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Another entertaining NHL regular season came to a close on April 10th and hockey fans everywhere—and especially those whose favorite team qualified for the postseason—are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs this Wednesday. The Stanley Cup, a 34 lb. trophy awarded to the tournament champion, is revered among fans and players alike. Professional players make unofficial vows to not even touch it unless they win it.
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| The Stanley Cup https://livewithmyself.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/stanley-cup.jpg |
Frederick Arthur Stanley, later Lord Stanley of Preston
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Stanley,_16th_Earl_of_Derby#Stanley_Cup)
Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers
The Capitals enter the playoffs as the President's Trophy winners having been the best team in the NHL during the regular season. The Capitals boast Alex Ovechkin, the league leader in goals, alongside a formidable offense that includes Evgeny Kusnetsov, Niklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Jason Chimera, and three-time Cup winner Justin Williams. In front of the net the Caps will start Braden Holtby, who tied Martin Brodeur’s regular season record for goalie wins with 48. The Flyers, who struggled over the course of the regular season but played well enough in the final weeks to qualify, feature Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds. The Flyers will look to unsettle the offensive minded Caps with physical play, but they will not have the depth or skill to slow the Capitals. Washington in 5 games.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit Redwings
This series is notable as much for who is in as who is out. The Lighting will be missing leaders Tyler Johnson and Stephen Stamkos which puts amazing pressure on their lineup, or perhaps opens the door for a role player to step up in the intense playoff lime-light. Ben Bishop, the 6’ 7” Tampa Bay goalie, will need to play at an All Star level. The Red Wings, seemingly an aging team that was destined to miss the playoffs for the first time in twenty-five years, silenced critics and made the post-season, although as a lower seed. With former Cup winners Pavel Daytsyuk—in possibly his last season in the NHL—and Henrik Zetterberg, the Wings can draw on their wealth of leadership and experience. The big question is can Detroit's rookie sensation Dylan Larkin continue his charmed All Star campaign into the post-season? This is a tough series to call, but I am going with the experience of the Wings and the injuries of the Bolts resulting in Detroit winning in 6 games.
Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders
The Panthers are surely the surprise of the NHL’s regular season. Led by the ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr, a young offensive core of Jonathan Huberdeau and Alexander Barkov, and sure fire Hall of Fame goalie Roberto Luongo, the Panthers have re-established themselves in the NHL elite. The Islanders, playing their first season in Brooklyn (still on Long Island) are led by the trio of John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Frans Nielsen. The Islanders will get after you with arguably the most physical 4th line in the NHL featuring league hits leader Matt Martin and super pest Cal Clutterbuck. Unfortunately, their starting goalie Jaroslav Halak is injured. The Panthers, who have played solid two-way hockey all year should dispatch the Islanders in 5 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins, despite their expensive acquisition of mercurial winger Phil Kessel in the off-season, fizzled through most of the 2016 campaign. However, despite missing an injured Evgeni Malkin for the last part of the season, the Penguins come roaring into the playoffs as the NHL’s hottest team. The Rangers feature a long list of playoff tested skaters with All Star pedigrees, led by all world goalie Henrik Lundquist. Missing heart and soul captain Ryan McDonagh is going to hurt the Rangers though. Does mid-season trade acquisition Eric Staal have enough left in the tank to win another Cup? Will Rick Nash earn his hefty paycheck with a signature performance against the Penguins? I say no. The Penguins, led by captain Sidney Crosby, are riding high even with significant injuries and should defeat the Rangers team in an entertaining 7 games, if only because Lundquist steals a game or two.
And now the match-ups in the Western Conference:
Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild
Dallas is the first seed in the Western Conference and boasts considerable offensive firepower, led by captain Jaime Benn, Jason Spezza, and offensive-minded defenseman John Klingburg. Second leading scorer on the club, Tyler Seguin, is currently injured, but might be back in time for a second round, should Dallas get there. The Star's offensive juggernaut is ranked first in goals per game and fourth in power play, which will seal the Wild’s doom. The Wild, despite high priced stars like Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, are simply out of their depth against the Stars. With all due respect to the Wild for making the playoffs, I don’t see the Stars losing a game in this series. Only round one sweep goes to Dallas, 4 games to nil.
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks
The Blues and Blackhawks feature two of the best teams in the league facing off in the first round. The Blues are led by goal scoring virtuoso Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny, Alexander Steen, and captain David Backes. Backes suffered an injury at the end of the season, but claims he is ready for the Blackhawks. They will need him, since the Blackhawks are the defending Cup champions, and are led by NHL scoring leader (the first time for an American born player) Patrick Kane, dynamic rookie Artemi Panarin, and always dependable, “Captain Serious” Jonathan Toews. They are however without standout defenseman Duncan Keith for Game 1, due to a suspension late in the regular season. With all the talent the Blues can muster, the Blackhawks will be pushed to Game 7, which will be in St. Louis. Almost a toss-up, but somehow Toews and Kane will find a way, as they’ve done through three Stanley Cup campaigns. Hawks in 7 games over the Blues.
Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators
The Anaheim Ducks stumbled out of the blocks this season but have been the strongest team in the NHL since Christmas. With the archival Kings losing at home 4-3 in overtime against the Winnipeg Jets in their finale, the Ducks seized the opportunity to win the Pacific Division for the fourth consecutive year by winning a makeup game over the Capitals. With the best special team play in the league, ranking first in penalty kill and power play (a feat last achieved by the 1983 Islanders), the Ducks are the clear favorite in this series. Led by longtime Team Canada veterans Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, alongside gritty two-way center Ryan Kesler, the Ducks are primed for a long playoff run. The Predators, led by elite defensemen Shea Weber and Roman Josi and forwards Filip Forsberg and James Neal, will not go quietly, but can’t match the depth of the Ducks. Pekka Rinne, the Predator’s world class goalie, has the talent to win a game on his own, but it won’t be enough. Ducks in 6 games.
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
Last—but not least—we come to the Kings and Sharks. Full disclosure: I am a dyed-in-the-wool Kings fan since 1988, the year the Great One himself was traded to Los Angeles. That being said, I am duty bound to call the series as objectively as I can. The Kings will in 6 games. I’ll explain why. The Sharks, who had a quietly strong regular season, feature a host of gifted forwards in Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Tomas Hertl, as well as All Star defenseman Brent “Chewbacca” Burns. Not to be forgotten, the last time these teams matched up, in 2014, the Sharks held a seemingly insurmountable three games to zero lead, but collapsed over the final four games in one of most epic implosions in NHL playoff history. The Sharks and their raucous fans are eager to avenge that heartbreaking loss. While I expect this series to be the most physical of all the first round match-ups, I believe the Kings' combination of centers Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter are going to ultimately control puck possession in this series, which will be critical. And while I expect each game to be close, with at least two overtime games in the series, I predict the Kings' veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick will provide the “difference maker" saves and carry the Kings to a first round victory in 6 bruising games.
Drop the puck: I'll be back to update this blog-series before the start of Round 2.
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