NHL Playoffs: SportsTips Preview For The East Division

East Division  

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders 

With a season record of 37-16-3, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed first place in the incredibly tight East Division, with a gap of just 6 points separating them from the Islanders in fourth.

They finished on a total of 77 points, tied with the Washington Capitals, winning the title thanks to their +40 goal differential. For their efforts they get to face the Islanders in round 1 of the playoffs, a favourable position considering they have beaten the New York side in 6 of 8 games this season.

The Islanders experienced a turbulent season, filled with moments of dominance followed by extensive slumps in form, at one point sitting atop the table, and looking good value to finish there, the Islanders ultimately claimed fourth place with a record of 32-17-7.

When playing at home the Islanders were one of the best performing sides in the league, finishing the season with a home record of 21-4-3 for 45 points, a total which was bettered by only one team in the NHL, the Penguins. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Preview 

With a whopping 196 goals scored over 56 games (3.45 per game), no team scored more than the Penguins this season, that was thanks in no small part to the efforts of Sidney Crosby, the veteran Penguin scored 24 times and assisted another 38 for a team leading 62 points.

Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust both notched 20+ goals on the wing this season, while Kris Letang had another great year, the defender bagged 7 goals and 38 assists, the fourth best offensive return for a defenseman in the league. 

Sidney Crosby gives a lot of credit to his teammates for their positive mindsets despite dealing with adversity this season.

Crosby: “There’s been some great energy and enthusiasm all year long, especially given the situation we were in… It wasn’t always easy at times.” pic.twitter.com/Y4zKVjdai8

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 12, 2021

The Penguins are strong when playing with the man advantage, converting at a rate of 23.7% they are the 4th most efficient team in the NHL, and they will need to be just that against the Islanders, which are one of the best penalty killing sides out there.

On the flip side, the Penguins stack up as one of the least effective penalty killing teams, with a rate of 77.4% they are ranked as the fifth worst in the league, and the second worst of the playoff sides. 

New York Islanders Preview

The Islanders do not possess the same level of offensive threat as the Penguins, infact, their 2.71 goals per game average puts them 20th in the NHL, and last place for teams in the playoffs. 

The majority of the Islanders offense comes from Mathew Barzal, with 17 goals and 28 assists this season it is clear that he has the potential to play a big part in the Islanders playoff run, and given his 17 point post season last year, we expect him to be up for it here.

We’ve got our Round 1️⃣ Schedule! 👏🗓 pic.twitter.com/GNQlltyNmZ

— x – New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 13, 2021

Where the Islanders shine is their incredibly solid defensive setup, after 56 games the Islanders conceded just 125 times, a goal against average of 2.23 per game, placing them as the second best defense in the NHL.

With the likes of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock at the back, both of which boast a +/- of 15, it is no surprise that they have found success with their defensive structure.

They are made all the more stronger with Semyon Varlamov in the net, the big Russian has been brilliant this season, allowing just 2.04 goals per game, and operating at a save rate of 92.9%, leading the NHL for shutouts with 7 for his stellar efforts. 

NHL Playoff Prediction

This is a battle between the division’s best offense and it’s tightest defense, and so far this season the Penguins have had the Islanders’ number, winning 6 of the 8 games played, with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang both picking up 9 points from those fixtures.

With many of the Penguins players ageing, this playoff series could be the strongest they look for a while, and with the home advantage to start, we expect them to take round one by the horns.

Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2

Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

The Capitals finished the campaign with a record of 36-15-5, tied on points with the Pittsburgh Penguins (77), narrowly missing out on the division title through goal difference, and as such, will face the Boston Bruins in the opening game of the 2020/21 NHL playoffs.

The Bruins clinched playoffs for a 5th straight year, with a record of 33-16-7, this was their least convincing season over the last 5 years, however, after a disappointing string of games in the middle of the campaign, the Bruins ultimately crossed the line looking strong, earning them a third place finish. 

Washington Capitals Preview 

With 191 goals scored, the Caps posed one of the biggest offensive threats this season, scoring an average of 3.36 goals per game, tied for the 4th highest in the NHL. The Caps have an incredibly experienced roster of proven point scorers, with Nicklas Backstrom pulling the strings at 33 years old, leading the team for assists and total points with 38 and 53 respectively.

The Caps have 2 main goal threats in T.J Oshie and Alex Ovechkin, the veteran partnership locked down the left and right wing, combining for 46 goals this season, and both recorded +40 point seasons.

CAPS TODAY: Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are two of 13 active players with at least 100 career playoff points, and one of five sets of current teammates on that list. More info on the Capitals’ franchise playoff accomplishments and Caps Clips at https://t.co/HecIC0ECg1 pic.twitter.com/yBmxs5KuuV

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) May 13, 2021

Their defense is their only weakness, conceding an average of 2.88 goals per game, the Caps defensive average is worsened by only 1 of the remaining 16 playoff teams . They only managed 4 shutouts during the regular season, and were quite prone to breaking down and conceding a lot of goals in a short period of time.

With many of their key players ageing, the Capitals playoff success relies on keeping their main men fit and healthy, and with T.J Oshie and John Carlson getting injured recently, the Caps starting lineup is a little up in the air at the moment. 

Boston Bruins Preview

For the 5th straight season the Bruins have reached the playoffs, and following some shaky patches in the middle of the year, they began to hit their strides at the end of the season, with some clever business during the trade period paying off in a big way.

The Bruins acquired Taylor Hall from the Sabres in April, and since then he has flourished, scoring 8 goals and 6 assists in his 16 games so far. The addition of Hall came on top of an already stacked Bruins’ midfield, with both Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak hitting +20 goal, +20 assist seasons. 

A stellar stretch run.#BundlingStats | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/rqYIGJqvBe

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 13, 2021

You can’t talk about the Bruins without talking about Brad Marchand, at 33 years old Marchand has hit career best form this season, scoring an average of 1.31 points per game, finishing the season with 69 points, the third most in the league, and converting at a percentage of 20.3%, the 2nd best of the NHL’s top 20 goal scorers. 

The Bruins are spoiled for choice in the net, with their veteran shot stopper, Tuuka Rask, a lock in to start the playoffs, and the promising young talent, Jeremy Swayman, likely to back him up. From his small sample size this season, Swayman impressed, conceding just1.5 goals per game, and saving at a rate of 94.5% from the 10 games he played.

NHL Playoff Prediction

With the head to head tied up at 4-4 throughout the regular season, this is one of the most interesting matchups of the playoffs. It will undoubtedly be an incredibly physical series, with both sides relying on getting the best out of their best players.

As far as goaltending goes we can’t deny the advantage that the Bruins have, and with the uncertainty of some of the Capitals main players for game 1 we predict the Bruins will take out game 1, winning overall in 6.

Boston Bruins 4-2

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.