NHL Predictions 2011-12: Predicting the Conference Finals Matchups

This article is a continuation of my first and second round picks articles which can be found here:

First Round

and

Second Round

Overall these four teams will be battling it out in the Conference Finals:

East

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins

West

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (4) Los Angeles Kings

Eastern Conference Finals: (1) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins

This season, the Washington Capitals will make it further than they ever have under the leadership of their captain Alex Ovechkin.

The only thing standing in their way will be the Pittsburgh Penguins who, behind Sidney Crosby, would love nothing more than to topple the Presidents' Trophy winners and end any postseason dreams the Capitals may have had.

These two teams have one of the biggest—if not the biggest—rivalries in the NHL today. The heart, determination and skill level at this stage in the playoffs will be epic. Needless to say, this series is best watched while listening to music such as this, or perhaps this. 

Epicness aside, the real question is who will win in this contest next spring. Obviously injuries are always a major question mark, especially for Sidney Crosby who may or may not be healthy at this stage of the playoffs. Assuming that he is, I see almost no way that this series does not go to a grueling Game 7.

Two years ago, the Penguins decisively put away the Capitals in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi Finals by a score of 6-2, leaving many Caps fans wondering if their team had the heart to compete at the big stage.

This year however, the Capitals will claim a narrow victory in a double-overtime Game 7. Each team will win their home games during the first six matchups, and the home ice advantage will pay off big for the 'Caps in Game 7.

The Capitals will then advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1998, and only the second time in their history.

The series however will be extremely grueling, and it is possible that the Capitals could be slowed in the next round. 

Western Conference Finals: (1) San Jose Sharks vs. (4) Los Angeles Kings

A rematch of last season's opening round series pits the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks against the very close runner ups, the Los Angeles Kings. 

This Conference Finals match will indeed be a very heated and competitive series. Last year's playoffs saw a miracle comeback by the Sharks in Game 3—when they came back from four goals down to win the game. Although that may not happen again in this series, look for the same level of intensity in this stage of the game.

The Sharks will look to advance past the Conference Finals for the first time in their history and to put the moniker of "playoff chokers" to rest. The Kings will look to upset, and also to prove that their offseason additions and star-studded roster can actually succeed at the deep postseason level. 

Joe Thornton should once again prove that he is the Sharks' MVP, captain and team leader by helping the Sharks advance past the Kings in six games.

This all Californian final will certainly have its share of intensity and close games, but in the end, the Sharks have too much talent and too many very healthy doses of previous playoff disappointment not to succeed.

Look for the Kings to come back the year after and once again compete for the division lead.  

Thanks for Reading!

Coming up in my next article is the Stanley Cup Finals predictions, which sees two teams looking to prove they have what it takes to succeed at the postseason level pitted against each other in a winner take all seven game series.

Thanks for reading!