(3) St. Louis Blues vs. (2) San Jose Sharks
The Blues are once again on the doorstep of making the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970, and this time, it is on the back of some timely scoring and sterling goaltending from Jordan Binnington. They outlasted the Stars, as they had to make a comeback from a 3-2 series deficit. Jaden Schwartz continues to be an unsung hero, but it is the resurgence of the likes of Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko that continue to push the Blues forward.
The Sharks are still inconsistent, but keep finding ways to win, thanks to contributions from the likes of Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture. Getting Joe Pavelski back after missing all but the last game of the Colorado series was a shot in the arm. Where the Sharks desperately need to improve is contributions from the back end, as Brent Burns has been quiet and the team is still waiting on Erik Karlsson to contribute. Martin Jones still has consistency issues, but rises to the occasion when things are on the line.
Prediction: Blues in 6
(2) Boston Bruins vs. (4) Carolina Hurricanes
The Bruins are still the physical team that can wear down opponents to win, as evidenced by their series win over Columbus. However, they are also a team that can outscore opponents, as needed, with David Pastrnak and David Krejci leading the way. The team has done well despite little in the way of offensive output from Brad Marchand. Defensively, this is a unit that is getting healthy at the right time, with Charlie MacAvoy and Brandon Carlo pushing the unit forward with a guiding hand from veterans such as Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. Tuukka Rask continues to hold down the fort in goal, with more consistency in his numbers.
Carolina has solid depth all around, and though the output from Sebastian Aho hasn't been as great, it has been the likes of Teuvo Teravainen, Nino Niederreiter, and unsung hero Warren Foegele who have pushed the offense forward. Defensively, they suffered a blow when Trevor van Riemsdyk was announced to be out for the rest of the playoffs, but others have stepped up, and that will continue to be the case here. Where the Hurricanes could be vulnerable is in goal, where Petr Mrazek missed the last two games to injury, and though the Hurricanes have had time off, it remains to be seen if he can be 100 percent if he comes back during the series. In the interim, Curtis McElhinney held down the fort well, and he will be a key if Mrazek is unable to go or isn't completely healthy.
Prediction: Hurricanes in 7
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