- Marc Andre Fleury’s glove side vs Craig Andersons puck handling: If the two best goaltenders in the eastern conference have weaknesses for Fleury it’s his glove hand (On which the caps scored three goals in game six when shooting at it.) For Anderson it’s his inability to handle the puck behind his own net. Andersons flaw is more deadly but Fleury’s has always been there and has been the down fall of many Penguins runs in the past. In a series that will most likely be high scoring the deciding factor will be the goal tending. If anyone has an advantage here it’s the Pens. Matt Murray is healthy and if Fleury starts to struggle there is a backup plan in Pittsburgh.
- Nashville: The Preds for the first time are in the western conference finals. Led by Pekka Rinne and a stellar defensive cast headed by PK Subban the Preds now face their biggest test the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks looked fantastic from game 3 on in their series with the Edmonton Oilers excluding a fluky game 6. The Predators will need to neutralize a red hot Ryan Getzlaf while keeping Corey Perry in check. John Gibson has never upheld playoff excellence but the Predators will need to find a way to get their offense involved in the scoring.
- The Penguins: Not since the red wings has a team repeated as Stanley Cup champs the Pens are one step away from making history. How will they handle that? The emergence of young star Jake Guentzel and the return of last year’s playoff star Bryan Rust might make this team better than last years. They need Connor Sheary another hero from last year to step up. If Ottawa wants to win they will have to shut all these players down and Evgeni Malkin and the greatest Playoff Penguin of all time, Sidney Crosby.
The Prediction
East
Game 1: The teams figure each other out and Pittsburgh wins 3-2.
Game 2: Ottowa comes out strong and Craig Anderson shuts the door in a 3-1 Sens win.
Game 3: Ottowa is rocking and in a high scoring affair the Sens win 4-3 in OT.
Game 4: Craig Anderson has a bad game with a lot of pressure riding on him for a 3-1 series lead the Penguins shut out the Sens 4-0.
Game 5: Both Goalies play out of their minds for 2 and 3 quarters of regulation until both are scored on once. OT is a goalie Battle and in the 2nd OT a Penguins Bounce gives them a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6: The Senators come on strong and force Mike Sullivan to make a tough goalie decision for game 7 6-2 Senators.
Game 7: Marc Andre Fleury makes his playoff legacy and shuts the door in game 7 Penguins move on to the Stanley Cup Finals with a 1-0 game 7 win.
West
Game 1: Despite a fantastic game by Pekka Rinne the ducks win 2-0.
Game 2: The Predators respond and score thrice on John Gibson early and survive a Ducks come back to win 5-2.
Game 3: Smashville is rocking and the Preds end John Gibson’s season in the first period with 4 goals as Nashville wins 6-1.
Game 4: Johnathan Bernier gets the start but the Predators still win 5-3.
Game 5: The Ducks force game 6 with a 4-3 OT win.
Game 6: Pekka Rinne shuts out the ducks and the Preds win 4-0.
Stanley Cup: Penguins vs Predators
