Well after six months the NHL regular season has come to an end. Now the fun begins this Wednesday when The Stanley Cup Playoffs start.
For the 1st time I can remember all 16 teams in the post-season have a real chance to play in the Stanley Cup Finals but in my mind only six teams have a chance to win the cup.
So who do I like? Each team has a unique characteristic this post-season. So I think the only fair thing to do is breakdown each team from 16 to 1.
Let's start on Broadway.
The Team that Leaves You Wanting More: New York Rangers
The New York Rangers seem to be always one of those teams that no matter who they have on their roster they should always be better than what they are.
This year is no different for the blueshirts. They have a goalie in Henrik Lundqvist that is one of the best in the game and A young core of defenseman that are as good offensively as they are defensively.
Yet their forwards leave you wanting more. Marian Gaborik only scored 22 goals compared to the 42 he scored last season. Brandon Dubinsky lead the Rangers in goals this season with a career high 24 and Ryan Callahan was 2nd on the team with a career high 23 goals.
The defense is good enough to keep the Rangers in most games but Callahan is out with a broken ankle so someone is going to have to pick up the scoring & Lundqvist will have to steal a couple games if the Rangers are to go far in the playoffs.
The Defending Stanley Cup Champions: Chicago Blackhawks
It took 82 games & even then the Blackhawks had to wait to find out if they were in. Thanks to the Minnesota Wild's 5-3 win over Dallas, Chicago will have the chance to defend the Stanley Cup.
Make no mistake, the Blackhawks are still have a lot of talent on their roster but one of the reasons they struggled to make the playoffs is because their role players weren't has good as they were last season.
They still have two talented lines that can score & a blueline that can play with any other team's top lines but for Chicago to advance their 3rd & 4th lines will have to be better than the other teams 3rd & 4th lines.
The Team That Came Out Of Nowhere: Buffalo Sabres
At the All-Star break the Sabres were on the outside looking in at a playoff berth & there was some question as to whether or not they would make it.
Since the break the Sabres went 20-8-5 & clinched the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.
The key to success for Buffalo is goalie Ryan Miller. Miller finished the season with a GAA of 2.59 & a save percentage of .916. What also needs to be taken in consideration is Miller did that with a team that finished 17th in the league in goals against.
While the team defense may have been mediocre all year the Sabres did manage to finish 9th in the league in scoring. That is impressive considering they were with out forward Derek Roy for half the season with a torn quad tendon.
The Sabres are traditionally one of the toughest teams to play against in the playoffs. Throw in the fact they have been playing playoff style hockey since March & this is a dangerous team to face in the 1st round.
I don't think they are good enough to win the Stanley Cup but with Miller in net it wouldn't surprise me if they go far.
The Darkhorse: Los Angeles Kings
I was a little higher on the Kings before they lost Anze Kopitar & Justin Williams for the season due to injuries but there is still a lot about them I do like.
I like the combination of Jonathan Quick & Jonathan Bernier in goal & I like their core of defenseman led by Drew Doughty & Jack Johnson. Both are good enough to keep any team they play against from scoring goals. Up front The Kings still have two good lines that can score goals & play with most playoff teams.
Don't let their seed fool you. This is a good young hockey club that is one of the tougher teams in the Western Conference. I don't think they will win the Stanley Cup but it wouldn't surprise me if they win the Clarence Campbell Bowl & reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Glass Ceiling: Phoenix Coyotes
You know how in life there are some situations where no matter what you do you can't advance any farther than where you are?
Well when it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs the Phoenix Coyotes are one of those teams.
You have to go back to 1987 when they were the Winnipeg Jets to find the last time the Coyotes won a playoff series.
They have made the playoff five times since moving to the desert losing each time in the 1st round with two of the series going seven games.
Their goaltending is good enough to go far in the playoffs & you won't find many teams that are going to outwork the Coyotes on the ice. With all the turmoil off the ice surrounding the franchise this may be the final chance for them to win a series in the desert.
The Napoleon Complex: Montreal Canadiens
I refer to the Canadiens this way because despite their lack of size up front they usually find a way to succeed early in the playoffs before it catches up with them.
They decided to keep Carey Price instead of Jaroslav Halak after last season & Price rewarded them with the best season of his young career winning 38 games with a GAA of 2.35 & a save percentage of .923.
Price will need to be that good in the playoffs as the Canadiens had trouble scoring goals this year averaging 2.6 per game.
Their defense was very good though finishing 8th in the league with 206 goals against. Like last year the Canadiens defense will be what carries them in the playoffs.
Reaching their Potential: Tampa Bay Lightning
The last couple season I have thought the Tampa Bay Lightning were a team that with the talent on their roster was good enough to reach the playoffs.
Instead the Lightning finished 14th & 12th in the Eastern Conference.
This season I thought the Lightning were good enough to clinch the final spot in the East.
The Lightning ended up being one of the best teams in the league spending most of the year on top in the Southeast before being overtaken by Washington.
I watched them last weekend against the Wild & they reminded me of the 2007 Pittsburgh Penguins, a team with a young nucleus of talent that is ready to make an impact in the playoffs.
One main difference is that they still have Vincent Lecavalier & Martin St. Louis both of whom won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004. Those two will be leaned upon heavily for guidance as Tampa makes their 1st playoff appearance since 2007.
The Lightning are a good hockey team. How good are they? We are about to find out.
The Team Nobody Wants to Play: Nashville Predators
The Predators are another team that could qualify for glass ceiling status as they have yet to win a playoff series in franchise history.
However they have a rock solid core of defenseman led by Shea Weber & Ryan Suter. Throw in goaltender Pekka Rinne who is 3rd in the league in Goals Against & 2nd in Save Percentage and you have a team that is very difficult to score against.
Nashville is 21st in the league in goals scored so for the Predators to win in the post-season they can't afford to get in a shootout. If Nashville is to win their 1st ever playoff series it will be because of their defense.
They are good enough to shutdown the top scoring line of any team that they go against. This is the one team in the playoffs I would not want to play.
The One Man Gang: Anaheim Ducks
I describe the Ducks this way because they have been lead this year by the line of Corey Perry (50 G, 48 A) Ryan Getzlaf (19 G, 57 A) & Bobby Ryan (34 G, 37 A). You'll be hard pressed to find a better scoring line in the NHL.
What hurts the Ducks is their defense. They were 20th in the league in goals allowed & 19th on the penalty kill this season. Another concern for Anaheim is goalie Jonas Hiller has missed most of the 2nd half of the season with symptoms of Vertigo leaving Ray Emery & Dan Ellis to share duties in net for the Ducks.
Anaheim has enough scoring to carry them deep in the playoffs. Their defense will determine how far they actually make it.
The Measuring Stick: The Detroit Red Wings
For the last 20 seasons the Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs. In that time they have won four Stanley Cups, made six appearances in the Finals & have made it to the Conference Finals nine times.
What I find amazing is that seven times the team that has eliminated Detroit has gone on to play for the Stanley Cup with four teams winning it.
Well the Wings are back in the post-season once again & while they have a nucleus that knows how to win in the playoffs something seems to be missing this year.
Whether they are lacking that killer instinct they usually have or age is finally starting to catch up with them I don't know. What I do know is that if you are going to come out of the Western Conference chances are you are going to have to go through Detroit.
The Resilient Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
If I told you that the Penguins lost Sidney Crosby to a concussion back in January & Evgeni Malkin to a torn ACL in February how would you say they finished on the season?
You would probably think they finished 7th or 8th in the conference.
Well the Penguins did lose Crosby & Malkin but instead of mailing it in & holding on to a playoff spot the Penguins went 23-13-6 to finish 4th in the East & nearly win the Atlantic Division.
It looks like Crosby will miss the start of the playoffs but Jordan Staal has filled his void at center while trades for James Neal & Alexei Kovalev have filled the void by Malkin's injury.
I keep waiting for injuries to catch up to the Penguins & yet they keep on winning. If/when Crosby returns this team is going to be dangerous.
Looking for Redemption: Boston Bruins
Last May the Bruins lead Philadelphia three games to none in their best of seven series. They failed to win another game becoming the 3rd team in NHL history to lose a series after leading 3-0.
This season the Bruins rebounded to win the Northeast Division for the 2nd time in three seasons.
Of course none of that matters with the playoffs starting but I have to believe the Bruins would love nothingmatters with the playoffs starting but I have to believe the Bruins would love nothing more than to put last season far behind them.
One thing in their favor is their defense. Tim Thomas lead the NHL in goals against (2.00) & save percentage (.938) while the Bruins defense finished 2nd in the league in goals against (2.30)
Defense wasn't the problem last season for Boston, it was their lack of goal scoring. One positive for Boston was Zdeno Chara finished first the league in plus/minus at +33. He will need to find a way to stay on the ice & not in the penalty box for Boston to have success scoring goals.
Even without Marc Savard in the lineup they are healthier & deeper up front than they were last season. scoring should not be an issue this season as the Bruins look to win their 1st stanley cup since 1972.
Yeah, But...: Philadelphia Flyers
Everyone knows how this story goes, Great group of forwards that can score, Solid defense that is tough to score against, this team is good enough to win a Stanley Cup but...
Their goaltending is still a concern.
Last year the Flyers rode the tandem of Michael Leighton & Brian Boucher to Game Six of the Finals. This season they are attempting to do it with Boucher & Sergei Bobrovsky.
For most of the season the Flyers were the best team in the East. That was until they went 7-7-6 from March 1st to the end of the season conceding the top seed in the East to Washington.
In all fairness they played the last month without defenseman Chris Pronger which is like playing with a 2nd goalie on the ice. Pronger should be back for the start of the playoffs.
This is the deepest team in the East & is good enough to win the cup. Their play the last month & their goaltending are enough for them to possibly lose in the 1st round.
Nothing they do would surprise me.
The Tease: San Jose Sharks
For the last five seasons the San Jose Sharks have been a favorite to win the Stanley Cup & every time the have failed to reach The Stanley Cup Finals.
So why is this season any different?
For the 1st time since 1998 they have a goaltender, Antti Niemi, who has already won a Stanley Cup.
But what is more important than that he replaces Evgeni Nabokov who has had decent regular seasons but always seemed to get outplayed by lesser goalies in the playoffs.
Offensively the Sharks were one of the top ranked teams once again finishing 6th in the league in goals for while they finished 10th in the league in goals against.
The acquisition of Ian White before the trade deadline fills a void on defense the Sharks have been looking to fill since Rob Blake retired.
More importantly the Sharks aren't the top team in the West which takes a little pressure off of them at this moment.
The Under the Radar Team: Washington Capitals
Remember last season when the Capitals were an offensive juggernaut and seemed destined to walk through the playoffs & win their 1st Stanley Cup?
Well the Capitals struggled against Montreal in the last three games of their series & ended up losing in the 1st round.
This season the Capitals struggled at times & it looked like they wouldn't even win their division. All the Capitals did was go 16-3-1 since February 26th to not only clinch the Southeast Division but the top seed in the Eastern Conference as well.
What is amazing about this is that the Capitals did it this time with defense instead of offense. Michal Neuvirth took charge in goal winning 27 games & finishing with a GAA of 2.45 & a save percentage of .914.
Even though Neuvirth may be making his 1st appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs he did lead the Capitals AHL affiliate Hershey to back to back Calder Cup wins in 2009 & 2010.
Washington seems to be a more complete team defensively finishing 4th in the NHL in goals against where last year they were 16th in the NHL.
Plus on the ice it looks like Alex Ovechkin is becoming a more complete player instead of just a goal scorer.
If the Capitals can carry this play over to the post-season they just might make their 1st appearance in the finals since 1998.
The Favorite: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have won their 1st President's Trophy in franchise history this season. What that means is the will have home ice throughout the entire playoffs.
Now, I'm aware that winning the President's Trophy doesn't guarantee you success in the playoffs. After all only seven teams have won the Stanley Cup & President's Trophy in the same season with the Detroit Red Wings being the last to do so back in 2008.
What I am aware of is the Canucks have had one of the deepest teams all season. Something that is necessary for a team to have if there are a lot of injuries to overcome.
The Canucks have battled their share of injuries this season and yet they found a way to become the best team in the NHL. Daniel (104 points) & Henrik Sedin (94 points) finished 1st & 4th in the NHL in scoring while Daniel Sedin & Ryan Kesler finished tied for 4th in goals scores with 41 each.
The Canucks seemed to click on all cylinders in hte major team categories this season. They finished 1st in the league in goals for (258), goals against (180) & Power Play % (24.3) and 2nd in Penalty Kill % (85.6)
Yet the one thing that will determine how far they go in the playoffs is the play of Roberto Luongo in net. Luongo won 38 games in 60 appearances with a GAA of 2.11 & a save % of .928. Most importantly the group of defenseman he has in front of him are the best group he has played with in his career.
Make no mistake, this season is the best team the Canucks have ever had & this may be their best chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Those are my rankings of the 16 teams vying for Lord Stanley's Cup. Keep in mind these ranking doesn't mean who I think will win what series. I'll have that for you starting on Wednesday.
Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey
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