Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
New York Rangers by 2Ah, the classic North American rivalry, isn't it? The New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks. It's like a chess match on ice, folks.
Speaking of putting up a defense, let's get started with our goalkeepers. The Rangers have the one-two punch of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Shesterkin has been steady as a rock, with over 300 saves this season, and Quick, well his name says it all, doesn't it? Let's just say if pucks were vampires, Quick would be keepin' them at bay better than garlic at a bloodsucker's convention.
Now for the Canucks, they're marching with Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs between the pipes. Lankinen has been a shot-stopping machine, while Silovs, suffice to say, his game could do with a little tune-up.
In terms of key skaters, the Big Apple delivers the likes of Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Panarin's playing the tune of 10 goals this season, and Zibanejad's not far behind with his assisting prowess. Meanwhile, Vancouver is holding its own with the young scorer Elias Pettersson and the ever-helpful J.T. Miller making their presence felt.
History, as they say, tends to repeat itself. And these teams have had some high intensity battles. The results have been a toss-up, though the Rangers have eked out a couple of tight victories in the last four meetings.
Regular season records are another piece of the puzzle. The Rangers are ahead, just by a smidge, but in hockey, every point counts. It's side-eye tighter than a vegan's belt at a barbeque.
Now, let's not forget about the recent happenings, AKA the current momentum. The Rangers have been a mixed bag lately, slaying the Sharks and then taking a shellacking from the Jets. Same story for the Canucks - taking it in their stride from the Blackhawks and then getting zambonied by the Oilers.
Taking all this into consideration, from the meeting history, to keepers, to top performers, it's going to be a close one. But based on the data at hand, I'd say the New Yorkers have a slight edge in this one. Expect a game tighter than a cello string folks.
Albert’s Prediction: New York Rangers by 2