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Well, here we go again.
Yet another regular season has passed, leaving with it, 16 teams in its wake,
all with one ultimate goal. By now we all know what the goal is, the question
is – who has what it takes?
If you use
the final standings as an indicator, there are easily 8 teams with a legitimate
shot at the Cup. So as always, strap yourself in and get ready for the ride of
your life!
EARLY CUP
PREDICTIONS
I don’t know
if I’m ready to predict a third straight Pittsburgh-Detroit final series, but
some pundits are already betting the farm on it. Ironically enough, until
somebody knocks one or both of them off, they will serve as my dark horse
picks. Personally, I think the time for a Russian Captain to hoist the Stanley
Cup has come, but that’s just me.
Eastern Conference Champion:
Washington Capitals
Western Conference Champion:
Chicago Blackhawks
Eastern Conference Dark Horse:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference Dark Horse:
Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Champion:
Washington Capitals
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner:
Alex Ovechkin
EASTERN
CONFERENCE
Washington Capitals vs Montreal
Canadiens
Headliner:
History meets mystery, or maybe the other way around. The most explosive team
in hockey meets the most storied franchise in hockey.
Players to watch:
Washington – Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom (if he plays), Jeff Schultz, Mike
Green, Jose Theodore; Montreal – Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez,
Andrei Markov
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Washington – Alex Semin, Mike Knuble; Montreal – Mike Cammalleri, Travis Moen,
Jaroslav Halak
Washington wins if:
They keep doing what they’ve been doing all season, scoring and scoring often.
If Ovechkin gets his way, this series will be short and sweet. Home ice
throughout the playoffs for winning the President’s Trophy can’t hurt either.
Montreal upsets if:
Jaroslav Halak stands on his head and if the team’s top scorers can get to
Theodore. The Habs have a rabid home crowd, they will want to use it to their
advantage.
Prediction:
Capitals in 5
New Jersey Devils vs
Philadelphia Flyers
Headliner:
First playoff meeting since 2004, series won by the Flyers. The Devils will be
looking for some long awaited revenge, best served on ice.
Players to watch:
New Jersey – Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Patrick Elias, Martin Brodeur;
Philadelphia – Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Chris Pronger
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
New Jersey – Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston; Philadelphia – Dan Carcillo,
Claude Giroux
New Jersey wins if:
Kovalchuk produces, Brodeur keeps making the saves as he has throughout his
career.
Philadelphia upsets if:
Pronger leads the blue line charge and Brian Boucher can somehow rekindle past
magic.
Prediction:
Devils in 7
Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins
Headliner:
Anybody else remember the “Mayday” call from 1993? Who will be the hero this
time around?
Players to watch:
Buffalo – Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly; Boston – Patrice Bergeron,
Marco Sturm, Zdeno Chara
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Buffalo – Jochen Hecht, Jason Pominville, Ryan Miller; Boston – David Krejci,
Mark Recchi
Buffalo wins if:
Miller carries over his MVP regular season into the playoffs.
Boston upsets if:
They can shake the inconsistency
monkey off their backs. Chara could learn a thing or two from Chris Pronger.
Prediction:
Sabres in 6
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa
Senators
Headliner:
The rematch Ottawa has been waiting for since the 2008 sweep. The defending
champions go up against a team still searching for their playoff identity.
Players to watch:
Pittsburgh – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury; Ottawa – Daniel
Alfredsson, Mike Fisher, Jason Spezza, Anton Volchenkov
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Pittsburgh – Jordan Staal, Bill Guerin, Tyler Kennedy; Ottawa – Matt Cullen,
Peter Regin, Chris Phillips, Andy Sutton
Pittsburgh wins if:
They use last year’s experience to their advantage and execute their game plan,
which proved successful through 82 games. Repeating as champions is never an
easy feat – just ask Mario Lemieux. This Penguins team still has many of the
tools which made them successful last year, so there’s no question they will be
the team to beat.
Ottawa upsets if:
Brian Elliott gives his team the same goaltending he gave them in the regular
season. At some point the Senators players are going to have to realize the
past is the past, time for them to make their own future. In order to be the
best, first you must beat the best, although I’m still not convinced after all
these years the team buys in. I figure they probably have a better chance
without enigmatic winger Alex Kovalev hogging the puck, but time will tell.
Prediction:
Penguins in 7
WESTERN
CONFERENCE
San Jose Sharks vs Colorado
Avalanche
Headliner:
Do the Sharks finally have what it takes to go all the way? Not if the upstart
Colorado Avalanche can help it.
Players to watch:
San Jose – Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau; Colorado – Paul Stastny,
Chris Stewart, Matt Duchene
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
San Jose - Joe Pavelski, Dan Boyle, Rob Blake; Colorado – Ryan
Wilson, Adam Foote, Milan Hejduk
San Jose wins if:
They can rid themselves of the “Ottawa Senators West” moniker and play like they
are capable of playing. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov can’t just be good enough to win,
he will have to be great. Big Joe must score and be a factor.
Colorado upsets if:
Goaltender Craig Anderson can step up his game. After an outstanding start, the
Avs were in danger of missing the playoffs before putting together a strong run
at the end, capped by a timely (and unlikely) shootout win in Vancouver. There
will be no such margin for error here, especially against this team.
Prediction:
Sharks in 5
Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville
Predators
Headliner:
Offense meets defense, as a city and team on the verge of greatness goes up
against a determined division rival. Many are picking this as their upset. I’m
not so sure.
Players to watch:
Chicago – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith; Nashville – Steve
Sullivan, Patric Hornqvist, J.P. Dumont
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Chicago – Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg; Nashville – Shea Weber,
Martin Erat, Jason Arnott
Chicago wins if:
Antii Niemi really is as good as team management hopes he is (otherwise they
would have traded for a goalie at the deadline). Losing Brian Campbell to
injury will hurt, but only if the team can’t make up for it on the scoreboard.
Nashville upsets if:
They can shut down the explosive attack of the Hawks. The Predators have always
had a defense first philosophy, and they will have to continue to play this way
or else they’ll get blown out. I heard one analyst call Pekka Rinne the best
goaltender in these playoffs, and to beat Chicago, he will have to play like it.
Prediction:
Blackhawks in 6
Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles
Kings
Headliner:
Former Smythe Division foes hook
up for what is certain to be a battle for the ages.
Players to watch:
Vancouver – Daniel & Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler; Los Angeles – Anze
Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Vancouver - Mikael Samuelsson, Pavol Demitra, Roberto Luongo; Los Angeles – Ryan
Smyth, Wayne Simmonds, Michal Handzus
Vancouver wins if:
The Twins produce and Roberto Luongo plays like Roberto Luongo can, Olympics
included. Samuelsson was a great off season addition, and is about to show
everybody why.
Los Angeles upsets if:
The former Edmonton players from the 2006 team get the rest of the team to
believe and buy into the notion that anything can happen. Ryan Smyth, Jarrett
Stoll and Matt Greene have been the underdog before, question is – can they do
it again? I don’t know if Jonathan Quick can equal Luongo save for save, but he
will have to for the Kings to have a prayer. Maybe they can get inspiration
from tape of the Apr 1 game between these two, an 8-3 blowout.
Prediction:
Canucks in 7
Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red
Wings
Headliner:
They don’t serve Octopus in the Desert, do they?
Players to watch:
Phoenix – Shane Doan, Radim
Vrbata, Matthew Lombardi; Detroit – Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas
Lidstrom
Unsung heroes/Difference makers:
Phoenix – Keith Yandle, Ed Jovanovski, Ilya Bryzgalov; Detroit – Brian Rafalski,
Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen; Jimmy Howard
Phoenix wins if:
Bryzgalov plays the way he did over the regular season. If not, the Coyotes
better hope Gary Bettman decides in the 11th hour to decide playoff
games via a shootout. Then, and only then can you include Adrian Aucoin in the
Unsung heroes section.
Detroit upsets if:
Like Pittsburgh, use past experience and execute their game plan. And let’s be
fair, even though this team has played a lot of hockey in recent years, they
still know how to get it done when it counts. If the Red Wings didn’t lose so
many man games to injury over the course of the season, they would probably be
right up there in the Top 3 again. Even though this would be an upset on paper,
it’s the only one I feel safe in predicting.
Prediction:
Red Wings in 6
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