Halfway there! For those of you who survived without anxiety/panic/heart attacks — or those of you who didn’t, but are home from the hospital — it’s time for some more high pressure fun! The Blueshirts host the Bolts today at 1. Here at BSB, our flawless predictions are ready for your reading pleasure. Spoiler alert: we’re all too scared to pick against the home team, and most of us don’t get how the Ducks are still in it. Look out for constant coverage, as games are every other day throughout Memorial Day Weekend.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
Dave’s pick: Rangers in 7. The games these teams played in November are meaningless. They were 7 months ago, and both sides had injuries. TBL has a talented and deep group of forwards that can practically score at will and a goalie that has been lights out against New York. Their D is their perceived weakness, but it’s not much of one. The Rangers are still, probably, without Mats Zuccarello, which is a huge hit to their offense. I really don’t like this matchup. I’m a homer though.
Justin’s pick: Rangers in 7. After another 3-1 comeback, I’m in full on homer mode. No objectivity whatsoever here. That said, Tampa is going to be an incredibly difficult out. I think in the end, Henrik Lundqvist is the difference.
Becky’s pick: Rangers in 6. My original bracket, of which the West is a hot mess of red but the East is pretty in tact, says that this matchup ends with Tampa taking the cake. That was obviously before the playoffs started. The Bolts have had extensive offensive input from their fetuses (feti?) and could be dangerous should Steven Stamkos come alive, but inexperience paired with the long haul of the playoffs and beating a barely there Red Wings team followed by the Price-only Habs don’t impress me much. The Rangers – King Hank, specifically – are locked in. They know how to adapt, something we’re not sure of the inexperienced Bolts. Call me crazy, but I think/hope the boys in blue spare us the heartache.
Suit’s pick: Rangers in 7. Four teams left, former Torts disciples scattered throughout these organizations. It’s cool, no correlation there. This is the matchup I was hoping for. Not because they made us look silly during the regular season, but because of obvious narratives, the make up of these rosters, and the systems employed on both benches. These teams are evenly matched in so many respects it’s hard to pick who will come out on top. In the end, Hank will stand tall.
Kevin’s pick: ??? This is the one matchup I was afraid of. The Rangers had no answer for Tampa Bay’s speed and skill during the regular season – and though they are a better team now, I’m not sure that’s going to change. It’s not even Steven Stamkos that has me worried, it’s the Ondrej Palat/Tyler Johnson/Nikita Kucherov line that’s going to be a real handful. Henrik Lundqvist is in hero mode, so it’s certainly possible he could steal a couple games and swing the series. But I’m not sure the Blueshirts can score enough to keep up with TB without having Mats Zuccarello in the lineup. And for the record – I am refusing to make an actual prediction.
Chris’ Pick: Rangers in 7. Fans shouldn’t expect anything less stressful than the series before. Tampa are faster, deeper and more skilled than the Caps. They share the same (if not more) high end talent and both Ben Bishop and Tampa have owned the Rangers recently. Fortunately experience still counts for something. The Rangers won’t be fazed by the occasion and if they can tidy up their breakouts, if they can stay disciplined and if they can get some secondary scoring I can see the Rangers sneaking the series but it will be close either way. If the Rangers can limit the Johnson line and don’t let Callahan come back to haunt them, Rangers in seven. Only just.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks
Dave’s pick: Blackhawks in 6. I don’t understand the Ducks at all. Their blue line and goaltending are both huge question marks.They don’t have the bottom-six depth to match up. But they keep winning. Meanwhile, the Hawks are a team built for deep runs. Crawford is a question mark, but as is Andersen. I give the edge to the Hawks though.
Justin’s pick: Blackhawks in 6. I agree with Dave, in that the Ducks’ continue to flummox me. They have a ton of talent up front, but the back end and goaltending is suspect. They also haven’t really dealt with a high-end opponent yet. I think Chicago catches the Ducks off guard and punches another ticket to the Final.
Becky’s pick: Blackhawks in 6. I don’t really believe that the Ducks have faced too much of a hard time in these playoffs, and I think that Andersen’s ability hasn’t quite been tested yet. Patrick Kane is a beast and the Hawks have proved that both of their goaltenders are capable of backing up their offensive talent. Half of me thinks that the Hawks clean up in five, but it’s the conference finals, so let’s stick with six.
Suit’s pick: Ducks in 6. I’ve been picking the Ducks since the beginning, so I’m going to stick with them, even though on paper it probably doesn’t make sense. With that said, they have skill and they have grit that can skate. Defense and goaltending aren’t all-time, but they seem to bare down when it matters. Their power play has been unstoppable. The Hawks are the Hawks, but ‘keep the puck away’ from our goalie can only work so many times. Ducks in 6.
Kevin’s pick: Blackhawks in 6. Boy did I underestimate both of these teams, and I feel like an idiot for it. Chicago just didn’t feel the same during the regular season, but I should have realized this team is more than capable of flipping the switch come playoff time. I’m still not totally sold on Anaheim and think the Ducks have really benefited from two easy matchups. Chicago just has too much everything, so unless the Blackhawks’ goaltending implodes again, they’ll take this one in six.
Chris’ pick: Blackhawks in 7. Are the Hawks the closest thing to a dynasty we’ve had in recent times? Another conference final and/or a trip to the SCF would get them close to such a lofty status. The hawks are deeper but the Ducks look unstoppable as Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf seem to be doing what they want when they want. This series will be a test of Anaheim’s depth – can they go toe to toe with Chicago? – the Hawks may be the deepest team in the league. If Anaheim can overpower the Hawks physically they could force their way past the Hawks but the Hawks have too much pure talent for me and will survive another long series.
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