NHL Playoff Bracket 2021: East Division Series Predictions, Odds, Breakdowns, Stanley Cup Predictions

NHL Postson is officially here.

Sixteen teams opened the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and no one is telling who would be the last club to stand out and drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The East Division was made up of eight teams that stretched from the Mid-Atlantic region to New England. Four teams remain: Penguins, Capitals, Bruins and Islanders. There are some well-known faces – and some history – among these clubs.

Will it be Sidney Crosby and the Penguins coming out of the division, or will it be Mr. 700-plus goals Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals? And don’t count the people of 2019 runners-up Beantown or Long Island.

The Sporting News watches the playoffs of the East Division and predicts how the first round will be shaken.

Nhl playoff bracket 2021

NHL Playoff 2021: East Division Predictions

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (4) New York Islanders

Backstory

Two years ago, these teams met in the first round of the season and the Islanders blew the Penguins into a sideways affair with new bench boss Barry Trotz. Now 2019 is the third year on the island for the Jack Adams Award winner; Will we see a repeat?

It’s been a long time for these teams to come face to face; The last of their eight-game sets in 2021 (the Penguins won the season series 6–2–0 with one overtime win and one shootout win) was on March 29. Both teams have since made changes: The Penguins added Jeff to Carter and the Islanders, after losing captain Anders Lee in mid-March, bringing in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils.

The series also has mainstays, including uber-talented and top Islanders point producer Matthew Barzal (17 goals, 28 assists) and of course Crosby. The Penguins captain posted a campaign of 62 points in 2021, including three goals and nine assists against the islands. It will be interesting to see how he handles New York’s strong defense this post season; In 2019, he had an assist as the pens were swept away.

X-Factor: Simeon Varlamov

The Russian netminder posted a Vezina Trophy-eligible season with a 19–11–4 record, .929 save percentage, and an NHL-best seven shutouts. Hot goaltending is usually called for a strong club. If he can replicate his .921 save percentage from the 2020 bubble, the Islanders should be in a strong position to make a long run.

Large number: 125

Known for a stingy defense, the Islanders allowed just 125 goals in 56 games in 2021, the second lowest in the league. Only the Golden Knights allowed a low (122). By comparison, the Penguins allowed 155 goals.

Although New York allowed only 2.23 goals per game, the team scored only 2.71 goals per game. The Islands would need their defensive game as the Penguins were second in the NHL at 3.45 GF / GP.

SN Picks: 6. Islander in

Series schedule

(* if necessary)

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(2) Washington Capitals vs. (3) Boston Bruins

Backstory

The squads were evenly matched in the regular season, splitting the eight-game set (Boston had two losses to OT / SO). The Bruins scored 26 goals, the Caps pumped in 24 and each team made an average of 30.0 shots per game goal. Both teams have solid netminders, goal scoring machines and strong defense, but only one has veteran rearguard Zadeno Bait. The big man is now with the Capitals after spending the last 14 years with his first-round series opponent.

It will be interesting to see how they match after the season. The Bruins will have netminder Tuukka Rusk, while Caps rookies Vitek Vanecek (who left Game 1 early with a lower body injury) and Ilya Samsonov (who were on the league’s COVID-19 list before Saturday) could split the time Were. Will the two stop Boston’s “The Perfect Line”? Will Ovechkin, TJ Oishi and Caps trade deadline pickup Anthony Mantha, who are making their playoff debut, be able to counter the Bruins’ offense? This should be a good one.

X-Factor: Taylor Hall

The winger was acquired by Boston around the trade deadline, and was rejuvenated at Beantown, after scoring 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 37 games for the Sabers. He scored eight goals and had six assists in 16 games with the Bruins. Hall has some post-season experience: in 2020 with the Coyotes (six points) and in 2018 with the Devils (six points). He is aiming for a new contract and an extended stay in Boston, so the 29-year-old will need to prove his eligibility.

Large number: 86.0

Special teams can play an important role here. The Bruins penalty kill was second in the NHL during the regular season at 85.9 percent effectiveness, an important fact that the Capitals have the third-best power play (24.8 percent). In the season series, the Bruins’ power play was only 70 percent effective, while the Capitals scored nine goals in 30 occasions and averaged 1.13 power-play goals per game. It would be best if Boston stayed out of the box so that Ovechkin could not set up in his office, but if it racked up penalty minutes, he would need to close it against the rest of the division. .

SN Picks: 5. I am in Bruins

Series Schedule:

(* if necessary)

Odds of East Division first round

Courtesy of Betting Odds FanDuel By 14 May.

Sporting News’ 2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

Round 1, 2

Stanley Cup Semifinals

Stanley Cup Final