Let's go Pens!
Joined: Mar. 2017
Posts: 1,788
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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.