Daily Charge
Conference finals – preview and predictions
by Erik Erlendsson | 
@Erik_Erlendsson | 
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May 12, 2017
Halfway home.
That’s where the NHL playoffs sit. Just over a month in to the second season, the number of teams have been whittled down from 16 to four as we reach the conference finals stage of the postseason.
The second round featured a few surprises, an unexpected expected result and one team exorcising recent demons at a time when many figured they would succumb to them once again.
And the second provided something the first round failed to – a winner-take-all Game 7, two of them in fact. In addition, all four series in round two went at least six games.
Now that it’s down to the final frozen four – Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa and Anaheim vs. Nashville – here’s a preview and prediction for the Eastern and Western conference finals.
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Eastern Conference finals
Ottawa vs Pittsburgh
How they got here:
Pittsburgh: defeated Columbus 4-1 in opening round; defeated Washington 4-3 in second round
Why the Senators are here and why they can win: Erik Karlsson. The Swedish defenseman has been a force in this year’s playoffs. A two-time Norris Trophy winner known more for being a one-dimensional offensive player – and it’s one exceptional dimension by the way – Karlsson has become the full package this season under new head coach Guy Boucher. In the playoffs, Karlsson has climbed to the top of the Conn Smythe Trophy list of candidates. He has led the Senators to this point and willed his teammates to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2007. Craig Anderson has been strong in net with 2.49 goals against average and a .914 save percentage, not spectacular, but timely. J-G Pageau erupted in the second round with a four goal game and now has seven in the postseason while Bobby Ryan has put a subpar regular season behind him with some timely goals and is tied for second on the team with nine points. Ottawa also has Boucher, who has shown to be a master tactician in the postseason capable of making in-series adjustments. In five all-time playoff series, Boucher has won four and lost the other in a seventh game by a 1-0 score.
Why the Penguins are here and why they can win: Pittsburgh has unmatched depth up front. Spreading out Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel on three lines gives any team they play matchup problems. When you add in that rookie Jake Guentzel leads all players with nine playoff goals and the Penguins have six total player with at least four goals – Bryan Rust, Patric Honqvist, Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Guentzel – the depth is clear. While the Pittsburgh back end is thin with injuries to Kris Letang and, more recently, Trevor Daley, the play of Marc-Andre Fleury has been stellar. After Matt Murray went down with an injury in warmups prior to the first game of the playoffs, Fluery – who rode shotgun to Murray on the way to the Stanley Cup title last year – has been thrust back in to the starting role The numbers don’t jump out – 2.55 goals against and .921 save percentage – but he’s had some huge games. With Murray now healthy – he served as backup in the Game 7 victory against Washington – the Penguins have the best goaltending depth still alive in the postseason.
Who will win: The Senators defensive-minded 1-3-1 system can be frustrating to play against and can slow down a swift town like the Penguins. But Pittsburgh is deep, has elite skill up and down the lineup and has championship experience. Penguins is six.
Western Conference finals
Nashville vs Anaheim
Why the Predators are here and why they can win: Goaltender Pekka Rinne, who has had his playoff struggles in the past, is one of two top candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy, along with Erik Karlsson. Rinne has allowed fewer than two goals in six of the 10 postseason games to date and allowed two or fewer in eight while posting a .951 save percentage. But Nashville also sports the deepest blue line in the league behind Roman Jose, P.K. Subban, Ryan Murray and Mattias Ekholm. Combined, the group has combined for nine goals and 27 points to go with a plus-20 rating. They each average more than 23:52 of ice time per game. With forwards Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and James Neal, the Predators have the firepower up front, as well, even if the numbers have not been there to this point.
Why the Ducks are here and why they can win: Anaheim is a hardened team that survived their own history in the second round by beating Edmonton on home ice in Game 7. The Ducks may be the only team that might be able to match Nashville’s defensive depth, though with less experience with rookies Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour. But Cam Fowler is back healthy while Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen are top four caliber. When, or if, Kevin Bieksa returns, Anaheim is loaded on the blue line. Captain Ryan Getzlaf has been leading the way offensively with eight goals and 15 points in 11 games. Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell have also chipped in offensively with seven and six goals, respectively, but the Ducks are going to need more depth scoring to move on to the Final, especially from Perry, who has just two goals in the postseason to date.
Who will win: A rematch of last year’s first-round matchup, won by Nashville in seven games, is a central storyline, though the teams are not the same. The Predators are deeper and Rinne is playing the best playoff hockey of his career while the Ducks have been led by Getzlaf and a strong blue line. Ducks in seven
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