NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW
BRUINS
Strengths: Tuukka Rask is among the top five in every goaltending category with 36 wins, a 2.04 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and a league-leading seven shutouts. The Bruins are the No. 2 defensive team in the NHL with Rask, defenceman Zdeno Chara and forward Patrice Bergeron, but coach Claude Julien believes in balance and can run four lines all night. The result is that Boston has the third-highest goal production in the NHL.
Weaknesses: Did we mention Rask? As good as he has been this season, the Finn has experienced difficulties when facing the Red Wings. Detroit won three of its four games against Boston this season and Rask has a less-than-spectacular .868 save percentage in those games. The Bruins have one of the best power plays in terms of efficiency, but they don’t draw a lot of penalties.
For the Bruins to win: The Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy for the best record in the NHL and have to carry that level of play into the playoffs.
RED WINGS
Strengths: Mike Babcock may be the best coach in the NHL and he had to prove it as Detroit dealt with an ongoing series of injuries to key players such as Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and off-season prize Stephen Weiss. The Red Wings used 37 different players, including eight who made their NHL debuts, and they showed their resiliency as they qualified to make their 23rd consecutive playoff appearance.
Weaknesses: There was a time when the Red Wings could get away with a serviceable goaltender like Jimmy Howard, but Detroit allowed more goals (221) than it scored (217) this season. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are both ailing and Detroit will need them to add some punch. The Red Wings have a number of players who are past their best-by date and they’ll have to prove they are experienced rather than old.
For the Red Wings to win: Detroit has been in playoff mode for the past month as it overtook Toronto for a wild-card spot and must carry that momentum into the playoffs.
Prediction: Bruins in five.
LIGHTNING
Strengths: Steven Stamkos missed a large part of the season with a broken tibia, but he’s back to bolster an offence that ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference. The biggest contributor to the Lightning’s success this season has been 6-foot-7 goaltender Ben Bishop, who has taken up a lot of space in the net. He has been particularly effective against the Canadiens this season, with a 3-0-1 mark and a 1.22 goalsagainst average.
Weaknesses: The Lightning could be in trouble if Bishop isn’t able to play. He suffered an elbow injury late in the season and there’s no word on whether he’ll be ready to start the playoffs. If he’s not ready, the Lightning will have to rely on another huge goalie, 6-foot-6 Anders Lindback, who was named the NHL’s first star of the week last week after posting a 3-0-0 record. But Lindback has played in only one career playoff game and Bishop hasn’t played any. The Tampa Bay lineup includes seven rookies who are untested in the playoffs.
For the Lightning to win: The Lightning needs a healthy Bishop in what promises to be a tight series after three of the four regular-season games against Montreal went to overtime.
CANADIENS
Strengths: Carey Price has enjoyed a bounce-back year under the tutelage of new goalie coach Stephane Waite. Price backstopped Team Canada to a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics and gave the Canadiens a chance to win in most of their games. The penalty kill is among the best in the league. Max Pacioretty is having a career season and combines with longtime linemate David Desharnais and free-agent rental Thomas Vanek to give the Canadiens a needed offensive threat.
Weaknesses: The Canadiens don’t score enough at even strength and the power play has gone cold down the stretch. They need secondary scoring beyond the Desharnais line. Montreal wins less than 50 per cent of its faceoffs and leads the NHL in blocked shots. Those aren’t good signs for a team that’s trying to play a puck-possession style. And did we mentions the Canadiens are still too small?
For the Canadiens to win: Price has to be channelling Patrick Roy circa 1986 and 1993 and Montreal has to improve on an offence that produced only five goals in four regular-season games against Tampa Bay.
Prediction: Canadiens in six.
PENGUINS
Strengths: The Penguins have the best player in the world in Sidney Crosby, who won the NHL scoring title and is favoured to win league MVP honours. But it will be easier for the Columbus defence to key on Crosby if Evgeni Malkin isn’t in the lineup. Malkin is still recovering from a sprained foot, but the Penguins have so much talent that they have been able to win the Metropolitan Division title despite losing a league-high 513 man-games to injury.
Weaknesses: Marc-Andre Fleury won 39 games this season, but the goaltender hasn’t played well in the playoffs since earning a Stanley Cup ring in the 2008-09 season. Fleury has a 14-16 record during the past four seasons in the post-season and last year found himself playing backup to veteran Tomas Vokoun. The weight is squarely on Fleury’s shoulders this year because Vokoun has been out all season with a blood clot.
For the Penguins to win: Pittsburgh can’t take the hard-working Blue Jackets lightly, but even with a rash of injuries the Penguins should have the talent, speed and skill to dominate the series.
BLUE JACKETS
Strengths: The Blue Jackets have reached the playoffs for the second time in franchise history because they outwork the opposition with a relentless forecheck. The team registered 2,609 hits to tie the Los Angeles Kings for the NHL lead. Ryan Johansen led the Blue Jackets with 33 goals, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s numbers weren’t quite as good as they were last season when he won the Vezina Trophy, but he did enough to help the team secure a playoff spot.
Weaknesses: The Blue Jackets lost some key veterans in the final week of the regular season. R.J. Umberger is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, Nick Foligno is questionable for the playoff opener with a lower-body injury, and Nathan Horton is out for six weeks after abdominal surgery. Bobrovsky has to prove he can handle playoff pressure. In seven playoff games with Philadelphia, he had a 4.04 goals-against average and an .848 save percentage.
For the Blue Jackets to win: Columbus will have to play better than it did in the regular season against Pittsburgh. The teams met five times and the Penguins swept the series.
Prediction: Penguins in five.
RANGERS
Strengths: The Rangers had the secondbest defensive record in the Eastern Conference and you can’t give all the credit to goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has had a good, but not great, year. The key player on defence has been Ryan McDonagh and the good news is he has recovered from a left shoulder injury. He’s the Rangers’ top scoring defenceman with 14 goals and 43 points, but he also is matched against the opposition’s top line.
Weaknesses: The Rangers can’t match the Flyers in terms of offensive depth. They’ll need strong performances from Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis, who has been quiet since he was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. Nash is a streaky player who has something to prove after he was a noshow last spring in a second-round series against Boston.
For the Rangers to win: New York can’t be intimidated by the more physical Flyers and must capitalize on the home-ice advantage. The teams split four regularseason meetings, with the home side winning each game.
FLYERS
Strengths: The Flyers are big and tough, but they also have some players who can put pucks in the net. Claude Giroux is one of seven Flyers who scored at least 20 goals this season, while linemate Jakub Voracek has picked up 23 of his 62 points on the power play. Scott Hartnell provides toughness and scoring, while the lanky Wayne Simmonds is having a career season with 29 goals, including 15 on the power play.
Weaknesses: Goaltending is a perennial problem in Philadelphia and it’s magnified because the Flyers’ defence hasn’t been the same since a concussion ended Chris Pronger’s career. Starting goaltender Steve Mason left Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh after he was shaken up in a collision, but that could be a blessing in disguise. Mason is 0-4 in playoff action and his backup, Ray Emery, is 7-2 lifetime against the Rangers with a 1.87 goals-against average.
For the Flyers to win: Philadelphia will have to find a way to keep the puck out of its net because the Rangers’ goaltending and defence will make for low-scoring games.
Prediction: Rangers in seven.