By: Chris Nosek

Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Philadelphia leads 3-2)

The Flyers aren’t making adjustments to try to put this series away, whereas the Penguins have made several on a game-by-game basis. The move to Arturs Silovs in goal was absolutely the right move. He continues to be big for his team in significant games. He was a major reason – if not THE reason – Abbotsford won the Calder Cup last season. He was also the best goaltender for Team Latvia in the Olympics. The net is his going forward, and he will certainly get a contract extension this offseason. The Penguins are now holding their composure after the initial whistle and aren’t taking the bait from the Flyers anymore. The Flyers’ youth, immaturity, and lack of experience are likely to show more as the pressure builds, giving the Penguins a chance to complete their comeback.

Original Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins advance in 6 games
Prediction after game 1: Pittsburgh Penguins advance in 6 games
Prediction after game 2: Philadelphia Flyers advance in 4 games
Prediction after game 3: Philadelphia Flyers advance in 4 games
New Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins advance in 7 games

Vegas Golden Knights @ Utah Mammoth (Series tied at 2)

When Vegas jumped out to its 3-goal lead, I was really wondering about Utah’s ability to pull out another victory in this series at all. Then they score four straight goals. Scoring two in under 30 seconds immediately changed the feel of the game, and Utah’s confidence grew astronomically. While they ended up reliquishing their lead, they made a great offensive push in response to the Vegas goal. Ultimately they pushed the game to overtime. Vegas caught two breaks in overtime as their first game-winning goal was pulled off the board for Jack Eichel being offsides. Yes – this was the correct call, I’m not getting into the call. Utah came back with some great offensive pressure for most of the rest of overtime. However, this overtime was further proof that Karel Vejmelka is still bound to make mistakes that will cost his team. Vegas has the experience to stay calm when it matters most, and I’d expect that to help push them through to the next round.

Original Prediction: Utah Mammoth advances in 6 games
Prediction after game 1: Vegas Golden Knights advance in 6 games
Prediction after game 2: Vegas Golden Knights advance in 6 games
New Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights advance in 6 games