Apr 22, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) prepares to stop a shot from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period at Scotiabank Place. The Penguins defeated the Senators 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (7) Ottawa Senators

Series begins : Tuesday, May 14 at Consol Energy Center, 8:00 PM EST

Season Series:

• Jan 27 – Penguins 2, Senators 1 (SO)
• Feb 13 – Penguins 4, Senators 2
• Apr 22 – Penguins 3, Senators 1

Why The Penguins Can Win

Pittsburgh, when they are on and the transition game is working, boast the most top end talent of all the teams remaining in the playoffs. Sidney Crosby came back in game two against the Islanders and at times, dominated with his skill and balance. Evgeni Malkin might be the most enigmatic of all the forwards on the Pens roster but can dominate a game with size to match his skill. Only problem that lies with Malkin is that famous temper, which can get the better of him when the right buttons are pushed.

The Pens goal of claiming a championship for new acquisition Jarome Iginla runs deep but then again, so do the Pittsburgh problems. The Islanders, in round one, exposed the defense of Dan Bylsma‘s group and forced them into many turnovers in their defensive zone by aggressive forechecking and speed. Douglas Murray struggled mightily and stretch passes might not be as effective if the Sens hold their line in the neutral zone.

In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury will continue to wear a baseball cap instead of his protective mask, as Tomas Vokoun draws the game one start. At this point, Bylsma might have bitten off more than he can chew however as I do not see how you go back to MAF if Vokoun struggles.

Why The Senators Can Win

Speed kills and the Senators are blessed with a ton of it. They have a group of young, hard working forwards who never seem to take a shift off. And that goes solely to the credit of the best coach in the entire league, Paul MacLean. A virtual unanimous winner of the Jack Adams award when it is handed out in June, the job he has done with 4 all-stars out of the lineup for extended periods has been nothing short of remarkable.

Erik Karlsson was welcomed back way ahead of schedule and had some questioning if it was the right move for the reigning Norris Trophy winner. It turned out just fine as Ottawa easily dispatched of the Montreal Canadiens in round one. Karlsson had 6 points in the series on a goal and 5 assists.

Craig Anderson picked up right where he left off, posting a .950 save percentage in the opening 5 games against the Habs. One of the most underrated goaltenders in the league this is where the Sens have their biggest advantage against the Penguins. He most certainly won’t allow soft goals and will make the Pens work much harder than they had to in the first round against Evgeni Nabokov.

Eyes Prediction

Penguins turnovers and sloppy defensive zone play do not correct themselves and Vokoun is just not enough for the scrappy Senators, who fight and claw themselves to the Eastern conference finals.

SENATORS IN SIX

February 12, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) tries to screen New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) while Rangers defenseman Marc Staal (18) defends during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

(4) Boston Bruins vs (6) New York Rangers

Series begins: Thursday, May 16 at TD Bank Garden, 7:30 PM EST

Season Series:

• Jan 19 – Bruins 3, Rangers 1
• Jan 23 – Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT)
• Feb 12 – Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (SO)

Why the Bruins Can Win

The Bruins are massive and are going to play a much more physical game with the Rangers than the Capitals did. Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara are enough to give the New York forwards fits at both ends of the rink and Rick Nash, coming off a 2 assist opening round, will now find even less space to operate.

An incredible comeback in the final 10 minutes of the 3rd period and into the overtime should give the Bruins a feeling of invincibility that karma is on their side for good. Confidence is always paramount in the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Bruins are riding a tidal wave of it at the present moment.

David Krecji opened up some eyes with an incredible 5-8-13 in the seven game series with Toronto but Boston is going to need Tyler Seguin to wake up and remember he is playing for the Stanley Cup if they are going to survive against the Rangers.

Tukka Rask will man the goal and takes a .923 save percentage into the second round. Can he finally come out of the shadow of Tim Thomas and lead the Bruins to glory? It will be a closely analyzed topic of discussion at the conclusion of this series.

Why The Rangers Can Win

The Rangers have experience on their side after going to the Eastern conference final last season before losing to the New Jersey Devils in 6 games.

They have a brash, outspoken and sometimes tyrannical bench boss in John Tortorella who relies on and demands tons of his top line players.

Ryan Callahan lead the way against Washington with inspired physical play but will really need to get his offensive output going, especially with the struggles of Nash and Brad Richards, recently demoted to the 4th line. The Rangers are a team that struggles to score at times so secondary output from Callahan and Derek Stepan will be instrumental to them moving on.

Henrik Lundqvist might just be the best goaltender on the planet right now, and gives the Rangers a chance to win each and every time they take the ice. That kind of reliance gives a team a more relaxed approach to these high pressure games just knowing he is back there manning the cage. A .947 save percentage and back to back shutouts in games six and seven make Lundqvist the ideal MVP candidate left off the ballot.

Eyes Prediction

Claude Julien looked like a genius moving Chara up front down two goals with two minutes to play in game seven against Toronto. He could have that luxury again especially if the Rangers find scoring to be problematic in this series. New York’s reliance on Lundqvist could come back to haunt them in this series but the tight checking nature of these teams style of play actually plays into the Rangers hands a little. Low scoring affairs tend to favor the team with the better goaltending and there is no question who has the advantage in this series. For that reason we think the Rangers squeak by in a seven game thriller as the original six foes meet for the first time in the playoffs since 1973.

RANGERS IN SEVEN

Thanks for reading us here at EyesOnIsles. Enjoy the second round of the playoffs and we will be checking in regularly with Top Shelf and our Islanders end of season recap. After that, its onto individual player report cards with ‘stay or go’ polls and our draft preview.

-AG

May 11, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) shake hands after the overtime period of game six of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Pittsburgh won the game 4-3 and the series 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

UNIONDALE, NY— The New York Islanders have been eliminated from the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs with an overtime goal by Brooks Orpik at the 7:49 mark.

New York brought a fiery brand of hockey this evening, and played with as much love and passion as you could ask of a young club. Goals by John Tavares, Colin McDonald, and Michael Grabner were results and reflections of tenacious forechecking and a desire to win.

Pointless an exercise it is at this very moment to say that Evgeni Nabokov let in another set of soft goals, or if Frans Nielsen had lifted his stick just a few inches in the other direction, I’d be writing a completely different wrap up.

The Islanders owned the lead on two separate occasions last night, but two Penguins defensemen found their point shots in the back of New York’s net at critical moments of the game to cause the tie and eventual win.

Nothing to hang one’s head about if you’re the New York Islanders club and/or die-hard fan, for this season proved just how burgeoning and resilient this band of hockey players can and will be.

Do not doubt this team’s bright future: there’s no denying that the Islanders have arrived, and that John Tavares will only be that much more a threat to opposing teams, emerging as the premier forward in the entire NHL for years and years to come. No one is as valuable a player to his organization as this wonderfully talented young man. He deserves the Hart trophy. Hands down.

For the moment, let us enjoy the Sunday after, and by day’s end let us reflect upon the industrious and equally exciting season this team presented to its fans.

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THE DUMP

• Dupuis clips Casey Cizikas on the bottom of his chin, coming dangerously close to his throat; forced to leave the game in the first period
• Brain Strait unable to clear Nabokov’s initial save on a Sidney Crosby scoring attempting, and Jarome Iginla picks up the loose puck and scores the tying goal; the notch is in no way Nabby’s fault, but rather the defensive pair on the ice at the moment: poor backchecking
•  Tying goal seemed to have cooled the Islanders’s shooting attempts as the period comes to a close; aggressive boardwork and skating prowess allow the Isles to still lay claim to the momentum
• The second period saw the Isles as the first team on the PP, and after several wonderful opportunities and an overall frenetic pace to this part of the Isles’s special teams, no goals come of all this effort
• Radek Martinek takes a cross-checking penalty at the 8:40 mark of the second
• Pascal Dupuis ties it up: able to outman Travis Hamonic, and the Penguins forward is able to score his 5^th for the series off a strong pass by hemmed-in Joe Vitale; another goal due to a defensive flub; Nabokov looks sharp even though his defense isn’t
• Islanders had 3 SOG on their 2^nd PP opportunity, but no goals
• Islanders with 1 SOG on their 3^rd PP opportunity, but still cannot close out all their scoring chances
• Paul Martin scores the tying goal with 5 minutes left in the 3^rd, as Frans Nielsen’s stick was in a compromising position and the shot from the point deflects off his stick and in the back of the net
• Islanders fail to close out the game in regulation and are forced to play overtime
• Regulation SOG favor the Isles by a whopping 35 to 19; credit Vokoun with a strong performance
• The Pittsburgh Penguins eliminate the Islanders in OT

THE CHASE

• Frans Nielsen dresses for this evening’s contest, joined by Brock Nelson plays his first NHL playoff game
• Islanders start the matchup with a strong, physical presence, coupled with a jump to their skating, eventually forcing Dan Bylsma to take a timeout within minutes of the period to quell the initial momentum
• Evgeni Nabokov makes a key save early on Brendan Morrow that helps keep the Isles momentum going
• Islanders owning the Neutral Zone once again at the matchup’s onset: Penguins forced to chip and chase for most of the early part of the first period
• Islanders’s first line is relentless on the forecheck: Carkner keeping it deep, and the eventual puck cycling finds John Tavares in front of Tomas Vokoun, the Isles Hart finalist buries it in the net
• Matt Carkner playing some of his best hockey to date: keep pucks deep in the offensive zone, while being diligent on the backcheck, especially along the boards
• Brock Nelson also bringing a much needed edge to the Isles’s physical game: absorbing a check by Letang, only to see the Penguins play bounce off and fall to the ice—an unaffected Nelson skating away
• Islanders are rushing Vokoun’s area, disrupting his view of the point, and making the Penguins netminder pay for loose pucks and generous rebounds
• Islanders doing a good job of keeping Crosby to the outside, forcing him to take perimeter shots for most of the first period
• Michael Grabner finishes his check on Paul Martin deep in the offensive and is able to pass loose puck to Keith Aucoin who quickly shovels it to an open Colin McDonald, and the Isles winger gets his second of the postseason
• Isles finish the first period with 12 SOG to the Penguins 7
• Grabner opens the 2^nd with a nifty shot from just past the blue line; Vokoun juggles the shot and quickly covers up the sloppy rebound
• Islanders get the first PP opportunity of the evening, showing tenacity and creativity, swarming Vokoun’s net
• Penguins get their first shot of the second period at the 8:26 mark
• Casey Cizikas creates a 2 on 1 SH attempt, and if not for a sprawling Evgeni Malkin, the Isles forward may very well have had a notch on the play
• Islanders’ PK unit excellent: 0 SOG for the Penguins on this PP opportunity
• Nabokov makes a late 2^nd period save on Kunitz’s shot dead center in front of his crease, fed by Crosby from behind the net
• 28 to 13 SOG through 2 periods favoring the Islanders
• Islanders start the period with a beautiful goal by Michael Grabner, due to a Vokoun turnover capitalized by Keith Aucoin; taking the early period lead; Aucoin with his first 2 A game of the series

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 FINAL THOUGHTS

• Ken Daneyko says on MSG Hockey Night: “John Tavares is my pick for MVP”
• THE ISLANDER FANS SHOWED TREMENDOUS LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR THIS TEAM, AS THEY IMMEDIATELY CHANTED AND CHEERED ONCE THE GAME WAS OVER. THEY SHOWED THE BOYS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE FANS, TOO, ARE BACK
• The save of the night: Tomas Vokoun on Radek Martinek late in the third.
• Matt Martin with some sobering commentary: “Not to sound cliché but we’re a family in here.” They played like a band of brothers.
• Those wondering whether or not John Tavares would ‘step up’ his game in the postseason needn’t wonder anymore: 3gs 2As 5pts in 6 games.

In the coming weeks we’ll have a detailed postseason summary, as well as player/team report cards, 2013 draft coverage, and all points in between.

So remember: EYESONISLES will continue bringing you all the news, reports, analysis, and opinions throughout the summer, as we count the days to September 21, as the New York Islanders faceoff against the New Jersey Devils at the Barclays for the first preseason game of the FULL 2013-2014 hockey season.

 See you all very soon. Keep it here on EYESONISLES. And thank you. Thank you for all your support throughout this incredible season.

And to my brothers-in-arms, you guys made watching and writing about hockey absolutely amazing.

–RD