Pittsburgh Penguins:
They are the Stanley Cup champions for a reason, but can they repeat again this year? Forwards such as Avenge Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal need to step it up in order to win the series. Goaltender, Marc–Andre Fleury needs to be excellent which he has been throughout the Ottawa series, but can he keep it up. In my opinion, no, as he has not been the best in some series in the past and it may come back to haunt him. The Pens are a high flying offensive team with also power on the blue line with players such as Gonchar and Letang. If these superstars are unable to score the series may not last long as Montreal has great goaltending. The outcome of this series will be determined by Montreal’s goaltending versus Pittsburgh offence.
Montreal Canadiens:
The Canadiens upset the first seed Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs which most people did not think would happen, but the real question is can it happen again? With their streaky goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, they could go a long way as he is the soul reason why they have gotten this far. With Halak stopping the Alexander Ovechkin it raises the question of if he can do it again for Crosby and Malkin? Overall, the Canadiens will have to play well defensively and score when opportunities present themselves. Defensemen such as Hal Gill will have to play against Crosby and make sure he does not record his name down on the score sheet. Finally, the Canadiens will not be able to take penalties as the Penguins will make them pay.
Prediction:
The deciding factor regarding this series will be if Halak can keep the puck out again and again. If he able to make the Pens frustrated and shut down players like Crosby and Malkin he will give his team a chance to win. Montreal will need to score when chances present themselves and not miss these golden opportunities. I believe that Halak will continue to shut down other team’s offence, ultimately winning the series by himself.
Montreal wins 4-3.
They are the Stanley Cup champions for a reason, but can they repeat again this year? Forwards such as Avenge Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal need to step it up in order to win the series. Goaltender, Marc–Andre Fleury needs to be excellent which he has been throughout the Ottawa series, but can he keep it up. In my opinion, no, as he has not been the best in some series in the past and it may come back to haunt him. The Pens are a high flying offensive team with also power on the blue line with players such as Gonchar and Letang. If these superstars are unable to score the series may not last long as Montreal has great goaltending. The outcome of this series will be determined by Montreal’s goaltending versus Pittsburgh offence.
Montreal Canadiens:
The Canadiens upset the first seed Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs which most people did not think would happen, but the real question is can it happen again? With their streaky goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, they could go a long way as he is the soul reason why they have gotten this far. With Halak stopping the Alexander Ovechkin it raises the question of if he can do it again for Crosby and Malkin? Overall, the Canadiens will have to play well defensively and score when opportunities present themselves. Defensemen such as Hal Gill will have to play against Crosby and make sure he does not record his name down on the score sheet. Finally, the Canadiens will not be able to take penalties as the Penguins will make them pay.
Prediction:
The deciding factor regarding this series will be if Halak can keep the puck out again and again. If he able to make the Pens frustrated and shut down players like Crosby and Malkin he will give his team a chance to win. Montreal will need to score when chances present themselves and not miss these golden opportunities. I believe that Halak will continue to shut down other team’s offence, ultimately winning the series by himself.
Montreal wins 4-3.
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