Brandon Fitzpatrick
The Wild and Blues are evenly matched, but the play of Devan Dubnyk will make the difference. The Predators have no chance if Pekka Rinne doesn’t take his game to another level.
All four teams in the Pacific bracket have suspect goalies, which makes this an absolute crapshoot. Give me the Jets, mostly because I bet them +1100 to win the Western Conference (I may have made that bet after a couple of beers, but, hey can’t go back on it now.
Apr 4, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) takes a drink during a second period timeout against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Devils 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
When its all said and done the Wild, who are the most underrated team in the NHL, will advance to the Finals.
For the East, I think it should be status quo in the first round, with three of the four higher seeds winning. The Islanders, however, will beat the Capitals in an exciting series.
The Rangers will take care of the Islanders because Henrik Lundqvist is much better than Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens don’t have the offense to keep up with the Lightning, no matter how well Carey Price is playing. In the end, the Rangers will beat the Lightning in a classic seven game series because they have goalie who has proven what he can do in the postseason.
The Rangers and Wild will meet in the Finals, and, after 21 long years, the Cup will make its long awaited return to the streets of Manhattan.
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