Post by League Commish (Hurricanes GM) on May 11, 2013 12:44:06 GMT -5
(5)Chicago Blackhawks versus (7) Los Angeles Kings
CHI 8-2-1 - RECORD - 8-4-1 LAK
CHI (3.82 GFPG) 42 - GF - 52 (4.00 GFPG) LAK
CHI 32 (2.68 GAPG) - GA - 42 (3.21 GAPG) LAK
CHI (6G, 7A, 13P) Mark McNeill - Leading Scorer - Dustin Brown (6G, 7A, 13P) LAK
CHI (0.885 SV%, 2.68 GAA, 0 SO) Corey Crawford - Goaltending - Jonathan Quick (0.882 SV%, 3.21 GAA, 2 SO) LAK
Season Meetings
CHI 1 - LAK 3
CHI 3 - 2 LAK
CHI 5 - 3 LAK
CHI 4 - 3 LAK
CHI 8-2-1 - RECORD - 8-4-1 LAK
CHI (3.82 GFPG) 42 - GF - 52 (4.00 GFPG) LAK
CHI 32 (2.68 GAPG) - GA - 42 (3.21 GAPG) LAK
CHI (6G, 7A, 13P) Mark McNeill - Leading Scorer - Dustin Brown (6G, 7A, 13P) LAK
CHI (0.885 SV%, 2.68 GAA, 0 SO) Corey Crawford - Goaltending - Jonathan Quick (0.882 SV%, 3.21 GAA, 2 SO) LAK
Season Meetings
CHI 1 - LAK 3
CHI 3 - 2 LAK
CHI 5 - 3 LAK
CHI 4 - 3 LAK
After a competitive second round, the Hawks and Kings both managed to survive their opponents to gain a berth in the Western Conference Finals. It's the defending champions of last year againts the Champions from the year before in what should be a tight, head-to-head series between two of the best teams in the league. The Blackhawks took 3 of the 4 season meetings in the regular season and appear to have a slight edge in goaltending but the Kings are averaging 4 GFPG, which may be too much for Crawford to handle.
Key Players for Chicago
Corey Crawford - Crawford will need to prove his worth and steal a game or two for the Hawks against a high scoring LA squad.
Ryan Strome - With 4 points in 4 games since returning from his long-term injury, Strome is out with a mission and something to prove. Look for him to be dangerous all series long while playing great defense in his own end of the rink.
Mark McNeill - McNeill is leading the way with 13 points in 11 games. The young rookie is only one of the first year players making a huge contribution to his team in the post season but he has proven that he belongs with the veterans so far.
Key Players for Los Angeles
Jonathan Quick - Simply put, Quick has to be better than he has been in the past to help the King shutdown a Chicago team deep with scoring threats on all four lines.
Dustin Brown - The captain continues to impress with a point per game pace of 13 points in 13 games, leading the way by example.
Christian Ehrhoff - Ehrhoff continues to be a factor, leading all playoff blueliners in points and all playoff players in assists.
Prediction
4-3 Chicago, but could go either way.
(4) New York Rangers versus (8) New York Islanders
NYR 8-2-1 - RECORD - 8-1-3 NYI
NYR (4.36 GFPG) 48 - GF - 54 (4.50 GFPG) NYI
NYR 36 (3.24 GAPG) - GA - 41 (3.32 GAPG) NYI
NYR (6G, 8A, 14P) Curtis Lazar - Leading Scorer - Nino Niederreiter (8G, 7A, 15P) NYI
NYR (0.869 SV%, 3.24 GAA, 0 SO) Kari Lehtonen - Goaltending - Rick DiPietro (0.886 SV%, 3.32 GAA, 0 SO) NYI
Season Meetings
NYR 3 - 2 NYI
NYR 1 - 2 NYI
NYR 4 - 2 NYI
NYR 0 - NYI 2
NYR 4 - 0 NYI
NYR 8-2-1 - RECORD - 8-1-3 NYI
NYR (4.36 GFPG) 48 - GF - 54 (4.50 GFPG) NYI
NYR 36 (3.24 GAPG) - GA - 41 (3.32 GAPG) NYI
NYR (6G, 8A, 14P) Curtis Lazar - Leading Scorer - Nino Niederreiter (8G, 7A, 15P) NYI
NYR (0.869 SV%, 3.24 GAA, 0 SO) Kari Lehtonen - Goaltending - Rick DiPietro (0.886 SV%, 3.32 GAA, 0 SO) NYI
Season Meetings
NYR 3 - 2 NYI
NYR 1 - 2 NYI
NYR 4 - 2 NYI
NYR 0 - NYI 2
NYR 4 - 0 NYI
For the first time since 1994, these two rivals square off in a playoff series. In 94, it was the Rangers who swept the Isles in 4 on their way to Stanley Cup victory, but the Islanders are no strangers to toppling favored opponents, having knocked off the 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference already. The Islanders have lost just once in regulation and won the season series, but one could argue that the Rangers are the better and more experienced team. This should be a high scoring series with alot of momentum swings unless Lehtonen or DiPietro can step up and start playing much better than they have so far.
Key Players for the Rangers
Curtis Lazar - The rookie sensation Lazar slowed down in round two, adding just three points to the eleven that he had against the Jets. That said, he still leads all Rangers forwards in points and has shown he is a big time player. Look for him to step up his game and get back on track in the Eastern Finals.
Kari Lehtonen - Lehtonen is playing far below his ability after such a great season. If he can find his game and shutdown the Isles offense, this series could be much easier for the Rangers than expected.
Ryan Getzlaf - Getzlaf has just 6 points in 11 games. The Rangers will need more from him if they hope to defeat their stateside rivals.
Key Players for the Islanders
Rick DiPietro - Much like Lehtonen, DiPietro isn't playing up to his ability. While he has marginally outplayed Lehtonen up to this point, the difference between the two isn't substantial enough to be a huge factor. He needs to be better.
Nino Niederreiter - Neiderreiter emerged in round two against the Hurricanes with seven points in six games to eclipse Connolly as the team's leader in points. He's hot and that could mean trouble for the Rangers.
John Tavares - Tavares is probably the most dangerous player in the entire series. With an amazing shot that can beat goaltenders from anywhere in the attacking zone, look for Tavares to cause alot of trouble for the Rangers.
Prediction
4-3 Islanders. This might be a gamble, but you can't argue with what the Islanders have accomplished as a team so far by knocking out the 1 and 2 seeds.