Pucks and Pitchforks Conference Finals Picks
By Nick Villano
A pseudo rival made it to the conference finals. Do we have them going all the way?
After the Dallas Stars surprised everyone by staving off the Colorado Avalanche, and the New York Islanders finally took care of one of the New Jersey Devils‘ biggest rivals in the Philadelphia Flyers, the stage is now set. Thankfully, the Vancouver Canucks did not upset the Vegas Golden Knights to save our 1st-round draft pick’s position.
Now, the matchups are set. We’re down to the final four after a crazy run that started with 24 teams. Pucks and Pitchforks writers have been picking every series from the start, and we won’t stop now. Here are our picks for the conference finals matchups.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders
Nick Villano (Site Expert): The Tampa Bay Lightning have had time off, which could cause them to start slow. The Isles are the darling of the NHL right now, being the only team from the play-in rounds still alive. It will be a fun series of opposite philosophies clashing, but the talent on Tampa is second to none. Even without Steven Stamkos, they should be able to handle New York. Pick: Tampa Bay in 6.
Vinnie Parise (Lead Writer): The Tampa Bay Lightning impressed me against the Boston Bruins. They will be without Steven Stamkos for this series against the New York Islanders. The Philadelphia Flyers put New York on the brink, but they played a perfect game 7 to advance. Both of these teams are good but this feels like a miracle year for the New York Islanders. Pick: New York in 7.
Rob DeLuca (Staff Writer): The miraculous run of Barry Trotz ends here. Tampa Bay is way too stacked up offensively. The Islanders will not be able to match. Tampa Bay in 6.
David Lebovitz (Staff Writer): These Islanders are the real deal and Barry Trotz has some of the best systems in the league. That said, I can’t see them keeping the Bolts to 16 shots in a do-or-die game – how do you stop Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point? Plus, I think that Jon Cooper knows the difference between five people and seven people. Tampa Bay in 6.