NHL Eastern Conference Semifinal Preview

You come at the King (left), you best not miss, Alex (right)

(1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals


How They Got Here: It was no easy road through Broadway for the New York Rangers. Against arguably the worst playoff team, the Ottawa Senators, the Blueshirts were pushed to the very brink but came out alive in a Game 7 in The World’s Most Famous Arena. The Rangers have the eyes now of everybody in the city of New York, and the Garden will look to have at least one team playing through the month of May (because let’s face it the Knicks don’t stand a chance against the Heat), so the pressure’s now on coach John Tortorella, goalie Henrik Lundqvist who we’ll talk about later, and the rest of the crew to deliver the first Stanley Cup to 33rd and 7th since 1994.

But hey, they waited a hell of a long time before ’94 for a Cup, so it’s not like it’s anything new.

The Washington Capitals dethroned the defending Stanley Cup Champions in their quarterfinal round. They ousted the Boston Bruins in a historic 7-game series where each game was decided by one goal: something that had never been done before in NHL playoff hockey. Joel Ward was the hero for the Capitals and they got a lot of dirty work done by former Stanley Cup Champion Troy Brouwer, and surprising rookie phenom Braden Holtby kept Washington in every game and stole the show from dominant goaltender Tim Thomas who frankly at times looked misguided and prone to mistake. The Capitals may have not had the best regular season or anything up to the standard that they set the last couple of seasons, but make no mistake: this team ain’t no pushover. Dale Hunter has his players buying into what he’s selling and they are dangerous.

Player to Watch: Throughout his tenure with the New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist has been dubbed “The King” and many wondered what the could do if the cast in front of him was at an elite level. Well, ask and you shall receive because this season the Rangers played at an elite level from pillar to post, attaining first place honors in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference for the first time in more than a decade and Henrik has been one of the reasons why. The Vezina finalist and probable winner of the award has been outstanding and flashed his brilliance in the first round against the Senators, “stealing” Game 6 and no doubt as been the Rangers’ MVP. The King cannot falter anymore, because from here on out he’ll be judged by a Cup-hungry New York crowd that won’t be afraid to let loose if he reverts to the play he’s been reduced to in past playoff appearances.

The player with the most eyes on him should be, and most likely will be Alexander Ovechkin. In the past Ovechkin has not put his team over the top in the playoffs. And frankly that could be an understatement. Many hockey fans and pundits at one time proclaimed him to be the best player in the world and still in 2012 he has nothing to show for it sans two Hart Memorial Trophies. Ovechkin has to -- absolutely has to play well. Because for all we know this could wind up being a legacy-defining series for the 26-year old Russian.

Who Wins: These two teams met last year and the Rangers looked formidable but the Capitals overtook them. This year the roles are reversed as the Rangers will come into this series with home ice and a lot to prove and a lot of expectations to fulfill. The Capitals may have a lot to prove so that they don’t have to continue to don the labels of underachievers, but their expectations may not be so high after coming in 7th place this season. Ultimately, they may wind up stunning the hockey world and move onto the Eastern Conference Finals and the Rangers’ season may end up in smoke and lost will be a terrific year for the Blueshirts. Yet, with all of that said, I think the better team takes this series.

New York in 6