2015 Stanley Cup Conference Semifinals Preview

It took a while; a few series that had multiple days between games ended up going seven games, but we're ready for the next round of the playoffs!

In what worked out fairly well, I picked all eight series winners correctly, though only two in the correct number of games. This is no surprise though; to a degree, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a crapshoot, and anyone who knows hockey will probably agree with that notion.

However, we're now down to eight teams left in the playoffs. I'll go in depth on the Hawks because Hawks, and I'll take a look at the other three series as well.

Minnesota Wild (beat STL in six) vs Chicago Blackhawks (beat NSH in six)
Blackhawks won 3 out of 5 regular season meetings

For the third straight year, the State of Hockey will do battle with the Madhouse on Madison. In 2013, Minnesota put itself on the map before the lockout with the signings of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, but has fallen to the Hawks in two straight postseasons. Part of the problem has been in goal, but this year, there are no net questions in Minnesota. After making a trade in January for Arizona's Devan Dubnyk, the Wild went on an absolute tear through the entire league, including taking both matchups with the Blackhawks. Other than a hiccup in Game 4 against the Blues and seeing Vladimir Tarasenko go bonkers in Game 2, Dubnyk was phenomenal.

Offensively, eleven Wild players scored goals in that Blues series, so they have the scoring.. something that's a little alarming for the Hawks. There's a goalie controversy of sorts in Chicago, with both Corey Crawford and backup Scott Darling getting pulled in the first period of games, though the Hawks would go on to win both contests. Crawford is getting the nod to start the series, and while he's been inconsistent much of the season, he's also played well for stretches.

Ultimately, the series rests on the goaltending. Yeah, this is the case with pretty much every playoff series ever, but especially so here. Crawford needs to play like he did in Game 6 as opposed to Games 1 and 2 of the Nashville series, and Dubnyk needs to continue to stand on his head. Minnesota is in the best position it's been in to knock off Chicago in the last three years because of him. I'm just not sure yet: Will Minnesota have an answer for Playoff Bryan Bickell (7 goals and 3 assists in the last two years against the Wild)? And can Dubnyk handle the monster that is Showtime?

Dubnyk makes this tricky. The Hawks will probably have a game or two where they look flat while they steal a game or two they have no business winning. Ultimately, home ice proves to be too much. Hawks in seven.

Other Western Conference Series

Calgary Flames (beat VAN in six) vs Anaheim Ducks (beat WPG in four)

Remember how I said Anaheim's close game luck wasn't sustainable? They sustained it, leading for something like 36 of a possible 240 minutes in the series en route to a sweep. Corey Perry led the way with three goals and four assists while Frederik Andersen posted a .924 save percentage. The Ryan Kesler addition also proved useful, as he notched five points in the sweep. They take on a Calgary team that was able to make a late push to help keep the defending Cup champs out. They had some good scoring balance, but I'm not sold on the goaltending. Karri Ramo had a solid 2.09 goals against average in Round 1 against Vancouver, but posted a .907 save percentage, which isn't that great. Calgary has had a good run, but I think it ends here. Ducks in five.

Eastern Conference Series

Washington Capitals (beat NYI in seven) vs New York Rangers (beat PIT in five)

These two teams meet for the fifth time in the last seven postseasons in something of a rubber match, since each team has won two series. The President's Trophy-winning Rangers have been relying on their old standby through one round in goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who boasts a 1.54 goals against average and a .939 save percentage, while his team scored just 11 goals over the span of five games (each of their wins was by a 2-1 final). This was a defense that shut down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but I think they're going to have a little more trouble this time around. Alexander Ovechkin is an offensive monster, but he had plenty of support in guys like Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Meanwhile, Braden Holtby was just as good in net in the first round, posting a .943 save percentage and a 1.63 goals against average. Overall, I have little faith in the Capitals because they haven't been able to get much going once the postseason starts in the Ovechkin era, but I actually think this year they could pull it off. Capitals in seven.


Tampa Bay Lightning (beat DET in seven) vs Montreal Canadiens (beat OTT in six)

These teams meet for the second straight postseason, after Montreal swept Tampa in the first round last year. Tampa got regular season revenge, winning all five of their matchups. Of course, the postseason is a different animal, and the Habs have been able to make a pair of Eastern Conference Finals since 2010 while Tampa doesn't have the same recent postseason success. They'll need more from Steven Stamkos, since the odds of Tyler Johnson scoring six goals in this series probably aren't great. They have an advantage they didn't last year in goalie Ben Bishop, who was hurt during the 2014 Playoffs, and that will help negate a Montreal attack that cooled off somewhat as their first round series against Ottawa progressed. Montreal was led in scoring by P.K. Subban's four points, though he should have been suspended for his thug tactics in the opener against the Senators. However, everything comes down to Carey Price, who allowed fewer than two goals per game while stopping 93.9 percent of the shots he faced. I think Price outplays Bishop, and while the Lightning are able to give Montreal some scares, the Canadiens return to the Eastern Conference Finals. Habs in six.