(1) Washington Capitals vs. (4) Philadelphia Flyers
The Capitals basically wrapped everything up by the time the calendar turned to April, so anything that could be looked into this month appears to be irrelevant. Now, the real fun begins, as we will see if the Caps can finally get over the hump or if it was all smoke and mirrors. Braden Holtby's season for the ages suggests that he's turned a corner in becoming an elite goalie while Alex Ovechkin once again led the way, securing the Rocket Richard Trophy and being the only player with 50 goals this season. This is the best shot for the Caps to win it all, but will it come together finally?
The Flyers needed the last weekend to make the playoffs, and did so with fairly convincing wins. Few expected them to make it here prior to the season, but the team is firmly buying into rookie head coach Dave Hakstol's system and with contributions from Claude Giroux and rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, the Flyers could cause some trouble.
Prediction: Capitals in 6
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) New York Rangers
No Evgeni Malkin, no Marc-Andre Fleury, and a dysfunctional team for half the season, yet the Penguins comfortably made it into the playoffs. A mid-season coaching change lit a fire under Sidney Crosby, who put the team on his back for the first time in a while Malkin is out with injury. Fleury's situation also bears watching, as he could miss a game or two to open the series, but is more likely to start. However, it doesn't look great when Jeff Zatkoff is still on the roster and Tristan Jarry was recently called up to take Matt Murray's spot due to injury.
The Rangers had a little drama of their own, as they couldn't get out of their own way at times, and if not for Henrik Lundqvist, they would have had a harder time making the playoffs. As the likes of Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash go, so will go the Rangers' offense. The wild-card here is Eric Staal, who hasn't been in a playoff game since 2009 with Carolina. Defensively, there could be trouble if Ryan McDonagh is out for an extended period of time.
Prediction: Penguins in 7
(1) Florida Panthers vs. (4) New York Islanders
The Panthers rode the goaltending of Roberto Luongo and contributions from the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Aaron Ekblad to the Atlantic Division title. The next step is winning a playoff series for the first time since 1996. With Jagr, Willie Mitchell, and Dave Bolland on board, this is where the veterans will have the most impact, as they can impart the wisdom of how to handle a playoff series to the young players. If there is a player that needs to step up, it's Nick Bjugstad, as he had a disappointing season.
The Islanders weren't quite as good this season, as John Tavares didn't put up the elite numbers one would be used to, but he contributed in other ways that benefited the team, and that worked for players such as Kyle Okposo and Brock Nelson. Defensively, this wasn't the best of units, but part of that can be traced to a revolving door in goal, as Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and J-F Berube saw a fair amount of time there due to injuries. If there is a way the Islanders can pull off the upset, it will have to be up to the likes of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin to throw off the Panthers with their physical play.
Prediction: Panthers in 6
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings
The Lightning come limping in thanks to the absence of both Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman. However, the Lightning seem to be getting goals from everyone, but especially Nikita Kucherov, who broke the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career. Victor Hedman is still on the blue line, and he will look to build on last year's performance while Ben Bishop holds down the fort in goal. One interesting thing to watch for is what, if anything, can Jonathan Drouin contribute.
Detroit barely managed to make it 25 seasons in the playoffs, thanks to a tie-breaker over Boston. However, there isn't a heck of a lot to like about the team right now. Despite having Dylan Larkin, the Red Wings couldn't do much damage offensively, and Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk aren't getting any younger, with Datsyuk possibly on his way out after the season. The Wings still haven't come close to filling the void left by Nicklas Lidstrom after the 2011-12 season, and this time, the goaltending is having a hard time bailing it out, as consistency was hard to come by for either Petr Mrazek or Jimmy Howard.
Prediction: Lightning in 4
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