The Boston Bruins may not be contending for the Cup this season, but the glory they acheived in Season 4 is the goal of every team still playing.
With the playoffs set to begin, the pressure will be on a few teams to make big runs again this post-season.
Naturally, the Colorado Avalanche will be faced with the task of trying to defend their title, something that has only happened once in WCHL history. Other teams will be tasked as well with trying to put together successful playoff drives, such as the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames and of course, those Sharks.
Who will emerge as Season 14 WCHL champions? We are a long way from finding that out, but this first round will go a long way in separating the pretenders from the contenders.
The following is my predictions for each of the eight-playoff series in the WCHL, as well as brief predictions for the ACHL.
Western Conference
(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Columbus Blue Jackets- The Sharks clinched top seed in the Western Conference on the final day of the season, and for that effort they will face a team who has never made the playoffs before in the WCHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
What the Blue Jackets will bring is a completely unknown entity, given that they've never been in this place before. They could wilt under the pressure, or look at it from the other direction, that of the mindset that they aren't facing any pressure at all given the season is already a success for just having got this far.
San Jose meanwhile needs to get back on track. After several seasons of at least reaching the third round, the Sharks have had some difficulties in recent years. They will be eager to prove they aren't just a great regular season team these days.
The Sharks can either make quick work of the Blue Jackets, or they can allow them to hang around. Given the talent differential, there's no reason the Sharks can't roll over Columbus, but they still have to put in the work. Prediction: San Jose in four games.
(2) Calgary Flames vs. (7) St. Louis Blues- After going out and landing the biggest fish in the off-season in Marian Gaborik, the sniper is now faced with tangling with the team he won a WCHL championship with.
While Gaborik came to the Blues from the Boston Bruins, he was with the Flames for several seasons before that, including being part of their Season 11 championship season. Gaborik was one of three 40-goal scorers for the Blues, joining Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth and will need to carry that success forward into this series.
If there's one thing the Flames have, it is firepower. Four players scored at least 40 goals and 100 points, including two 50 goals scorers in Daniel Briere and Steven Stamkos, the latter of which scored 62 goals this season. A total of five players finished with a plus-minus of plus-60 or higher, showing the Flames can make things work at both ends of the ice.
The Flames have struggled in the past two playoffs after winning it all in Season 11. If they can find their groove, they should win it all, but that's not a guarantee against the newly revitalized Blues. Prediction: Calgary in six games.
(3) Anaheim Ducks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings- The battle of California is back, but for the first time it will include the Kings and Ducks, two teams they haven't met in the post-season before.
For the Ducks, this could be the final season of viewing them as a cup favorite. After a mid-season deal that seen Sidney Crosby heading to Pittsburgh, the Ducks struggled, falling well back of the Flames and Sharks. Their reward is facing a Kings team that is trying to redeem themselves after finishing well out of the playoffs last year.
To that extent, the Kings landed Tim Thomas at the trade deadline in what could go down as the best trade of the deadline. Thomas is 15-2 since the deal as a King and could be the catalyst to carry the Kings out of the first round.
If the Ducks don't get production from their big guns and can't settle down Evgeni Malkin from LA, it could prove to be the capper on what was at one time looking like a great season for Anaheim. Los Angeles in six games.
(4) Colorado Avalanche vs. (5) Vancouver Canucks- It's the same story for the Avalanche that dogged past WCHL Cup champions; will they repeat? Outside of the San Jose Sharks- back in Season 3- no WCHL champion has repeated the following year. Pittsburgh came close last year, but lost in the third round. Colorado is just eager to get past round one against what looks to be a very sound opponent.
The fans in Vancouver must still be pinching themselves. After watching their team slump to a 33-point season, the Vancouver Canucks relocated to Winnipeg, only to be replaced by, the Vancouver Canucks. Well, sort of. Rather, it was the Atlanta Thrashers old club coming to Vancouver, immediately stocking Vancouver with a cup caliber roster in the process. Now, instead of looking forward to the draft, like Winnipeg fans are, the Canucks faithful is hoping for a lengthy playoff run.
This will be a good test for the Avalanche, but it won't be easy. Even if they get out of the first round, expect them to have to pay for that right, as Vancouver won't go down quietly. Prediction: Colorado in seven games.
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Ottawa Senators- This would be the David and Goliath series of round one, as the Senators, just happy to be in the playoffs, face the Penguins, who have made the final four the past two seasons, including winning it all in Season 12.
Ottawa will need a big series from Dan Boyle and Cory Schneider in order to make any inroads against the Penguins. Schneider has incredible upside, but it may be a year or two to early to expect a huge upset out of him just yet. Boyle may be the teams leading scorer, but he'll need to more than just put the team on his back to slow down the Penguins juggernaut.
Pittsburgh was once viewed as a playoff underachiever, but no more. With six series wins in the past two years, the best record in the regular season, including a league high 65 wins, and entering the playoffs with 13 straight wins, the Penguins could be unstoppable for Ottawa. With six players with at least 90 points, Pittsburgh's offense is well balanced and deep, and is backed by a mobile blueline.
This series will be a great learning experience for Ottawa, and could very well prove to be the foundation for a playoff run of their own down the road. But right now, this could also be a really fast series, filled with lopsided scores if Schneider isn't up to the task. Prediction: Pittsburgh in four games.
(2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres- While the seedings may be far apart, the two teams only finished seven points apart in the regular season. It's a rebound year for both clubs who missed the post-season last year.
But these Buffalo Sabres aren't the same ones who played most of the season. A series of deals late in the season seen Buffalo land Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Pavelski and Joffrey Lupul, loading up on offensive depth for the playoffs.
Carolina meanwhile had some very good numbers offensively, but they will fall back on star netminder Roberto Luongo in the playoffs. Luongo already has one WCHL Cup ring, back in Season 9 with the Dallas Stars and he'd love to add another one. A well-balanced offense that lacks a real star will need to eek out a lot of 4-3 and 3-2 wins in the playoffs.
If Buffalo's new star power shines, they could win this series quickly, but slow and steady often wins the race. That said, expect Buffalo to steal a win from Luongo and win a close series. Prediction: Buffalo in seven games.
(3) New York Rangers vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers- Someone will skate away unhappy from this series, more than most. For two teams who have enjoyed a lengthy run as premier teams in the WCHL, one will be guaranteed another season of disappointment by the end of this series.
It could be the biggest post-season to date for the Flyers. After almost missing the playoffs last year and falling to land home-ice advantage this season, it has been openly discussed whether or not the club elects to blow things up if they struggle in these playoffs. A first round failure, especially a quick one, could be the catalyst for a lot of big moves from Philadelphia.
That's not expected to be the case for the Rangers, but they are just as eager to finally win that WCHL Cup. After reaching the finals in Season 11, the Rangers have taken a step back in the years since, and will be eager to prove they haven't lost a step in the East.
In what should be a very spirited battle, the team with the best balance of scoring and goaltending should win out. That figures to be the Rangers. Prediction: New York Rangers in six games.
(4) Montreal Canadiens vs. (5) New York Islanders- This could easily be the best series of the first round. Separated by just one point this season, the Islanders will be panting at the chance to get back to the WCHL Cup finals, while the Habs will want to show that their efforts to load up this season were not in vain.
Montreal made a huge splash early in the season, landing Kevin Bieska from the Nashville Predators and has gone on to post 112 points and earn home ice advantage in the first round. With three 100-point scorers, a very mobile defense and an emerging great netminder in Jonathan Quick, Montréal has all the right pieces to go for a lengthy run.
To do so, they'll need to get through the Islanders, who have posted another good series despite leaving great players like Phil Kessel and Erik Karlsson in the minors all year. Corey Perry and Jarome Iginla posted 50-plusgoal seasons and were joined by Brad Richards in netting over 100 points, so from a firepower perspective the teams are at least evenly matched. Carey Price figures to have the task of shutting down his former team.
In what should be an exciting series, the games should be both close and exciting. Despite some world-class talent in net, expect a few high scores and a close series. Prediction: New York Islanders in seven games.
ACHL Predictions:
Western Conference
(1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (8) Lake Erie Monsters: Abbotsford in five games.
(2) Chicago Wolves vs. (7) Worchester Sharks: Worchester in six games.
(3) Oklahoma City Barons vs. (6) Springfield Falcons: Springfield in seven games.
(4) Milwaukee Admirals vs. (5) Peoria Rivermen: Milwaukee in five games.
Eastern Conference
(1) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (8) Adirondack Phantoms: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in four games.
(2) St. John's Icecaps vs. (7) Toronto Marlies: St. John's in six games.
(3) Conneticut Whale vs. (6) Norfolk Admirals: Conneticut in five games.
(4) Albany Devils vs. (5) Bridgeport Sound Tigers: Bridgeport in six games.
