The Rangers are keeping things within the Atlantic Division, at least for round two. After dispatching the Devils in five games, they now take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, another opponent with whom they are quite familiar. The teams met eight times during the regular season, and though the Penguins — like the Devils — finished with a better record than the Blueshirts overall, it was the Rangers who held the head-to-head edge, winning five times. Though the Penguins boast some of the most talented young players in the NHL, there is good reason to believe that the Rangers will take this series.

First and foremost is the Blueshirts’ unquestionable edge in goal. Henrik Lundqvist’s experience backstopping Team Sweden to a gold medal in the 2006 Olympics will serve him well when he’s counted upon to be the last line of defense against Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of the Pens’ vaunted offense. Nominated as a Vezina Trophy finalist for the third time in his three-year NHL career, Lundqvist is cool under pressure and very sound positionally, and those are the two most important attributes for success in the pressure-cooker NHL playoffs.

On the other side of the ice, Marc-Andre Fleury is finally starting to live up to the expectations that accompanied him getting selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft. But while he is perhaps the NHL’s fastest at moving from post to post, Fleury is prone to lapses in concentration and still has a nagging tendency to surrender big rebounds. Considering that goaltending is the most critical determining factor in NHL playoff success, the Rangers’ advantage between the pipes cannot possibly be overstated.

Looking out from the goal, the teams’ defense corps are similar, both clubs leaning heavily on youngsters. The Pens definitely have an edge on paper with the presence of power play quarterback Sergei Gonchar, a weapon unlike any in the Rangers’ arsenal. Hard-hitting rearguard Brooks Orpik is capable of delivering game-changing checks à la former Devils captain Scott Stevens, another element somewhat lacking on the Rangers’ side.

That said, the Rangers’ packlike mentality on defense works well in front of Lundqvist, with all six starting blueliners capable of either carrying the puck out of harm’s way or launching accurate outlet passes to the forwards. While Marc Staal isn’t yet a household name, he has the potential to develop into one of the NHL’s top defensemen, a physical presence in the defensive zone with well-above-average skating and puck-moving ability. No Penguins defenseman has as much in his toolbox as does Staal.

The similarities between these teams don’t end on the blueline. Up front, both squads boast some of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive talents, setting this up to be a very exciting second-round series. On the Penguins’ side, Crosby and Malkin pace one of the NHL’s most potent offenses; had Crosby not missed 29 games with a high ankle sprain, it’s a safe bet that Pittsburgh would have scored enough goals to finish first overall (they finished seventh, 18 goals behind league-leader Ottawa). With trade deadline acquisition Marian Hossa providing an additional boost, the Pens are incredibly dangerous, particularly with the man advantage.

The Rangers had some difficulty generating offense during the regular season, but their star players stepped up against Martin Brodeur and the Devils in their first-round series victory. Without question, the most important component of the Rangers’ offense is Jaromir Jagr. A former Penguin who should expect nonstop booing during games played in Pittsburgh, Jagr was all over the ice against the Devils, scoring eight points in five games while posting a plus-three rating. His regular season play wasn’t particularly inspired (71 points in 82 games), but should Jagr manage to lead the Rangers to the Cup and capture the Conn Smythe Trophy, he will trigger a lucrative one-year contract extension. But on this talented Rangers team, Jagr won’t need to operate alone.

Playmaking center Scott Gomez was stellar in round one, tallying seven points in five games while calmly handling nonstop questions about playing against his former team. “Mr. Clutch” Chris Drury had only three points against New Jersey, but one of them was the series-winning goal. Sean Avery was a constant thorn in the Devils’ side, and he’ll look to antagonize Fleury much the same way he did Brodeur. And a combination of veterans (Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka) and youngsters (Ryan Callahan, Nigel Dawes) provide the Blueshirts with an impressively balanced attack.

This won’t be an easy matchup for the Rangers, but assuming Lundqvist outplays Fleury, the Blueshirts will win in six games.

Eastern Conference

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Both teams squandered a 3–1 series lead before ultimately winning in Game 7. But while the Canadiens romped to a 5–0 win over the Bruins on Monday night, the Flyers needed overtime to defeat the Washington Capitals in an emotionally draining win Tuesday night. Now, the Flyers must play their third game in four nights when they head to Montreal for tonight’s Game 1, no doubt putting them behind the eight-ball in what would already be a very tough series to win.

Prediction: Canadiens in five

Western Conference

(1) Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

It could fairly be said that no professional sports rivalry was more intense than Wings-Avs during the late 1990s. Though some of the key protagonists are no longer present, both teams have plenty of holdovers from that thrilling era. One of the most remarkable story lines of the 2007–08 season was the re-emergence of Avs netminder Jose Theodore, a former Hart Trophy winner. If his play in round one against the Minnesota Wild is any indication (.940 SV%, 1.88 GAA), Theodore has what it takes to be the difference-maker in this series.

Prediction: Avalanche in six

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars

It was no huge surprise when Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau stepped up with strong performances for the Sharks in round one. But Ryane Clowe was nothing short of a revelation, scoring a team-leading eight points in seven games. On the Stars’ side, Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Brenden Morrow, and Brad Richards were all predictably excellent against Anaheim, and for the first time, it appears that the Stars are providing netminder Marty Turco with adequate offensive support. But if Evgeni Nabokov is able to neutralize the Stars’ suddenly capable offense, the Sharks will prevail.

Prediction: Sharks in six

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.