2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview - Eastern/Western Conference Semifinals

1st Round Scores:

Eastern Conference:

#1 Tampa Bay Lightning defeat WC #2 New Jersey Devils (4-1)
#1 Washington Capitals defeat WC #1 Columbus Blue Jackets (4-2)
#2 Boston Bruins defeat #3 Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3)
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #3 Philadelphia Flyers (4-2)

Western Conference:

#1 Nashville Predators defeat WC #2 Colorado Avalanche (4-2)
#1 Vegas Golden Knights defeat WC #1 Los Angeles Kings (4-0)
#2 Winnipeg Jets defeat #3 Minnesota Wild (4-1)
#3 San Jose Sharks defeat #2 Anaheim Ducks (4-0)

Forman Faceoff Conn Smythe Standings:

1. Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 4 wins, 0.65 GAA, .977 Save %, 2 shutouts

2. Sidney Crosby (PIT) - 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points

3. David Pastrnak (BOS) - 5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points

4. Martin Jones (SJS) - 4 wins, 1.00 GAA, .970 Save %, 1 shutout

5. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points

6. Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) - 4 wins, 1.93 GAA, .924 Save %, 2 shutouts

7. Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points

8. Braden Holtby (WSH) - 4 wins, 1.92 GAA, .932 Save %

9. Brad Marchand (BOS) - 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points

10. Austin Watson (NSH) - 4 goals, 3 assist, 7 points

Here's a look at the 4 Conference Semi-Final match-ups:

#1 Tampa Bay Lightning vs #2 Boston Bruins

Season Series: Bruins won the season series 3-1-0

November 29, 2017: Boston Bruins 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
March 17, 2018: Boston Bruins 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 0
March 29, 2018: Boston Bruins 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 2

April 3, 2018: Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Boston Bruins 0

Players to Watch:

Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat

Boston: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci

X-Factor:

Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov

Boston: Brad Marchand

Team Leaders:

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 5, David Pastrnak/Jake DeBrusk (BOS) - 5
Assists: David Pastrnak (BOS) - 8, Nikita Kucherov/Steven Stamkos (TBL) - 5

Points: David Pastrnak (BOS) - 13, Nikita Kucherov - 10
Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) - 4, Tuukka Rask (BOS) - 4
Goals Against Average: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) - 2.01, Tuukka Rask (BOS) - 2.94

Save Percentage: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) - .941, Tuukka Rask (BOS) - .899

Prediction: Both of these teams battled neck and neck for the Atlantic Division title this season, with the Bruins losing on the last day of the regular season to fall 1 point short. This series has two high-powered offenses going head to head and will be very close, but I give the edge to the Bruins fresh off their big game 7 win vs Toronto.

(BRUINS IN 7)

#1 Washington Capitals vs #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

Season Series: Season series tied 2-2-0

October 11, 2017: Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Washington Capitals 2
November 10, 2017: Washington Capitals 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
February 2, 2018: Pittsburgh Penguins 7, Washington Capitals 4
April 1, 2018: Washington Capitals 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1

Players to Watch:

Washington: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, Devante Smith-Pelly

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Matt Murray, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust

X-Factor:

Washington: Alex Ovechkin

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

Team Leaders:

Goals: Sidney Crosby/Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 6, Alex Ovechkin (WSH) - 5
Assists: John Carlson (WSH) - 8, Sidney Crosby/Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 13
Points: Sidney Crosby/Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 13, John Carlson (WSH) - 9
Wins: Braden Holtby (WSH) - 4, Matt Murray (PIT) - 4
Goals Against Average: Braden Holtby (WSH) - 1.92, Matt Murray (PIT) - 2.20
Save Percentage: Braden Holtby (WSH) - 9.32, Matt Murray (PIT) - 9.11

Prediction: Penguins vs Capitals, 2nd round, for the 3rd consecutive year...We want to think this year will be different for Ovechkin and company, but I can't bet against the two-time defending champs and think the Penguins are just too deep and strong right now.

(PENGUINS IN 6)


This would have the Eastern Conference Finals match up as:

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

#1 Nashville Predators vs #2 Winnipeg Jets

Season Series: Predators won the season series 3-1-1

November 20, 2017: Nashville Predators 5, Winnipeg Jets 3 
December 19, 2017: Winnipeg Jets 6, Nashville Predators 4
February 27, 2018: Nashville Predators 6, Winnipeg Jets 5
March 13, 2018: Nashville Predators 3, Winnipeg Jets 1
March 25, 2018: Winnipeg Jets 5, Nashville Predators 4 (SO)

Players to Watch:

Nashville: Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, PK Subban, Pekka Rinne, Mattias Ekholm, Austin Watson

Winnipeg: Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers

X-Factor:

Nashville: Filip Forsberg

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Team Leaders:

Goals: Filip Forsberg/Austin Watson (NSH) - 4, Mark Scheifele (WPG) - 4
Assists: Mattias Ekholm (NSH) - 5, Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) - 5
Points: Austin Watson/Colton Sissons (NSH) - 7, Mark Scheifele/Dustin Byfuglien (WPG) - 5
Wins: Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 4, Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) - 4
Goals Against Average: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) - 1.93, Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 2.60
Save Percentage: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) - .924, Pekka Rinne (NSH) - .909

Prediction: It's almost a shame that this match up is in the 2nd round and not the Conference Finals, arguably two of the best teams in the NHL going head to head in a major heavyweight tilt. After seeing the Predators beat my Avalanche in 6 I know how impressive they can be, but I'm giving the very slight edge to Winnipeg and see them advancing to the Conference Finals.

(JETS IN 7)

#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs #3 San Jose Sharks

Season Series: Golden Knights won the season series 3-0-1

November 24, 2017: Vegas Golden Knights 5, San Jose Sharks 4 (OT)
February 8, 2018: Vegas Golden Knights 5, San Jose Sharks 3
March 22, 2018: San Jose Sharks 2, Vegas Golden Knights 1 (OT)
March 31, 2018: Vegas Golden Knights 3, San Jose Sharks 2

Players to Watch:

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury, James Neal, Johnathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Ryan Carpenter

San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, Martin Jones, Evander Kane

X-Factor:

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

San Jose: Joe Pavelski

Team Leaders:

Goals: Tomas Hertl/Marcus Sorensen/Evander Kane (SJS) - 3, James Neal/Cody Eakin/Alex Tuch - 1
Assists: Joe Pavelski (SJS) - 4, Reilly Smith (VGK) - 3
Points: Joe Pavelski/Logan Couture (SJS) - 5, Reilly Smith (VGK) - 3
Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 4, Martin Jones (SJS) - 4
Goals Against Average: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - 0.65, Martin Jones (SJS) - 1.00
Save Percentage: Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) - .977, Martin Jones (SJS) - .970

Prediction: Most of the hockey world (myself included) has expected the Golden Knights to fall down to earth eventually, but the miracle expansion season continues in Vegas. After dismantling the Kings in 4 games in round 1, I think Marc-Andre Fleury carries the Golden Knights past the Sharks in this series and straight to the Conference Finals.

(GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN 6)


This would have the Western Conference Finals matchup as:

#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs #2 Winnipeg Jets

2nd round begins tonight!


Joel Forman