Rangers vs Buffalo NYR When looking at the Rangers forwards i see highly skilled defensive Centers with wingers that like to slow down in the offensive zone and dominate puck possession with big bodies working it down low. The defense of the rangers shows real stay at home defenders that like to get the puck up to the goal scorers aside from Optehic who will play a more aggressive role from his blueline all the way to his opponents crease. Expect him in games against third lines where the players cant handle the pressure allowing any other Ranger combination to be able to shut down top lines with the support of their Centers and allow their puck possessive forwards to control the pace. BizyBounce has an impressive resume and shows promise to steal games for his team in any match up. Crisper wont be disregarded by buffalo after the two regular season games he's had against the club he has posted an incredible 91.3 S%. BUF The Sabres have fwds that you need to be able to slow down and disrupt their quick zone entries. they have the abilities to stretch the ice out with fewer than more neutral zone passes. Defensively they have guys that like to be aggressive aside from a couple which could result in what they need for the upset or cost them with a couple easy one once behind them. The goaltenders in buffalo have faced quite a few more shots against as a collective but really dont show much weakness. if they can stay calm and go through their reads expect some good games even if they dont come out on top. NYR in 5 Philadelphia vs Pittsburgh Pitts Pittsburgh has goalscorers upfront. who knows how to score and win games. real veterens that will grind it out. Again this is a veteren team expect disciplined and well possessioned play keeping opponents out of the high scoring areas SteveB will play well as long as his team can keep the offensive one timer options to an easy read for him. Kingofny has just straight up been winning games with only 2 regulation losses since week 5. philly will have to score a few early ones to knock the kid off his game before its too late. PHI These fwds as a group are not "Summer League" performers. lot of egos that you can pitcher saying "who cares it's summer season". Now that we are in the play offs these games will start to mean a little more to these guys. expect them to turn it up a notch and make this a good series to watch with alot of creativity from their side. Strong defensive group with a couple fill ins that can hold their own on any given night. and have a lot of fwds in the line ups that have primary positions at Defense and should be able to support. Elite Goaltending. PIT in 6 Detroit vs Montreal DET Lot of chem half these guys have been together for multiple seasons and are gonna be driving hard to put that puck in the back of the net. goalies will need to be playing on their toes seeing high volumes of shots No weaknesses here on Defense. i cant see them getting out played in this series. Even tho id like to say i do like one of these guys as a person and dont mind having to depend on for a save. I have to admit the numbers just arent there. If hese boys can find a way whether it be communicating with the players infront for better looks or just making better decisions between the pipes. the could help end this series early. MTL This is a one line kind of team. i dont see the play off depth needed. but that one line is a serious threat. The defense is made of agressive puck movers that can get the puck moving the other way quick. expect them to make most of their plays in the neutral zone and less in their end. These guys have the advantage in the goaltending department but we are going to have to see 14+ saves every game playing these opponents. DET in 6 Ottawa vs Toronto OTT The fwd core has the potential to put up better numbers but they seem to struggle with finding ways to get shots. might come from the struggles at the faceoff dot. On defense we have players that are seen as upper class and some that havent quite got to that level in their career. looking at the limited shots put up by this team it may come to a result of lack of break out with a few of their dmen that they expect to be in that upper class having a high number of turn overs. You would look at these two goalies and expect better numbers.. Zer0 being one of the newer talented guys in the show might just need to make some big playoff saves and knock the nerves off early. expect jonez to see more games with the resume he has and the 10 game winning streak leading to the play offs. TOR These guys are gonna be firing the puck on net from a lot of angles. they are gonna need a lot of goals out of their fwds and TOA to win this series. Theres a couple defenders on this team i would hate to match up against but that only accounts for 2 games.. and they have to win 4. i dont believe you will see the dmen shut down OTT offense. lets hope Toronto fwds can control the pace. Goaltending is average for the nhl. endo has been known to steal games here and there but they might just have to carry too large of a role this series. OTT in 5
Out of curiosity, what is Montreals "One Line" @Ballistik ICE The only serious threat we have is @skyre5 taking penalties in OT
