Devils by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Claude Giroux (86)
Goals Leader: Wayne Simmonds (33)
Goalie: Devan Dubnyk (52 W, 0.914 PCT, 2.33 GAA)

Bolts by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Patrick Kane (88)
Goals Leader: Patrick Kane (32)
Goalie: Cam Talbot (40 W, 0.920 PCT, 2.26 GAA)

Head to Head: Tampa (2-0-1-0)

Analysis:
One a certain level, the worst thing that could have happened to Tim and his New Jersey Devils on his path to a second Stanley Cup championship happened when the Tampa Bay Lightning squeaked into the last playoff position in the East. This isn’t going to be your typical first round “David vs. Goliath” matchup as Tampa actually won their regular season series against the Devils capturing 5 out of a possible 6 points and was one of the hottest teams in the BRHL with a 15-5-0-0 record in their last 20 games to win that last spot.

Prediction: This series is going to be closer than one would think. The Bolts have Art Ross champ Patrick Kane in their arsenal so they do have some teeth that the Devils have to be wary of. But Tampa is essentially a one line team with almost 40% of their goal production coming from Kane, Kyle Palmeri and Jordan Staal. And with Devon Dubnyk in net for the Devils, it should be enough to narrowly get them into the second round. New Jersey in 7

Senators by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (82)
Goals Leader: Derek Stepan (34)
Goalie: Braden Holtby (43 W, 0.918 PCT, 2.25 GAA)

Capitals by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Connor McDavid (66)
Goals Leader: Connor McDavid (31)
Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (32 W, 0.921 PCT, 2.14 GAA)

Head to Head: Washington (2-1-0-0)

Analysis:
Despite cretins running the upper management, the Ottawa Senators boast one of the deepest lineups in the entire BRHL and are an offensive juggernaut with no less than 8 different players having scored 20 or more goals in the regular season. Contrast that to the Washington Capitals who rely heavily on 19 year old phenom Conner MacDavid for the majority of their offense. If there’s an Achilles’ heel to Ottawa it will be which version of netminder Braden Holtby shows up for the playoffs. While he was a stellar 24 wins with 0.923 sv% and 2.05 GAA in the 32 games he started for the Sens since being traded there, he was also a less than impressive 19 wins with a 0.914 sv% and a 2.41 GAA in 42 starts for the St. Louis Blues.

Prediction: Despite the Caps narrowly edging Ottawa in their regular season series, they also narrowly missed missing the playoffs entirely with an abysmal 8-10-0-2 record over their final 20 games of the season. There’s absolutely no indication that this trend will stop now that the playoffs are here. Senators in 5.

Habs by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Jussi Jokinen (71)
Goals Leader: Jussi Jokinen (33)
Goalie: Steve Mason (45 W, 0.923 PCT, 2.03 GAA)

Red Wings by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Shea Weber (85)
Goals Leader: T.J. Oshie (40)
Goalie: Tuukka Rask (18 W, 0.923 PCT, 2.37 GAA)

Head to Head: Detroit (4-1-0-0)

Analysis:
This series will be a very interesting to watch as it is a matchup of two wildly different styles of team make ups. In the Detroit Red Wings you have a lineup of pure firepower featuring Rocket Richard winner TJ Oshie and Norris Trophy candidate Shea Weber who led all defensemen in scoring in the regular season. However, the Wings also had the highest goals against total in the regular season out of all of the teams that are in the playoffs. In the other corner you have the Montreal Canadiens who don’t have the high end offensive talent compared to Detroit, but had the same number of 20+ goal scorers as the Redwings (5) in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Habs also had the least amount of goals against out of all of the teams in the playoffs.

Prediction: This series is going to be determined by whether Detroit’s high powered offense can overcome Montreal’s stingy defense. A major concern for the Red Wings is that they picked up Tuuka Rask at the trade deadline in an effort to shore up their goaltending; but unfortunately Rask hasn’t been up to the task with a mediocre 9 wins and a 0.919 sv% and 2.33 GAA in the 16 games he’s started for them. Despite winning the regular season series against the Habs, shaky goaltending along with the Canadiens’ unspectacular but effective offense will be Detroit’s downfall. Montreal in 6.

Flyers by the Numbers:

Points Leader: P.K. Subban (64)
Goals Leader: Kyle Okposo (25)
Goalie: Brian Elliott (42 W, 0.925 PCT, 1.89 GAA)

Long Island by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Kris Letang (66)
Goals Leader: Rick Nash (25)
Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist (35 W, 0.916 PCT, 2.32 GAA)

Head to Head: Philadelphia (4-0-0-0)

Analysis:
This series features a matchup between two evenly matched, offensively mediocre teams. The top points producer for each team was a defenseman and while Philly only had 3 players breech the 20 goal plateau in the regular season, the Islanders didn’t fare much better with only four players scoring 20 or more goals. No, this series will come down to one thing: goaltending.

Prediction: One of the main reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes narrowly missed the playoffs was because they traded away netminder Brian Elliott. He was a lights out 20 wins with a 0.922 sv% and 1.89 GAA and he didn’t miss a beat when he joined the Flyers posting 22 wins and a 0.928 sv% and 1.89 GAA. Contrast this to Islanders goalie King Henrik Lundqvist who has been very average this season despite having 35 victories. Philly swept their season series against the Isles, and if Elliott carries his regular season performance into the playoffs, they’ll come close to doing so again. Flyers in 5.