NHL playoffs bracket 2019 Eastern Conference serie


NHL playoffs bracket 2019 Eastern Conference serie

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It's now time for the greatest postseason tournament in all of profe sional sports .While we all start off thinking one team is a sure-fire pick to win it all, one bounce or post or bad bounce can alter a team's destiny. Is this the year the Tampa Bay Lightning finally get over the hump after making deep playoff runs including a Stanley Cup Final in 2015 three of the last four years? Or is the Carolina Hurricanes, and their "bunch of jerks" the Cinderella story of this year's postseason?How it will all end is still to be determinedbut Sporting News' NHL experts predict the Eastern Conference playoffs and who will take a lap with Lord Stanley's Cup in June.MORE SN STAFF PICKS: | Stanley CupNHL playoffs bracket 2019 The referenced media source is mi sing and needs to be re-embedded.NHL playoffs 2019:EasternConference predictionsTampa Bay Lightning(A1)vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC2) The backstory The Lightning are poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup, and they definitely have the firepower and defensive core to do that. Standing in their Rich Hill Jersey way in the first round is the Columbus Blue Jackets who are led by the last man to lead the Bolts to a Cup way back in 2004 John Tortorella.X-factor Columbus' entire postseason rides on itsnetminder, Sergei Bobrovsky . If the two-time Vezina Trophy winner can Ross Stripling Jersey finally put his postseason demons behind him (5-14, 3.49 GAA and .891 save percentage in 24 appearances) then this series may be a little tighter than everyone is expecting.The big number 62. That's how many wins the Lightning got in the regular season. Jon Cooper's squad tied the 1996 Detroit Red Wings for the NHL record; however, Detroit didn't win the Cup and all eyes will be on Tampa Bay to see if they can get over the hump.ExpertTampa Bay LightningColumbus Blue JacketsJackie SpiegelWinner in 4Brandon SchlagerWinner in 5Steve KournianosWinner in 6Dave McCarthyWinner in 5Mike MurphyWinner in 5Murray PamWinner in 5Lyle RichardsonWinner in 4Sammi SilberWinner in 5MORE: Boston Bruins (A2)vs. Toronto Maple Leafs(A3) The backstory Well, here we are again. A little deja vu, would you say? Last season these two Original Six teams met upin the Eastern Conference' s first round with Boston winning in seven games. However, this is not last season's Maple Leafs. This team now has pure firepower netting 29 more goals this season than Boston, while averaging 3.49 goals-per-game (fourth-best in the NHL). The likes of John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner will have a tough task facing Tuukka Rask, who already has one Stanley Cup under his belt. Also, obviously, never count out Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.X-factor David Pastrnak picked up right where he left off when he returned following hand surgery in mid-March. After mi sing 16 games the winger netted 15 points (seven goals, six a sists) in 10 games.If he can replicate his numbers (20 points in 12 games) from last season's playoff run, with 13 points coming in that seven-game series with Toronto, it'll be hard for the Maple Leafs to counter.The big number This series Joc Pederson Jersey could come down to special teams and the biggest number is 79.9, which is how effective, or not, the Maple Leafs penalty kill was during the regular season. Not a great stat when you're heading into a match-up with the NHL's third-best power play (25.9). Toronto will need to clamp down on penalties if they want to keep the Bruins game-changing power-play off the ice.ExpertBoston BruinsToronto Maple LeafsJackie SpiegelWinner in 7Brandon SchlagerWinner in 7Steve KournianosWinner in 6Dave McCarthyWinner in 7Mike MurphyWinner in 6Murray PamWinner in 7Lyle RichardsonWinner in 6Sammi SilberWinner in 7MORE: Washington Capitals(M1)vs. Carolina Hurricanes (WC1) The backstory The Capitals finally broke through last year and clinched the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup and Alex Ovechkin and company are hungry to go back-to-back. They face long-time division foe Carolina for the first time in playoffs history.X-factor Quick reminder: Braden Holtby was not the Capitals' starting netminder when they began the postseason in 2018. Holtby stepped in for a struggling Philipp Grubauer and carried the team all the way to the end. This time it's his show and if he can pull off what he did last year, the Caps may very well win again.The big number 24. That's how many 'Storm Surges' the Canes put together during the regular season. Will we see No. 25 in the postseason? There are no guarantees the Canes will even win a game Los Angeles Dodgers Jersey in this matchup, but we can all hope to see a playoff version real soon.ExpertWashington CapitalsCarolina HurricanesJackie SpiegelWinner in 6Brandon SchlagerWinner in 6Steve KournianosWinner in 7Dave McCarthyWinner in 5Mike MurphyWinner in 6Murray PamWinner in 6Lyle RichardsonWinner in 5Sammi SilberWinner in 6MORE: New York Islanders (M2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M3) The backstory No one expected the Islanders in the playoffs this year, especially as the second seed in the Metropolitan Division, but here we are. Reminder to everyone, never doubt a team with Barry Trotz at the helm.X-factor Na sau Coliseum. The 'Old Barn' hasn't seen an Islanders team with home-ice advantage since 1988 and Chris Taylor Jersey it'll definitely be loud in the Coliseum due to its low roof and strong acoustics. This could very well help push this surprising Isles team past the Sidney Crosby-led Penguins.The big number 16 which stands for how ineffective the Islanders were on the power play during the regular season. Not a good number when you're facing the firepower of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and company.ExpertNew York IslandersPittsburgh PenguinsJackie SpiegelWinner in 7Brandon SchlagerWinner in 6Steve KournianosWinner in 7Dave McCarthyWinner in 6Mike MurphyWinner in 7Murray PamWinner in 7Lyle RichardsonWinner in 7Sammi SilberWinner in 7MORE: Islanders vs. Penguins series schedule, TV info, breakdown Stanley Cup Final picksExpertEastern ConferenceWestern ConferenceStanley CupConn Smythe winnerJackie SpiegelTB over WSH in 5SJS over STL in 6SJS over TB in 6Joe PavelskiBrandon SchlagerTB over PIT in 6NSH over SJS in 7TB over NSH in 6Steven StamkosSteve KournianosTB over NYI in 5NSH over VGK in 6TB over NSH in 5Andrei VasilevskiyDave McCarthyTB over WSH in 7VGK over WPG in 7TB over VGK in 6Steven StamkosMike MurphyTB over WSH in 7CGY over