CarterHud

           The beasts of the east are here. It\’s the Eastern conference finals, featuring Sidney Crosby\’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and Erik Karlsson\’s Ottawa Senators. To start off the preview, let\’s look at the teams.

            Ottawa Senators

Some teams just have had bad luck this season. The Seattle Mariners are one of them. Pitchers get hurt often, and the M\’s have learned that this year so far.

       After being placed on the DL a couple days ago, the Mariners announced that RHP Hisashi Iwakuma will miss 4-6 weeks with a shoulder inflammation. Iwakuma, 36, has an ERA of 4.35 in 31 innings this year, punching out 16 batters. He has a 0-2 record this season, but a winning record in each of his other 5 seasons, dating back to 2012.

       He has a career ERA of 3.42, with 714 strikeouts in 883.2 innings. The former JPPL (Japan Pacific League) star is the fourth Mariners starter to land on the DL this season. Ace Felix Hernandez and southpaws James Paxton and Drew Smyly are the other three. That leaves Yovani Gallardo as the only starter who was in their projected rotation to stay healthy.

        To replace Iwakuma, Christian Bergman will make his first couple of starts as a Mariner. Guys like Chase De Jong, Ariel Miranda and Dillon Overton have all made starts.

         In other Mariner news, the team DFA\’d RHP Jean Machi, and called up RHP Ryan Weber. They also claimed RHP Casey Lawrence off waivers from Toronto, called up Zac Curtis, and sent down RHP Dan Altavilla. RHP Evan Scribner was transferred to the 60 day DL.

       
There\’s just two more rounds remaining. Four teams. Two from each conference. The Western conference finals start today, between the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators.

         Anaheim Ducks

         Second round: vs Edmonton Oilers in 7 games
The Ducks got past Connor McDavid\’s Edmonton Oilers in the second round. Their 3 goals in 3 minute comeback in game 5 was crucial. Their skaters are strong, but they\’ll need goalie John Gibson to do better. In the first 2 rounds combined, Gibson has a 2.80 GAA and .908 SV%.\\

         Nashville Predators

         Second round: vs St. Louis Blues in 6 games
P.K. Subban and Ryan Johansen were both involved in major trades by the Preds the past 2 years, and have come up big this postseason, with a combined three goals and 16 points. Goalie Pekka Rinne has been the best goaltender this postseason, with a 1.37 GAA and .951 SV% in 10 games, with a pair of shutouts.

        My prediction: Nashville Predators
Rinne has been hot while Gibson is cold. Subban, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis overpower the Ducks forward core. Johansen and James Neal, plus Viktor Arvidsson can put the puck in the net. It\’s the Preds series to win.

     
The Dallas Stars have signed goaltender Ben Bishop to a 6 year, $29.5 million deal. That\’s an AAV, and cap hit of $4.92 million.

        The signing comes just 3 days after the Stars acquired Bishop\’s rights from the Los Angeles Kings for a 4th round pick. This is the second time this offseason a goalie\’s rights have been traded, then signed, after Scott Darling became a Hurricane.

          Bishop, 30, had a 2.54 GAA and .910 SV% with the Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Denver native has a career GAA of 2.32 and a SV% of .919 in 270 games for the Kings, Lightning, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators.

           The Blues drafted him 85th overall (3rd round) in the 2005 NHL draft.

            \”Ben is an elite goaltender in this league and we\’re thrilled to be adding him to our mix. Ben\’s commitment to what we are building in Dallas, and his passion for wanting to be a part of it, was evident during the negotiation process,\” GM Jim Nill told NHL.com.

              The Stars have had many goalie issues, so signing a guy like Bishop is very important to the team.

       The Chicago Blackhawks have signed winger Richard Panik to a 2 year extension. TSN\’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the AAV and cap hit of Panik\’s deal is $2.8 million. In all, that\’s $5.6 million for Panik.
      
        \”Richard made tremendous strides this past year and we were pleased with the consistency he showed throughout the season,\” Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said in a statement. \”We are looking forward to having him in Chicago for the next two seasons.\”

         Panik, 26, was drafted 52nd overall (2nd round) in the 2009 NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Martin, Slovakia native played just two seasons with the Lightning, with 22 points (8 goals and 14 assists) in 75 games before being claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

         Panik played just one season in Toronto, with 17 points (11 goals and 6 assists) in 76 games. Then, he was traded to the Hawks for Jeremy Morin.

         In two seasons with the Hawks, Panik has 52 points (28 goals and 24 assists) in 112 games. In 2016-17, Panik set career highs in goals (22), assists (also 22) and of course points (44), playing all 82 games for the first time.

          Altogether, he has 91 points (47 goals and 44 assists) in 263 career games. He\’s played for Slovakia in the 2010, 2014 and 2015 World Championships, and the 2014 Winter Olympics.