The Pittsburgh Penguins (4-1) and Washington Capitals (4-2) play against each other in the Division finals. The Washington Capitals will have home ice advantage due to having the best NHL record in the regular season. Whichever team wins this series will have home ice the rest of the time they are in the playoffs. This will be the tenth time that the two teams have met in the playoffs with the Penguins winning 8 of the previous 9 meetings ( Capitals won series in 1994). The two teams met last year in the division finals with the Penguins winning in 6 games.
The Match-up in goal will be Marc-Andre Fleury in net for the Penguins and Braden Holtby in net for the Capitals. Marc-Andre Fleury in the playoffs has a record of 4-1, a goals against average of 2.52, and a save percentage of .933. Braden Holtby has a record of 4-2, a goals against average of 2.36, and a save percentage of .925. Braden Holtby is one of the finalists for the Vienza. Goalie advantage- toss up The Top line for the Pittsburgh Penguins will most likely be Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby, and Patric Hornqvist. Jake Guentzel would have 5 goals, 1 assist, and a -2 in 5 games played. Sidney Crosby has 2 goals, 5 assists, and -2 in 5 games played. Patric Hornqvist would have 2 goals, 1 assist, and +2 in 6 games played. The Capitals top line will most likely be Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie. Alexander Ovechkin has 3 goals and is a +1 after 6 games. Nicklas Backstrom has 2 goals, 4 assists in 6 games, and a +1. T.J. Oshie leads the team in points with 3 goals, 4 assists, and +1 in 6 games. Top line advantage- Capitals The 2nd line for the Penguins will probably be Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel. Bryan Rust would have 4 goals and be +5 in 5 games. Evgeni Malkin leads the league in points with 2 goals, 9 assists, and +7. Phil Kessel has 2 goals, 6 assists, and +7. The Capitals 2 line will most likely be Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Justin Williams. Marcus Johansson would has 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games. Evgeny Kuznetsov has 1 goal, 2 assists, and -1 in 6 games. Justin Williams has 3 goals, 3 assists, and +1 in 6 games. 2nd line advantage- Penguins The Penguins 3rd line will likely be Scott Wilson, Nick Bonino, and Conor Sheary. Scott Wilson has 1 goal in 5 games. Nick Bonino has 1 goal in 5 games. Conor Sheary has 2 assists and -3 in 5 games. The Capitals 3rd line will most likely be Andre Burakovsky, Lars Eller, and Tom Wilson. Andre Burakovsky would have 2 assists in 6 games. Lars Eller would have 2 assists in 6 games. Tom Wilson has 3 goals and +1 in 6 games. Line 3 advantage- toss up The Penguins 4th line will likely be Chris Kunitz, Matt Cullen, Tom Kuhnhackl. Chris Kunitz has yet to play in the playoffs due to injury. Matt Cullen has 2 assists and is +2 in 5 games. Tom Kuhnhackl has 1 goal, 1 assist, and +1. The Capitals 4th line will likely be Daniel Winnik, Jay Beagle, and Brett Connolly. Daniel Winnick is -1 in 6 games. Jay Beagle is -2 in 6 games. Brett Connolly is -2 in 6 games. 4th line advantage-Penguins The Penguins top Defensive pair will likely be Ian Cole and Justin Schultz. Ian Cole has 3 assists in 5 games. Justin Schultz has 3 assists in 5 games. The Capitals top defensive pair will likely be Nate Schmidt and John Carlson. Nate Schmidt has 2 assists and +5 int 4 games. John Carlson has 1 goal, 1 assist, and +3 in 6 games. Top D advantage-Penguins The 2nd defensive pair for the Penguins will likely be Brian Dumoulin and Ron Hainsey. Brian Dumoulin has 1 assists and +1 in 5 games. Ron Hainsey has 1 goal, 2 assists, and +1 in 5 games. The Capitals 2nd defensive pair will likely be Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen. Dmitry Orlov has 2 assists in 6 games. Matt Niskanen has 1 assist and +1. 2nd defensive pair advantage- Penguins. The 3rd defensive pair for the Penguins will likely be Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley. Olli Maatta has 1 assists and +5 in 5 games. Trevor Daley has 1 assist and +3 in 5 games. The 3rd defensive pair for the Capitals will likely be Brooks Orpik and Kevin Shattenkirk. Brooks Orpik has 2 assists and is-4 in 6 games. Kevin Shattenkirk has 3 assists and is -4 in 6 games. 3rd defensive pairing advantage- Penguins. Predictions: Justin- Penguins win in 6 games Jason- Penguins win in 6 games Adam- Penguins win in 7 games Let us know if you agree or disagree with us.
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April 2017
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