It's time for the best postseason in all of sports to get underway. Without question, the Stanley Cup is the hardest of the four major trophies to win. You've got to be on your game for two months and hope you don't run into a hot goalie in the process. As Capitals coach Barry Trotz said, "Everybody's 0-0 now." Washington's spectacular 120-point regular season doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the Blackhawks are the defending champions or that this is the Red Wings' 25th consecutive playoff appearance or anything else about the 16 teams left standing, none of which plays in Canada (unless you count Detroit).
There seems to be an overabundance of major injuries heading into the playoffs, too, which further complicates things. Pittsburgh's without its best player--Evgeni Malkin, while Tampa Bay is missing Steven Stamkos. Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak is out, and so is Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. This could end up being a battle of attrition. The last team with 20 players standing will likely be the last team standing.
The Capitals had a ridiculous regular season before looking downright regular down the stretch. Although, that could've been because they were bored and resting guys after clinching everything they could possibly clinch with like two weeks left. The Penguins were the hottest team in hockey until their goalie went down. Now it looks like that might be the Flyers, who grabbed the East's second wild card.
Meanwhile, in the West, it's LA's turn to hoist the Cup in the Kings-Blackhawks rotation. After not making the playoffs last year, the Kings looked incredibly hungry all season, and they might be the best team in the playoffs outside of Washington. But Chicago is still the champs until they lose four games in one series. The Blackhawks have proven that while home ice is nice, it's not the be-all, end-all in determining who wins a playoff series. In fact, both conference finals went seven last year, and the road team won Game 7 in each.
Panthers vs. Islanders: Both the Rangers and Islanders were trying to position themselves to finish fourth and flip over to the Atlantic so that they could play the Panthers instead of the Penguins in the first round. This could be a case of careful what you wish for, though. On paper, yes, Florida, then Tampa Bay/Detroit is an easier road to the conference final than Pittsburgh and Washington. But the Panthers won the Atlantic for a reason. Their two best players might be a combined 130 years old, but that also means they've got a wealth of playoff experience. And let's not forget Luongo played in a Stanley Cup Final Game 7 with Vancouver. Of course, he was also driven out of town because Canucks fans got frustrated with the number of soft goals he let in, especially in the playoffs. But Luongo is still an elite goalie, and he's still the best goalie in this series. The Islanders are much more talented offensively, but Luongo's got something to prove in what might be his last playoff opportunity. So do the Panthers. Taking Florida lightly isn't a good idea. Panthers in six.
Lightning vs. Red Wings: This is a rematch of their great seven-game first round series a year ago. And just like last year, Tampa Bay is a better team than Detroit. If the Lightning put all the pieces together, a return trip to the Final isn't out of the question. They'll miss Stamkos, and that rash of injuries could be what holds them back. But Ben Bishop's healthy, and he's the most important guy. I love some of Detroit's young talent, but the Red Wings have gotten so obsessed with that streak that it seems like just getting into the playoffs is enough for them. Lightning in six.
Capitals vs. Flyers: Philadelphia was one of the few teams that seemed to handle Washington pretty well this season. And the Flyers come into the playoffs hot. Except this is actually a pretty good matchup for the Capitals. They know that their regular season is meaningless. The Capitals only care about recent postseason history. Washington is notorious for its spectacular playoff flame outs. Alex Ovechkin has never even been to a conference final, and they blew a 3-1 lead in the East semis against the Rangers last year. They're desperate to change that and give the best player in franchise history a chance to play for the Cup. This is the best team they've had around him, and they're on a mission. As hot as the Flyers are, they're not beating the Capitals four times. Capitals in five.
Penguins vs. Rangers: A prime example of the flaws in the NHL's current playoff format. The teams with the second- and fourth-most points in the Eastern Conference will meet in the first round, with one guaranteed to eliminate the other (and a potential 1 vs. 2 semifinal series). Last year, the Rangers beat the Penguins in five, with all four of their victories coming by a 2-1 score. This season has been much different, though, and Pittsburgh has beaten the Rangers three times in the last month. Problem is the Penguins are down to their third-string goalie (and starter Marc-Andre Fleury doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation as a postseason winner). The Rangers have been to at least the conference final in three of the last four years for a reason. Once the calendar flips to April, they flip a switch. I'm somewhat concerned about all their injuries, but Rangers-Penguins and Rangers-Capitals are both Stanley Cup Playoff rules. The only way to get Rangers-Capitals is if the Rangers beat the Penguins, which I think they will. Rangers in seven.
Stars vs. Wild: Dallas had an incredible year, earning home ice in the West. They'll start their playoff journey against the Wild, and, subplot, Game 3 will be their first postseason game in Minnesota since 1992. However, this is the first real postseason test for this Stars team. Dallas missed the playoffs in six of the last seven years, with only a six-game first round loss to Anaheim two years ago mixed in. The Wild, on the other hand, are making their fourth straight playoff appearance and won their first round series before losing to Chicago in each of the last two years. Talent-wise, the Stars are the superior team. But they haven't been in this position in quite some time. The Wild are playoff regulars, so this is going to be interesting. This is the toughest of all eight series to handicap. For some reason, I've got a feeling Minnesota's going to pull the upset, which they've done as the lower seed two years in a row. Make it three. Wild in six.
Blues vs. Blackhawks: Washington isn't the only team with a reputation for choking in the playoffs. The Blues are pretty good at that themselves. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have a reputation for doing exactly the opposite in the postseason. Three Cups in the last six years, and they've been to the five of the last seven Western Conference Finals. They know how to win in the postseason. It doesn't even matter where they're seeded. This is the third straight year in which they've finished third in the Central. They won in six in the first round in each of the last two seasons. No reason to think this time it'll be any different. Blackhawks in six.
Ducks vs. Predators: While the Rangers and Islanders were maneuvering themselves for a trip to South Beach, the Predators have known for a while that they were headed to SoCal in the first round. They just didn't know if they were playing the Kings or the Ducks (of course, it didn't really matter, since they'll have to go back-and-forth to California again if they win the series). The Ducks and Predators have actually met in the playoffs once before, in 2011, and it was Nashville's first-ever postseason series win. And I do like their chances in this series. They were the best fourth-place team in hockey. Anaheim has won the Pacific Division four straight times now. And they have nothing to show for it. They've lost a Game 7 at home in each of the last three years. The window has to be closing on this Ryan Getlzaf-Corey Perry-Ryan Kesler era. Anaheim is in danger of falling into Sharks/Blues territory if they lose another Game 7 at home. They'd better hope they wrap the series up before then. Because they haven't won a Game 7 since 2006. Predators in seven.
Kings vs. Sharks: Amazingly, the Kings and Sharks both missed the playoffs last season. Now they're back, and facing each other in the first round once again. This is actually San Jose's third straight playoff series against the Kings. They lost the previous two in seven. Two years ago, it was made even more special when they blew a 3-0 series lead, then allowed five unanswered goals in a home Game 7 loss. Sense a theme here? It's LA's turn to win the Cup, so why are we even bothering with the early rounds? All joking aside, though, the Kings look well-equipped to make their biannual Stanley Cup run. I think they might have the best cahnce to knock off Washington. As for the Sharks, you know the script. A good regular season followed by yet another postseason disappointment. They have to be tired of hearing about it. But we'll keep talking about it until they make us stop. And the only way to do that is finally Kings in seven.
As for my preliminary Final pick (BTW, I was one of the few people who nailed it last year with Blackhawks-Lightning), I've got to go with Capitals vs. Kings. And, since this is an even-numbered year, that means it's LA's turn to hoist the Cup.
No comments:
Post a Comment