2015 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions: Round 1

As Round 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs is just a mere day away, we take a deeper look into this year’s postseason. The struggle of making the playoffs has been well noted over the last few weeks, as Games 81 and 82 decided the fate for many teams. We saw the Cinderella story of the year, the Ottawa Senators reach the postseason on the final game of the season, as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins squeaking in after defeating the last place Buffalo Sabres.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the 2015 season is seeing both the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins out of the postseason. Boston, being the President’s trophy winners just a year ago and LA being the defending Stanley Cup champions. Both teams were seen as two of the best in the league and sure “locks” to reach the postseason. With neither team in the postseason, it goes to show the great parity and balance that the NHL has from year to year.

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Of the sixteen teams in the 2014 Playoffs, only nine have consecutive playoff berths, seeing a total of seven new teams. Out goes the Bruins, Flyers, Blue Jackets, Avalanche, Sharks, and Kings. In comes the Senators, Capitals, Islanders, Jets, Canucks, and Flames.

Good news Canada, after having just Montreal in the 2014 postseason, you now have five total Canadian teams. Sorry Oilers and Leafs fans.

Now let’s take a deeper look into the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators

The second match-up of the 1st Round, includes another battle between two Central Division rivals, the Nashville Predators (C-2) and Chicago Blackhawks (C-3). There’s a little more history in this match-up, as the last time these teams met in the playoffs, the Blackhawks bested Nashville in a six game series that eventually saw the Hawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010.

During that time, both teams have changed drastically, with the common theme being Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Out goes Barry Trotz, in comes Peter Laviolette, who saw his Philadelphia Flyers defeated in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals by the same Hawks teams that defeated Nashville in Round 1.

When taking a look at this series, it’s very difficult to judge. The two teams have not played since December 29th, where both teams were in different states. The Nashville Predators were cruising at the top of the division, whereas the Blackhawks were still searching for their groove. The Blackhawks did win the season series (3-1-0) against the Preds. Granted three of four games were decide by a single goal, one in overtime and one in a shootout. Plus the two goal victory by the Hawks in the season series included an empty net goal. To say that these two teams are evenly matched is an understatement.

The main reason why the Predators have a chance to defeat the Hawks is because they are very familiar with their divisional rivals, and boast one of the best goaltenders in the league, Pekka Rinne. They are also led up front by rookie sensation Filip Forsberg and a top five defensemen in Shea Weber. The bad news is that they are playing their worst hockey at the most important time of year, losing six in a row.

When looking at this match-up, you can’t fail to mention that Patrick Kane has been cleared for contact and is expected to play in this series. Although the Blackhawks have been struggling of late, losing four in a row to close out the year, they will be getting a much added boost. They get their most dynamic forward back in the mix, which spells bad news for the Predators.

Although Nashville has been struggling lately, I expect this to be another long series. At the end of the day, with Patrick Kane coming back to re-ignite the Hawks, I expect Chicago to take care of business en route to another deep playoff run. Hawks in six.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Anaheim Ducks

When I think of the Winnipeg Jets (WC-2) and the Anaheim Ducks (P-1), I can’t help but think about Teemu Selanne and what he meant to these two clubs. Anyways, this isn’t about Selanne, let’s dive right into this match-up.

Looking at this series, I can’t help but be excited of what’s to come. Both teams are known for their scoring and aggressive play. This is definitely going to be one of the more exciting and high scoring match-ups of the first round. On one side, we have the Anaheim Ducks, who picked up right where they left off last year, atop the Pacific Division. On the other hand, the Winnipeg Jets have clinched their first playoff berth in their new history. The city of Winnipeg is going to be rocking for their home playoff games.

Puck Prose

On paper, this has been a very lopsided season series seeing the Anaheim Ducks sweep the Winnipeg Jets 3-0. Granted, two of those games were decided in extra time. The stellar play of Ondrej Pavelec down the stretch has got the Winnipeg Jets where they are today. They also reached the postseason without one of their most valuable players, defensemen Dustin Byfuglien, for four of the final five games down the stretch. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec posted three consecutive shutouts, to will his team into the postseason. This included victories against the Wild and Blues on back-to-back nights. To say that this team has earned it is an understatement.

Getting into the playoffs and advancing is another thing. With the LA Kings missing the playoffs, I fully expect the Anaheim Ducks to be hungrier than ever and looking to make a statement. Unfortunately for the Winnipeg Jets, their run comes to an end. I believe the Ducks make short work of the Jets in a very thrilling and exciting series. Ducks in five.

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks

Now, we take a look into the battle of Western Canada. One of these non-playoff teams from just a year ago will surely go into the Western Conference Semifinals. The Calgary Flames (P-3) and the Vancouver Canucks (P-2) have had a great historic rivalry over the years, meeting for the 7th time since 1982. In their last meeting, the Flames bested Vancouver in 7 games in the 2003 postseason. You can throw all of those statistics away for what is surely going to be a heated affair between two longtime rivals.

In their season series, we saw a dead split with each team registering two wins. The Canucks won the first two match-ups, followed by Calgary winning the next two. These two teams are very close on paper with Vancouver only having four more points.

These two teams are somewhat riding the same story. When Mark Giordano sustained a torn biceps injury on February 25th it seemed that the Flames season was over. It was determined that Giordano would be out for the remainder of the season, leaving the Flames without their leading scorer and workhorse on the back-end. Everyone had written off the Calgary Flames, as they waited for their eventual demise. This demise never happened.

The Canucks on the other hand had the same issue when Ryan Miller went down with injury on February the 22nd. Most people around the hockey world had expected the Canucks to struggle and possibly miss the postseason. This was not the case as Eddie Lack played very good hockey for the boys in blue. Lack posted a record of 18-13-4 with a 0.921 SV%. At the end of the day, both teams got in.

The main question this series is the Vancouver Canucks goaltending situation. Eddie Lack is expected to start the series for the Canucks, but Ryan Miller is waiting in the wings. Miller came back just in time for the playoffs and played the Canucks final game. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Canucks will go with Miller if Lack struggles early in the series. The Flames on the other hand have their own goaltending dilemma. Both Karri Ramo and Jonas Hiller have played very well for the Flames, with Hiller seeing more starts down the stretch. It’s also expected that Hiller will get the start, granted he has more playoff experience and success.

It’s also difficult to talk about the Flames and not note the super play of the Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler line. On the other side of the coin, you have the Sedin twins and Radim Vrbata leading the way.

These two teams are dead-even on paper and on the ice. In what I think will be a seven game series, I’m going to go with experience over youth. The Canucks find a way to take out the pesky Flames in a classic seven game series. Canucks in seven.

Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens

One of, if not the most fantastic stories of the year, the Ottawa Senators are in the postseason. The Ottawa Senators (WC-1), led by Andrew Hammond, will take battle with Carey Price and his Montreal Canadiens (A-1).

What can you say about this Ottawa team? Andrew Hammond goes 20-1-2 over the course of the year to get this team into the playoffs. It took the Senators all 82 games before they clinched a playoff berth. Forget Hammond, we have heard about how great he’s been since joining the Senators. How about Mark Stone? The rookie sensation had 64 points in 80 games for the Ottawa Senators, including seven goals in six games in the month of April. Just unbelievable, what a story these Senators have been.

On the flip side, the Montreal Canadiens have been one of the most steady teams in the NHL all year. Led by Carey Price, who for my money is the Vezina winner, has single-handily willed his team to where they are today. If Carey Price wasn’t on the Montreal Canadiens it wouldn’t be foolish to think they wouldn’t be in the playoffs. Carey Price went 44-16-6 with a 0.933 SV%.

During their battles, the Senators won the season series 3-1 scoring fourteen goals in four games. To say that the Senators dominated the Canadiens is no understatement, as Montreal has allowed the least amount of goals all year (189). The Senators are averaging more than three goals per game against the Habs.

In a tightly contested series I see the Montreal Canadiens defeating the Ottawa Senators when it matters the most. I’m not a big believer in this Montreal team but I feel that this may be a very good match-up for them. I’m not writing Hammond off by any regards, but I feel as if the playoff lights and atmosphere in Montreal will be a bit overwhelming for him. I still feel that this series can go either way but I’m going to give the slight edge to the Canadiens. Canadiens in seven.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Detroit Red Wings (A-3) and Tampa Bay Lightning (A-2) is another very interesting series, that will surely demonstrate high scoring and fast paced hockey.

The two teams have much more in common than just a playoff match-up. Steve Yzerman, Tampa’s VP and GM, played in the NHL for twenty-two seasons. Oh, and that was all with Detroit Red Wings. This time around, they will be on separate sides, which must be an interesting dynamic for the Lightning’s GM.

The Wings and Bolts have never matched up in the postseason. Both teams are very similar in play as they can score with the best in the league. The two sides boast some very young and talented forwards, that includes Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov just to name a few. Oh, and Steven Stamkos is only 25 years old.

Along with having a young group of forwards, the Red Wings also have Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, two of the most consistent forwards in the league for the past decade. The main question with Detroit isn’t the scoring, it’s the goaltending. Jimmy Howard has struggled so much in the time he has been back that Petr Mrazek has taken the starting role. It was announced by Detroit’s Mike Babcock that Mrazek will in fact be the starting goalie for game 1 of their series. We’re talking about a two-time all-star being benched for the Red Wings once 3rd string goalie.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are way too talented  and I expect them to take care of business against Detroit. I won’t be surprised if the Wings give Tampa Bay some fits, but the speed and skill of Tampa will prevail. The likes of Stamkos, Johnson, and the rest of the bunch cruise to a victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Lightning in five.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Probably one of the more shocking match-ups in the first round is the bout between the Pittsburgh Penguins (WC-2) and the New York Rangers (M-1).

It’s not surprising that these two teams are matching up, it’s surprising that they are matching up so early in the postseason. This is due in large part to the major injury issues that the Penguins have been dealing with. This includes the likes of Olli Maatta, Pascal Dupuis, Kris Letang, and Christian Ehrhoff just to name a few. They have also been dealing with injuries from Evgeni Malkin who doesn’t seem to be 100%. It seems as if almost every major player on the Penguins has dealt with some type of injury over the course of the season.

The Rangers on the other hand have had a fantastic season, winning the President’s trophy. They have done so with Henrik Lundqvist on the shelf, which saw Cam Talbot play 36 games. Talbot was stellar for the team, and allowed Lundqvist to ease into his return instead of rushing things. The good news for Rangers fans is Henrik is back. The bad news is that Talbot has been playing so well for the blue shirts that it’s going to be hard to sit him. More importantly, this is an issue for Alain Vigneault, who is no stranger to goalie controversies. I would be shocked if Lundqvist isn’t the starter given his pedigree, although you have to feel for Talbot.

Due to the injury issues in Pittsburgh, I expect the Rangers to make quick work of the Penguins. I believe the Penguins will win a game out of sheer pride, but this is essentially the Rangers series to lose. It doesn’t matter who’s in net for the Rangers. Rangers in five.

New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals

And for the final series in the Eastern Conference, we take a look at the New York Islanders (M-3) and the Washington Capitals (M-2).

For the Islanders, we see them back in the playoffs as they failed to make the big dance a year ago. The Islanders were defeated in 2013 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a fantastic, heart throbbing series. This time around, the Isles aren’t just squeaking into the playoffs, as they’ve been a strong team all season. Adding Jaroslav Halák, has been a huge addition to the team, finally getting stability between the pipes. The emergence and growth of young players such as Jonathan Tavares, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Travis Hamonic, and others have been a huge boost to this Isles team. Key trades by Garth Snow have also given this team more experience in the back-end, adding the likes of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk.

In the nation’s capital, the biggest move in the off season was the addition of Barry Trotz. Trotz, who had been head coach of the Nashville Predators since their expansion in 1997, brought a fresh new look to a very talented team. The Capitals have been well-known for being able to put the puck in the net. Keeping goals out? A totally different story. Trotz, who always led very good defensive clubs in Nashville, brought his structure and system into Washington and it paid dividends immediately. The great play of Braden Holtby  sure did help, who went 41-20-10 with a 0.923 SV%. After the New York Rangers, I would have to say that the Washington Capitals are the most complete team in the Eastern Conference.

In one of the better match-ups in the first round, I’m going to give the slight edge to the Washington Capitals. As the season series suggested (2-2 tie), this is going to be a very tight series. I feel that the goaltending and explosiveness of the Washington Capitals outplays the young guns in Long Island. Capitals in seven.

Bonus Predictions (Round 2-4)

Western Conference

Blues over Hawks in Seven
Ducks over Canucks in Six

Blues defeat Ducks in Six

Eastern Conference

Lightning over Habs in Five
Rangers over Caps in Seven

Rangers over Lightning in Six

Stanley Cup

Rangers over Blues in Six

I will be making round by round predictions prior to each round.  I would love to hear your thoughts below including your own playoff predictions. Here’s to a great 2015 playoff season!