Assunto: 2016 NHL Playoff Predictions

Disagree, Disagree, Disagree So are both you and ramsback think the Caps beat Pens? Free points for the challenge for me. We shall see.

I agree with ramsback and habsdabest. I think that the Capitals will win the east, but one of the teams from the west (I'm still going with the Blues) will win the cup. Even so, I'd give the Capitals only a slight edge as the Penguins-Capitals would definitely be competitive. Of course, the Rangers aren't quite finished yet, and Neuvirth is close to stealing 2 consecutive games (with 10 minutes left) for the Flyers.

I also agree that the Rangers were one of the hardest matchups that the Penguins could have gotten in the first round, other than the Capitals. I'd take the Penguins over any of the injury depleted/inexperienced teams competing in the Atlantic division.

Well my Sharks have advanced past the Kings. Anyone think they can go all the way besides me?

To me it all comes down to if the Pens can slow down the Capitals. I don't know if any goalie in the east can stop Ovi and the high powered Capitals. While I like Crosby I think Ovechkin has outplayed him all season. If Kane were not experiencing a career year The great 8 has the Hart no questions asked. That Pittsburg defense is very suspect to me because I feel like they are not on the whole better then the Capitals Defensemen. In net its not a contest with Holtby playing lights out. We also must remember only two series have been decided and there is still a chance for the Rangers and Flyers to comeback.

I started (more or less) the regular season with the feeling the Sharks would go all the way this year. I had/have no reason i can put my finger on. But, the feeling has not gone away.

I know a lot of pundits put LA in the finals, so the Sharks certainly surprised them. I think a western conference final including the Sharks regardless of their opponent would be one of the best series ever to watch.

Go back to my picks earlier in this thread, you will see I picked Philly over Washington. I still think it will happen.

But I mostly agree with your assessment of the Pittsburgh defense. It's kind of like the Stars goaltending--basically, over all just mediocre with moments of stunning ability. (For the record, I never saw the Stars going past the second round because of that.)

The core of the team was always very good but the pieces around it needed to be fixed. Martin Jones in net is so calm and cool under pressure which is a far cry from Niemi.(through Niemi had to replace Evgeni Nabokov so not an easy job and I feel for him)The defense has gotten so much better with Paul Martin, Demelo, and Polak in. We finally have some depth pieces as Donskoi, Ward, Tierney, have been added. Marleau is back before his 2015 form while Thornton remains an ageless wonder and Our new captain Pavelski has been an amazing leader and he is a goal scorer. This is not the 2014 team or 2015 team and as much as I give Doug Wilson crap I suddenly realize he was right all along.

If you look at that 2014 roster and you try to play it in 2015 the team would have made the playoffs but never would have been able to win the cup last year because Chicago was so strong. The moves he made while making the team suck did have value as it allowed the sharks to clear cap space to make the free agent signings, makes the sharks picks look stronger so they could be traded(That 1st round pick Boston got now isn't looking quite as good as it did at the start of the season, and restock the prospect pool for the future.

It's a different team and when you compare it to the other teams of the west no other squad appears to be head and shoulders above the sharks. If anything its neck and neck.

3 now. A dominating performance by the Pens. 6 Goals in 2 periods! We move on.

I really hope the flyers come back against the Caps. I think we beat flyers in 5-6. But the Caps we beat but its gonna be a lot harder.

I hope your right. Go Flyers! Or at Least rough them up. Maybe give them some bumps and bruises.

I would so LOVE to see a cross state series going on there!!!

I've always liked the Sharks and think they have a chance. I'd agree that they are neck and neck with most teams in the west.

Even so, I've felt the same way about the Blues for a while. They have a complete team with an especially strong defense that is capable of winning the cup, at some point soon if not this season. They are also 1 game from eliminating one of the stronger teams in the playoffs.

Neuvirth has already been shutting down the Capitals since he took over, so it can be done. And this is behind a defense that features a player that passed through waivers without a claim, a 37 year old offensive defenseman, an AHL defenseman, and a talented rookie that is used to the shorter college season (though he is capable of carrying a team like he did with Union if he can get past the rookie wall). Then there's the Russian player that has been a healthy scratch and Del Zotto who is out for the season. Losing Couturier and Laughton also hurts the team defense. Neuvirth was also very good during the regular season, so his recent performance is not completely unexpected. With all that said, I'm looking forward to a potential defense featuring Gostisbehere, Provorov, Morin, and Sanheim in 1-3 seasons.

Even so, I think the Flyers could eke out 2 games against the Capitals, especially if Neuvirth continues to play like he has for a little longer. They did it in 2010 against the Bruins.

Voracek is also probably playing through an injury.

I mean I just feel that the Pens are much more complete team this year. Almost Nobody except Pens fans would know Bryan Rust. And he had 2 goals and an assist today.

I also might add that the Caps haven't been playing up to there usually level the last 10 games or so has far as I can see. (You might disagree) Might be a factor. The record from the regular season will have nothing to do in the outcome.

Penguins-Flyers would be a fun (but probably rough) series. Panthers-Lightning could be sort of amusing. I'd be happy to see the Wild manage to advance.

Of course, the media is probably hoping for a Crosby-Ovechkin showdown.