These playoffs continue to be some of the best we have seen in a long time, and the “Battle for SoCal” lived up to the hyped that surrounded the series. In the Western Conference we have the same matchup that we saw last year and in the Eastern Conference we have two of the original six teams which is somewhat of a classic matchup.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Series 1-0 Chicago lead
Chicago closed out their series with a clutch OT win in Game 6 and the Kings continued their run with a blowout of the Ducks in their own building during a crucial Game 7. There will be a lot of speculation and talk about this series since both teams met in the Conference Finals last year. Corey Crawford has the ability to make or break this series for the Blackhawks. He has been tested this postseason and has passed with excellence. Quick on the other hand has been shaky both against the Sharks and the Ducks and for much of the regular season, however we have seen during patches in these playoffs why Quick is often regarded as the best goalie in all of hockey. Chicago proved last year that it knows how to score goals against the Kings and if they can do it again they can win this series. For the Kings, Chicago is the toughest team they have played so far in this postseason and if and only if Jonathan Quick plays at the level we are all used to seeing him play at then the Kings will win. The run the Kings are putting together is extremely impressive, however their lack of solid defence and a shaky Jonathan Quick will prove to be their downfall as I predict the Blackhawks will win this series in seven games.
Montreal Canadiens vs New York Rangers: Series 2-0 New York
Generally this series would have been a blast for me to write about. Both teams have long standing traditions in the league and both are surprises to make it to the Eastern Conference Final. However during Game 1’s controversial play where New York’s Chris Kreider awkwardly fell into Care Price’s knee rendering him out for the rest of the playoff series. Unfortunately, the Canadiens don’t have depth at goaltender and that is the reason why I chose the Rangers to close this series out in six games.
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