The Ottawa Senators CAN beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Troy Geary gets you ready for the NHL Eastern Conference final, where the conclusion is far from foregone.
For the fifth time since 2007, the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet in Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The series features a match up between the best forward and defensemen in the sport, Sidney Crosby, and Erik Karlsson. These teams have met three times in the first round and once in the second round. The Senators wonthe first meeting in 2007 in five games. The Penguins took the following three series in 2008 in four, 2010 in six, and 2013 in five games.
This time, the stakes are higher.
Both teams are fighting for the right to battle for the Stanley Cup. The winner will face whoever win the Western Conference final between the Nashville Predators and the Anaheim Ducks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins overcame Alexander Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals in seven games. They now face much different team in Ottawa. The Penguins will have to make sure they commit to playing 60 minutes every night to avoid the blown third period leads that ended up felling Boston and New York.
That shouldn’t be a problem, though. The Pens have been firing on all cylinders. Four of the top seven leading playoff scorers play in Pittsburgh.
They are led by Evgeni Malkin, who leads the playoffs in scoring with five goals and 13 assists. Jake Guentzel has been a huge contributor with nine goals and five assists. Phil Kessel has been solid with five goals and eight assists, but only one goal and no assists in his last four games.
Sidney Crosby had 10 points against Columbus in round one but only four points in round two after missing game four with a concussion. Crosby has done very well against the Senators in his career, notching 33 points in 20 playoff games against Ottawa. However, many question if he has fully recovered from his recent concussion.
The Penguins will need Marc-Andre Fleury to continue his dominance in these playoffs in order to defeat the Senators.
This round, they face a stingy defensive team in the Senators. Coach Guy Boucher had success against the Penguins while in Tamp Bay in 2011, coming back from a 3–1 series deficit in the first round.
Ottawa has relied on scoring by committee , led by Bobby Ryan and Derek Brassard in Round One, with Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman carrying the load in Round Two. Jean-Gabrielle Pageau was also huge against New York, with a four goal performance in Game Two and five goals in the series. The depth of this team up front has been a huge asset. The ability to roll out four lines in the playoffs cannot be overstated.
That said, Erik Karlsson has continued to be Ottawa’s most important player, despite playing with a fractured foot throughout these entire playoffs. He is the driving force behind Ottawa’s scoring, power play, and the breakout from their own zone. Karlsson has two goals and 11 assists, including the series winner against New York.
Craig Anderson saved his best performance last round for Game Six against Henrik Lundqvist. He’s dealt with puck handling issues throughout the playoffs, but if he can clean those up he is capable of going of matching Marc-Andre Fleury’s level of play.
Ottawa needs to continue their commitment to defence against this star studded Penguins team. Whether they admit it or not, the sporting world see the Senators as the underdogs to win this series.
Pittsburgh is looking for the chance to repeat as back-to-back champions for the first time since the 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh is expected to be fighting for the Stanley Cup, and should be the favourites in this series.
Ottawa is not going to roll over and die. Expect the Senators to surprise critics who expect an easy win for the Penguins. This team has bought into Boucher’s defence first approach, and are a very seriously threat to the Pittsburgh Penguins chances to repeat as champions.
PREDICTION
Senators in 6.
Troy Geary is a hockey writer for theocho.ca. Look forward to regular contributions from Troy on all things Senators and NHL.
