Matt Kalman's NHL Conference Finals Preview
BOSTON (CBS) -- While New England awaits the Bruins' announcement of a new general manager to do team president Cam Neely's bidding in the seasons ahead, the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers are set to meet in the Eastern Conference finals, where the Bruins hoped they'd be when their season started seven months ago.
The Lightning and Rangers open their best-of-seven series Saturday. The Western Conference finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks start Sunday.
By now you should be over the Bruins' inability to make the playoffs this season and you should be ready to return your gaze back to hockey at the best part of the season. The four best teams are going to go head-to-head for the right to play in the Stanley Cup Final.
In case you haven't been paying attention until now, here's a thumbnail look at both series.
New York Rangers
How they got here: The Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games and the Washington Capitals in seven games.
Key player: The Rangers are going to have to muster enough firepower to match Tampa Bay's offense, and that means former Lightning forward Martin St. Louis is going to have to contribute more than the four assists he has through two rounds. St. Louis also has no goals in the playoffs.
Bruins ties: Defenseman Matt Hunwick has been a healthy scratch lately. Rangers assistant general manager Jeff Gorton once filled that role in Boston and he's seemingly an unobtainable replacement for Chiarelli.
The Rangers will win if ... they utilize their matchups and home-ice advantage to slow down the Tyler Johnson line of Tampa Bay and if they get more contributions from St. Louis and Rick Nash.
Tampa Bay Lightning
How they got here: The Lightning defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games and the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
Key player: Johnson has eight goals and 12 points. The Rangers are going to be hard-pressed to stop Johnson's run for the Conn Smythe, especially if Tampa Bay can get his line on the ice against one of the Rangers' bottom two defense pairs.
Bruins ties: Assistant coach Rick Bowness was the Bruins' head coach in 1991-92, when he led Boston to the conference finals. He was still fired.
The Lightning will win if ... their depth on defense limits the Rangers' slumping offensive weapons and they create more chances off the rush than the Rangers.
Prediction
My Eastern Conference championship pick before the playoffs started was Washington. So I'll keep picking against the Rangers and go with Lightning in seven because I think Johnson is ready to establish himself as a top-tier star and Steven Stamkos is due to really break out for a big series.
Chicago Blackhawks
How they got here: The Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators in six games and swept the Minnesota Wild.
Key player: Picking the goaltender in this spot is often too easy, but when it comes to Corey Crawford, nothing is simple. Crawford was benched for a portion of the Nashville series. He'll have to find a level he has yet to reach in this postseason in order to stifle the Ducks' top guns.
Bruins ties: Forward Kris Versteeg, a Boston fifth-round draft pick in 2004, hasn't played since the Nashville series.
The Blackhawks will win if ... Crawford holds down the fort and the Blackhawks use their possession game to limit the Ducks' opportunities.
Anaheim Ducks
How they got here: The Ducks swept the Winnipeg Jets and beat the Calgary Flames in five games.
Key player: The Ducks acquired Ryan Kesler so they could be a legitimate two-line threat at this time of year. So far he's lived up to his billing with four goals and nine points in nine games. He has to make the Blackhawks pay for being a little thin down the middle beyond Jonathan Toews.
Bruins ties: Center Nate Thompson, a sixth-round Boston draft pick in 2003, made a return from injury against Calgary and had one goal in five games.
The Ducks will win if ... Corey Perry is healthy enough to keep his hot hand and the Ducks use their slight edge in physicality to punish the Blackhawks on the forecheck and down low.
Prediction: I'm going to stick with my pre-playoffs prediction that the most talented team in the NHL, the Blackhawks, will capture the West title. It won't be easy, but Chicago will clinch it on home ice in Game 6.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
