Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015: Predicting Conference Semifinals and Finals

It's been a tale of two conferences in this year's NHL playoffs. Two teams have dominated the Western Conference, and it hasn't exactly presented a ton of drama thus far while the Eastern Conference has given us a slew of close, competitive series that have come down to the wire. Who doesn't love a little contrast? 

And who doesn't love a few predictions, too? Let's break down the remaining series leading up to the Stanley Cup Final.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks

Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images

This is such a fascinating series. I love the balance and experience of this Blackhawks team, and it was my pick to win the Stanley Cup before the postseason, so I have to stick with it. But the depth, size and skill of the Ducks—especially the line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Maroon—makes them a formidable opponent. 

Maroon has been the perfect complement for Perry and Getzlaf on the team's top line. He's a big, physical, hard-working force on the boards who protects his linemates but is also more apt at creating for them than people might expect. 

"A lot of people are surprised that, for a big guy, I've got pretty good visions and hands on the ice," Maroon told Mark Whicker of the Los Angeles Daily News. "Sometimes it shocks guys when I make those types of plays. But when you're involved in a line like that, you don't just throw pucks around because you always have more time than you think."

Indeed, they've been the driving force for the Ducks, accounting for 13 of the team's postseason-leading 35 goals this season despite needing just nine games to get through the first two rounds. 

Normally, that efficiency would be an advantage for the Ducks, as they could head into the Western Conference Final relatively rested, but the Blackhawks have needed just 10 games to get through the first two rounds. 

The Ducks have also been excellent in the special teams department, leading the postseason in both power-play goals (nine) and power-play percentage (31 percent) while killing off 87.1 percent of the opposition's power plays. On paper, the Ducks look like the stronger team overall and also have home-ice advantage. 

But maybe I've seen Patrick Kane and  Jonathan Toews work their magic too many times to bet against them. Regardless, many would be surprised if this series didn't go the distance. 

Prediction: Chicago in seven games.

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

Did the Rangers finally solve Washington's physical, trapping style? Did they find the weakness in Braden Holtby's game after the goalie's historically excellent start to this postseason? Do they go into Game 7 with too much momentum for the Capitals to withstand? 

Or did they win two games against a Capitals team that didn't give them an inch and won't give them another inch in Game 7? Did they win two games against a Capitals team that is too good to be beaten three times in a row? 

Those are hard questions to answer. For much of this series, Washington has frustrated New York's swarming, skilled offense. But now, Washington has to exorcise the demons of series leads blown in the past. 

The Rangers haven't solved the Capitals. They had to work for every single goal they scored in Game 6, and in Game 5, it took overtime to remain alive in the series. Game 7 will be an absolute battle. But with home-ice advantage, the confidence that comes from overcoming a 3-1 series deficit and a goalie in Henrik Lundqvist that can steal a game, it's hard to bet against the Rangers.

Prediction: Rangers advance.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Canadiens aren't going to beat the Lightning two more times. It just won't happen. It's not that Montreal isn't good enough to overcome a 3-0 deficit; it's that the Lightning are too good to let it happen. 

At some point, Tampa Bay's offense is going to ignite again. Only the Ducks and Blackhawks have scored more than Tampa's 30 goals this postseason. Nobody has scored more than Tyler Johnson's eight goals. Steven Stamkos (two goals, seven assists) has yet to truly be unleashed this postseason. The league's top-scoring offense in the regular season will find a way to solve Carey Price, who has been quite good for Montreal in the past two games. 

This one may make it to seven games, but Tampa Bay is too skilled to let this one slip away. 

Prediction: Lightning in six.

Projected Eastern Conference Final

Getting past Washington is the real test for New York. Against a more skilled team like the Lightning, New York's depth and balance as well as its advantage in goal with Lundqvist would push it into the Stanley Cup Final.

Prediction: Rangers in six.