Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Lightning are here despite not having Steven Stamkos or Anton Stralman for much of this playoff run. Ben Bishop is quickly becoming their most indispensable player, as he has been great this playoff season. Having a superstar defender like Victor Hedman become elite despite not having his usual defense partner Stralman is helping immensely. Up front, it's been scoring by committee, with Nikita Kucherov emerging as the leading scorer of the bunch. Pittsburgh has been a far better team since Mike Sullivan stepped behind the bench, but it's been an unexpected goalie that is stealing the headlines, as Matt Murray has made a name for himself. The players that were expected to step up in past playoff failures are finally doing so this time around, though getting secondary scoring is also helping here, too.
Prediction: Penguins in 6
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues
The Sharks fended off a strong charge from Nashville in seven games to get to this point. Martin Jones has been as advertised for the Sharks this season, and it helps that their blue line is putting it together as a unit. If you're looking for a clutch player up front, it's not Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau, it's Joe Pavelski and Joel Ward. Pavelski leads the team in scoring, and has been the leader the Sharks needed. The Blues, meanwhile, are finally learning how to win. Putting the games on the backs of Vladimir Tarasenko and Brian Elliott has been key, but it's been the contributions of Troy Brouwer that have put the Blues over the top when it matters the most. It'll be an even series, with the winner having enough to put the series in their favor.
Prediction: Sharks in 7
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