Following a modified 56-game schedule that exclusively featured inter-division matchups, the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to bring us two more rounds of divisional clashes. RotoWire will bring you a breakdown of each division ahead of the start of postseason play. AJ Scholz kicks it off with a deep dive into the East Division series.
Pittsburgh Penguins (1) vs New York Islanders (4)
The Penguins held the advantage during the regular season with a 6-2 record, which included one overtime win and a shootout loss, by a combined score of 26-19. The two teams' head-to-head regular-season records may not mean much, however, as the two clubs last faced off April 29. The Nassau Coliseum has been a house of horrors for Pittsburgh over the years, as the Penguins are 51-58-8-4 in 121 franchise contests in that arena. Overall, the Isles went 21-4-3 at home this year, while the Penguins went 22-4-2 within the confines of PPG Paints arena, all of which points to home-ice advantage being a significant factor in this series.
Up Front
Penguins: Prior to the trade deadline, Pittsburgh's depth faced significant questions outside of its top six. The addition of Jeff Carter, who has racked up nine goals and two assists in 14 games in the Black & Gold, has changed the dynamic around this team. His partnership with Jared McCann gives the Pens a third line that will be extremely difficult to match up against. The first line of Sidney Crosby, Jake
Following a modified 56-game schedule that exclusively featured inter-division matchups, the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to bring us two more rounds of divisional clashes. RotoWire will bring you a breakdown of each division ahead of the start of postseason play. AJ Scholz kicks it off with a deep dive into the East Division series.
Pittsburgh Penguins (1) vs New York Islanders (4)
The Penguins held the advantage during the regular season with a 6-2 record, which included one overtime win and a shootout loss, by a combined score of 26-19. The two teams' head-to-head regular-season records may not mean much, however, as the two clubs last faced off April 29. The Nassau Coliseum has been a house of horrors for Pittsburgh over the years, as the Penguins are 51-58-8-4 in 121 franchise contests in that arena. Overall, the Isles went 21-4-3 at home this year, while the Penguins went 22-4-2 within the confines of PPG Paints arena, all of which points to home-ice advantage being a significant factor in this series.
Up Front
Penguins: Prior to the trade deadline, Pittsburgh's depth faced significant questions outside of its top six. The addition of Jeff Carter, who has racked up nine goals and two assists in 14 games in the Black & Gold, has changed the dynamic around this team. His partnership with Jared McCann gives the Pens a third line that will be extremely difficult to match up against. The first line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust figures to drive the Penguins' offense, while Kasperi Kapanen's speed and Evgeni Malkin's unmatched skill offer a high-end 1B.
Islanders: Known as a defensively-minded organization in the image of coach Barry Trotz, New York still has some solid offensive contributors in the form of Mathew Barzal (45 points), Josh Bailey (35 points) and Brock Nelson (33) points. Losing Anders Lee (knee) for the year has stretched the overall depth of the club thin, leading to Leo Komarov taking on first-line responsibilities. Trade deadline acquisitions Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac have underwhelmed, combining for a mere six points in 30 games
The Blue Line
Penguins: The name recognition among all defensemen in this series will come by way of Kris Letang, who crested the 40-point mark for a fourth straight season while racking up 15 points with Pittsburgh's No. 1 power-play unit this year. With partner Brian Dumoulin by his side, Letang has the freedom he needs to jump into the play whenever he so chooses. Coach Todd Reirden has revitalized the careers of Mike Matheson (face), who is poised to return to action, and Cody Ceci, allowing the Penguins to limit the minutes of youngsters John Marino and Marcus Pettersson on the third pairing.
Islanders: Much like the Isles' forwards, this is not a group known for its offensive contributions with Nick Leddy leading the way with two goals and 29 assists in 56 contests, including a team-high 11 power-play points. Brought in last year at the trade deadline, Andy Greene hasn't quite lived up to his billing with a paltry five points this season, well off the 20-30 point campaigns he's put up in the past. Still, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock both finished the year with a plus-15 rating while Leddy was the only Islanders' defensemen with more than five games played to register a negative plus-minus rating (minus-3).
Between the Pipes
Penguins: Tristan Jarry (upper body) is expected to be available for Game 1 and figures to carry the load for the Penguins. The young netminder was tied for third among all NHL goalies for wins this season (25), but he also recorded the highest GAA (2.75) of any of the top-10 win producers in the league.
Islanders: Semyon Varlamov was also among the top-10 winningest netminders this season despite failing to reach the 20-win mark for a second straight campaign. The Russian backstop is also currently tied with Colorado's Philipp Grubauer for the league lead with seven shutouts.
Series Prediction
Overall, the two sides seem pretty evenly matched with small advantages here or there throughout the lineup. It's unlikely either side will manage to pull off a sweep given their respective records at home, so I look for the series to reach six games (at a minimum) with the Penguins coming out on top.
Washington Capitals (2) vs Boston Bruins (3)
The last of the regular-season contests between Washington and Boston was played Tuesday with the Capitals securing a 2-1 victory over a Bruins squad that rested the majority of its top players. Still, the overall series ended at an even 4-4 with the goal totals coming in at 25 and 26 for Washington and Boston, respectively. The Caps actually performed better on the road this year with a 19-7-2 record which may compound their home-ice advantage during this series.
Up Front
Capitals: It's hard not to give the edge to the Capitals when comparing the two teams' forward groups considering Washington has the best pure goal scorer in the modern era in Alex Ovechkin on its top line. Still, the potential absences of T.J. Oshie (lower body) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (COVID-19 protocols) could stretch the club's depth up front thin. If those two skaters are unavailable, Michael Raffl could be forced into a top-six role despite having reached the 30-point mark just once in his eight-year NHL career. The Caps paid a hefty price to acquire Anthony Mantha from Detroit at the deadline and they're likely satisfied with the results thus far, as he's produced eight points in 14 contests with Washington.
Bruins: While the "Perfection Line" of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak figures to get most of the attention, Boston didn't stand pat at the trade deadline, bringing in Taylor Hall from Buffalo. After posting just two goals in 37 games for the Sabres, Hall has looked completely rejuvenated in Beantown, racking up eight goals in just 16 contests. He and David Krejci, who's racked up an impressive 21 points in 16 games since Hall joined the team, have given the Bruins a formidable second scoring line.
The Blue Line
Capitals: John Carlson had another fantastic season in 2020-21, racking up 10 goals and 34 assists in 52 games. He's dealing with a lower-body injury, but he appears to be on track to suit up for Saturday's Game 1. Having said that, if Washington needs to get by for a game or two without its primary power-play quarterback in Carlson, Justin Schultz is certainly capable of filling that role on a temporary basis. Schultz has missed plenty of games himself this year, but he's been on a roll recently, contributing six helpers in his last nine outings. Dmitry Orlov is also capable of chipping in offensively from time to time while Zdeno Chara will no doubt have some conflicted emotions prior to puck drop.
Bruins: With the aforementioned Chara no longer in the fold, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk were tasked with stepping up to the plate this season and did so to the tune of 30 and 20 points respectively. McAvoy saw a decent uptick in ice time this season, averaging an extra 50 seconds of usage per contest over the course of the campaign and setting a new career high (24:00 per game). Adding Mike Reilly at the trade deadline not only gave Boston added depth but also a third scoring option on the blue line, as he's notched eight assists in 15 games with the Bruins.
Between the Pipes
Capitals: As of now, Ilya Samsonov remains in the league's COVID-19 protocols which means Vitek Vanecek will likely be the Game 1 starter. If both tenders are fully fit and available, Vanecek is 21-10-4 with a 2.70 GAA and two shutouts this season compared to Samsonov's 13-4-1 record with two shutouts and a 2.69 GAA. Since both netminders have performed so similarly this year, Peter Laviolette might end up going with a hot-hand approach.
Bruins: Tuukka Rask is a two-time NHL All Star and the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner, so expect him to be between the pipes for Game 1. Injuries limited the 34-year-old netminder to just 24 appearances this year. He went 15-5-2 with a respectable .913 save percentage over that span, but Jeremy Swayman impressed in limited action after making his NHL debut April 6, eventually supplanting Jaroslav Halak as the Bruins' No. 2 option. Swayman will be ready to take over should Rask stumble in the playoffs.
Series Prediction
The outcome of this series will almost certainly depend on the availability of John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie. Their return could tip the scales in favor of Washington in a matchup that figures to go the distance. I'm taking the Capitals in seven in an old-school slobber knocker.
