2016 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

As a longtime hockey fan the build-up and anticipation of the Stanley Cup Finals is one of the most exciting times of the year, and this year is a particularly fascinating match up that has the potential to be one of the best finals in recent years. The Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Western Conference Champion San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals, beginning with game 1 in Pittsburgh at 8:00PM ET on Monday night. Before I dive into the numbers and thoughts on the series, I want to look back at my predictions throughout the playoffs where I have gone 10/14. I went 4/8 in the first round (Hawks, Kings, Ducks and Panthers lost) but have since gone 6/6 in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals. With that being said, here's a look at the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals:

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #3 San Jose Sharks

Season Series: Season series tied 1-1-0

November 24th, 2015: San Jose Sharks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
December 1st, 2015: Pittsburgh Penguins 5, San Jose Sharks 1

Preview Round Series Scores:

Pittsburgh Penguins defeat New York Rangers in 5 games
Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Washington Capitals in 6 games
Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Tampa Bay Lightning in 7 games

San Jose Sharks defeat Los Angeles Kings in 5 games
San Jose Sharks defeat Nashville Predators in 7 games
San Jose Sharks defeat St. Louis Blues in 6 games

Players to Watch:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino

San Jose: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Joel Ward, Patrick Marleau

X-Factor:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Joe Thornton

Team Leaders:

Goals: Joe Pavelski (SJS) - 13, Phil Kessel (PIT) - 9
Assists: Logan Couture (SJS) - 16, Nick Bonino (PIT) - 12
Points: Logan Couture (SJS) - 24, Phil Kessel (PIT) - 18
Wins: Martin Jones (SJS) - 12, Matt Murray (PIT) - 11
Save %: Matt Murray (PIT) - .925 SV%, Martin Jones (SJS) - .918 SV%
Shutouts: Martin Jones (SJS) - 3, Matt Murray (PIT) - 1

Series Notes:
-The Penguins come into this series having beaten the New York Rangers in 5 games, the Washington Capitals in 6 games, and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 7 games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2009.
-The Sharks come into this series having beaten the Los Angeles Kings in 5 games, the Nashville Predators in 7 games, and the St. Louis Blues in 6 games to reach their first Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history.
-The Penguins have gotten help throughout their lineup in the playoffs, but none bigger than the HBK (Hagelin Bonino Kessel) line that has a combined 45 points so far.
-The Penguins have gotten consistent scoring from Crosby and Malkin (15 points each), but both need to be at their best in this series.
-With the injury to Trevor Daley, the Penguins are very thin on defense and will withstand a tough forecheck from the big Sharks forwards. A lot of pressure will be on Kris Letang (2 goals and 8 assists in 17 games) to produce in this series.
-After briefly going to Marc-Andre Fleury last round, Mike Sullivan went back Matt Murray who regained his starting job by winning game 6 and 7. Murray will need to be at his best to match the Sharks high-pressure offense.
-The Penguins need their depth guys to continue to produce, guys like Chris Kunitz, Bryan Rust, Matt Cullen and Conor Sheary. Rust was the hero in game 7 against Tampa Bay with both goals in a 2-1 win, this year's version of Max Talbot from 2009.
-The Sharks have the top 3 scorers in the playoffs, Couture with 24, Pavelski with 22 and Burns with 20. 
-The Sharks core has lead the way the entire playoffs, the group of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Logan Couture has combined for 30 goals, 54 assists for 84 points in 18 games. All 4 of these guys have been fantastic, but the 2 Joe's in particular have lead the way for the Sharks.
-Martin Jones has been quietly consistent for the Sharks, he's got a playoff-best 12 wins and 3 shutouts.
-As good as the Penguins depth forwards have been, the Sharks have gotten equally as good of a contribution from depth guys like Joonas Donskoi, Joel Ward, and Tomas Hertl.
-Marc-Edouard Vlasic has quietly been the most underrated player in the playoffs so far, with 1 goal and 10 assists and a playoff-best +13 playing around 23:30 of icetime a night.
-What a dream come true it must be for veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, a combined 2778 regular season games without a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals before now.
-Both teams have played 18 games coming into this series, and will have several days off to rest before the finals begin on Monday.

Prediction: This is a a fascinating series to me, one of the best Stanley Cup match ups in a long time (maybe even since the last time the Penguins were in the finals against the Red Wings). Both teams are absolutely loaded up front, and are riding young goaltenders who have been excellent in the playoffs. A common trend between these two teams is talent at center, with Crosby/Malkin/Bonino for the Penguins and Pavelski/Thornton/Couture for the Sharks ready to go head to head. These are two teams who have consistently been contenders year after year with strong regular seasons, only to fall short in the playoffs (back to 2009 when the Penguins last won the Cup, Sharks have never won it). Having to predict this series is very tough because it could truly go either way, but since the day the Sharks got past the Kings I have said they were going to win the Cup and I'm sticking with it. Here's to hope Jumbo Joe finally gets his hands on Lord Stanley!

(SHARKS IN 7. CONN SMYTHE = JOE PAVELSKI)

Conn Smythe Trophy Watch:
1. Joe Pavelski (SJS) - 13 goals, 9 assists, 22 points
2. Phil Kessel (PIT) - 9  goals, 9 assists, 18 points
3. Logan Couture (SJS) - 8 goals, 16 assists, 24 points
4. Joe Thornton (SJS) - 3 goals, 15 assists, 18 points
5. Matt Murray (PIT) - 11-3-1, .925 SV%, 1 SO
6. Brent Burns (SJS) - 6 goals, 14 assists, 20 points
7. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points
8. Martin Jones (SJS) - 12-3-3, .918 SV%, 3 SO
9. Nick Bonino (PIT) - 3 goals, 12 assists, 15 points
10. Joel Ward (SJS) - 6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points

I always love doing previews/predictions during NHL playoffs and this year has been unpredictable and yet extremely exciting to watch. This is my final blog of the 2015/2016 NHL Season, but things are already in motion with the NHL Draft and Free Agency for next season. With that being said, I am pumped for the Stanley Cup which begins Monday night at 8:00PM ET in Pittsburgh. Penguins vs. Sharks, Crosby vs. Thornton, Murray vs. Jones, buckle up!

Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff