Northern Conference

Season Series: 4-0 Belfast

Key matchups: These two teams are historically the two most successful clubs. Belfast has 4 Cups and Minsk has 2. Belfast has the forwards to score on anyone (Duchene, Landeskog, MacKinnon and others), but Minsk has some pretty good defensemen in Max Chudinov, Michael Del Zotto and Aaron Ekblad. What happens when the puck is around the Minsk blueline will be key.

Commissioner prediction: Belfast 4-1. “For some reason, the Hussars have had a lot of trouble with Belfast this year. The teams seem pretty even on paper, but the fact Belfast beat Minsk 4 times in 4 tries, and twice recently by commanding scores, has me leaning heavily toward Northern Ireland.”

Rose’s prediction: Minsk 4-2 “This series reminds me of my pierogis. Half the people like them filled with potato and half like them with sauerkraut. They cancel each other out and the cheese-filled ones make the difference. The third lines could be the cheese pierogis in this series. That means I’m looking directly at third-line centers Derick Brassard of Minsk and Jonathan Huberdeau of the Giants. And Brassard has the better wingers.”

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Season Series: 6-0 Helsinki

Key matchups: It’s Youth vs. Experience on the third lines. Helsinki will send Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, Alex Debrincat and their ever-churning legs against Evgeny Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Corey Perry, who are all 35 or older. When the playoffs start, the older guys will have had a little rest to heal some nagging pains and get their heads on straight. They are all on the final year of their contracts and will surely want to show EURO GMs they still have value to offer.

Commissioner prediction: Helsinki 4-0. “In the last three weeks of the season, Helsinki had its way with Petrograd 3 different times and dominated the Zvezdy all season. The top 8 plus-minus players in the league all wear Helsinki sweaters and the Jokerits and Coach Brent Sutter will not trip on step one of what could be their first Cup-winning playoff journey.”

Rose’s prediction: St. Petersburg 4-3. “St. Petersburg GM Ben Stuller once gave me a beautiful compliment on a dress I was wearing and I believe that kindness will pay off. The Helsinki GM, I don’t want to even say his name, never seemed to like my clothing. At least he never said a word about it. I predict his players will feel guilty for him and the weight of that guilt with slow their legs and goalie Carey Price’s reflexes. Look for Sergei Mozyakin to be the top player in the series.

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Season Series: 5-1 Copenhagen

Key matchups: Goalie Martin Jones vs. Copenhagen’s defensemen. The Tridents are a well-oiled machine. But all season, Copenhagen has snuck in important goals from the points. Four defensemen on the team have scored 13 or more goals. If London pays the attention it should to Auston Matthews and Johnny Gaudreau, the points will be open and Jones will have to be ready to pick out pucks through screens.

Commissioner prediction: Copenhagen 4-2. “It looks like J-P Pageau will be healthy enough for this series but he could struggle a little early on. London will figuratively and literally fight their way to a couple of wins, but Copenhagen has the balance, cohesion and discipline to advance.”

Rose’s prediction: London 4-3. “I like it rough. London plays hockey that way. The Fighting Royals’ constant harassment will throw the Tridents off balance and give London a surprising leg up in the series. I will be interested to see how big a role Zac Rinaldo gets. He helped the team surge into the playoffs, but will his antics hurt or help against the Tridents?”

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Season Series: 2-1 Oslo with a game to play

Key matchups: Connor McDavid’s line vs. Ryan Johansen’s line. For Stockholm, slowing the red hot McDavid is critical. They will be counting on Ryan Johansen, Kyle Okposo and Brayden Schenn to come of the series close to even. The pressure is on that line and the defense will have to help, particularly reliable Olli Maatta and Swede John Klingberg who have had a sneaky good season together this season.

Commissioner prediction: Oslo 4-1. “The Outlaws are loaded on the blueline and the top two centers – Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid – are both massive forces.”

Rose’s prediction: Stockholm 4-1. “It won’t be the first time goalie Holtby gets the Eagles into the second round. The Stockholm defense deserves more credit than they get. Look for Zach Bogosian to provide the leadership back there. Plus the team from Norway has too much alliteration for my liking. Oslo Outlaws. Matt Murray. Are they a hockey team or an advertising campaign?”

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