Thanks for the memories, Round 1 -- including those
Stanley Cup playoffs-record 18 overtime games and the nonstop drama. Now it's
time to contemplate the merits of the eight teams left standing for the second round, which begins on Wednesday. We sized them up in
the Playoff Power Rankings, Part II:
1. (LAST WEEK: 1) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
The defending champions tore through a very tough Columbus Blue
Jackets team in five games without No. 1 goalie Matt Murray,
defenseman Kris Letang or
left wingers Chris Kunitz and Carl Hagelin.
The Penguins didn't need them because Evgeni Malkin was
on fire, with 11 points in five games. And 22-year-old rookie Jake Guentzel led
Pittsburgh -- and the league -- with five postseason goals. Bring on the
Capitals.
2. (5) ANAHEIM DUCKS
I'm not sure most people understand just how good the
Ducks -- who have now gone undefeated in regulation in 18 consecutive games
(15-0-3), including their impressive, first-round sweep of the Calgary
Flames -- are. I love the Ryan Kesler-Connor
McDavid matchup that awaits when Anaheim faces off against
the Edmonton
Oilers in the conference semifinals. Can Anaheim goalie John Gibson match
Edmonton's Cam Talbot, who was sensational for most of the first round? The
answer might determine who moves on to the Western Conference finals.
3. (3) NASHVILLE PREDATORS
The preseason-darling Predators became postseason
darlings after their shocking sweep of the Central Division-champion Chicago
Blackhawks. Can the St. Louis
Blues contain Nashville's big line of Ryan Johansen, Viktor
Arvidsson and Filip
Forsberg, who combined for 15 points in Round 1? Chicago couldn't.
More important, can the Blues dent a Nashville defense that allowed just three
goals to the Blackhawks?
4. (2) ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blues were a machine while dismantling the
favored Minnesota
Wild in five games, and they get center Paul Stastny back
for Round 2. They'll need him, as the deep, battle-tested Predators should
provide a much sterner test. Once-shaky goalie Jake Allen,
who boasts a .956 save percentage and 1.47 goals-against average this
postseason, has found his groove for St. Louis.
5. (7) WASHINGTON CAPITALS
I was sorry to see the Capitals-Toronto Maple
Leafs series end. The question for the Capitals now is how
quickly they can put behind them the emotionally draining, six-game roller
coaster against Toronto and focus on Sidney Crosby and
the Penguins. My guess is they've already done so. Goalie Braden Holtby
elevated his game in Games 5 and 6 against the Leafs.
He'll have to keep up his superb play if the Caps are to move on to a
conference finals for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin era.
6. (4) EDMONTON OILERS
The youthful Oilers finished strong in the first round
after getting waxed 7-0 in Game 4 by the San Jose
Sharks. Edmonton prevailed in two close games to defeat San Jose in
six -- and win in its first playoff series since the 2006 Western Conference
finals. But Anaheim is in a class above, so Edmonton will need to see more from
McDavid, who had one short-handed goal, two assists on the power play and an
empty-netter in his first playoff series. Talbot, the first-round MVP, will
have his work cut out for him against the big, skilled Ducks lineup.
7. (11) NEW YORK RANGERS
The Rangers-Ottawa
Senators' second-round matchup is the lowest-profile series of the
four. Henrik
Lundqvist is once again The King, with a .947 save percentage,
and he'll need to keep ruling the net against a tireless, gritty Ottawa squad.
Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh is
on a mission, and left winger Rick Nash showed
flashes of his former brilliance in the Rangers' six-game set with the Montreal
Canadiens.
8. (9) OTTAWA SENATORS
It seems like no one respects the Senators. I'm pretty
sure they don't care. Both Bobby Ryan,
who had four goals and seven points, and Clarke
MacArthur, who looked just a few months ago like his career was over
because of multiple concussions, had a terrific series against the Boston Bruins.
MacArthur launched Ottawa into the second round with an OT winner in Game 6 on
Sunday. The Senators will be underdogs against the Rangers despite having
home-ice advantage. I'm pretty sure they don't care about that, either.
0 comments: