The real season gets underway
The Rangers are gunning for another WCHL Cup run.
The 19th edition of the WCHL playoffs are getting underway and for a few teams, they are surprisingly on the outside looking in.
But for others, it marks a return to the playoffs. Just one season after mopping up the basement of the league, teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the limelight, perhaps the frontrunners of the future wave of elite teams in the league. Only time will tell, but in both cities, long suffering fans now have a reason to celebrate, pull their jerseys on and chase dreams of a WCHL Cup.
Will those chases be short or will the magical run of the regular season continue on into the playoffs? Only time will tell, but given the tight races in the regular season and some surprising omissions from the playoffs, odds are if you are just playing the odds on who will win, you won't make much money.
So who will win? Hard to say, but here's my predictions for round one of the WCHL and ACHL playoffs:
WCHL
Western Conference
(1) Edmonton Oilers vs. (8) Arizona Coyotes - The Oilers have been on a great run all season long, wrestling away the Anaheim Ducks hold on the top seed in the Western Conference. They have rattled off wins, at times with ease, over some of the better teams in the league, finally pulling themselves from the grip of being a perennial bubble playoff team. Not only have they claimed top spot in the West, they have established themselves as a legitimate cup contender.
The Coyotes meanwhile needed a bit of magic just to get into the post-season. The 10th seeded squad in the West with one day left in the schedule, and none left for them to play, the Coyotes needed regulation losses by both Los Angeles and Vancouver and somehow they got just that, clinching the final playoff seed in a tiebreaker. Will it be a postponement of the inevitable, or will they take advantage of the second chance?
While Edmonton hasn't really had much to play for in weeks, Arizona knows all about playing on the brink, something that will help them out. That said, Edmonton's been too solid all season to simply bow out now. Prediction: Edmonton in six.
(2) Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars (7) - The Wild has nearly matched the Oilers step for step this season, and they can thank Tyler Bozak. The normally average forward was anything but this season, racking up 34 goals and 88 points to pace the Wild offense. Antti Niemi meanwhile was a rock again for the Wild, rattling off a .925 save percentage while chipping in 44 wins. Bozak may get the glory but Niemi is the real backbone of this club.
Dallas meanwhile has limped along all season despite being without a dedicated GM, the only club in the league to do so. A team more focused on the future than the present, Dallas has managed to cobble together great performances from the likes of Brandon Dubinsky -79 points in 82 games- and Evgeni Nabokov -a 0.923 save percentage. Its great efforts from less than great players that make up this team.
Minnesota should be here, Dallas shouldn't be. However if any team has the spirit to make themselves move on when they shouldn't, it's Dallas. Prediction: Dallas in seven.
(3) St. Louis Blues vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks - The Blues watched last season as they literally handed San Jose the final playoff berth in the West last season, going on a tumble in the final 10 games to fall out of the playoffs and on to the golf course. This year they made sure to not do that, and posted a 101-point season, getting a head early and staying there.
As good as that was, Chicago came from nowhere to get into the post-season. easy pickings last year, the Blackhawks have held on in the playoff hunt all year long this season and they have come away with not only a playoff berth, they just kept getting better down the stretch, going 6-1-3 to hit the playoffs running.
This series will be an interesting one but it figures to have a pair of teams that very well could be non-factors in the post-season based on their history. Or one of these teams could be the darling of the ball. If it's either of them, odds are it is Chicago. Prediction: Chicago in six.
(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. San Jose Sharks - At the start of the season, the Ducks were fresh off of a banner hanging and ready to take a run at becoming the first team ever in WCHL history to win three in a row. By the trade deadline, GM Terry Danton was publicly questioning if they'd even make the playoffs. Anaheim turned it around somewhat after that point and climbed into a home playoff berth for the first round, but it was hardly a great finish for a team full of great players.
San Jose meanwhile overachieved. After mulling the possibility of missing the playoffs so much that San Jose underwent a slight rebuild, dealing the likes of Zach Parise, the Sharks turned around and ended up easily making the playoffs. Oddly, this was in part spearheaded by a 39-year-old Tim Thomas, the starting netminder for San Jose. When you have a leader like Jonathan Toews however, it's hard to be surprised by San Jose's success.
This will be a tight series to call, but for Anaheim it could easily be a whole new season for them. On the other hand, can they really turn it on at the flick of a switch after going through highs and lows all season? Prediction: San Jose in six.
Eastern Conference
(1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Carolina Hurricanes - For those of you getting sick of seeing the Rangers dominate the Eastern Conference, to bad. It's here to stay. The Rangers once again clinched top seed in the conference after falling just short last year. It was again a tight battle, but arguably the greatest WCHL club of the past six seasons could be poised to go on yet another run.
Carolina is aiming to try and stop the Rangers, but it won't be easy. Claiming the eighth seed on their final game of the season, the Canes will need a huge effort from Jimmy Howard, who has played in 73 games for the club, posting a .929 save percentage as he goes.
Carolina will put up a solid fight but this team has largely under-performed all season and it's not likely to change against a high-powered Ranger squad. Prediction: New York in five.
(2) Ottawa Senators vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning - The Senators should be here. Patiently built over the years by GM Noel Moxon, the Senators have been developed to be deep and skilled. Robin Lehner has been nearly lights out and the offense is led by Corey Perry. Plenty of reasons to believe in this team.
Tampa Bay shouldn't be here. The first full year of a retooling effort by incoming GM Jamie Matheson, the Lightning shot out of the gate and held strong to tie down a playoff berth. Steve Mason looked like Dominik Hasek and the offense may not have a big name, but it is well balanced.
So which is better? They say slow and steady wins the race but for Ottawa, the playoffs haven't always been the most fortunate place to be. For Tampa Bay, can this rocket ride continue? There's a very good chance it can. Prediction: Ottawa in seven.
(3) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Columbus Blue Jackets- Is this the year? That's a question Penguins fans have asked themselves repeatedly over the years in Pittsburgh. While the squad has one WCHL Cup to its credit back in Season 12, they have had far more heartbreak. Last season was no exception, reaching the cup final before being dispatched by the Anaheim Ducks. So is this the year?
Columbus meanwhile is already exceeding expectations. Reaching the post-season was a solid goal for the club and the benefits of having Seymon Varlamov in net were well seen for all. Chris Kunitz and Mike Richards paced the offense and the defense is solid but a bit top heavy. There's plenty to like about Columbus overall.
If Columbus can get ahead in the series early, Pittsburgh hasn't shown the ability to dig themselves out of a hole very often. The trick is can they get ahead? Not likely, but they will keep it close. Prediction: Pittsburgh in seven.
(4) Washington Capitals vs. (5) Montreal Canadians - Last seasons top team in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals had a huge swoon to start the season, but got things together and really cruised down the stretch, nearly coming all the way back to take top spot in the conference. Mike Smith was phenomenal, posting a 1.69 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. He's the rock for this team.
In Montreal, the hangman's noose has been put away as the Habs are back in the playoffs after three years on the outside looking in. Montreal separated themselves from the pack mid-way through the season and rattled off a great record for nearly 35 games to easily clinch a playoff berth. Losing seven of their last eight however is causing a bit of caution, but with Henrik Zetterberg, Eric Staal and Viktor Fasth, who has nearly matched Smith's numbers, Les Habitants look to be in good hands.
With two netminders putting up ungodly numbers, it's going to come down to which club can muster up some decent level of offence, and Montreal's top line could be the difference. If so, Montreal wins. If not, it's Capital punishment. Prediction: Montreal in seven.
ACHL
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City vs. (8) Rockford - Oklahoma in six
(2) Toronto vs. (7) San Antonio - San Antonio in five
(3) Chicago vs. (6) Lake Erie - Lake Erie in five
(4) Adirondack vs. (5) Hamilton - Hamilton in six
Eastern Conference
(1) Norfolk vs. (8) Lehigh Valley - Norfolk in seven
(2) Hartford vs (7) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - Hartford in seven
(3) Portland vs (6) Binghampton - Portland in seven
(4) Hershey vs. (5) Worchester - Hershey in seven
