2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Predictions

Two weeks ago, I was super excited. Playoff hockey was upon us and I was looking forward to a run at a fourth Cup for the Blackhawks. Instead, they became an absolute dumpster fire. I almost didn't want to write this post. But I pressed on last year after a Game 7 heartbreaker in St. Louis, and I will press on this year even after a sweep at the hands of the freaking Predators.


Western Conference

Nashville Predators (beat Chicago Blackhawks in four) vs St. Louis Blues (beat Minnesota Wild in five)
Predators won 3 of 5 regular season meetings

Photo by Randy Sartin (USA TODAY Sports)

To be fair, while the Blackhawks completely no-showed their playoff series, I have to give credit to Nashville. Pieces of the series I did watch saw them get early goals to take control of the game, and then their defense took over and didn't give the Blackhawks a lot of opportunities. Of course, they also showed tremendous offense, something they didn't have in prior postseason run-ins with Chicago. Meanwhile, Pekka Rinne played incredibly well, minimizing the damage the Hawks did on their few opportunities. He may need to keep that up, because Jake Allen played out of his mind against Minnesota in their first round matchup. St. Louis only managed 11 goals over their five game series, and I have a feeling they're going to need more than that. I have a hard time seeing St. Louis keep this up against a hot Nashville team. Predators in six.

Edmonton Oilers (beat San Jose Sharks in six) vs Anaheim Ducks (beat Calgary Flames in four)
Oilers won 3 of 5 regular season meetings

Photographer uncredited (photo from NHL.com)

The Oilers remind me of the 2009 Blackhawks, a lot of young talent just making its first inroads into playoff hockey. Connor McDavid had a decent series, but was held largely in check by an aging San Jose team. He's going up against another aging team, but still a team with an open window. Cam Talbot played well for the Oilers as well, and he will need to keep it up against a very physical team. Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler are goons, but they're very talented goons, and they're only two years removed from being up 3-2 on the eventual Cup champs in the conference finals. I think Edmonton will give them a bit of a challenge, but the Ducks will be able to hold out well enough and contain McDavid enough to advance once again. Ducks in six.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (beat Columbus Blue Jackets in five) vs Washington Capitals (beat Toronto Maple Leafs in six)
Teams split 2 of 4 season series (Pittsburgh won 2 games in overtime)

Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais (AP)

Wait a minute... this looks familiar. The Caps needed more games against a good Maple Leafs team than expected, and needed a lot of overtime success to pull off the victory. But they still boast a lot of talent in Vezina finalist Braden Holtby and the offensive monster that is Alex Ovechkin. But their struggles are a concern going up against the defending Cup champions, who fairly easily dispatched what many expected to be a tough first round foe. The Penguins are going to continue to miss Kris Letang on the blue line, but Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly well in the series. This should be another good one, as the blue line depth of the Penguins will be tested once again, but the Capitals are going to have to contend with a team arguably more talented than the Maple Leafs team they just edged out, but also one that just won a Cup. And let's remember: this is the Capitals we're talking about. Penguins in seven.

New York Rangers (beat Montreal Canadiens in six) vs Ottawa Senators (beat Boston Bruins in six)
Senators won 2 of 3 regular season meetings

Photo by Joseph D. Sullivan (Newsday.com)

The postseason format benefited the Rangers, at least in Round 1 as they were able to bounce my pick to come out of the East and advance to take on a decent Senators squad. Ottawa is relying on its top four defensemen, but their best one in Erik Karlsson, is dealing with hairline fractures in his heel, and the fact that he's still playing is a testament to how tough hockey players are. Ottawa will need that defense, but they're also going to need scoring against Henrik Lundqvist, who played well against Montreal. The Senators are technically the higher seed here, but I think the Rangers are the better team and will be able to take care of business. Rangers in five.