(1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (1) Washington Capitals
The Lightning have been fairly dominant, as they've dispatched the Devils and Bruins in five games each. Andrei Vasilevsky is proving to be the goaltender that the Lightning hoped for, their defense is coming out of its funk in time for the playoffs, and Nikita Kucherov is now the most dangerous offensive option. Steven Stamkos is still there, but he is now more of an X-factor, as teams seem to have forgotten about him.
The Capitals are a bit of a surprise, in that the goaltending was a major question mark coming into the playoffs. Braden Holtby entered the playoffs in game three against Columbus, and he's turned back the clock to his Vezina winning days. Defensively, they've been competent, and their offense has been carried by Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom.
Prediction: Capitals in 7
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (2) Winnipeg Jets
Vegas has been fairly good in the playoffs, with Marc-Andre Fleury carrying the team on his back with stellar play in net. Their no-name defense has the best chemistry of any of the remaining teams, and a surprising offense led by William Karlsson is the impetus behind their success. A player to watch for to potentially break out this series is Jonathan Marchessault, who has the scoring ability.
The Jets have been great all season, though their question was whether they could keep it going in the playoffs. After a hard fought win against Nashville in seven, they've emphatically answered it with a resounding yes. Connor Hellebuyck appears to be this year's version of Matt Murray, with a playoff debut for the ages, their defense is coming together despite not having eye-popping numbers, and Mark Scheifele is becoming a superstar with his playoff run. The Jets are doing this without a great amount of help from Patrik Laine, and if he gets going, look out.
Prediction: Jets in 6
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