#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #7 Buffalo Sabres

[Goffie]

The top seeded Penguins got by the #8 seeded Bruins in a 6 game series that saw all games decided by one goal and 5 of those games head to overtime. It was a very tight series with no room for error on both sides with the Pens prevailing. Meanwhile the #7 Sabres came in and took out the 2nd rated Panthers in 6 games. That series was also very tight with 5 one goal games.



Round 1 has shown both these teams can flourish in tight games. Here is how the teams ranked during the regular season.


Scoring
Pittsburgh 10th 2.74
Buffalo 18th 2.61

Goals Against
Pittsburgh 3rd 2.28
Buffalo 14th 2.6

PP
Pittsburgh 11th 23.83%
Buffalo 16th 22.01%


PK
Pittsburgh 5th 81.02%
Buffalo 22nd 75.93%

Key Matchups :


Steven Stamkos (PIT) 82 38 44 82 -8

vs

Joe Thornton (BUF) 82 27 41 68 -9
Stamkos had his best CPHL year to date while Thornton who is a perennial top 10 CPHL scorer took a small step back from his usual numbers but still put together a great season. It will be interesting to watch these two top centers battle it out in post season action.

Jonathan Quick vs Tuuka Rask
Last year’s post season saw Quick get the edge in this matchup. However these goalies are two top tier CPHL goalies and could both steam the series.

Overview: The Penguins hold the edge in almost every statistical category and have been solid all season. The Sabres have a balanced lineup top to bottom and they could cause the Pens trouble if they get scoring from top to bottom. The goalies remain the x-factor and could very well decide this series with a few key saves.

[Slava]

Pittsburgh in 5.

[3thirty]

Pens in 5

[Caged Great]

Sabres in 6. Don't underestimate Rask.

[looooob]

Without doing much gamesmanship here, Sabres do come into this one as underdogs. Pens have a very deep team , Sabres have relied at times on too few players. Rask has been solid this year, but overall has taken a step back. Still he could easily steal a 7 game series. If the Sabres want to advance, they need what they got in round 1, that is to say scoring from their depth players- like 3rd and 4th liners Fehr, Gagner, Maholtra, Stajan and Pouliot. In addition they have to keep showing the solid discipline to stay out of the penalty box that they showed in the regular season.