NHL East Playoff Preview: Final Pairings

The seedings in this conference went down to the last day of the season. Ottawa’s 4-2 road victory in Boston helps the Montreal Canadiens win the Northeast Division, and the two teams will face each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Here is a look at that and the other three series in the conference.

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) New York Islanders

There has been a lot of speculation about whether Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be available for the first round of the playoffs. The fact is that the Pens probably shouldn’t need him to beat the New York Islanders. Pittsburgh has taken six straight regular-season series from the Islanders, including this year when they won four of five. Matt Moulson has led the charge for New York with a goal and three assists in the five games, while Crosby had nine assists in four previous meetings before having his jaw broken by a snapshot 87 seconds into the fifth game on March 30. Sid the Kid hasn’t played since, but several Penguins have also had great success against them, including Chris Kunitz (four goals, four assists), James Neal (three goals, three assists) and Pascal Dupuis (five goals, one assist). The matchup of the defenses seems one-sided: Pittsburgh has scored 46 more goals than they’ve allowed, while the Islanders are exactly even. As for goaltenders, Marc-Andre Fleury edges Evgeni Nabokov in almost every category.

Prediction: Penguins in five.

(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (7) Ottawa Senators

What a turnaround it has been for the Habs: from dead last in 2012 to Northeast Division champs in 2013. OK, so they backed into the title with the help of the team they’re facing, the Ottawa Senators, but the Sens also did themselves a favour by not having to meet the Penguins in the first round. This is a fairly even matchup, at least from the regular-season perspective, as both teams split the series. The Sens, though, seem to have some important cards in play as defenseman Erik Karlsson has looked great in his return to the lineup. Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner have done a fine job in net, while the play of both Carey Price and Peter Budaj have raised some eyebrows. This might also be the final playoff for Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, so that might give him and the team that extra push they need to get them to the second round. Montreal counters with Norris Trophy candidate P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov on an impressive blueline, but the way the Canadiens were smacked around after clinching the playoffs should be a big concern. Their penalty killing is also questionable.

Prediction: Senators in six.

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers

Here are two teams who are at the peak of the market right now, and are squaring off in the first round for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Washington had an incredible April run when they went 15-2-2 in their last 19 games. Their power play has also been hot, and Alex Ovechkin came all the way back to capture the Rocket Richard Trophy again. However, the Broadway Blueshirts also had a great finish, getting 10 wins and 21 points in the last 14 games. The Marian Gaborik trade with Columbus added critical depth and helped push them into the sixth spot in the conference. Both defensive corps are solid, with the Caps perhaps getting the edge here as long as Mike Green stays healthy. Henrik Lundqvist is one of the elite goaltenders in the league, but Braden Holtby isn’t that far behind.

Prediction: Capitals in seven.

(4) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

One of the features of this series has been the “Thank you, Kes-sel!” chants of the Boston fans when Tyler Seguin has done well against the Leafs. Seguin has become a crowd favourite since the trade in 2009 which sent winger Phil Kessel to Toronto for the Leafs’ next two first-round draft picks, which turned out to be Seguin and Dougie Hamilton. However, those cries might not be so strong now as Kessel has remade himself this season from a sniper to a playmaker, and it’s one of the reasons why the Blue and White has made it back to the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. While the Buds had been gaining momentum towards the end of the season, the Bruins seemed to be losing the plot, having won only twice in their last nine games including the loss to the Senators last Sunday. Boston’s competitive edge appears to have been blunted, and in what is widely expected to be a bruising series, Toronto has plenty of players who can outmuscle them.

Prediction: Leafs in seven.