With the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin Wednesday night, Flyers insider Tim Panaccio and Sarah Baicker provide their postseason predictions.
We'll start with the Eastern Conference (see West predictions):
Atlantic Division
(1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Detroit Red Wings
Tim: Henrik Zetterberg’s health and availability remain in serious question while Boston is clearly the Big Bad Bruins of the past and class of the East. Too much offense, too much physicality and too much Zdeno Chara.
Prediction: Bruins in six
Sarah: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I believe the path through the Eastern Conference goes through Boston. The team is just too big, too strong and too dangerous. Here’s the thing, though: While I don’t see the Red Wings winning, they did defeat Boston in three of four meetings this season. Here’s to hoping it gets interesting, though I don’t see it happening.
Prediction: Bruins in five
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens
Tim: Can’t ignore the fine job Les Canadiens did this season to work themselves into the playoffs when most wrote them off, given the division. Tampa overcame far more adversity in losing Steven Stamkos, who is back now. If Bolts goalie Ben Bishop can’t play, then Carey Price has the edge.
Prediction: Lightning in seven
Sarah: As Tim notes, the Canadiens have done an admirable job clawing their way into the playoffs after a rather rough start to the season. But it’s going to end here. The Lightning won three of the four regular-season meetings between the two teams, and even without Bishop, they can still dominate. I don’t necessary believe Price can carry the Habs against such a dangerous offense.
Prediction: Lightning in six
Metropolitan Division
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets
Tim: The Penguins really sputtered during the stretch run, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury seems a mess. Fortunately, the Penguins won’t need everything going their way in this round as the Blue Jackets won’t have their ace Nathan Horton (abdominal surgery) and couldn’t even beat the Pens once in the regular season, either.
NHL
Prediction: Penguins in five
Sarah: This could get interesting. The two teams are trending in different directions, and Flyers fans know exactly what can happen when Fleury gets in his head. However, the Blue Jackets will really need Sergei Bobrovsky to be on top of his game -- and they’ll also need to shut down the Pens’ dangerous power play. It could happen, but I don’t see it. However, the Jackets might just give the Penguins more of a challenge than they expected.
Prediction: Penguins in six
(2) New York Rangers vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers
Tim: While Steve Mason and Henrik Lundqvist each had very similar goaltending numbers this season, the big Swede still has the edge and playoff experience -- even though his 30-37 record is poor. Mental issue with playing in MSG is a factor for Flyers.
Prediction: Rangers in seven
Sarah: Game 1 is everything in this series. The Flyers haven’t won at MSG in over three years, and they too often allow the Rangers to rope them into playing a style of hockey that just doesn’t work for them. The Rangers hold the edge on defense and in net and should be able to win the series. All this changes, of course, if the Flyers can steal a victory in that first game.
Prediction: Rangers in five