how is that different to any other of your posts?

As for the other series in Eastern Conference, well there aren't any big surprise in any of them to me. I think all the teams, Pens,Lightining and Bruins will confirm their favoritism and win their series. Maybe they can find more difficult to do that than many of us should think. But I don't think any of their rivals will come back to win the series.

Pens and Flyers is a great rivalry. So, I'm not surprise that Pens won't sweep Flyers, even after sweep them in regular season and being a much better team than Flyers. I'm expecting Pens beating Flyers in 6. But I won't be shocked if the series goes to game 7. (as a Pens fan, I really don't expect that, of course). If Flyers had a great goalie behind them, maybe they'd have a chance against Pens, even with a much less talented team. (Man, I'm sure Flyers fans are crying to see what Bobrovski is doing season after season, since he lefts their team...Lol)

I think Lightining will beat Devils in 5. I see Bolts winning the next 2 games, even with their terrible historic playing in New Jersey (5 straight losses). Devils are a good young team, they are fast , but they aren't ready to beat one of the top contenders (alongside Bruins, Pens and Predators, in my opinion). Not yet. But I see a bright future for the franchise. They probably will be considered as contenders after next 1 or 2 seasons.

Leafs x Bruins are the most expected series to me in this 1st round as a hockey fan, not as a Pens fan, of course. It's because both teams are so talented and enjoyable to see, despite playing a so different hockey style. Bruins as usual is a physical team, but now they have more than physical players. They have many young talented players (like MacAvoy, Krug and Pastrnak) to help their top players Marchand, Bergeron and Rask to win big games and (why not) the cup. In my opinion, their current team is better than the one that wins the cup in 2011 season. That team won the Cup with a top goalie (Thomas), a great D and a physical team that imposed so many difficults to their rivals break through their defensive zone. Bruins current team has all those qualities, but their great differentials are their talent and their youthness mixed with experience. Their key players are more talented and capable to make difference by themselves than the ones back in 11. That's why I consider Bruins the greatest favorite to win the cup this season. They don't have any real weakness. If any team wants to beat them this season, they have to impose their game over Bruins. And that's much more easy to talk than to make it happens. My opinion about Leafs is similar than the Devils. They have a similar team, but I see more talent and more chance to win a cup in the next few years than I see for the Devils. Offensively Leafs are one of the most talented teams of the league, but if they wanna win a cup, they'll have to improve their D. You can't win a cup just with guys like Gardiner and Rielly. They need a more solid and experient d-man.

I think great teams offensively win many games, but good balanced teams have more chance to win a cup. Look at what Kings and Bruins did recently to prove that. Both teams weren't great, but both were pretty much balanced teams and had great goalies to steal games for them.

And, finally, speaking about the other 2 western conference series, I expect Jets and Predators confirming their favoritism either.

I won't be surprise if both goes to game 7. I don't think so, specially about Predators x Avalanche series, but I won't be shocked if that happens. That would be a surprise to me and I'm sure for most of you guys either, if we take a look back of what both teams did in regular season and their rosters. But when we see how good Colorado are playing and how equal this matchup have been being, to me Avalanche could extend the series to game 7 or at least to game 6. And I think that's more than most of us expected.

Jets x Wild have more chance to reach game 7, because Wild is the 2nd best team of the league playing in their home and Jets can lose Myers for the next games. I know many of you don't like him enough to consider that a real issue, but to me Myers is an important player to Jets, specially cause of his physical presence. Something that really matters in playoffs. But I still bet in Jets winning this series, even without him, because of their offensive talent and Hellybuck's top level in this season (putting aside last game).

And, finally, speaking about the other 2 western conference series, I expect Jets and Predators confirming their favoritism either.

I won't be surprise if both goes to game 7. I don't think so, specially about Predators x Avalanche series, but I won't be shocked if that happens. That would be a surprise to me and I'm sure for most of you guys either, if we take a look back of what both teams did in regular season and their rosters. But when we see how good Colorado are playing and how equal this matchup have been being, to me Avalanche could extend the series to game 7 or at least to game 6. And I think that's more than most of us expected.

Jets x Wild have more chance to reach game 7, because Wild is the 2nd best team of the league playing in their home and Jets can lose Myers for the next games. I know many of you don't like him enough to consider that a real issue, but to me Myers is an important player to Jets, specially cause of his physical presence. Something that really matters in playoffs. But I still bet in Jets winning this series, even without him, because of their offensive talent and Hellybuck's top level in this season (putting aside last game).

I had Colorado in 6 coming into the series.

Well they won cups ...

Vegas - LA ... Sweep for Vegas. Didn't see that coming. I had Vegas winning but i didn't think it would be a sweep.

Vegas winning the series, after what they did in regular season, it's something reasonable (despite I thought Kings would beat them in 7 for the reasons that I said). But I'm sure NO ONE put a sweep or even a 4x1 in this series. Vegas continue to make history game after game. Even if they were beat by the Kings, what they accomplished till now would be fantastic and unique in hockey history.

I'm speaking about their rosters. Both roster weren't much talented like Pens or Hawks. They won because both were balanced teams with elite goalies and almost no weakness. Besides, they imposed their physical style over their rivals.

You're kidding right? You seriously had Colorado beating Nashville in 6?

I meant to say Nashville in 6, idk how i said Colorado in 6.

Every Kings player owes Jonathan Quick an apology...

yep

Flyers Penguins tonight, game 4. Hoping to see the Flyers win. Actually, more than that, i'm hoping to see the Penguins lose. I'm not a Penguins fan at all. Anyway, this is an awesome seres and i'm excited to see what happens tonight. I think the Flyers win tonight. I mean, i had Philly in 6 coming into the series, not looking too likely at this point but why not still go with my pre-series prediction? Yeah, go Flyers for sure. Not sure if they'll win or not but i hope they do, and i'm predicting that they will. I think they're gonna be ready to make this a closer series and bring it to at least 6 games. They're gonna win in 6 anyway, lol.

Lightning and Devils tonight. I mean, i had the Bolts in 7 coming into the series, so i'm just gonna pick the Devils to win tonight, because it probably wouldn't go to 7 if they lose. But to tell the truth, i really am picking New Jersey to win tonight. Idk if i still think it'll go to 7 or not. Tampa could win in 6. But something tells me that on home ice tonight the Devils are gonna win and tie the series. Idk why but something tells me that.

Preds Avalanche, i'm predicting Nashville to win tonight. They're just so good.

About Anaheim and SJS, i think Anaheim wins tonight. I think San Jose still wins in 6. The Knights - Kings series was a sweep but i don't think this one will be. What happens in one series doesn't really change what happens in another IMO.

What the heck does that even mean

What ?

He said Philly could win or lose the series. Maybe. But so could Pittsburgh. One of them will definitely win, or possibly lose.

Tampa might win in 5 6 or 7 games. Or maybe the devils.

And the position of Saturn lends itself to possibly thinking maybe there won't be a sweep in the California series.......
But there could be. Maybe.

Such in-depth analysis and unparalleled decisiveness
Clear as mud. :-D

Me. I think
Giroux turns it on tonight. Philly to win in ot
Tampa gets 3 goals from the Point line to beat the Devils.
Colorado tie up the series with a riculious performance from JBern.
The sharks complete the sweep.

Lol, no Flyer fan is "crying" over Bobrovsky being traded. It was the best return at the time and he happened to just excell in the starting job.

If we had kept Bobrovsky, we'd probably not have Provorov or Konecny or a ton of other players that are in the system.

Well, the main reason it was a good move is because they got Mason, and i hear he's a top 10 goalie

(Flyers fans have said that)

Just cause Vegas swept LA doesn't change the Anaheim San Jose series.

Yeah, didn't get Mason in that deal.

I have said Mason is a top ten goaltender before - his objective numbers don't necessarily lie. He had a great 5v5 SV% with some of the worst defense in the game + terrible penalty killer. His mental toughness is his biggest liability and is why he isn't to the same caliber as he was before.

Who said that it would

Penalty killing is apart of the game too. In fact, that's when goalies have to be at their best. I've found that 5v5 stats are betting for telling the story of a forward or offensive defensemen, not goalies. A goalie has to be your best penalty killer, period. If we're excluding penalty killing numbers, then we're taking away some of the most crucial scenarios for goalies. That's not how a goalie should be measured.

I don't want to make this a thread about Mason, but when you are basically given a bottom-feeder caliber PK, you aren't going to be able to make all the stops. The Flyer's defense was an atrocity during the Mason tenure and even during their 2010 cup run.

I do affirm that your goaltender *should* be your best penalty killer, but when you have guys like Andrew MacDonald and Brandon Manning and Chris Vandevelde killing your penalties, you aren't exactly going to get a ton of help. Unless you have a goaltender that can literally steal you games (Carey Price, Sergie Bobrovsky), you can't make 4/4 stops w/ poor penalty kill tactics and cross-crease/slot passes.

Top-10 is really all relative. He was a solid goaltender that would have been better with a better system. He wasn't going to win you games, he wasn't going to loose you games. He was going to give you that above-average SV% and come up big with some saves.

The Flyer's penalty kill was above league average 2013-14 (Mason's first full year with the team) and Mason's SV% was .917. That's not bad, but it's not top 10. Bad penalty killing was not to blame for Mason's struggles. He quite frankly hasn't been a high end goalie for some time