Second Round Preview: East
Here is Ryan Dadoun's preview of the second round of the Western Conference.
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NEW YORK RANGERS VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS
New York and Washington have faced each other in the postseason four times over the past five years. Each team has won twice, with the Rangers emerging victorious in seven games the past two times.
The Rangers quickly dispatched the Penguins in five games, while holding them to only eight goals. New York allowed four goals in their only defeat of the series, but every other game Pittsburgh managed to put just one puck into the net behind Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist posted a .939 save percentage and a 1.63 goals-against average in the opening round. The Rangers spread out their offense, which scored just 11 goals in the series. Derick Brassard, Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash paced the team with four points apiece.
The Capitals and New York Islanders went the distance in their first-round series, with Washington advancing into the second round for the fourth time in the past seven years. The Caps took advantage of home ice, where they won three games, and they limited the Islanders to a mere 11 shots in Game 7.
Evgeny Kuznetsov provided the late-game heroics to send Washington into Round 2 of the postseason. He tied Nicklas Backstrom for the team lead with three goals. Backstrom led the team with six points against the Islanders and Alex Ovechkin was right behind him with five points. Braden Holtby was also excellent between the pipes. He posted a .943 save percentage and a 1.63 goals-against average in the series.
The Rangers won three of the four meetings between the two clubs during the regular season. The Blueshirts will be favorites again this time around, but this will be a close and physical series. The Rangers will provide the Capitals with a stiffer challenge and New York should go into the third round in six games.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Rick Nash - Derick Brassard - Martin St. Louis
Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - J.T. Miller
Carl Hagelin - Kevin Hayes - Jesper Fast
James Sheppard - Dominic Moore - Tanner Glass
Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Dan Boyle
Matt Hunwick - Keith Yandle
Kevin Klein
Henrik Lundqvist
Cam Talbot
WHO'S HOT
Derick Brassard registered a point in four of the five games against Pittsburgh and he potted three goals. Ryan McDonagh notched four points as well in the series, but he contributed three assists. Rick Nash picked up a goal and three helpers too. Derek Stepan posted a three-game point streak (two goals, one assist) to close out New York's first-round series.
WHO'S NOT
Chris Kreider scored one point in five matches versus the Penguins. He had the game-winning goal in Game 3 and 10 shots in the series. Kevin Hayes' lone point of Round 1 was also a game-winning marker. He gave the Rangers a 3-1 series lead when he scored in overtime at Pittsburgh. Martin St. Louis didn't tickle the twine in five playoff games, but he was credited with six of his 10 shots in Game 5 and should get back on track in Round 2. He picked up one assist against the Pens.
NOTES
Mats Zuccarello is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, which he sustained in Game 5 when he was struck in the head by a shot. It's believed that he has a concussion and it's unclear when he will be available to return, but coach Alain Vigneault hasn't completely ruled out Zuccarello for the series yet. Kevin Klein is ready to play after recovering from a broken arm. He has been out of action since Mar. 11, but he could be back in the fold in Game 1 versus the Capitals.
Keith Yandle hadn't practiced or taken part in a morning skate since Game 2 of the opening round before getting back on the ice this past Wednesday. He had a stomach illness and recently he had been dealing with "overall body soreness." Yandle is still expected to play in Game 1 of Round 2.
The Rangers were 13th on the power play in Round 1 (15%) and seventh on the penalty kill (84.6%).
New York had a goals against per game of just 1.60 to place first in the league in the first round.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Jason Chimera
Andre Burakovsky - Jay Beagle - Troy Brouwer
Curtis Glencross - Brooks Laich - Tom Wilson
Brooks Orpik - John Carlson
Karl Alzner - Matt Niskanen
Tim Gleason - Mike Green
Braden Holtby
Justin Peters
WHO'S HOT
Alex Ovechkin had one goal and three assists in his last four games of the opening round. However, he scored two goals on 28 shots versus the Islanders, which isn't an encouraging sign going into what could be a tough series for him in Round 2. Evgeny Kuznetsov has tallied three goals, one assist and 15 shots in his last three playoff outings. The rookie forward didn't have a point in his previous four playoff games. Joel Ward has earned a point, including three assists, in four of his past five contests. John Carlson potted one goal and two helpers in the final four games of the opening round to go with 14 shots.
WHO'S NOT
Nicklas Backstrom was held off the scoresheet in three games at the end of the first round. He also had four shots and a minus-2 rating during that time. He started the series with three goals and three assists in the first four matches. Marcus Johansson scored in Game 1, but he didn't find the back of the net in the next six contests. Troy Brouwer didn't score a goal during the seven-game series, but he did manage to post two assists in the last three matches.
NOTES
Philipp Grubauer backed up Braden Holtby after he started and won Game 2 versus the Isles. However, he has been returned to the minors, so Justin Peters is expected to be on the bench for Game 1 against the Rangers. Grubauer made 18 stops on 21 shots after being pressed into duty due to an illness to Holtby.
Eric Fehr suffered an upper-body injury in Game 3 that caused him to miss the last four games of the series. He could be ready at some point to play in Round 2, but he isn't expected to be available for Game 1.
The Capitals and Islanders combined for 630 hits, with Washington being credited for 313 of them. The Caps also recorded 129 blocks to place third, while the Islanders ranked second with 144 in their black and blue series.
Washington has the 11th-best power play in the playoffs (15.4%) and the top penalty kill (100%) after the opening round. The Capitals didn't permit a goal while they were shorthanded on 14 chances by the Islanders.
The Caps were the top team in the faceoff circle in Round 1, winning 56% of their draws. Jay Beagle was the best with a 67.5% win rate.
MONTREAL CANADIENS VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Montreal and Tampa Bay will lock up in the playoffs for a second straight year. The Canadiens swept the Lightning in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bolts netminder Ben Bishop wasn't available due to injury and Tampa Bay has grown since that match-up, so this should be a much closer series.
Montreal won their first-round series against Ottawa in six games thanks to the brilliance of Carey Price and some timely goal scoring. The only blemish of the series for Price came in Game 5 when he surrendered five goals on 25 shots. He allowed four goals on 97 shots in his previous three outings and he ended the series with a 43-save shutout.
The Canadiens scored just 12 goals against the Senators, with Max Pacioretty and Dale Weise accounting for two markers apiece. One of Pacioretty's goals was also scored into an empty net. Both of Weise's goals came in Game 3, including the winner in overtime. Alex Galchenyuk had an overtime winner as well, while P.K. Subban led the team with four points in six games. The forward group of the Habs will need to be much better in Round 2 against a talented offensive group.
The Lightning defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, with the "Triplets" leading the way. The line of Tyler Johnson (six goals, one assist), Nikita Kucherov (four assists) and Ondrej Palat (one goal, two assists) were the catalysts for Tampa Bay. Alex Killorn contributed two goals and four points and the defense corps was active in the attacking zone as well, with five goals and 12 points. Ben Bishop didn't look his best at times in the series, but he was solid when he had to be and he finished the Red Wings with a 31-save shutout in Game 7. He ended up posting a .922 save percentage and a 1.87 goals-against average.
Bishop and the Lightning had Montreal's number during the regular season. They swept the season series with five victories and Tampa Bay outscored the Canadiens by a 21-8 margin. Carey Price also struggled against the Bolts, while sporting a 0-4-1 record to go with a 3.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The main question going into the series will be, what version of Price will we see? Will it be the one who had trouble with the Lightning or the one we saw for most of the season and in the first round of the playoffs?
Price has the proven ability to steal a series and it's tough to bet against him after the way he played against Ottawa, but I'm going with the Lightning in six contests. Montreal's offense could be in tough to produce again and Tampa Bay has plenty of weapons that can make life difficult for Price. This will be a fast-paced and entertaining series.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Max Pacioretty - Tomas Plekanec - Brendan Gallagher
Alex Galchenyuk - David Desharnais - Dale Weise
Brandon Prust - Lars Eller - P. A. Parenteau
Jacob De La Rose - Torrey Mitchell - Devante Smith-Pelly
Brian Flynn
Andrei Markov - P.K. Subban
Alexei Emelin - Jeff Petry
Tom Gilbert - Greg Pateryn
Carey Price
Dustin Tokarski
WHO'S HOT
P.K. Subban registered four points and 25 penalty minutes in six games versus Ottawa. Three of his points came in the first two matches, but he racked up 16 shots over the remaining games of the series despite contributing just the one assist. Tomas Plekanec had three points and 22 shots in Round 1. He picked up a goal and an assist in the first two contests before waiting until Game 6 to get his next point.
WHO'S NOT
Max Pacioretty didn't play in Game 1 because of an upper-body injury and he scored two goals in six games in the opening round. David Desharnais collected two assists in Game 2, but he was silent offensively the rest of the series while posting just eight shots. Andrei Markov racked up 50 points during the regular season, but he generated one assist versus Ottawa in Round 1 of the playoffs.
NOTES
Brian Flynn was a healthy scratch in Game 6 after he was the hero of Game 1. He produced a goal and two assists on that night to help Montreal post a 4-3 victory. He's likely to remain the press box for the start of Round 2.
Nathan Beaulieu suffered an upper-body injury in Game 3 when he was hit hard by Ottawa blueliner Erik Karlsson. He didn't play in the next three games of the series and he is projected to miss at least the next four games of Round 2. Greg Pateryn was put into the lineup in Beaulieu's place, but Montreal also has Sergei Gonchar and Mike Weaver in reserve. They both didn't play at all in the opening round of the postseason.
The Canadiens will be the lowest-scoring team in the second round with 2.00 goals per game.
However, Montreal's strength is preventing goals, where they surrendered 2.00 goals against per game to rank second after Round 1.
The Canadiens' power play went six of 20 (5%) versus Ottawa, which placed the team in 15th place among playoff teams entering Round 2.
The penalty kill of the Habs ranked 12th with a 75% success rate. They allowed five goals on 20 opportunities from the Senators.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Alex Killorn - Steve Stamkos - Ryan Callahan
Nikita Kucherov - Tyler Johnson - Ondrej Palat
Vladislav Namestnikov - Valtteri Filppula - Cedric Paquette
Brenden Morrow - Brian Boyle - J.T. Brown
Jonathan Drouin
Victor Hedman - Andrej Sustr
Anton Stralman - Jason Garrison
Braydon Coburn - Matt Carle
Nikita Nesterov
Ben Bishop
Andrei Vasilevskiy
WHO'S HOT
Tyler Johnson potted six goals, including four in the last four games, to help the Lightning advance into Round 2. He also added an assist during that four-game span. Ondrej Palat registered one goal and two helpers in the final four matches of Tampa Bay's opening-round series. Alex Killorn concluded the first round with a goal, an assist and nine shots in the last two matches. He had four points in the series against Detroit.
WHO'S NOT
Steve Stamkos didn't net a goal on 22 shots in Round 1 versus the Red Wings. He contributed three assists, including two in Game 2. Valtteri Filppula picked up a goal and an assist in Game 2, but those were his only points of the quarterfinal round. He had no points and just five shots in the last five contests.
NOTES
Jonathan Drouin got to play in only one game versus Detroit. He saw 8:42 of ice time and posted a minus-2 rating. Perhaps the Quebec-native will get a chance to play against Montreal. Tampa Bay dressed seven defensemen for three games in the first round and won all three times.
Nikita Nesterov was the extra defender in Games 6 and 7, so his ice time was very limited. J.T. Brown was scratched for both of those contests. Brown or Drouin could be back in the lineup versus Montreal in Round 2, though.
The Lightning will enter the second round in first place with a 2.00 five-on-five goals for/against ratio.
Tampa Bay owns the third-best faceoff winning percentage in the postseason at 54%. Filppula was the best on the team at 58.5% and Stamkos had a 55.6% success rate.
The Bolts were 14th on the power play in Round 1 with a 6.7% efficiency rating. The club scored just two goals on 30 chances.
Tampa Bay had the ninth-best penalty kill (82.8%) in the playoffs following the opening round. They permitted five goals by the Red Wings, while being shorthanded 29 times.
Anton Stralman, who scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 7, has a perfect 6-0 record in his career in Game 7s. Brian Boyle is 5-0.
