In a previous article, Latinos Post ranked the teams with the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup. The first part of this ranking covered the teams from 16th through ninth. Here are the remaining eight teams leading up to the favorite to take home the Stanley Cup in June.
8. NY Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist is going to be great. The defense is solid. But what of the offense? The team really needs Rick Nash to step up his game exponentially. He had a horrid offensive season in which he put up 26 goals and 39 points; this is the same guy that put up 42 points in 44 games just a year ago. His playoff numbers have never inspired much confidence and Nash will need to reverse that trend if the Rangers are expected to make a run at the cup.
7. LA Kings
The 2012 Stanley Cup champions are a terrific team from a defensive perspective (fewest goals allowed this season), but their offense is quite lacking. Anze Kopitar put up 70 points this year, but no one else on the team managed more than 50. The Kings' offense ranked 25th in the league, the worst among all playoff sides. Jonathan Quick was a Conn Smythe winner in 2012, but his save percentage was an average .915 this year; in fact he has never matched the .929 save percentage he put up in the Stanley Cup winning season. He will need to be at his best if this side is to make a run similar to that of 2011-12.
6. St. Louis Blues
The Blues are built to win now, but the last few weeks of the season proved that the side might not be as deep as initially thought. Ryan Miller still has to prove that he is a major upgrade of Jaroslav Halak and the team needs to prove that it can handle the pressure against the defending Champions.
5. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks always seem to get better every year, but then they fall short in the playoffs. This team has a nice mix of veterans and youngsters and should be ready to make a deep run; they also have the fifth best offense in the league and fifth best defense in the league. The real question here is who will start in goal. Antti Niemi has been the main man in years past, but youngster Alex Stalock displaced him late in the year. The team needs to have its netminder situation figured out soon in order to provide the team with stability.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are two of the best players in the world. But the past few years have proven that they cannot do it all alone. The team was swept out of the tournament by the Bruins a year ago, showing that offense does not win championships. Speaking of which, is this team ready to make a run with its current goaltenders? This may be Marc-Andre Fleury's final stand in the Penguins net. If he performs as he did in 2012-13, then this could be a nightmare for the Penguins. If he plays like he did in 2008-09, then maybe this team will be lifting the Cup in June.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
The defending Champions were not as dominant during the regular season as they were last year. Their offense was the best in the league, but the defense was 13th; a year ago the team had the best defense and won the Cup. It will be interesting to see in what shape Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews return for the first round against the Blues. The goaltending was solid throughout the year, but Corey Crawford has not looked like the goalie he was during the run last season. He needs to play up to that level to help his team be the first repeat since 1997-98.
2. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks had the second best offense in the league and one of the best goaltending duos in the league. Jonas Hiller struggled down the stretch, but rookie Fredrick Anderson has proven himself a capable NHL goalie. Ryan Getzlaff and Corey Perry had terrific seasons and have proven themselves to be major players in the postseason.
1. Boston Bruins
The Bruins were the President Trophy winners. They also had the second best defense in the NHL this season and the third best offense. They were also finalists in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. This Bruins team is arguably the most balanced of all the teams in the league and features one of the best goalies in the game in Tuuka Rask. Look for the Bruins to return to the finals for a second straight year.