Round 1 was a treacherous place for NHL playoff predictions. A record number of overtime games shifted the outcome of many of the series teetering on a razor-thin edge. Injuries, like those suffered by the Boston Bruins, made a serious impact. Injuries, like those suffered by the Pittsburgh Penguins, did not.
And maybe you didn’t hear, but lots of people picked the Chicago Blackhawks to win and they didn’t. As it turns out, they were swept.
Before the opening round, we asked a panel of five inside the game to make their picks. Considering the strange first round, the 4-4 record isn’t the worst result in the world, with the Predators, Oilers, Rangers and Senators tripping the panel up.
So we did it again, asking five people inside the game to pick the second-round series, with explanations.
The panel: Three NHL head coaches, one NHL assistant coach and a Western Conference scout
Their picks:
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Predicted winner: Capitals (3-2)
This was close, and the vote that ultimately swung it over to the Capitals came from a head coach who didn’t feel great about it. “Washington... but I’m not fully committed,” he said. “I think the Capitals' adversity might help them. It’s going to be a tough task.”
“It’s Sidney [Crosby],” said the scout in picking the Penguins. “He is just too good.”
The scout also got a kick at how quickly the Capitals tried shedding the favorite label, immediately referring to the Penguins as the favorites heading into this series, despite their status as the top seed. “They couldn’t wait to get that out,” he said, laughing. “They’re calling themselves the underdogs. They did not like the favorite label. I think if anything, the Toronto series said, if you can skate, you can play with Washington. And Pittsburgh can skate. And [Braden] Holtby has played pretty well. When the pressure builds on [Marc-Andre] Fleury, it’s going to be interesting.”
“I think they’re the best team,” said an Eastern Conference coach in picking the Capitals with confidence. “I know how good Toronto is, that [close series] doesn’t scare me off at all. The Capitals didn’t give up much, they don’t beat themselves. These are the two best teams, and Holtby is going to be better than Fleury. If [Kris] Letang is in there, it’s a different animal altogether.”
“Fleury is an exceptional goaltender, he almost caught everyone by surprise,” said another coach from the East. “Now, he’s expected to play well against a more high-powered offensive team. The goaltending will be a factor. The loss of Letang will be a factor.”
New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
Predicted winner: Rangers (5-0)
This was a clean sweep for the Rangers, with this group mostly not convinced that the Senators are a real playoff threat, despite their first-round series win over the Bruins.
“I think [Guy Boucher] outcoached the guy in Boston, and I don’t think he’s going to have as easy of a time outcoaching the guy in New York,” said the scout. “The Rangers get a slight edge because of goaltending.”
“Ottawa has a real emotional thing going with Craig Anderson. They have a belief system that is going pretty good. They’re an underestimated team,” said a Western Conference coach. “But I’m going to go with Henrik Lundqvist.”
“The Rangers, to me, all year they’ve been impressive,” said an Eastern Conference head coach. “They’ve been under the radar. They have very good goaltending. They have different elements on the blue line and up front that can go against any forward group. They’re fast, special teams are pretty good. They’re the better team, they’re a more talented team and they’re playing good, structured hockey. They have enough scoring threats, even if they get limited chances against Ottawa -- they don’t need much to score because they have some sharp shooters.”
“Ottawa is going to slow you down, not go anywhere, box you in and all that [stuff]. They just beat a team that was probably the worst team in the playoffs. Boston was without three of their top guys on the back end and then they lost [David] Krejci. Ottawa still had to struggle to win,” said the assistant coach. “I think New York is in a good spot.”
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Predicted winner: Ducks (4-1)
“This could be the most entertaining series to watch,” said the Western Conference head coach. “You’ve got the [Ryan] Kesler and [Connor] McDavid matchup. You have the secondary of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry -- how do they do? The key for me is if the Ducks get their two veteran D back, in Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen -- the way the kids played, do they want them back [laughs]. I’m going to take the all-around game of the Ducks, but I’m not disparaging Edmonton at all. I think either of those teams could win the Cup.”
“I’m going Edmonton,” said an Eastern Conference head coach. “Goaltending has been good. They beat San Jose, although they were a little banged up. But [the Oilers'] speed and energy, I think they have one more round in them to feed off that -- the speed, the energy, excitement -- they’re playing strong hockey and there’s lots of talent there.”
“This is going to be a good fight,” said the assistant. “What gave the Oilers an advantage over lots of teams is the same advantage Anaheim has -- big guys who are willing to go deep. Calgary had no chance against Anaheim, Calgary you can call all the young guys on the toughness side of things, you can call their bluff. Anaheim walked over Calgary, that’s why that series was so quick. ... As good as Connor McDavid is, he doesn’t know this stuff yet. He was, for him, kind of pedestrian in the first round. Now, he’s going to see Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler. That will be harder than last round.”
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues
Predicted winner: Predators (4-1)
“It’s a coin flip,” said the assistant coach. “If Jake Allen keeps playing the way he has, and he’s been playing good for awhile, you could call this a saw-off. If Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson play like they did, that matches your Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. I’ll go with Nashville though, they have a little higher skill up front.”
“I know [Wild coach] Bruce [Boudreau] said they were the better team, but I thought St. Louis played pretty well. The first couple games, Jake Allen was off-the-charts good,” said an Eastern Conference coach. “They’ve been the No. 1 defensive team since Mike Yeo took over [as coach], Jake Allen has been the hottest goaltender in the second half of the year. That’s a tough one, but I’ll go Nashville. They beat Chicago, and the Blackhawks didn’t have a ton of pushback.”
“Mike Fisher is an X factor and is a hard competitor,” said a coach. "Vladimir Sobotka makes a massive difference for the Blues. He’s an all-situation guy, he’s really competitive inside the battle areas, good on faceoffs. He’s got poise. He’s got composure. He’s what they expect from [Jori] Lehtera, but Lehtera can’t keep up anymore.”
“Chicago got dismantled. That four-game sweep, that was legit. That wasn’t like they got lucky,” said the Western Conference coach. “Nashville beat them in four games. Soundly in four games. I’m going to say Pekka Rinne keeps going and Nashville finds a way.”