Winnipeg Jets vs Nashville Predators

This series we will see the two top teams in the league facing off against each other, in what should be one of the series of the playoffs. The Predators won the Presidents Trophy this season, finishing with the most points in the regular season, while the Jets finished just three points behind them. These teams are somewhat comparable, as they have multiple forwards who can score, solid defenders with depth, and great goaltending.

The Jets had a very easy run through the first round of the playoffs with a series win over the Wild in just five games, while the Predators won in six over the Avalanche. The offensive output for these teams was very similar throughout the regular season, as they both averaged over three goals per game while allowing about 2.5 goals per game. If the defense for these teams are this tough, we could be in for a lower scoring series. That isn’t on the likely side outcomes, but I can see a wide range of outcomes in these games. A 2-1 game in overtime is just as likely as a 5-3 shootout based on the offenses and defenses.

When it comes to the Jets offensive options, they have a lot of them, many of them who see time on the power-play and have shown throughout the regular season to be able to contribute. Their top line is led by Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, while the young gun Kyle Connor rounds off the line. They have been productive all season and have some nice synergy on the power-play, so if you are looking into some options for DFS contests, the Jets have great options.

They also have plenty of depth for other options, Paul Stastny, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little all have varying levels of consistency and production, with Laine being the best out of the bunch. The Jets had three players score more than one goal in the first-round, so don’t be surprised if they get balanced production all series long, with no one player truly standing out.

On the blue for the Jets, they are led by Dustin Byfuglien who sees time on the first power-play, and led the team in points in the first-round, but also led them in penalty minutes. That is what we are going to get from him, along with a ton of hits. Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey round out the core of the Jets defense, who will be faced with a tough task of stopping all of the depth the Predators have.

Nashville is the reigning Western Conference champions from last season, and are looking to reclaim that spot, all while avoid the Presidents Trophy curse.  Their first-round matchup seemed a bit harder than it had to be, but they are through and have home ice, in what is a very tough environment to play.

During the regular season, the Predators had eight different players record 42 points or more, along with another three at 30 or more. That is a lot of production from a lot of different players, meaning they aren’t a very top heavy team and the scoring is spread out. This can make it difficult to nail down who will be the best options for the Preds since any one player on any night can make an impact on the scoring department. On the flip side, it can also be very difficult for the opposing defense, since players on the third line can score, and the top defensive pairing likely won’t be on the ice against them. This is great from a real-life hockey standpoint, but as I said, can cause some issues when trying to nail down who will be doing to scoring.

As for the defenders of the Predators, they have four truly strong players who can all contribute in multiple different ways. Whether it be on the power-play, taking and blocking shots, along with being solid real-life defenders. If I were to rank them it would be, Roman Josi, PK Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm. All of them but Ekholm see time on the power-play, so the upside is there for them.

All in all, it should be a great series, and we are in for a bit of everything hopefully. Some scoring, some good defense, which ultimately will lead to one of the best playoff series this year. 

Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning 

This series will have the top two teams from the Atlantic division, in what seemed to be a crash course for most of the season. The Lightning have home ice in this series, but the Bruins were able to capture the season series 3-1. By all accounts, this should be a long and hard-fought series, so strap in for some offense, and more than likely shaky goal tending.

The Bruins come in hot after a Game 7 victory at home, and are looking to roll that momentum down into the sunshine state. Their first season with the Maple Leafs was a microcosm of their entire season really, stretches of amazing offense, shaky goal tending and big plays when the time called. They scored three or more goals in six of the seven games in round one, and now up against this Tampa team who gave up just shy of three goals per game.

The Boston offense is somewhat top heavy, where they get a lot of production out of their top units, and hit or miss from the rest. They had six players with seven or more points in the first round, and it’s all the names you would expect, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Torey Krug, and even the young guy, Jake DeBrusk. They Bruins also love to take a ton of shots, as they had seven players with 15 or more shots in the first round.

With this series set to be a higher scoring one, we will likely see a good dose of the top players, but some unlikely heroes will step up, as this is the playoffs.

For Tampa Bay, we know what they have been all season, one of the best offenses in the league who can outscore anyone, but shaky goal tending. The Lightning had a bit of an easier time in the first-round, with a five-game series against the Devils, who didn’t show a ton of resistance. They scored three goals or more in all four of their wins, a trend which has the possibility to continue in this round.

They have a number of different players who can do the scoring, and add production on the ice. The top names are obvious, Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, and Miller on that top line, but don’t overlook the other units. Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, Ryan McDonagh, and Yanni Gourde have all shown throughout the regular season that they are more than capable of providing the offense when needed.

As a team they averaged over 3.5 goals per game this season, a trend which should continue for the majority of the. The goalies in this series are very suspect, and until they prove it, not sure how much they can be trusted on a nightly basis.