2016 NHL Playoff Predicitions: Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (WC)

Washington will win if: Ovie and Holtby continue their strong play. Holtby was the best goaltender in the regular season, and Ovechkin the most exciting player of the last 11 NHL seasons. Ovie and co. are due for a breakthrough this postseason

Philadelphia will win if: They can rattle Holtby and contain Ovie. AND getting strong goaltending. A key for Philly will be getting a split in the first two on the road. Heading home 2-0 down and the Flyers are done.

My Pick: Ovie and his team in six. I also believe that Washington will be the team to come out of the Metrolitan Division

Florida Panthers (1) vs. New York Islanders (WC)

Florida will win if: @Strombone plays like he did in the 2011 with Vancouver. The Panthers have the biggest edge in experience in Jaromir Jagr, 44 years young. Note the irony: Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins the last time Florida won a playoff series in 1996 against...The Pens!

The Panthers have the edge in depth and goal. Jaroslav Halak hasn't seen any action since March 8th. 

New York Islanders will win if: Either Halak returns and plays like he did last time in the playoffs (Or in 2010 with Montreal), or Thomas Greiss steps up. Much like Philly, the longer this series goes, the better their odds will be. They happen to have the edge on the blue line, too.

My Pick: Florida in seven. Florida finished first in the Atlantic and we are going to see a very southern-themed division finals.

Speaking of Pittsburgh...Back we go to the Met Division

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. New York Rangers (3)

Pittsburgh will win if: Matt Murray (Or Jeff Zatkoff) can hold the fort in goal. There's still no 100% guarantee that Marc Andre Fleury or Murray will be in goal for game one, and that's a problem. A definitive return date has no been set for Fleury, so you must think that Murray or possibly Zatkoff will be in the crease for (at least) the first two contests. Zatkoff will not have to be Ken Dryden 1971 or Patrick Roy 1986, but he'll have some pressure on him. Especially if Evgeni Malkin doesn't come back. Will Phil Kessel step up? If he does, this thing could be over quick! However, none of this might be the deciding factor. How about if Lundqvist struggles the way he did in the last 13 games of the regular season? This might get real ugly, real quick.

New York will win if: Lundqvist regains his form. The Rangers also must rattle Murray. Circle game one of this series. The Rangers cannot allow Pittsburgh to win it. Murray might get the confidence he needs. The Rangers goalie must find a way to get it back. Holding Sid Crosby in check is also a must.

My Pick: Pittsburgh in six. So we will have Crosby vs. Ovie in round two!

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (3)

Tampa will win if: Ben Bishop continues his strong play. With Stamkos out of the lineup, much will fall on his shoulders. However, his play in last seasons' playoffs carried the Lighting to within two games a Stanley Cup. Ben's play this year has me thinking he's no fluke. Look for that to continue against Detroit. They have several players who can pick up the slack for Stamkos. Do names like Stralman, Hedman and Kucherov ring a bell? This is no one-man team!

Detroit will in if: Jamie Howard steps up. He really hasn't brought his game to the next level. He needs to now. Even with a depleted lineup, the Lightning have the big edge in goal. Detroit will rely on their veteran players to get the job done. They are weary from their long playoff push and will probably come out flat in the opening contest. Henrik Zetterberg will be called upon to deliver. If he's his usual playoff self, this one could go either way.

My Pick: Tampa in six! Off to face Florida after in the Atlantic Division Finals! The ice will melt for both those teams!


References


Official Site of the National Hockey League | NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. <https://www.nhl.com>

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 12 Apr. 2016