NHL Playoffs 2015: Updated Eastern, Western Conference Bracket and Predictions

The NHL's conference semifinal round of the playoffs will come to an end Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden when the New York Rangers host the Washington in Game 7 of what has become a high-level goaltending duel between Henrik Lundqvist (1.68 goals-against average, .940 save percentage) and Braden Holtby (1.71 GAA, .941 save percentage).

The Rangers find themselves in familiar territory, because they were down 3-1 in last year's conference semifinal against the Pittsburgh Penguins before coming back to win the final three games of that series.

If they can beat the Capitals, the Rangers will advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in six games Tuesday night.

Every game in the Washington-New York series has been decided by one goal. While the Rangers and Caps had a veritable goalfest Sunday night in New York's 4-3 victory, four of the previous five games were decided by 1-0 or 2-1 margins.

Look for a tight, low-scoring game once again. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers are a fast-skating and defensively responsible team, while the Caps have made a much stronger commitment to defense under head coach Barry Trotz than they had previously.

History appears to favor the Rangers, because the Caps have lost four previous series in which they have held a 3-1 lead. That's the most of any team in NHL history. However, the Caps have several dangerous players in Alex Ovechkin (eight points), Joel Ward (team-high nine points), Evgeny Kuznetsov (five goals) and John Carlson (six points) who could put a halt to that trend.

Derick Brassard leads the Rangers with eight postseason points, while the explosive Chris Kreider has been a big difference-maker for the Rangers with three goals in his last two games. Rick Nash finally got on the scoreboard in this series in Game 6, and if Martin St. Louis (no postseason goals) can break through in Game 7, the Rangers will have an excellent chance of surviving and advancing.

Prediction: Washington 2, New York Rangers 1 (OT)

Eastern Conference	Western Conference
Montreal over Ottawa, 4-2 (First Round)	Minnesota over St. Louis, 4-2 (First Round)
Tampa Bay over Detroit, 4-3 (First Round)	Chicago over Nashville, 4-2 (First Round)
N.Y. Rangers over Pittsburgh, 4-1 (First Round)	Anaheim over Winnipeg, 4-0 (First Round)
Washington over N.Y. Islanders, 4-3 (First Round)	Calgary over Vancouver, 4-2 (First Round)
Tampa Bay over Montreal, 4-2 (Conference Semifinal)	Chicago over Minnesota, 4-0 (Conference Semifinal)
Washington vs. N.Y. Rangers, 3-3 (Conference Semifinal)	Anaheim over Calgary, 4-1 (Conference Semifinal)
Tampa Bay vs. N.Y. Rangers-Washington winner (Conference Final)	Chicago vs. Anaheim (Conference Final)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Western Conference Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks both registered one-sided triumphs in their respective conference semifinal series and will meet in a compelling Western Conference Final.

The Blackhawks were stopped by the Los Angeles Kings in overtime of the seventh game of the Western Conference Final a year ago, and they have been hungry for a chance to redeem themselves all season.

Jonathan Toews (11 points), Patrick Kane (five goals, 13 points), Duncan Keith (10 points) and Marian Hossa (eight points) give the Blackhawks a formidable group of superstars who have already won two previous Stanley Cups.

Additionally, the Blackhawks have an excellent supporting cast keyed by Brandon Saad (three goals) and defenseman Brent Seabrook (five points), who have the ability to score big goals at key moments. Veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson are both steady and underrated.

Goalie Corey Crawford (2.60 GAA, .916 save percentage) may have been shaky in the Blackhawks' first-round win over the Nashville Predators, but he was on top of his game versus the Minnesota Wild as Chicago swept that series.

The Anaheim Ducks were the Western Conference's best team in the regular season and will have home-ice advantage in this series. 

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

The Ducks' top one-two punch of Ryan Getzlaf (12 points) and Corey Perry (NHL-best 15 points) is capable of taking over any series and carrying head coach Bruce Boudreau's team to victory.

However, the Ducks have gotten plenty of help from former Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler (nine points, 63.7 percent in faceoffs), Matt Beleskey and Jakob Silfverberg during the postseason. Kesler is a tough, driven player who excels as a three-zone center and is driven to succeed after getting close with his previous team.

Beleskey is an unheralded player who scored goals in all five games against Calgary. He is not afraid to go to the dirty areas and take a big hit if it leads to a scoring opportunity for him or his teammates. Silfverberg (11 points, plus-five) has been a game-changing player who has been as effective in the defensive zone as he has in the offensive zone.

The Ducks appear to have a brilliant defensive crew led by Francois Beauchemin (six points, plus-three), Hampus Lindholm (six points) and Cam Fowler (five points, plus-seven). All three are excellent puck-movers, while fellow defenseman Sami Vatanen has scored seven points in the postseason.

Goalie Frederik Andersen (1.96 GAA, .925 save percentage) is not one of the elite goalies in the league, but he has been on fire in the postseason with eight victories in nine games. He will have to prove himself on the big stage of the Western Conference Final, but he has passed every test to this point.

Prediction: Anaheim defeats Chicago in seven games.