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#BecauseItsTheCup, Anaheim Ducks, blackhawks, blues, canadiens, canucks, capitals, Detroit Red Wings, flames, hockey, islanders, jets, lightning, NHL, NHL Playoffs, penguins, Playoffs, predators, rangers, senators, Stanley Cup, wild
Just because I haven’t posted anything in a while doesn’t mean that I haven’t been following hockey. I’ve been trying to get myself mentally prepared for baseball season, but it’s just too early in the calendar year to be sitting in front of the TV for 3 hours watching Joe Girardi overmanage every single Yankee game.
Anyway, I figured it’d be the perfect time to post a quick preview for the NHL Playoffs, considering the games start tonight. Spoiler alert – the Kings will NOT win the Cup this year.
1st round matchups / predictions —
St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild
The Blues might have one of the deepest rosters in the entire NHL heading into this year’s playoffs. David Backes, TJ Oshie, Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Jori Lehtera combine to form one the best top-6 groups I’ve noticed in recent years. Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk are two of the best defensemen in the league. Their only glaring issue, if you could even call it that, is that they don’t have a true #1 goaltender. Jake Allen was named the starter today, but if he falters in Game 1, will the Blues’ coaching staff immediately switch back to Brian Elliot (who, by the way, was an All-Star this season)?
The Wild are led by their rock in net, Devan Dubnyk, who has been [surprisingly] ridiculously good between the pipes since coming over in a trade earlier this season. Zach Parise is one of the best players in hockey when he wants to be, and it seems as if he plays with more heart and more desire than most other offensive players in the league. Ryan Suter could have a big impact in this series, as he tends to log more icetime than anyone I’ve ever seen suit up in an NHL game.
Prediction – Blues in 7.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnepeg Jets
Is it possible for the LA Kings to replace the Jets in this series? If that were to happen, I feel like the Kings would somehow find a way to not only beat the Ducks, but also end up as the 2015 Stanley Cup champions. The Jets don’t really seem like they belong here, despite earning a shot at the postseason by accumulating the 8th-most points in the Western Conference. Trading Evander Kane was definitely the best thing that could’ve happened to this team. Their goaltending has been an issue, but if Michael Hutchinson and Ondrej Pavelec can find some consistency… you never know.
The Ducks have been solid all season. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have been carrying this team. Perry might be the best natural goal scorer that we don’t talk about nearly as much as we should. Sami Vatanen has been a nice surprise for Anaheim, as he has become a big part of the team’s defense and PP unit. John Gibson and Frederik Andersen are both young, but if one of them gets on a roll, watch out for Anaheim to make a serious run at the Cup.
Prediction – Ducks in 5.
Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks
Two Canadian teams go head-to-head in the first round of the playoffs… who would’ve imagined that? I think I can speak for most of the hockey fans in North America in saying that almost NO ONE would’ve thought that the Flames would be a playoff team this year. They’re young, inexperienced, etc… But Sean Monahan, Jiri Hudler and Johnny Goudreau (a.k.a. Johnny Hockey) have been sooooooo good for this team all season long. If the Flames get hot, I wouldn’t want to be stuck playing against them. If they don’t make a run this year, I could definitely see them coming back stronger and as an even greater threat next season.
The Canucks have some talent, for sure. Ryan Miller has played in big spots in the past, and now he’ll be getting another shot at stardom. The Sedin brothers are, well, the Sedin brothers; two of the best players in hockey [who happen to be brothers] will have an opportunity to shine in the postseason. Will they take advantage of an opportunity to teach the ‘kids’ from Calgary a lesson? We shall see.
Prediction – Flames in 7.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
The Predators have had an incredible season. Pekka Rinne is great. The Preds have been anchored defensively by Shea Weber, Roman Josi and Seth Jones. Their offense hasn’t been as reliable, but Filip Forsberg has shown signs of being a star in this league for years to come. On that note, I still can’t believe the Caps traded him for an aging, washed-up Martin Erat… Anyway, Nashville is relevant in the league again and deserves to be here.
It’s too bad that the Preds are stuck facing the Blackhawks in the playoffs. The Blackhawks are quite experienced when it comes to playing postseason-style hockey. Patrick Kane will be returning from injury at the ideal time, as he’ll return to a spot on the team’s second line with Brad Richards and Kris Versteeg. This team is so good that Patrick Sharp, a legitimate sniper, is on the Hawks’ third line… The team is deep both offensively and defensively, and goaltender Corey Crawford has been here before. Watch out for Chicago.
Prediction – Blackhawks in 6.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers
I was fortunate enough to be at the Garden for one of the playoff games between these two powerhouses last season. It was a thrilling experience, to say the least. As much as I dislike Sidney Crosby, I can tell you with certainty that he is really good at hockey. When it comes to the playoffs, it obviously helps to have a superstar player on your roster. The Penguins have two of those – Crosby, of course, and Evgeni Malkin. Will these two guys be enough to catapult the Pens past the top team in the East in the 1st round of the playoffs, though? It’ll be an interesting series, for sure.
The Rangers are unbelievable [yes, I just said that and I’m a Devils fan…]. They’re young, talented, fast, deep, skilled, gritty and have a King playing the goaltender position. Lundqvist may be a bit rusty after sitting out for a while with a neck injury, but he’s still one of the best at his position. Rick Nash has been a revelation this season for New York, as he managed to score over 40 goals. The player that I’m excited to watch in the playoffs, though: Kevin Hayes. The rookie forward looks like he’s a seasoned veteran already when he’s out on the ice. I don’t want to say I’m excited to watch the Rangers, because I’m not, but they’re going to be “fun” to watch and are poised to make a run in this year’s postseason.
Prediction – Rangers in 6.
New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals
This might be the best 1st round matchup this year. The Islanders were one of the top teams in the league for the majority of the season. They may have fallen off just a little bit, and an injury to defenseman Travis Hamonic surely won’t help them. Jaroslav Halak was great early on this season, but it also seems like his play has fallen off as the team began to struggle. They’re still a very talented hockey team, and most people wouldn’t have thought that the Isles would compete for the division title (well, until the Rangers went on a crazy run behind goaltender Cam Talbot’s play). John Taveres is not only the team’s captain, but he is one of the most dangerous offensive forces in the league. It doesn’t matter if he has Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, Anders Lee or anyone else playing on his wings. The fact is that he’s simply a playmaker with a tremendous amount of offensive talent. He is great, and he makes the players around him so much better.
Alexander Ovechkin is still scoring goals at a ridiculous pace. He shoots the puck more than any other player in the NHL and is therefore rewarded with more goals than any other player in the NHL. Nicklas Backstrom is one of the most underrated players in hockey, as no one seems to ever mention the talented center’s name while he plays in the shadows of Ovechkin. The Caps’ defensive unit was bolstered in the offseason when the team signed both Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. These guys, along with John Carlson, Mike Green, Karl Alzner and trade deadline acquisition Tim Gleason have combined to form one of the deepest defensive units the National Hockey League. Oh, and Brayden Holtby has been awesome in net for the Caps all season long.
Prediction – Capitals in 7.
Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
I’m going to keep this one short, simple and to the point – the Canadiens are one of the top teams in the East. However, Carey Price has been carrying this team all season long. Will he be able to do that throughout the entire postseason? That’s a huge question. And, will the Habs have a healthy Max Pacioretty? If they do, they’ll have a shot. PK Subban will have to step up big-time, both offensively and defensively.
The Senators are the surprise team in the East, as they continue to ride a hot streak into the playoffs. Andrew Hammond, the “Hamburgler,” came out of nowhere to provide the spark the Sens needed to get them to this point. Usually, if a team can come into the playoffs hot, they’ll have a legitimate shot to make some noise in the playoffs. Rookie forwards Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman have been a huge part of this team’s success. If they’re able to shake off the nerves and play like experienced pros, the Senators might just continue winning hockey games into the month of May.
Prediction – Senators in 7.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Health and goaltending will be the two key things to watch for both of these teams. The Red Wings are going to start Petr Mrazek in net to start the series, while Jimmy Howard (an All-Star this season) will watch from the bench. He has been the better goaltender of late and absolutely deserves this opportunity. I’d expect to see Jimmy Howard get a chance of proving himself at some point during this series, though. The Red Wings will also need to have a healthy Pavel Datsyuk to survive a matchup against a very talented Lightning squad. Marek Zidlicky, a trade deadline pickup, will be a player to watch on the Wings’ blue line, as he can truly be a difference maker if Detroit wants to make a run at the Cup.
Tampa Bay has a guy named Steven Stamkos on their side. Have you ever seen #91 shoot a puck? He’s unbelievable. The Bolts also have some great young talent supporting their captain, so I don’t think scoring will be an issue. The Lightning are hoping to have Matthew Carle and Braydon Coburn available ASAP to solidify their defense. Tampa’s formula for success is a simple one: goals + solid defensive + sufficient goaltending = winning games.
Prediction – Detroit in 7.
In case you’re curious, all of my picks/predictions for the playoffs are:
1st round, WEST- Blues over Wild. Ducks over Jets. Flames over Canucks. Blackhawks over Predators.
1st round, EAST- Rangers over Penguins. Capitals over Islanders. Senators over Canadiens. Red Wings over Lightning.
2nd round, WEST- Ducks over Flames. Blackhawks over Blues.
2nd round, EAST- Rangers over Capitals. Red Wings over Senators.
3rd round, WEST- Blackhawks over Ducks.
3rd round, EAST- Rangers over Red Wings.
Stanley Cup FINALS- Blackhawks over Rangers.