The competition to win the Stanley Cup is becoming more and more intense as the last few weeks of the NHL playoffs near. The first two rounds of the playoffs have been nerve-racking for all fans, and now more than ever the nerves are starting to kick in.

In the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings are competing for the title as champions of this conference. During the regular season, Chicago beat L.A. all three times they played each other.

A truism in hockey is that often a “hot” goalie can carry his team all the way to victory.

Corey Crawford, the Blackhawk’s goalie, has a .931 save percentage as of right now, making Chicago a tough team to beat. Los Angeles’ goalie, however, has only been performing average in the past 2 rounds of the playoffs.

Chicago is also the defending champions of the Stanley Cup, so as well as their skill level being high, so is their intimidation. I predict the Blackhawks will defeat the Kings in 7 games. Currently, the Kings lead the Hawks three games to two.

The Eastern Conference was a matchup of 2 of the original 6 teams. The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers competed in a race for the first to win 4 games, with Chicago coming out on top.

Both of these teams knocked out the top 2 seeds of the Eastern Conference bracket last round of the playoffs. In the regular season, Montreal defeated New York 2 games to 1.

Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers’ goalkeeper, was arguably the best shot-stopper in the playoffs so far with a .931 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average.

Bleacher Report states that, “Lundqvist is a game 7 specialist, winning five straight such contests.” His ability to do so again was not put to the test this round, considering Chicago’s victory over Montreal in only 6 games.

His game was crucial to stop the offensively skilled Canadians, sometimes also referred to as the “Habs.” They were averaging a league-best 3.27 goals per game so far in the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers are both extremely talented teams that will create a nail-biting Stanley Cup championship series.

Playoffstatus.com says the Rangers have a 27% chance of winning the Stanley Cup, while the Hawks have a 29% chance.

Due to their goalie who is currently on fire, I think the Rangers will take the cup in 6 games. The Blackhawks will no longer be named defending champions.