2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Semifinals Picks: New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins Odds and Predictions

2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Semifinals Picks: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds and Predictions: A couple of long-time rivals will meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 when the New York Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Neither side had it easy in the first round with the Rangers surviving a Game 7 to get by Philadelphia and the Penguins outlasting Columbus in six back-and-forth games. After getting tested in the opening round, neither team will have long to rest before getting back to business as the series begins Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Defense has been New York’s backbone all year, and during the regular season, the Rangers allowed the fourth-fewest goals and had the third-best penalty kill. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist battled injuries early in the year, but he was solid down the stretch and continued his solid play in the first round of the playoffs, posting a 2.11 goals against average. Granted, New York’s offense has been sporadic all year, and after star Rick Nash failed to score a goal in the first round, it’s clear that probably won’t change. However, New York makes up for its lack of offensive firepower with experienced veterans like Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis as well as plenty of sold two-way players that take care of business on both ends of the ice.

Led by star players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal, and the Penguins have been an offensive juggernaut all year. In fact, Pittsburgh ranked fifth in the NHL in scoring this season and owned to the top power play attack. The trend continued in the first round as Pittsburgh averaged 3.5 goals per game in its first-round win against Columbus. Perhaps more impressively, the Penguins offense did damage without Crosby scoring a single goal. On the flip side, Pittsburgh’s defense can be average at times, and the team’s attacking style can lead to some careless turnovers. In net, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has had his issues in the playoffs in the past, and while he was not terrible against the Blue Jackets, his 2.81 goals against average wasn’t great either.

The Rangers Win If:

If the Rangers are going to knock off the Penguins, they have to be consistent on defense and opportunistic on offense in order to keep pace with Pittsburgh’s high-powered attack. The Penguins’ offense is great, but their attacking style does tend to lead to some turnovers that New York must capitalize on. A big series from Nash will also go a long way to helping the cause. Defensively, Lundqvist has to out-play Fleury between the pipes, and the Rangers have to make sure that Pittsburgh earns all of its goals. New York doesn’t have to shut out the Penguins, but if the Rangers make this a series of lower-scoring games that is controlled by their defense and goaltending, they should have a chance to scrape together enough goals to win.

The Penguins Win If:

For the Penguins to win the series, they need to control the action with their offense and force the Rangers to keep pace. New York’s offense has been inconsistent all season, and if Pittsburgh’s star-studded attack is firing on all cylinders, it is going to be very difficult for the Rangers to keep up with their limited firepower. In net, Fleury has to provide consistent, reliable play. He doesn’t necessarily have to carry the Penguins, but he also can’t go into one of his postseason funks and start allowing soft goals on a routine basis. For its part, Pittsburgh offense needs to help the cause by limiting the number of careless turnovers that can result from a lineup of stars that all have a goal-scoring mentality. At the end of the day, Pittsburgh should win the series if the Penguins’ offense lives up to its potential and they get solid defense and goaltending.

Bottom Line:

While the Rangers definitely have the better defense and should have the edge in net, Lundqvist hasn’t exactly been playing at the elite level it would take to completely shut down Pittsburgh’s offense. After all, the Penguins just scored plenty against defending Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky. In other words, the Rangers are going to have to score some goals in order to compete with the Penguins, and that could be an issue. With Nash struggling, New York’s offense can go through long droughts. Meanwhile, the Penguins will constantly test New York’s defense with stellar offensive firepower that runs much deeper than just the team’s top-two lines. While a Fleury meltdown could change things, I expect Pittsburgh’s offense to ultimately overwhelm New York.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins Win in 6 Games

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