2015 Playoff Preview 1st Round: Eastern Conference

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers (Brendl Division)

Season Series: Tied at 2 wins

Offense:

The Penguins strength lies with its offense. Backed by a dynamic trio upfront in Getzlaf, Datsyuk and St. Louis, the Penguins without fail filled the net throughout the entire year. The biggest dissapointment may have been Phil Kessel, and he was shipped out at the deadline for probably the best power forward in the game in Corey Perry, who quickly made his presence felt. The bottom six will make their presence felt in a much different way. Brandon Prust, Leo Komarov, Steve Downie and Nikolai Kulemin will make life a living hell for their opponents. The Flyers on the other hand rely on their strength down the middle. David Krejci and Gustav Nyqiust add a ton of skill, with TJ Oshie and Milan Lucic provide a mix of size and skill. The issue for Philly is that after those main contributors, the offensive production is hard to come by from the bottom lines.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Defence and Goaltending:

Part of the reason why the Penguins offense is so dynamic is because of the threat that Drew Doughty provides from the backend. After that it’s a strong contingent of veteran swedish defenseman (Grossman, Ohlund, Murray, Oduya) and Gardiner. Ryan Miller adds a steadying presence in net, but there was more to be desired this past season from the veteran netminder. In Philly, Anton Khudobin may not be the sexiest name but he was solid enough to be good. The defense on the other hand is a potent machine that adds qualities of grit and complete offensive spectacles. The behemoth of Zdeno Chara cannot be the sole focus as Bieksa and Boychuk will wear down opposing forwards. While it may have been a down year, Keith Yandle can turn the tide with his offensive abilities.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Verdict: Pittsburgh in 6

While the Flyers may have some outstanding pieces, the Penguins are just that much deeper. Except a hard fought battle in the Battle of Pennsylvania.

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC) Buffalo Sabres (Brendl Division)

Season Series: Tied at 2 wins

Offense:

The Washington Capitals may have been a surprise to finish first in the Brendl, but they did so because of a lot of hard work up front. The team’s strength really is on the wing with some electrifying play from both Jaden Schwartz and Johan Franzen, with the added depth of mid-season adds in Carl Hagelin, Marian Gaborik and Shane Doan. The centre core may have not been the most productive on the score sheet, but all four centres were reliable and sat above 50% in the faceoff dot. In Buffalo it’s a lot harder to predict. David Desharnais was a revelation this year, but after that the production falls off. Any player that provided any semblance of offense was shipped off (M.Richards, Upshall, Hemsky). There is a 68 point gap between the top scoring forward and the second (B.Richards), which can’t be too reassuring for the Sabres coaching staff.

Advantage: Washington

Defence and Goaltending:

Now here is why the Sabres are in the playoffs. Erik Karlsson was elite this year, with a 107 points. Mark Stuart, Willie Mitchell and Braydon Coburn add a solid and effective 3 through 6 on D. Dan Girardi has been surprisingly effective on the offensive side of the game since being picked up and was already averaging 29 minutes a game in his 13 games as a Sabre. In net, Marc-Andre Fleury has been outstanding. In the nation’s capital the defense isn’t bad, but not as dynamic. Kris Russell and Josh Gorges were strong contributors all season, while Mike Green was a complete disappointment with only a 2% shooting percentage. The difference maker was in net, with Luongo putting up potential Vezina winning numbers. And even if for some reason he falters or gets injured, the undefeated Jake Allen is a more than serviceable backup.

Advantage: Sabres

Verdict: Capitals in 5

Terrible offense, say hello to unbeatable goaltending. Sabres have two dynamic offensive talents that have gotten them to this point, but it probably won’t be enough.

(2) Ottawa Senators vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs (Daigle Division)

Season Series: Maple Leafs 4-0

Offense:

It’s hard to really go against the Senators offense. The team has shipped out Anze Kopitar and Corey Perry throughout the year, and yet still they have an all-star top 6. Backstrom and Neal have been an excellent combo all season, while O’Reilly and Wheeler haven’t been as effective. The bottom 6 can be effective offensively (although they haven’t shown it), yet they’re not physical enough to really grind out a win - might be something to watch if they go further. Just basing on the eye test, it’s hard to really believe that the Leafs can be a threat anywhere past their first line. Though you shouldn’t judge too quickly as they were the 4th highest scoring team in the league this past year. Yes Hossa, Thornton and Ladd may have provided a lot of that, but Nielsen and Frolik add offense and the defensive responsibility that you want.

Advantage: Slight edge to Toronto

Defence and Goaltending:

A top 4 defense with an average age of 34 at least provides experience in Toronto. They dealt their most effective player mid-season, a guy who ate a lot of minutes. There has been a revolving door in net this year in Toronto, and lucky for them Schneider has been the best and is one the one that’s currently there. In Ottawa the top pairing of Subban and Phaneuf is dynamite, problem is they’ve just been ok, just ok this year. Who hasn’t been just ok, Carey Price. The constant workhorse was out of this world this past year and WILL steal games this playoffs.

Advantage: Ottawa

Verdict: Toronto in 7

It’s the Battle of Ontario renewed and we shouldn’t have to worry about the ghosts of Patrick Lalime. Something about the veteran leadership in Toronto should help push them over the edge, if only slightly.

(1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC) Florida Panthers (Daigle Division)

Season Series: Panthers 3-1

Offense:

Two years ago Jaromir Jagr was helping push the Panthers over the Bruins in Game 7 of the first round, this time he’ll try to achieve that with Boston. Claude Giroux and John Tavares may be the best 1-2 punch down the middle in the league (we’ll get to that in a second), while additions of Matt Read and Brayden Schenn have given the Bruins a physical element they’ve lacked before. In Florida, Crosby and Kane started to find chemistry near the end of the year while the rest of the wingers were largely ineffective. Crosby and Malkin may also be the best 1-2 punch down the middle, but the underrated signing of Mike Ribeiro has given the Panthers a real solid player on the 3rd line.

Advantage: Slight edge to Boston

Defence and Goaltending:

The top four in Florida all played in the Olympics, which should account for something. OEL and Pietrangelo like Subban and Phaneuf are an amazing pair, but they were fairly normal this year and it could be argued that Justin Faulk was the best defenseman in Florida this year. After a rotation to start the year, Steve Mason has easily ran away with the starter’s role in Florida and seemed to get better as the season went along. In Boston, GM Valente did all he could to improve the team by adding their top 3 defenseman mid-season with Ryan McDonagh putting up elite numbers. Jonathan Bernier was very good, while Jonas Enroth was somehow 7-0 this year…..does he get a game?  

Advantage: Slight edge to Boston

Verdict: Boston in 7

This should be a tight series, but this should be the time the Bruins finally get over the hump and make their deep playoff push.