NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

Yes, the time has come for the Eastern Conference preview of the NHL, and may the semifinals bring as much excitement as the quarterfinals did, as three of the four matchups went the full seven games, and parity definitely reigned, as three of the four lower seeds won their quarterfinal series. So, that means that the Flyers have home ice in the Semifinal round as well as the Rangers, who were the only upper seed to advance. Albeit in seven games though. Now, on to the previews!
As for NBC, they are incredibly ecstatic, having two New York area teams in the semifinals, as well as the nation's capital, which has a star in Alex Ovechkin, and a hockey crazed city in Philly. So, they couldn't be more pleased at how the Eastern Conference turned out. That's perhaps why they chose both series as their premier games on the mothership of NBC to start out.

No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals

This series will be pretty interesting, as both teams are coming off grueling seven game series, although Washington has one more day of rest. These two teams are pretty even, and the fact that Washington has been playing both offense and defense instead of just offense was a big part of them beating Boston in the first round. Plus, their goalie, Braden Holtby is playing great for a goalie who was not supposed to even be a part of the playoff roster.
Now, New York isn't a slouch either, having a great goalie themselves in perennial All-Star Henrik Lundqvist who is just dominant. Plus, the defense in front of him has been playing spectacularly as well, as the Rangers only gave up three goals twice in their series against Ottawa, and both of those instances came in overtime.   New York really would love to be moving on to their first conference final since they won the cup in 1994 as well.

Pick: Washington in 7.

No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils

Another series for Philly, another division rival. So, again, these two teams really hate each other, and it should be another very close series. Both teams have some pretty good scorers in Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils, and then the Flyers can score over all four lines, but their primary source comes from Claude Giroux on the first line. Giroux set the pace for the Flyers in their decisive game six victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. So, this should be a fantastic nail biting series, with a lot of tension and roughing again.

Pick: Flyers in 6.