Not having a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night was tough. The first two rounds were awesome with non-stop games night after night, but as we get further into the postseason and start to have nights without hockey, it starts to become a stark reminder that we’re nearing the end.
Having said that, we have two fantastic matchups in the conference finals coming up. The Western Conference Final between Edmonton and Dallas gets going Thursday while the Panthers and Rangers drop the puck on the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday. Let’s take a look at the series out East before they get started this evening.
Eastern Conference Final Preview
Game Schedule
* – if necessary
Stanley Cup Playoffs & Eastern Conference Final Odds
Eastern Conference Final Odds
Odds to Win Stanley Cup
Conn Smythe Trophy Odds
Numbers To Know
Series X-Factors For Each Team
Rangers: Goaltending. Maybe this isn’t an X-Factor, but it’s by far the most important part of the series for New York in my opinion. Florida has looked like the best team in the playoffs so far, but it doesn’t matter how good a team is if a goalie is hot enough. Igor Shesterkin is the best goalie in the world in my opinion, and he’s why we’re talking about a Rangers/Panthers ECF as opposed to a Hurricanes/Panthers conference final. If Shesterkin is great, the Rangers can win. If he’s not, I don’t think this will be a long series.
Panthers: Win the special teams battle. As mentioned above, Florida’s penalty kill has been great thus far. Their power play though has been just OK at 22%. The Rangers outscored the Hurricanes 7-2 on special teams in their last series, so Florida’s task will be to fare better in those situations than the Canes. Despite the low PP numbers, Florida is still the third-highest scoring team in the postseason at 3.55 goals per game. If the power play ticks up a bit, this offense can be that much more dangerous. If the P’s can win the special teams battle, the Rangers will have a tough time winning this series.
Prediction: Panthers in 6. I think Igor Shesterkin can and will steal a game or two for New York in this series as Jeremy Swayman did for Boston in the last round. But the Panthers are just two deep for New York in my opinion, and the goaltending matchup should be much more even than what New York saw last round. Florida is a very complete team. So was Carolina. Had Carolina had a better goaltending option, I think they probably win that series. Florida has that better goaltending option.
written by
Matt Rooney
Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.
