Silverman: Rousing Stanley Cup Competition Should Bring First-Round Heartbreak For Rangers, Joy For Islanders

By Steve Silverman
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If I have to convince you that the Stanley Cup Playoffs brings the most compelling competition in all of professional sports on an annual basis, we have not been on the same page for a long time.

There is something about this all-out competition that goes beyond professional desperation. It seems to matter more in this sport when teams are merely playing to stay alive than it does for their brothers in baseball, basketball and football.

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That fourth loss in a playoff series often sends fans into a funk for days or weeks, just as it does for the players. Maybe baseball and basketball players care just as much as hockey players, but they don't show it.

It begins again Wednesday night, and the Rangers have to face the hottest team in the league in the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a miserable start, the Penguins made a coaching change that saw sharp Mike Sullivan take over behind the bench, and he revived a somnambulant franchise.

It didn't happen overnight, but shortly after New Year's, Sidney Crosby found his stride again and started rolling. The Penguins lost their season finale at Philadelphia, but they won 14 of the 15 games before that.

Winning at the end of the regular season is not the same as winning in the playoffs. The Rangers have eliminated the Pens each of the last two years, and when you have Henrik Lundqvist in the net facing Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), you can't count out the Rangers.

Look for this series to go seven games, but this time Pittsburgh survives and advances.

ISLANDERS VS. PANTHERS

The Islanders are a playoff team for the third time in four seasons, and they are looking for their first playoff breakthrough after losing in the first round to Washington and Pittsburgh in their two most recent playoff appearances.

The Islanders appear to be the underdogs to the Florida Panthers, a team that surged to the top of the Atlantic Division early in the year, withstood several challenges and finished in first place. They are led by 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr, but there's far more to this team than their ancient superstar.

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Take a look at Aaron Ekblad on the back line as well as Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith and Roberto Luongo in goal, and this team has the size, speed and power to become a very difficult out.

But the Islanders appear to have gotten a favorable matchup. As talented as the Panthers are, they really don't have a clue about playoff hockey. The feeling is that John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson, Frans Nielsen, Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy can do enough to get the Islanders out of the first round.

The key to a victory in this series is the experience that Boychuk and Leddy bring on the blue line. Both are former Stanley Cup champions who know how to prepare and succeed when the season is on the line. After last year's seven-game loss to the Capitals, they are not going to let this series slip away.

The Islanders and Panthers will battle for seven games, and the Islanders will win Game 7 on the road this time around.

THE REST OF THE LEAGUE

There's a lot more to the first round that the two New York teams. By all rights, this should finally be the year that the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup. They won the Presidents' Trophy and were far and away the best team in the league during the regular season.

That and $5 will get a you a latte at Starbucks, and the Capitals will have to prove themselves for four rounds if this season is going to be a success. The Flyers are a bold and nasty team, and they will push the Capitals hard by winning two games. Washington wins the series in six games.

The Detroit Red Wings got into the playoffs after losing "must" games in Boston and New York to close the season. They had the tiebreaker over the Bruins that got them into the playoffs, and they have one of the most favorable first-round matchups. The Lightning will not be able to look at Steven Stamkos or Anton Stralman on their bench, while Pavel Datsyuk is looking to give the Red Wings a going-away present before going back to his homeland and playing in Russia. The Red Wings get this done in six games.

In the West, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to attempt to make it four Stanley Cups in seven seasons. They square off with the St. Louis Blues in the first round, perhaps the most disappointing playoff team in the league with three straight first-round losses. Not this time, as St. Louis ousts the defending champs in seven games.

The Los Angeles Kings did themselves no favors when they blew their season finale against Winnipeg, and that opened the door for Anaheim to win the division title. The Kings have to face a snarling San Jose team, and the Sharks win this series in six games.

Anaheim will roll over Nashville in five games, and that's the same amount of games that Dallas will need to eliminate the Minnesota Wild.

Compelling hockey for the next two months. It begins in earnest tonight.

Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy