Bay’s edge in goal – Ben Bishop (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/ben-bishop) is my pick for the Vezina this season – is enough to give them the nod.
ANAHEIM DUCKS vs. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The Pick: Ducks in six.
Why? When the Ducks started the season miserably, and couldn’t score, they found a way to win anyway, by becoming a dominant defensive team. That’s really paid off now that they are finding the net and it’s what makes Anaheim such a formidable matchup in the postseason. They have depth throughout the lineup and between young goaltenders John Gibson (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/john-gibson-39828) and Frederik Andersen (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/frederik-andersen), should have enough in net to go on a long playoff run. That the Ducks are really good presents a challenge for the Predators, who have assembled a quality team too, and they have more offensive upside than they have had in the past, but the question that hangs over Nashville is goaltending. Pekka Rinne (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/pekka-rinne) had a .908 save percentage this season and that’s not nearly good enough to get the job done, but if Rinne plays well, maybe the Ducks could be stopped before they even get started.
LOS ANGELES KINGS vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Pick: Sharks in six.
Why? After missing the postseason last year, both the Kings and Sharks are back and could be legitimate Cup contenders this year. So, naturally, they meet in the first round. The last time they met, in 2014, the Sharks raced to a three-games-to-none series lead, only to collapse and lose in seven games. The Kings have been the league’s dominant possession team all year, but they don’t appear to have a clear edge over the Sharks. This one’s probably close to a toss-up, with the winner having a legit chance to go to the Cup Final.
DALLAS STARS vs. MINNESOTA WILD
The Pick: Stars in five.
Why? The Stars have been one of the most fun teams to watch all season, with an up-tempo attacking style, and if they get Tyler Seguin (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/tyler-seguin) back from his Achilles injury, they will have the horses to push the attack. Minnesota stumbled down the stretch, yet still reached the playoffs, but they’re also dealing with some injuries and it looks like they will need a standout performance in net from Devan Dubnyk (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/devan-dubnyk) (or, conversely, a poor performance from Dallas’ two tenders) if they are going to make this a competitive series.
ST. LOUIS BLUES vs. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
The Pick: Blues in six.
Why? It would be easy to pencil in the Blackhawks to go on another playoff run, because they have embodied postseason excellence over the past six years, winning three Stanley Cups. And yet, they come into the playoffs as a mediocre possession team, lacking depth on the blueline and missing suspended star defenceman Duncan Keith (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/duncan-keith) for the first game. These might be hurdles that the Blackhawks can overcome, but they’re also meeting a Blues team that has fought through adversity all year long, constantly dealing with injuries to key players. Heading into the playoffs, though, the Blues are relatively healthy and have the depth (behind a game-breaker like Vladimir Tarasenko (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player-bio/vladimir-tarasenko)) to push play against Chicago.
Cobra........
Look out for the LA / San Jose series, should be the best of them all....may very well come down to a last man standing contest.