Eastern Conference Quarterfinal: #4. Pittsburgh vs. #5. Tampa Bay

Pittsburgh surprisingly succeeded without Crosby or Malkin or half their team for part of the season. Injuries really plagued this group of players. Tampa Bay was on top of the southeast division but surprisingly cooled off. Well they either cooled off or stayed the same while Washington burst into flames to take over the division lead. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Steven Stamkos

Stamkos had a fantastic first two seasons in the NHL. But this is his first postseason. Who knows how he will be under the pressure. Luckily some of the spotlight will be off of him and be on players like Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. But the pressure will still be on the young gun. Against a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in Marc-Andre Fluery, it will be tough to get off to a good start.

Number 2: Sidney Crosby

Well, no big surprise here. Sidney Crosby is a top story of the series. Word is he will be back halfway through. If that is true then I feel bad for Lightning fans. Pittsburgh is an entirely different team with Sidney Crosby. They are cup contenders.

Number 3: The Penguins other players.

I know it's shocking but they do have other players besides Crosby! And if Crosby doesn't come back they will have to step it up. They did a good job doing that in the regular season and they can do it now. But this is the playoffs. It could be harder.

Players to watch. Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby.

Obviously this has to be Crosby. Without him this team is not a cup contender. If Pittsburgh wants their 2nd cup in 3 years and start a new dynasty they need Crosby.

Tampa Bay: Martin St. Louis.

Yes Stamkos scored a lot but St. Louis has been an all around player. He can make or break a series depending on his play. And don't expect him to struggle. He has a cup. He understands the pressure and he will handle it with great success.

Prediction: Pittsburgh gets Crosby back and is too strong for Tampa. Pittsburgh in 6.