Binge Media Sports: NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-The Conference Finals
Welcome back to Binge Media Sports coverage of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Round two continued to give hockey fans more exciting and amazing games, with three out of the four series needing seven games while the fourth went six and ended in yet another overtime victory for the Chicago Blackhawks. We’re now down to four teams and the conference finals are underway. As we’ve been doing, I’ll give you the poll results from round two and give you the chance to vote for the winners of each series. We’ll start once again in the East.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
MONTREAL CANADIENS v. NEW YORK RANGERS
Previous round: Montreal def. Boston 4-3, New York def. Pittsburgh 4-3
Round 2 poll results: 36% voted for Montreal, 30% voted for New York
Conference Final preview: Well, the two teams who were in this position last year have been eliminated by the two teams who will meet to decide the representative from the Eastern Conference in this year’s Stanley Cup Final. Both Montreal and New York upset their opponent in round two and face off today in Game 1. Both teams went seven games in the second round, but we’re now at the time of year where adrenaline will start to take over, so I see this being a really charged series, with a strong chance to go seven. Both teams are looking to end championship droughts as they meet in the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. Montreal hasn’t won the Cup since 1993 and New York hasn’t raised it since the following year with the Mark Messier-led 1994 squad. Both goalies are coming in hot. New York’s Henrik Lundqvist had a beautiful Game 7 against the Penguins and stopped 102 out of 105 shots during the Rangers’ comeback from a 3-1 series deficit, but Montreal’s Carey Price stopped 55 of 56 shots in the final two games against the rival Boston Bruins. Montreal took two out of three regular season matchups so we’ll see if they can ride that wave in this great matchup between two historic franchises.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
LOS ANGELES KINGS v. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Previous round: Los Angeles def. Anaheim 4-3, Chicago def. Minnesota 4-2
Round 2 poll results: 67% voted for Los Angeles, 90% voted for Chicago
Conference final preview: Chicago has had a few days to rest and with the Kings upsetting the favored Ducks, the Blackhawks have home ice, a big advantage as they’ve yet to lose at home in these playoffs with a 6-0 record. In this rematch of last year’s conference final, the goalies will get lots of attention here. L.A.’s Jonathan Quick is known for being one of the best of his era, but Corey Crawford comes in with the best save percentage of these playoffs at .931, including stopping 34 of 35 shots in the clincher against the Wild. The Kings are a team that can skate with Chicago and have a different look than last year when the Hawks stopped them in five games, and really took it to Anaheim in a Game 7 win on the road, but Chicago’s defense has been stellar, especially against the power play. Both teams will be looking to get ahead early. Chicago is 7-0 when they score first, and L.A. is 7-1, so look for both teams to be aggressive right when the puck drops tomorrow. Chicago dominated the Kings in the regular season, winning all three matchups. But the playoffs are a completely different animal, so look for the last two Stanley Cup winners to give us some more great hockey.
[yop_poll id=”112″]
I’ll check back in as we prepare for the Stanley Cup Final. Feel free to justify your vote by commenting below or tweet @THElukenorris with your predictions.