Colorado vs. Dallas
The Avalanche put on a show against the Coyotes, scoring 14 goals in the final two games. They have a super star in Nathan Mackinnon and young rookie Cale Makar is far off from super star status. But they playoffs are all about matchups and the Stars have matched up very well against the Avs all season. Colorado struggled against the Stars during the regular season, losing all four games. In the bubble, Colorado was able to rectify those losses with a dominant win over the Stars in Round Robin play, but the Avs still have some things to take issue with.
Gabriel Landeskog, top line winger for the Avs, has seen much better days. His play against the Coyotes was abysmal, taking terrible penalties and dishing out turnover after turnover. You can get away with bad play from your top line guy when you have a Nathan Mackinnon, especially against a borderline playoff team like Arizona, but that's not going to fly against Dallas. The Avalanche desperately need their captain to find his game before it's too late.
The Avalanche also lack depth on the back end. Ryan Graves has had himself a bounce back year playing with Cale Makar, but he is still prone to getting lost in his own end. Nikita Zadorov is replacement level, skating like a slug and cursed with horrible hand-eye coordination. Erik Johnson is great when healthy, but the question of how long he will be able to stay healthy looms large for the Avalanche. Mix that with Dallas starting to find their game and it could prove deadly for the Avalanche.
Early on in the bubble, Dallas looked old and slow, having trouble grabbing a lead in the Round Robin. When they did grab a lead, they had an even worse time protecting it, blowing a 3-1 lead to Vegas and eventually losing the game. Against Calgary, that same Dallas team slowly gained back their gusto, scoring more and more and finding ways to win games. They blew another third period lead, but were able to gather it back and win it with 30 seconds left. In the elimination game against Calgary, they went down early and proceeded to score six straight and punched their ticket to play Colorado. Don't count out this Dallas team, they know how to beat Colorado and they're gaining their confidence back.
The big thing for Dallas is to get their top line going. Tyler Seguin has yet to score in the playoffs and the Stars need him if they're going to have a chance against Colorado.
If Dallas somehow can't manage to get their big boys going, their depth can still provide a much needed boost for their offense. Guys like Denis Gurianov and Joe Pavelski have been huge in the resurgence of the Dallas Stars.
Vancouver vs. Vegas
Vancouver moves on in surprising fashion against last year's champ to play a Vegas team with a similar style. Because they are so alike, I believe the team who cashes in on more of their opportunities will be the team that moves on to the Western Conference Finals. Both teams can create opportunities off the rush with their speed and skill, as well as cash in on the power play. Expect (and enjoy) a shootout.
What I believe the series is going to boil down to is goal-tending. Jacob Markstrom controlled the crease magically against St. Louis where as Vegas still has some questions in net. Robin Lehner looks to be the starter for now, but had some tough performances against Chicago that his offense was able to bail him out of. If Lehner isn't able to keep up, the Golden Knights have another star goalie on the bench that they can turn to in Marc-Andre Fleury, but that doesn't necessarily solve the problem. Fleury had some problems of his own this season, which is why Vegas went out and snagged Lehner in the first place. Vancouver makes it hard on goaltenders with their exceptional passing and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a few changes of the guard in net for Vegas. I could also see Markstrom struggle with the pace that Vegas moves then puck, which is why goal-tending will be a major factor to who ends up winning the series. One timely save here or there can make a huge difference.
Another factor will be discipline. Both teams have dangerous power plays, especially Vancouver, so it will be vitally important for both teams to stay out of the box.
Since entering the bubble, Vegas has looked like the best team out there, so I give the slight edge to them, but they don't have the same speed Vancouver does. The knights cannot get caught trying to play catch up. They need to establish a forecheck early to try and get the Canucks off their game. Vegas has the ability to play a similar style as the Canucks, but also has the depth to create a cycle in the offensive zone. Guys like Mark Stone and William Karlsson are dynamic two way players that the Canucks are going to have a tough time keeping in check.
The Canucks are still young and are riding the high of an impressive series win. Take that momentum and run with it, literally. They need to use their speed and top tier transition offense to create chances. We will also see how good their young defense is. They have a good mixture of experience and youth with a super star in the making with Quinn Hughes. Game one should tell us a lot about how the back end will defend against the Knights.
This series is going to be so fun to watch, i'm giddy with excitement.
Philadelphia vs. New York
The Flyers have a tough series ahead with the Islanders. Everything that they've accomplished so far is great and all, but this will be their toughest test of the postseason.
It's hard for me to pin this series, it's mysterious. On the one hand they Flyers have looked pretty good since entering the bubble, but Barry Trotz has the Islander buzzing. They're confident and structurally sound. They have a ton of depth and Semyon Varlamov has had himself a good playoff so far.
On top of all of that, there's still some concern with how Carter Hart will play and a good portion of the Flyers top six has struggled in the bubble. Claude Giroux is looking to find himself as well as Travis Konecny. But the thing with this Flyers team that previous have lacked is their depth. Guys like Scott Laughton and rookie Joel Farabee are making a difference in the lineup and taking place of those who haven't started to produce yet.
Bottom line, If the Flyers can get a 100 percent effort all around, there's no doubt in my mind it will be enough to defeat the Islanders. They have more weapons, more skill, and more potential. But the Islanders have the personnel to throw the Flyers off their game and have them reeling in the series. They possess a ton of two way talent and a few plays here and there could drastically change the outlook.
Boston vs. Tampa Bay
It feels like these guys play each other every year. Similar to the Vegas/Vancouver series, both of these teams play the same style. I can pretty much copy and paste what I said about that series and put it here but I'll elaborate a little more.
Here's to hoping David Pasternak is available to the Bruins this series to make it more of an interesting battle. Boston is going to want to keep the momentum their top line had against Carolina. In the most predictable statement I've ever made, Marchand, Bergeron and Pasternak are important. Duh. What's even more important is that the Bruin's depth continue to chip in and create opportunities to keep Tampa on their heels.
Tampa Bay has adopted a gritty new identity that they employed against the Jackets that make them even more dangerous than before. They got embarrassed, picked themselves up and are ready to make some noise. Brayden Point is leading the charge for Tampa, leading his team in playoff points and scoring two overtime game-winners last series.
Another point of contention is goal-tending. Boston is without Tuukka Rask and has Halak taking over the crease. We have seen some Halakian magic in the past, can he hone in against a tough Tampa Bay team? Only time will tell.
Comentarios