The 2nd round in the East featured two very close series that could have gone either way. The series went as follows:
New York Rangers defeat Washington Capitals 4-3
Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Montreal Canadiens 4-2
I went 2/2 as I picked both New York and Tampa Bay (11/12 in the playoffs).
Here's a look at the Eastern Conference Finals:
#1 New York Rangers vs. #2 Tampa Bay Lightning
Season Series: Tampa Bay won the season series 3-0-0.
November 17, 2014: Tampa Bay Lightning 5, New York Rangers 1
November 26, 2014: Tampa Bay Lightning 4, New York Rangers 3
December 1, 2014: Tampa Bay Lightning 6, New York Rangers 3
Players to Watch:
New York: Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Derick Brassard
Tampa Bay: Ben Bishop, Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Ondrej Palat
X-Factor:
New York: Henrik Lundqvist
Tampa Bay: Steven Stamkos
Playoff Leaders:
Goals: Tyler Johnson - 8 (TBL), Derick Brassard/Chris Kreider - 5 (NYR)
Assists: Steven Stamkos - 7 (TBL), Rick Nash/Derek Stepan - 5 (NYR)
Points: Tyler Johnson - 12 (TBL), Derick Brassard/Derek Stepan - 8 (NYR)
Wins: Henrik Lundqvist - 8 (NYR), Ben Bishop - 8 (TBL)
Series Notes:
-The Lightning won the season series 3-0-0, outscoring the Rangers 15-7 in those 3 games.
-The Lightning enter the series having beaten the Montreal Canadiens 4-2.
-The Rangers enter the series having beaten the Washington Capitals 4-3 after a Derek Stepan OT goal in game 7.
-The Rangers will continue to rely on the steady play of Henrik Lundqvist, he was rock-solid against the Capitals and will face a much more potent offense in Tampa Bay.
-The Rangers need to get the duo of Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis going, they have 2 goals combined in the playoffs so far.
-Ryan McDonagh was an absolute stud in round 2, the Rangers Captain scored a huge OT goal in game 5 and was a force down the stretch. He will need to be strong again in this series.
-Look for the Rangers impact guys to be a big factor this series; Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard and Kevin Hayes to name a few.
-The Lightning are playing some of the best hockey we've seen from them in recent years and will need to keep it up this series. This is really a credit to how well Jon Cooper has coached the team in 2 years with the Lightning organization.
-Ben Bishop has been strong so far but he will need to match Henrik Lundqvist at the other end if the Lightning have a chance in this series.
-Steven Stamkos finally got going in round 2, with 3 goals and 7 points against the Canadiens after no goals in round 1. Look for him to continue his offensive outburst in this series.
-The Lightning haven't faced a defensive team like the Rangers so far in the playoffs, they have scored in bunches but face a strong Rangers team that simply doesn't let up a lot of goals.
-The Kucherov-Johnson-Palat line has been the most dominant line in the playoffs so far, they have scored 17 of the Lightning's 34 goals in the playoffs. They will need to find ways to put pucks past Lundqvist in this series.
-The pair of Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman will be relied on heavily in this series, they will need to contribute offensively as well.
-This series features several players playing against their former teams. Ex-Lightning players Martin St. Louis and Dan Boyle won the Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay but will be playing on the Rangers this time around. Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman all spent several years with the Rangers (Callahan being their previous Captain) but will be with the Lightning this time around. It will be interesting to watch these story-lines develop in the series.
-The teams have never met in the playoffs before.
Prediction: This is going to be an exciting series to watch, two of the fastest teams in the NHL. It is going to be really close, but I like the Rangers chances with home ice advantage and I see them going back to the Cup for the 2nd year in a row
(RANGERS IN 7)
This means the New York Rangers will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals as the Eastern Conference Champions
-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff
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