After the San Jose Sharks absolutely thrashed the Nashville Predators, the conference finals for the Stanley Cup were all set. However, only two teams can make it to the finals, and only one can win. Here is why your favorite team still left in the playoffs won't make it that far.
St. Louis Blues - Losing Their Cool
As someone who has had to watch the St. Louis Blues a lot in this year's playoffs (no seriously, they knocked out both teams I was rooting for. That's like 14 games straight), I've learned quite a bit about this team, and not too much has phased them so far. However, the one thing that has been consistent from the regular season to the playoffs is what happens if the Blues get upset at their game. When the Blues lose their cool, things get sloppy and undisciplined. You have bad turnovers that often and something is bound to go in. If St. Louis doesn't get knocked off their game, they could be unstoppable.
San Jose Sharks - Lack of Goaltender Experience
Not much has looked wrong about the Sharks this postseason. With the combination of fast play and offensive defensemen, both the Kings and the Predators fell at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. Yet the thing that could bring this down is the lack of experience from young goaltender Martin Jones. So far Jones has looked strong during the playoffs. However, if there is one thing the Blues can do, it's frustrate their opponents so badly that their goaltenders crack. Just look at what they did to the duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi during the series against the Dallas Stars. If they're able to pull that off again, Jones' cracks will be exposed.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Forwards Worn Out
There's not much bad to say about this Pittsburgh team. They have the forward and the defensive depth needed to win a Stanley Cup at the highest level. With the goaltending to match in Matt Martin, they probably have the best bet of anyone. However, that certainly doesn't mean they will beat the Lightning in a 7 game series. There's a lot of things the Lightning can do with their speed to wear out the deep Pittsburgh depth. I couldn't imagine a better match up in speed than these two teams, and it could be the Lighting will come out on top for this reason.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Missing Players
Thankfully for Tampa Bay, this exact problem hasn't bothered them yet during the playoffs. However, against a team with such depth like Pittsburgh, it will really come into play here. The Lightning are missing their star forward in Steven Stamkos, and that hole could be severely highlighted by Pittsburgh's forward corps. They are also missing Anton Stralman, one of their best and more experienced defenseman. Once again, the Pittsburgh forwards are going to have a field day with this if all four lines can get rolling.
There you have it, why each team won't make its way to that final match up. Hopefully the team you're pulling for can prove me wrong and make it all the way. Enjoy the last month of hockey, because we all know how much we're going to miss it when it's gone for the season.
