Biggest Questions for the Rest of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The first two rounds of the NHL playoffs dealt out plenty of ecstatic highs and crushing lows.

Usually watching from the sidelines at this time of year, the Nashville Predators have made Music City come alive with hockey fever and the Ottawa Senators have cobbled together a bounce-back campaign under new coach Guy Boucher.

Meanwhile, the seasoned warriors of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks try to mix together the magic combination of skill, grit and luck that leads to a championship.

On the outside, the Washington Capitals are now once again watching from the sidelines, joining favored teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks that suffered early eliminations.

This year's final four teams are an interesting mix of fresh faces and grizzled veterans, setting up two more rounds of new storylines that also carry intriguing echoes of playoffs past.

Here are the biggest questions that will be answered over the next four weeks before the 2017 Stanley Cup is awarded.

Will the Penguins Repeat as Stanley Cup Champions?

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Of the four teams still in the running for the 2017 Stanley Cup, one of them is the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

It has been nearly 20 years since the last time one team won back-to-back Cups. The Detroit Red Wings last accomplished the feat in 1997 and 1998—it hasn't happened since the NHL's salary-cap era began after the 2004-05 lockout.

The Pens dropped the first game of their Eastern Conference Final series to the Ottawa Senators, but they're the highest-ranking team still in postseason contention after knocking off the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.

This year's Pittsburgh lineup includes most of the key players from the 2016 run, including current postseason scoring leader Evgeni Malkin. Goaltender Matt Murray is also now available if needed after being injured in warm-ups before the first game of the playoffs.

There's one particular area of concern, especially as we move into the later rounds: The season-ending neck surgery for All-Star defenseman Kris Letang in February has left the Penguins vulnerable on the blue line. In 2016, Letang chipped in 15 points from the back end, including five on the power play, while playing more minutes than any other skater in the postseason.

After recording just four assists in last year's playoffs, Justin Schultz is doing his best to fill the void. He leads the Penguins with an average of 21 minutes and nine seconds of ice time per game and five of his eight points so far have come with the man advantage.

Also worth watching—how's Sidney Crosby feeling? Pittsburgh's captain has three assists in four games since returning from a one-game absence after suffering a concussion in Game 3 against Washington.

Will Marc-Andre Fleury Carry the Load the Rest of the Way for Pittsburgh?

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In addition to Letang's absence, this year's Penguins feature two significant differences from last year's squad—rookie Jake Guentzel has emerged as a clutch sniper and veteran Marc-Ande Fleury is playing some of the best hockey of his career.

As a young goaltender, Fleury posted a stellar .933 postseason save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average when the Penguins fell to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, then a more modest .908 and 2.61 one year later when Pittsburgh defeated Detroit.

Last season, he appeared in just two playoff games as Matt Murray carried the load—and staked his claim as Pittsburgh's starter. But Murray's pre-playoff injury thrust Fleury back into the spotlight, and he has shone.

Through 13 games, Fleury has recorded a .928 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average. His crowing achievement so far was his 29-save shutout performance in Game 7 of the second round against Washington.

Murray is now back in good health, but Fleury has earned the right to keep playing. He'll have to falter significantly before coach Mike Sullivan considers making a change in the Pittsburgh goal.

Which Team's Goalie Will Outduel the Others?

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One goalie has carried the load for each of the four remaining playoff teams.

Fleury and the Nashville Predators' Pekka Rinne have both played every minute of their team's playoff runs so far, while Mike Condon relieved Craig Anderson for one period in the Ottawa Senators' Game 4 second-round loss to the New York Rangers.

Jonathan Bernier of the Anaheim Ducks has taken over twice for a struggling John Gibson—salvaging an overtime win in Game 3 of Anaheim's first-round series against the Calgary Flames, then getting shelled for four goals in the Ducks' 7-1 Game 6 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. 

Now that we're into the later rounds, will 23-year-old Gibson's youth help him stay fresher than the veterans he's competing against? Fleury's now 32, playing in his 13th NHL season, while 34-year-old Rinne is in his ninth year as an NHL starter and Anderson, 35, is a 14-season veteran. Bernier is 28.

Rinne has been the best of the bunch to this point, with his 1.62 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and two shutouts to kick off the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks. But he allowed four goals for the first time this postseason on Sunday, fighting the puck as the Anaheim Ducks evened their series with Nashville at 1-1.

Was it just an off day, or is it a sign that Rinne is starting to wear down after an appearance at the World Cup of Hockey last September, a 61-game regular season and a long, hard series against Edmonton?

Who Will Win the Conn Smythe Trophy?

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Before he faltered in Game 2 against Anaheim, Rinne was looking like an MVP candidate—the glue that has held together the first-ever run to the Western Conference Final for a balanced Predators team. If he rebounds and Nashville goes on to challenge for the Cup, he'll be in the mix as a Conn Smythe Trophy contender.

If the Anaheim Ducks topple Rinne and the Preds to reach their first Final since winning the Cup in 2007, Ryan Getzlaf looks like the man with the inside track on the postseason MVP award. The 32-year-old captain ranks second in playoff scoring with 18 points, including eight goals, and is logging more ice time than any other forward in the playoffs—an average of 24:07 per game.

In Pittsburgh, the top MVP candidates right now are Fleury and the league's leading scorer this postseason, Evgeni Malkin, who won the Conn Smythe as a 22-year-old with 36 points in 24 games in 2009.

If Ottawa knocks off the reigning champs to claim its first berth in the Final since 2007, Erik Karlsson should become the Conn Smythe favourite. Though he admitted to Joe MacDonald of ESPN.com that he has been playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, Karlsson leads all playoff skaters in ice time (29:04).

He makes those minutes count, too, using his strong skating and pinpoint passing to move the puck up ice, playing good defense and making important contributions offensively—both his goals so far have proved to be game-winners. 

This year's postseason has been an opportunity for the 26-year-old to step into a brighter spotlight, showcasing his formidable talents for audiences that don't see the Senators play very often.

Can the Predators Continue Their Storybook Run?

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Nashville came into the playoffs as the team with the fewest amount of points, ranking 16th overall. Their 94 points tied them in the regular-season standings with the Calgary Flames, who got swept in the first round, and the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, who didn't even get an invitation to the dance.

No team that low has ever won the Stanley Cup but an eighth seed from the West turned the trick just five years ago. The Preds can draw inspiration from the 2012 Los Angeles Kings as they continue their quest for their franchise's first-ever league championship.

More balanced that ever before, Nashville has added a dynamic top scoring line to its traditional mix of strong defense and stingy goaltending. Not only have the Predators allowed just 1.75 goals per game—best in the league this postseason—they're tied for third offensively behind Pittsburgh and Anaheim, scoring a solid 2.83 goals per game.

Nashville has also developed a solid reputation as a hockey town. In a city that knows how to have a good time, fans took to the streets to celebrate the Preds' first-ever trip to the Western Conference Final after they defeated the St. Louis Blues.  

Imagine the party that lies ahead if the Predators are able to deliver the Stanley Cup to Music City!

Will Road-Ice Advantage Continue to Prevail?

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The Predators are a perfect 5-0 in front of their rabid supporters at Bridgestone Arena in these playoffs, but like the rest of the final four teams, they have also played well in their away games.

Nashville earned some early ink by winning its first two games of the postseason in hostile territory at United Center in Chicago. Now, the Preds are a solid 4-3 on the road overall—extra important for a low seed, but par for the course among this year's Cup challengers.

The Ducks won both their home games at Honda Center as they swept the Flames in the first round, but fell into an 0-2 hole at home to the Oilers before rallying to advance. Anaheim's 1-1 at home so far against Nashville for a 4-3 overall home record. On the road, the Ducks are an impressive 4-1, winning twice in front of passionate, hungry fanbases in both Calgary and Edmonton.

Those experiences could prove to be important when Anaheim lands in Nashville for Game 3 on Tuesday.

In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh is just 2-3 so far on home ice but has won an impressive four of six games away from the PPG Paints Arena, including Game 7 against the Capitals in Washington's Verizon Center.

Ottawa is 4-2 on home ice and 5-2 on the road. The Senators have already stolen home-ice advantage from the Penguins in Game 1 of the conference final.

Strong road performances and plenty of multigoal comebacks have made this year's playoffs especially exciting to watch.

Will the Overtime Trend Continue?

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Playoff hockey has been so good this year, we don't want it to stop after only three periods.

In the first round, an NHL record was set when 18 of 42 games needed overtime to determine a winner, according to Kevin Allen and Peter Barzilai of USA Today. That broke the record from 2013, when 17 of 47 games went to overtime.

The madness eased up in the second round, with just five of 26 games requiring extra time, but we've seen overtime once again in two of the three games that opened Round 3.

No team is happier to prolong the suspense than the Ottawa Senators, who are now 6-1 this year in playoff overtime games after their 2-1 win to kick off their series against Pittsburgh.

The last time the Stanley Cup was awarded to a Canadian team, the 1993 Montreal Canadiens set a record with 10 straight wins in overtime games and had a 10-1 overtime record overall, per Frank Seravalli of TSN.

If the confident Sens can keep finding ways to win in extra time, they'll have a real shot at following in the footsteps of that '93 Habs team and delivering Canada's first NHL championship in 24 years.

Will We See a Rematch of the 2007 Stanley Cup Final 10 Years Later?

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We're seeing an interesting mix of teams in this year's final four.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the playoff veterans—the defending champions who are in the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in five years.

The Anaheim Ducks have also seen plenty of recent action. They're in the playoffs for the fifth straight year and in the Western Conference Final for the second time in those five years. 

As for Nashville, they're making their third straight playoff appearance, but this is the first time in their 19-year franchise history that they've reached the conference final.

Ottawa has been there twice before. They lost the Eastern Conference Final to the New Jersey Devils in 2003, then made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.

Since then, the Sens have made the playoffs six times in 10 years but had won just one series before this year—they beat the Montreal Canadiens in five games in 2013.

The Sens and Pens do have some playoff history against each other. Pittsburgh is 3-1 in the postseason against Ottawa, but the teams have never played later than the second round before this year.

Nashville and Anaheim have also squared off twice before. The Preds won both of those first-round series—a six-game tilt in 2011 and a seven-gamer last year.

Pittsburgh has never met Anaheim or Nashville in a playoff series, but Ottawa's one trip to the Final saw them lose to Anaheim in 2007. That Ducks team featured 22-year-olds Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, who led his team in playoff scoring in his second NHL season and is leading the Ducks again today.

The current Sens roster boasts one holdover from the 2007 group—tough guy Chris Neil.

Two other players from Ottawa's 2007 team are also still in the playoff mix. Mike Fisher is now the captain of Nashville, and Patrick Eaves is sidelined with a lower-body injury after a great start to his playoffs with Anaheim.

Here's one other noteworthy connection between Ottawa and Anaheim: Ottawa's overtime hero, Bobby Ryan, was originally drafted second overall by the Ducks in 2005 but didn't make his NHL debut until the fall of 2007. He was traded to Ottawa during the summer of 2013 for a package that included winger Jakub Silfverberg and the first-round draft pick that the Ducks used to pick a young scoring hero of their own—Nick Ritchie.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com and current through games played Sunday, May 14.