NHL Playoffs 2015: Latest Stanley Cup Scores, Standings and Predictions

For the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Steven Stamkos could not find the back of the net regularly.  

The Tampa Bay Lightning center has established a reputation as one of the best players in the league but struggled to find his scoring touch against the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.

Now, after the Lightning took a 3-2 series lead with a 2-0 Game 5 victory, those worries are a thing of the past, as Stamkos has scored in four straight and six of the last seven games.

Tampa Bay will now return home to host Game 6 Tuesday with a chance to advance to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Final since 2004.

Saturday night the Chicago Blackhawks avoided falling into a deep hole against the Anaheim Ducks with a 5-4 double-overtime victory. Antoine Vermette’s game-winning goal evened the Western Conference Final series at 2-2, with both teams looking for an advantage that will push them one step closer to the Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cups playoffs are starting to wind down, but with both series still up in the air—not to mention the championship series itself—there is still plenty of hockey left to keep us entertained.

Series	Standings	Last Game
Anaheim Ducks vs. Chicago Blackhawks	Tied 2-2	Chicago 5, Anaheim 4
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning	Tampa Bay, 3-2	Tampa Bay 2, New York 0

Western Conference Final, Game 5: Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks, May 25

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Watching this series has aged me more than 10 years in the first four games, and I’m not even a fan of either of these teams.

Following a bit of a surprise result in Game 1—a 4-1 victory at home for the Ducks—each of the three games has been decided by a single goal, with both of Chicago’s wins coming in a combined five overtimes.

The double-overtime win for the Blackhawks in Game 4 evened the series at 2-2 and set the stage for an exciting rest of the series in the Western Conference Final:

Over the last half-decade Chicago has been one of the more dominant teams once the postseason rolls around, and even though that experience has yet to pay off in the big games against the Ducks, the longer the series drags on, the more likely it is the Blackhawks will pull away.

Having already played almost six total games' worth of minutes with all of the overtimes, the time is now for Chicago to seize control of the series and secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Final with a road upset in Game 5 before securing the series at home in Game 6.

Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks 2, Anaheim Ducks 1

Eastern Conference Final, Game 6: New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning, May 26

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

After claiming yet another one-goal win in Game 1, the Rangers were in dire straits after back-to-back losses in Games 2 and 3, allowing six goals in each each game. But a big 5-1 win in Game 4 was an encouraging sign for New York fans.

Despite the Rangers claiming the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the league, inferior opponents pushed them in each of their first two series, and they never showed the same form they had in the regular season.

And even though they had a big win in Game 4, the Rangers couldn’t keep up the good run of form, falling behind 3-2 in the series after a two-goal second period by the Lightning doomed New York in Game 5:

The Rangers will be desperate to get a win to get them one step closer to the Stanley Cup that has eluded them for the past two decades, but in spite of this, the mountain in Game 6 will be too much for New York to climb.

Home ice will be too much of an advantage for the young Lightning squad—with Stamkos looking primed to take over—and Tampa Bay will come out on top in Game 6 to clinch the series.

Prediction: Tampa Bay Lightning 3, New York Rangers 1