Before we preview tonight's games. On Monday I ranked the playoff teams that I thought had the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. In the finals I'm picking San Jose over Washington to win the cup but as we know every spring there are upsets.
So which teams will fall in the 1st round & which ones will survive? Let's start with the games tonight.
5. Tampa Bay vs. 4. Pittsburgh
Season series: 2-2.
Why Tampa will win:
The last couple seasons the Lightning had the talent to make the playoffs but not the confidence. That has changed this season under new ownership & the guidance of GM Steve Yzerman & coach Guy Boucher.
With Crosby & Malkin out of the lineup, the Lightning are the better team offensively.Steven Stamkos was 2nd in the NHL with 45 goals & Martin St. Louis lead the Lightning in points with 99. Add in Vincent Lecavalier (25G, 29A) Ryan Malone (14G, 24A) & Steve Downie (10G, 22A) & you have two good lines that are a threat to score whenever they are on the ice.
Dwayne Roloson filled a huge hole at goalie finishing the season with a GAA on 2.56 & a save percentage of .912 He done well in the playoffs during stints with Buffalo, Minnesota & Edmonton & is capable of stealing a series.
Why Pittsburgh will win:
Despite injuries to Crosby & Malkin the Penguins thrived finishing 4th in the East & nearly winning the Atlantic Division.
The main reason was the play of Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. He had an MVP type season finishing with GAA of 2.32 & a save percentage of .918.
Another important factor is the play of Kris Letang & Brooks Orpik on defense. Their main role will be to contain the combo of Stamkos & St. Louis when they are on the ice.
Jordan Staal has proven is worth as a number one center filling in for Crosby on the top line. Staal scored 11 goals, 19 assists & was a +7 on the ice going against the top lines of Penguins opponents.
Dan Bylsma has done a great job with this roster adapting to all the injuries the Penguins have had. He should be able to match-up his lines & counter what Guy Boucher does with Tampa.
Prediction: Pittsburgh has been resilient all season. They have found away to overcome every obstacle they have faced. I think Tampa is a good hockey team but I think they are still learning how to win.
Penguins in six.
8. New York vs. 1. Washington
Season series: 3-1 New York.
Why New York will win:
The Rangers played well on the road this season going 24-16-1 they have thrived on adversity this season & their young players have started to finally come of age. One of the reasons was the play of Henrik Lundqvist in goal.
Lundqvist lead the NHL with 11 shutouts on the season & gave his team a chance to win most nights. He'll need to do so again with the Rangers scoring woes up front.
Marian Gaborik had an off-season for him only scoring 22 goals & Ryan Callahan (23G, 25A) is out of the lineup with a broken ankle. The Rangers did receive some good news with the return of Chris Drury to the lineup. Drury has been a proven winner wherever he has played & will be counted on to lead a young squad in the playoffs.
Why Washington will win:
For a team has the ability to score goals, they have played more conservatively this season finishing fourth in the league in goals against. Alex Ovechkin finished with the lowest goal total of his career scoring 32 goals on the season.
Don't let the stats fool you, lead by Ovechkin, Alexander Semin (26G, 24A) Nicklas Backstrom (18G, 47A) the Capitals are a threat to score at anytime on the ice.
Michal Neuvirth gets a chance to be the man in goal for the Capitals. In 48 games Neuvirth finished with a GAA of 2.45 & a save percentage of .914. He has never played in the Stanley Cup playoffs but he has won two Calder cups with the Hershey Bears in the AHL.
Prediction: The Capitals were the hottest team in the NHL finishing 16-3-1 in overtaking Philadelphia for the top spot in the East. That trend will continue into the playoffs defeating a Rangers team that has trouble scoring goals.
Capitals in five
6. Phoenix vs. 3. Detroit
Season series: 2-1-1 Detroit.
Why Phoenix will win:
Last season, it took the Red Wings seven games to defeat Phoenix. The Coyotes know they can play with the Wings & have to like the fact they get another shot at Detroit.
With Ilya Bryzgalov in net Phoenix has an advantage over the Wings in goal and their defense seems to be surrendering fewer scoring chances. Factor in Detroit's struggles down the stretch & Phoenix feels it can win it's 1st playoff series since 1987 when they were in Winnipeg.
Why Detroit will win:
The Red Wings are loaded with talent up front while The Coyotes don't have a superstar scorer. Detroit's power play is ranked 5th in the NHL and is going against the Coyotes 26th ranked penalty killing. While Phoenix does have a good group of defenseman none of them compare to Nicklas Lidstrom, who is the closest thing to Bobby Orr the NHL has seen since Orr retired.
Prediction: Detroit did struggle at times down the stretch but this is a veteran team that know what it takes to win in the playoffs. I think Phoenix is the best match-up for them. The Coyotes will challenge them but Detroit will win the series.
Red Wings in seven
8. Chicago vs. 1. Vancouver
Season series: 2-2.
Why Chicago will win:
Because they have beat Vancouver in the playoffs the last two seasons. Yes I am aware that both teams are different compared to previous meetings but a lot of the key players are still in place.
It will be up to Duncan Keith & Brent Seabrook to contain the Sedin twins when they are on the ice. Chicago will have an edge there when they play at the United Center. What will be interesting to see is how Alain Vigneault & Joel Quennville handle the match-ups when their respective clubs don't have the final change.
The Blackhawks may not be as deep as they have been in previous seasons but their best players are still on the club. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa & Patrick Sharp are all threats to score whenever they have the puck. Chicago's depth isn't as good as Vancouver's but their top two lines match-up well.
Why Vancouver will win:
Simply put the Canucks are the deepest team in the NHL. They added a puck moving defenseman in Keith Ballard in the off-season which made them more mobile & they added Dan Hamhuis from Nashville which made them more aggressive on the blueline.
Up front Henrik Sedin (19G, 75A) picked up right where he lead off last season when he won the Hart Trophy while his brother Daniel had an MVP season of is own leading the NHL in scoring with 104 points. (41G, 63A)
Also up front the Canucks have Ryan Kesler (41G, 32A), who I think is the best two way forward in the NHL. I believe Kesler may be more important to his team than any other player in the NHL.
Roberto Luongo is well rested going into this series playing only 60 games in goal this season finishing with a GAA of 2.11 & a save percentage of .928. His Backup Cory Schneider played in 25 games finishing with a GAA of 2.23 & a save percentage of .929. Either one gives the Canucks an edge over Corey Crawford of Chicago who has only 16 minutes of experience in the Stanley Cup.
Prediction: A lot of people are picking Chicago to pull the upset on Vancouver because of what happened the last two seasons. While you can't argue with history you also have to overcome your playoff demons if you want to take that next step. I believe that is what Vancouver does here.
Canucks in six.
5. Nashville vs. 4. Anaheim
Season series: 3-1 Nashville.
Why Nashville will win:
The Tandem of Ryan Suter & Shea Weber might be the best pairing in the NHL. Because they play in Nashville most people aren't aware of it. Those two along with Pekka Rinne in goal is enough to contain the Ducks top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry & Bobby Ryan.
What Nashville needs is one of their forwards to step up offensively. The two times I saw Anaheim in person I was not impressed with the play of their defenseman. Factor in the problems the Ducks have had in goal since Jonas Hiller came down with vertigo like symptoms & The Predators should be able score goals.
Why Anaheim will win:
The Ducks have the best top line in the NHL right now. Corey Perry lead the NHL in goals with 50 while Ryan & Getzlaf each added 19 & 34 respectively. However the Ducks have more than one line that can score.
Teemu Selanne had 31 goals on the 2nd line season which is the most he has scored since 06-07 when he had 48. Jason Blake (16G) & Saku Koivu (15G) make up the rest of the 2nd line.
For as bad as I think Anaheim is on the blueline from a defensive standpoint they are pretty good offensively.
Lubomir Visnovsky scored 18 goals to lead all Anaheim defenseman and might be playing the best hockey of his career. His puck-moving ability adds more danger when the top line is on the ice.
The play of Toni Lydman on the blueline has help to solidify the offense & Cam Fowler is developing into the next top offensive defenseman everyone thought he would be when he was drafted.
Prediction: What you have here is two teams who each do one thing remarkably well. Is Anaheim's offense enough to win the series or can the Predators defense carry Nashville to their 1st ever playoff series win.
I kept saying all year that Nashville was the one team nobody wanted to see in the 1st round. The Ducks are going to find out why.
Predators in 6.
I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of the other three playoff series. Until then thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
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