After an exciting Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, eight teams remain as Round 2 is about to kick off.
Canadiens vs. Lightning: Predictions and Preview For Atlantic Division Final
In the Metropolitan Division, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are the two teams left standing in the bracket and each will vie to advance to the Eastern Conference Final as the quest to the Stanley Cup continues.
Here are our predictions and a preview for the series as the puck is set to drop on Game 1 Thursday at Madison Square Garden:
Ducks vs. Flames: Prediction and Preview For Pacific Division Final
[Metropolitan Division 1] New York Rangers vs. [Metropolitan Division 2] Washington Capitals:
Round 1 Reflection: Last time around, we picked the Rangers to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games and the Capitals to fall to the New York Islanders in seven. New York did dispose of Pittsburgh in five while it was Washington overcoming the Islanders in seven games in Round 1.
Season Series: The Rangers took three of four from the Capitals this season, including two in Washington, D.C. One of New York's wins in the nation's capital was a 4-2 triumph in the regular season finale on April 11 with the Caps looking to shore up home-ice. New York out-scored Washington 13-10 in the four meetings.
Cup Dreams: The Rangers are looking to get to the Eastern Conference Final and eventually the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year while it searches for its first trophy since 1994. Washington, meanwhile, is in the East semifinals for the first time since 2011 and will look to advance to Round 3 for the first time since 1998, when it lost in the Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings.
Series Overview: These teams are familiar foes in the spring as the Capitals and Rangers will matchup in the postseason for the fifth time since 2009. Three of the last four playoff meetings have gone seven games, with New York ousting Washington in the most recent series' in 2012 and 2013 and the Capitals eliminating the Rangers in seven in 2009 and ousting them again -- this time in five games -- in 2011. All-time these teams are nodded 4-4 through eight playoff meetings.
The Rangers set a franchise record with 53 wins and 113 points in the regular season while the Capitals were second in the Metropolitan Division with 101 points. New York's five-game win in the first round was the first time it won a series in less than six games since 2008 while Washington went to a Game 7 in Round 1 for the fourth straight series dating back to 2012.
New York was led on offense by Derick Brassard in the first round as the center notched a team-best three goals and tied with Rick Nash and defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who each had a tally and three helpers, for four points in the series. Much is made of Nash's lack of production last spring, so a big series could really silence his critics.
Nash scored three of his 42 goals in the regular season against the Capitals while Brassard and rookie center Kevin Hayes had five points apiece against Washington. One notable missing player for New York is Mats Zuccarello (two assists in Round 1) as he was hit in the head by a McDonagh shot in Game 5 against Pittsburgh.
Veteran Martin St. Louis (one assist) will move up to the top line and play with Nash and Brassard in search of some more production.
New York was able to roll four lines and get contributions from everyone in Round 1 while using its speed to keep the Penguins out of the series. Speedster Carl Hagelin scored the series-clinching overtime goal in Game 5, his second marker of the playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have helped carry the Capitals load all season long and they were productive again in Round 1.
Backstrom notched a team-high six points off of three goals and three assists while Ovechkin lit the lamp twice and added three helpers for five points. Their linemate Joel Ward (1-3--4) was also a reason for them advancing. Ward notched the opening goal of their Game 7 win against the Islanders.
Ovechkin had five goals against the Rangers this season, four of which came on the power play.
Rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov also had a breakout series, scoring three goals -- including the game-winner against the Islanders in Game 7.
Kuznetsov was playing on a productive second line that also included Jason Chimera (2-2--4) and Marcus Johansson (1-2--3) in the opening round.
Alain Vigneault's blue line is anchored by McDonagh and Dan Girardi. McDonagh logged a team-best 25:45 average time on ice per game and scored the game-winning goal in the opening contest against Pittsburgh while assisting on Hagelin's game-winner in overtime of Game 5.
Girardi, meanwhile, blocked 43 shots in the opening round. Physical presence Marc Staal, strong puck mover Keith Yandle and the returning Kevin Klein (broken arm) help round out a deep defensive corps for New York.
The offseason acquisitions of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen paid dividends for Barry Trotz's blue line in his first year at the helm for Washington as Orpik and John Carlson have formed a physical shut-down top pairing.
Orpik had a team-best 41 hits and 18 blocked shots last round while Carlson had four points in Round 1 and led the team with 24 blocked shots. Niskanen and Karl Alzner are also a solid duo while Mike Green has adjusted to his role on the third pairing and can still light the lamp when needed.
In between the pipes, Henrik Lundqvist has had a great run thus far despite missing a good chunk of the season with a neck injury. Lundqvist allowed eight goals on 132 shots in Round 1 and went 4-1 while ranking second in the NHL with a 1.53 goals-against average and tied for third with a .939 save percentage. Lundqvist had a stingy 2.00 GAA against Washington this season.
The Capitals counter with Braden Holtby in the blue paint and after playing 73 games in the regular season, he was mostly solid in Round 1 aside from a couple of gaffes. Holtby yielded 10 tallies on 176 shots faced against the Islanders and ranked second in the league with a .943 save percentage and while placing third with a 1.63 GAA.
Special Teams: Washington's power play, which ranked first in the NHL in the regular season, finished the opening round at No. 11 (15.4%) while New York's, which is always a struggle, ranked No. 13 (15.0%). The Capitals' penalty kill held the Islanders to 0-for-14 on the series, and the 100% rating ranked them tops in the NHL through Round 1. The Rangers' penalty kill finished in seventh, keeping the Penguins off the board at an 84.6% clip.
Final Thoughts: These teams are very familiar foes and this one could once again go the distance as it usually does when they meet in the spring. The Capitals ability to score goals could keep them in the series, but Vigneault's system has the Rangers playing a style of hockey that has propelled them to arguably becoming the fastest team in the league. With Holtby letting up some soft goals in Round 1 and the Rangers proving during the five-game opening round that they have a killer instinct they've lacked in past years, New York could win a series between these two teams that may actually not go the distance for once.
The Pick: Rangers in 6.
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