Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are our pick to go all the way to win the Stanley Cup and their first round series against the New York Islanders only serves to add to our optimism. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators are a Cinderella Story that is likely to end against a Montreal Canadiens team that boasts the best goaltender and one of the best defensemen in the game. The Tampa Bay Lightning also figure to show well against a Detroit Red Wings team that faded down the stretch.
Let’s take a look at our Eastern Conference fantasy playoff prospects.
LW – Alexander Ovechkin – Washington
We are expecting big things from Ovechkin and the Capitals in the playoffs and they should match up well against a New York Islanders team that was exposed as under par for defense and goaltending down the stretch. Ovechkin finished with 53 goals, 28 assists and a plus-10 on the season. The Islanders slumped all the way down to 23rd in the NHL for goals against.
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C – Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay
The Lightning will face the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round and Stamkos figures to loom large in the series. Stamkos was the top scorer for Tampa Bay with 43 goals and 29 assists with 13 power play goals. Tampa Bay boats the highest scoring offense in the NHL with Stamkos as the focal point. Detroit fell to 15th in the NHL for goals against and 17th on the penalty kill which all points towards Stamkos having success.
RW – Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay
Kucherov has developed into one of the top right wings in the NHL and should get plenty of chances against a Red Wings team that failed to shut it down in the final month of the season. Kucherov finished with 28 goals, 36 assist and an eye-popping plus-38. We expect the Bolts to fly past Detroit in the opening round because of their offense, which will likely overwhelm the Red Wings. Detroit’s goaltending is nowhere near dominant and Tampa Bay is in top form heading into the post season.
D – Ryan McDonagh – New York Rangers
The Rangers have a highly winnable series against a reeling Pittsburgh Penguins team that basically backed into the playoffs. McDonagh has developed into one of the elite defensemen in the NHL and a key contributor in the Rangers winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the top regular season team in the league. McDonagh finished with eight goals, 25 assists, and a plus-23. The Penguins are a top heavy team that has been exposed for lacking depth either on the forward or blue lines.
D – P.K. Subban – Montreal
The Canadiens face the Cinderella Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the playoffs. We expect Montreal to take the series based in large part because of Subban, who is the most dominant defenseman in the game when he is dialed in. Subban finished with 15 goals, 45 assists, and a plus-21 to go with eight goals and 13 assists on the power play. Ottawa has been a nice story but reality is about to set in. With Montreal’s lack of offense, Subban looms even larger as a capable player that will have to generate an attack.
G – Carey Price – Montreal
It is rare for a goaltender to have a shot at winning the Hart Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player but Price has a bona fide shot at the honor after he carried the Habs to the Atlantic Division championship. Price utterly dominated during the regular season with a .933 save percentage, 1.96 goals against average, and a whopping nine shutouts. Good goaltending is mandatory for success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Great goaltending can mean the Stanley Cup itself. Price is the type of goalie that can carry a team on his back all the way to a title.
Sleeper – David Desharnais – Montreal
We are quite bullish on Montreal in the opening round of the playoffs and Desharnais could loom large against the Senators. The Montreal center will be counted on for generating offense on a team that is admittedly light on goal scoring. Desharnais finished with 14 goals, 34 assists, and a plus-eight on the season.
