Conference final previews: Stars, stars everywhere
In the East, it's a budding dynasty against a surprising upstart, and in the West it's a star-studded affair between two of the best teams in the NHL's second half
EASTERN CONFERENCE
N.Y. RANGERS VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Season series:
N.Y. Rangers: 3-0-0 (10 GF)
Tampa Bay: 0-2-1 (4 GF)
How the Rangers win: Basically on the back of goalie Igor Shesterkin and a killer power play. The Rangers give up a ton of shots and almost as many 10-bell chances and they seem to be perfectly content to play that way, knowing that there’s a really good chance their goaltender is going to bail them out. And, hey, if it works, why not run with it? Having Shesterkin allows the Rangers to take more chances offensively and gives them the knowledge that there will be games – such as Game 7 of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes – where the play of Shesterkin is basically going to destroy the will of their opponent. That can be a very, very powerful advantage. You can say all you want that the Rangers rely too heavily on their goaltending, but the last time we checked goaltending was part of the game. But the Rangers have also been getting a ton of offense from all kinds of sources and they might have the best offensive defenseman in the world in Adam Fox. They also might have the most physical one in Jacob Trouba, who keeps making controversial hits that all seem to be within the confines of the rulebook.
How the Lightning win: By being able to play the game any way their opponent wants to. You fancy yourself a talented offensive team? Pfft. Seriously? Want to get down and dirty and play in the trenches. The Lightning can do that, too. Want to play a boring, defensive chess game where every inch of the ice has to be earned? They’re good there. And there hasn’t been an NHL team in decades that has a better killer instinct than this group. When this team gets a lead in the third period, it gives you nothing. Think about it. The Lightning played the highest-scoring and best team in the NHL in the second round of the playoffs and toyed with the Florida Panthers. Any time you can describe each goal a team gave up in a series in minute detail, you know there weren’t too many. As good as Shesterkin has been, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been even better. The Lightning have had their moments of trial this season, but at this point they look every bit like a championship team that desperately wants to become a dynasty.
X Factors
N.Y. Rangers: The Rangers actually had the better regular-season record between the two teams, but they enter this series as the underdog. Nobody expected the Rangers to be as good as they were during the season and they faced two-game deficits in the first and second rounds. There really is no quit in these guys.
Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov has 15 points in 11 playoff games, but he has gone stretches in the playoffs where he has been invisible. Kucherov has yet to take over a series, but if he does, watch out.
Prediction: Lightning in 6.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
COLORADO AVALANCHE VS. EDMONTON OILERS
Season series
Colorado: 2-1-0 (8 GF)
Edmonton: 1-0-2 (9 GF)
How the Avalanche win: Before beating the St. Louis Blues in Round 2, the Avalanche looked an awful lot like the Washington Capitals prior to 2018 – a talented and powerful team that put together great regular seasons, but could not seem to get beyond the second round of the playoffs. Well, now that the Avalanche have chased away that particular demon, you get the sense there could be no stopping them now. They swept the first round and went six games in a second round that wasn’t anywhere near as close as the scores and the number of games indicated. The Avalanche are on some kind of roll going into this series and they will be difficult to contain. When it comes to scoring depth, the Avalanche have way more of that than the Oilers. And with all-world Cale Makar and Devon Toews on the blueline, they have the potential to get a lot more offense from their back end than their opponent. The Avalanche are locked and loaded, ready to finally live up to the expectations set for them the past couple of seasons.
How the Oilers win: Edmonton has ridden truly all-time great playoff performances from two of the best players in the world in these playoffs. Connor McDavid has been breathtaking at times in the post-season, but Draisaitl was a tour de force in the second round against Calgary, setting a points record for a five-game playoff series and scoring at least three points in each game. The Oilers have the option of loading up a ton of offensive talent if they decide to put McDavid and Draisaitl with Evander Kane, who could actually break the all-time playoff goals record if he keeps this up. Or they could put Zach Hyman with McDavid and Draisaitl, as they did at times in the second round, and still get some outstanding results. McDavid has been absolutely LeBron James-like in his ability to carry his team at times in these playoffs and he could have the same kind of legacy if he manages to carry the Oilers on his back to the Stanley Cup final. As great as the Avs have been over the entire season, it’s interesting to note that both teams were an identical 31-11-4 in their final 46 games.
X Factors
Colorado: It’s not that goalie Darcy Kuemper has necessarily been bad, but he hasn’t exactly shone and his workload hasn’t even been that difficult. The Blues are a very good offensive team, but Kuemper hasn’t faced in the playoffs what he’ll face in Round 3. All he has to do is be good, not great. But if he’s less than that, it could lead to some interesting developments.
Edmonton: The guy at the other end of the ice, Mike Smith, seems to vacillate between terrible and brilliant and there is little in between. His playoff numbers are off the charts and if he can win the goaltending matchup, perhaps the offenses will cancel each other out.
Prediction: Colorado in seven wildly entertaining games.
Great breakdown. I think the Avs take this if they stay disciplined with their positional play. Players like McDavid and Drasaitl having the potential to be disruptive enough to beat a team like the Avs makes this sport even more exciting.