We’re on to Round 2, with the Penguins coming off an emotional 6 game victory over the Leafs, while the Devils have been waiting after their Round 1 bye.
This is an intriguing series as just a few weeks ago we’d be viewing the Devils as clear favorites, but Polor’s team continues to impress and shouldn’t be written off. Let’s break them down.
Pittsburgh:
If the first round proved anything, it’s that this club is more than capable of taking down a high-flying offense. In 6 tight games vs the Leafs, the Pens gave up 20 goals while PNC put up a .783sv%. TYLERisGOD69 and Brodtshadow13 both stole the show in that opening round, playing all 6 games and putting up 18 pts (3pts/g) each. On defense, Ajax and Polor both had phenomenal first rounds offensively, but their defensive game could be tightened up, and I expect to see this happen. There are no real holes I can find in this line up coming out of that first round. They executed a perfect plan that was successful against the Leafs, and I expect the same formula against the Devils. However, the Devils have an exponentially better defensive core than Toronto so these Pens forwards will need to find another gear to keep their numbers up.
New Jersey:
These guys are cup contenders, and rightfully so. Cuban has put together a great squad here and you know they’re hungry to start this series. Up front, Burst, cornect, and Trout are expected to lead the offense. This has been a glorious return to SP for Burst and he’s capable of putting the Devils on his back for what could be a short series. On defense, expect Cuban and Iachoku to be a solid pair. Their numbers all season made them one of the best pairs in the league when availability allowed them to play together, and there’s a good chance they’ll immediately slow the impressive Pens offense of Round 1. In goal, there are questions. Rancher finished with a very respectable .788sv%, but the sample is somewhat small as he didn’t face many shots in his appearances. If the Pens can break the Devils defense, Rancher will need to stand tall in what will be a much bigger challenge than what he faced this season.
Prediction:
A tough one to call. This could be a short series, but something tells me it’ll be a fight. I want to see Polor’s amazing turnaround continue, but it’s likely to end here. Devils in 6.