The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to four teams. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators in the East; the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators in the West. I was right on three of them. I didn’t expect to see the Senators dispatch the New York Rangers.
The Ottawa Senators upset the New York Rangers in six games. Senators All- 
Universe defenseman Erik Karlsson willed Ottawa to victory. I was wrong about Karlsson. He is the best defenseman in hockey and one of the top three players in the NHL.
The Senators have battled adversity all season and overcome it. Goalie Craig Anderson’s wife battle with cancer is well documented. In this series, Anderson won the goaltending battle over Henrik Lunqvist. Neither goalie was spectacular but Anderson was better. Clarke MacArthur continued to shine coming back from career shattering concussion issues. The much maligned Bobby Ryan also made huge plays in the series. Young gun J G Pageau single-handedly won game two. Grizzled vet Chris Neil ended Tanner Glass’s fantasy camp run.
Even with all the Senators karma the Rangers had every chance to win the series and didn’t. The Rangers offense showed flashes but was not consistent. The Rangers defense looked either too young and mistake prone or too old and slow. Captain Ryan McDonagh could not play every shift. King Henry could not save the Rangers like he used too.
The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins beat the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals like they always do. Enough about the Capitals choking. The Penguins won because they’re champions.
Penguins goalie Marc Andre Fleury was incredible. He out played Vezina winner Brandon Holtby. Fleury made every big save, Holtby didn’t.
The Penguins stars ,Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, played good but it was the Penguins’ grunts who won the series. Bryan Rust (Mr. Elimination) scoring when it matters most. Patrik Hornqvist being a battering ram even though he was battered. Erik Cole leading a depleted defense core. Champions playing like champions.
The Capitals actually looked like they were going to reverse the curse. Chronic playoff under achievers like Evgeni Kuznetsov were scoring. Tommy Wilson was crushing people. Matt Niskanen knocked out Sidney Crosby. But in the end the Capitals had guys like Kevin Shattenkirk and Daniel Winnik on their team. The Penguins had guys like Ollie Maata and Nick Bonino on theirs. Alex Ovechin looked old. There’s a reason one team is a champion.
The Ottawa Senators have the playoff JuJu. It’s hard to describe but you know it when you see. The Senators also have Karlsson. The Penguins have Crosby and Malkin. Karlsson is carrying the Senators and is crippled. The Penguin’s stars have not yet completely turned it up to ten. Fleury is playing better in net than Anderson. Penguins in 6
No team is hotter than the Nashville Predators. They rubbed out the St Louis Blues in six games. Pekka Rinne is playing lights out in net for Nashville. The Predators big four defensemen ( Roman Josi, PK Subban, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm ) are the best unit in the NHL. The Blues had no answer when they jumped into the play. St. Louis’s defense was exposed as being Alex Pietrangelo and then a sharp decline.
Nashville now has a number one line to match with anybody’s. Ryan Johansen has become the star he never became in Columbus. Johansen’s series winning goal in game six is proof of that. Filip Forsberg and Victor Ardvidsson are snipers. James Neal on a third line proves Nashville depth St Louis didn’t have. Cody McLeod and Austin Watson on the fourth line subdued St Louis’ fourth line which played a big part the Blues in beating Minnesota.
The Anaheim Ducks exorcized their game seven ghosts beating the Edmonton Oilers in a seventh game in Anaheim. After losing the first two game in Anaheim the Ducks stormed back. Led by Anaheim’s resident Superman Ryan Getzlaf. He has been the playoffs’ best forward. Anaheim’s Batman Corey Perry also came to life after Patrick Eaves was injured. The game seven ghosts were beaten not by Anaheim’s veteran superheroes but by Nick Ritchie and Andrew Cogliano. Ritchie and Cogliano are guys you need on a team to win a Cup. Tough, fearless and with a nice set of mitts.
The Oilers are a young team and way ahead of schedule. Connor McDavid played well but was not dominant. Leon Draisaitl was dominant. Milan Lucic did everything he was brought to Edmonton to do. Zach Kassian and Patrick Maroon played over their pay grade. Edmonton fans can only wonder what if Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent -Hopkins did anything.
Edmonton’s goalie Cam Talbot stole game two in Anaheim. After game two Anaheim’s John Gibson was the better goalie.
Nashville is rolling. They have more playoff JuJu than Anaheim. Once again I’m picking against the team with more JuJu.
You have to punish Nashville’s defensemen for jumping in the play. Chicago didn’t seem to want to and St Louis couldn’t. Anaheim has the talent ( speed and scoring touch ) to match Nashville. Anaheim can match Ryan Kessler or Ryan Getzlaf line against Nashville’s Johansen line. Anaheim has more scoring scattered throughout their forward lines and their defense well not Nashville’s handled itself quite nicely against Edmonton’s potent attack ,excluding the game six massacre. Ducks in seven.
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