Last week, I talked about my predictions in the Western Conference. This week, I will be analyzing the Eastern Conference, and give my opinion as to who I think will win. Without any further ado, let’s get right into this!
Initially, there were four games in the Conference, but now, its down to only two. On one side, we have the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. These two teams have been heated rivals for years. Both teams have been very successful, especially Montreal, who have won the most Stanley Cups to date. The Boston Bruins, however, are heavily favoured in this series. They have several talented players, including Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. They managed to win the Stanley Cup in 2011 during a Game 7 thriller against the Canucks, and also appeared in last year’s finale against the Blackhawks. The Bruins, in my opinion, are most likely going to win. However, the Montreal Canadiens still have a slight chance. Their playing style shows us that they are desperate for the win. They also have a very strong team. In the end, it might even come down to the two goalies, Carey Price and Tuukka Rask, who are also very talented in their own ways. This series is most likely to come down to a Game 7, but the winner is for us to find out.
On the other side, we have the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. It’s pretty straightforward, in my opinion. The Penguins will win, no doubt about it. They are a strong team with the best player in the world, Sidney Crosby, who surprisingly hasn’t been performing well the past couple of games. The Penguins have plenty of playoff experience, and managed to win the cup in 2009. They also made it to the Conference final last year against Boston. New York, however, is just getting started. They really haven’t been that successful in the past couple of years under John Tortorella. This year, they have been operating under Alain Vigneault, where they have had much more success. Even though this is true, I think it will be difficult to get past one of the best teams in the league with such little experience.
So now its down to two (predicted) teams, the Bruins and the Penguins. Ironically, this was the same matchup in last years Eastern Conference final. This is a tough decision, but I’m going to have to go with the Bruins. They’ve been full of confidence, strength, and power lately. It will definitely be a close one, but the Bruins will end up making it to the Stanley Cup final in my opinion. Now, we are left with the Blackhawks and the Bruins in the finals, which happens to be a repeat of next year. If you are an NHL fan, feel free to write down your predictions is the comments below!
