King of the hill battle begins
After a lengthy regular season that seen scoring records set and teams running up victories like laps at a Nascar race, it's time to see how the best stack up against the best as the top 16 teams get set to do battle in the opening round of the post-season.
Will it be another year of the regular faces making it into the later rounds, or is this the year when a fresh team makes a push, like the newly crowned Eastern Conference champions, the Washington Capitals?
This is why games aren't played on paper.
Below are my predictions for the opening eight series of round one:
Western Conference
(1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (8) San Jose Sharks- Usually the seeding is different, as the normally dominate Sharks are more familiar holding down top spot in the conference. But times have been tough for the once mighty fins, as they barely squeaked into the playoffs and needed help from the St. Louis Blues to even get into the dance. Their reward? Facing the Anaheim Ducks, who had an undefeated streak to start the season which lasted longer than a Kardashian marriage.
The Sharks have plenty of weapons to use, including Jonathan Toews, Zdeno Chara and Pekka Rinne, so they shouldn't be a total pushover here and likely shows they under-achieved in the regular season. They could be a good challenge to the Ducks and are likely the best eighth seed to play in the post-season in some time.
For Anaheim though, they are far deeper and more successful in recent years than San Jose. A pair of back-to-back Stanley Cup trips shows that and the Ducks were able to clinch it all last year, knocking off the two time champion New York Rangers in the process. This club is battle-tested and rock solid from the net to the water boy.
Prediction: While the games might not be blowouts, unless Rinne steals some games and Jonathan Toews turns into Mark Messier this series won't last long. Anaheim in five games.
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers are back into the playoffs after a string of up and down seasons made repeat playoff berths a challenge. The club is a very cohesive group, as General Manager Keith Foster is not one to tinker much. The duo of Brad Richards and Jason Pominville again proved to be the cornerstones for the club; however the always quirky Ilya Bryzgalov in net was less than spectacular.
Colorado meanwhile is aiming to get back to the cup finals, where they had started to become a staple for a few years. One of only five different teams to win the WCHL Cup in the last eight seasons, the Avalanche also won back-to-back crowns before the Rangers did and they bolstered their ranks heavily this season in an effort to return to the finals, picking up Marian Hossa and Martin St. Louis at the start of the season. Both players gave immediate dividends, each netting 50 goals to pace the Avalanche attack.
Prediction: While Edmonton might be able to go toe to toe offensive with Colorado, they need a huge improvement in net or this will be a short series. Colorado in four games.
(3) Calgary Flames vs. (6) Nashville Predators - Last year the Nashville Predators caught the hockey world by surprise, nearly winning the President's Trophy before finally finishing fourth overall in points and getting the second seed in the playoffs. Their opponent? The Calgary Flames, who after a weak regular season came alive in the playoffs, knocking off the Predators in the opening round.
Now the tables have switched and it is the Flames who open at hope and the Predators who are seeking to be a spoiler. This won't be easy as the Flames are staked to their eyeballs in talent, including five 100-point scorers. Leading the way in that category is Steven Stamkos, who set a new WCHL record with 93 goals and 188 points, approaching Wayne Gretzky territory with his outburst.
The Predators counter with solid team, but one which is far more reliant on its netminder Jonathan Quick. Quick looked average speed in the regular season, picking up just a .890 save percentage, a big reason the Predators fell in the standings.
Prediction: If Quick plays like Quick, the Predators can win this one, however he hasn't shown it all season so odds are he won't against Calgary who will rain pucks on him left and right. Calgary in six games.
(4) Minnesota Wild vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings - The Kings are a piece or two away from being right up there with the big boys. Icing an offense that includes Thomas Vanek, Blake Wheeler and James Neal, the club can skate three lines, each with a 50 goal threat. Sergei Bobrovsky is in net, giving them a talent piece between the pipes as well. Where they are thin in on defense where a mobile but rather bland core group hopes to just get through.
In Minnesota meanwhile it is a different story. While Tyler Bozak did his best Mario Lemieux impersonation this season, rattling off 52 goals and 127 points, the club overall is more reliant on a team effort to get things done and needs blueliners like Christian Ehrhoff and Jay Bouwmeester to get things done.
Prediction: This should be a close series but if Bobrovsky can steal one game the offense should do the rest. Los Angeles Kings in six games.
Eastern Conference
(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) New Jersey Devils - After a few years of adding pieces it finally all came together for the Capitals this year, as they broke through the choke hold the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins have had on the conference title to claim first in the east. With six players scoring at a point per game or greater, the Capitals can run and gun with anyone and they will need to in order to do well in the playoffs in a tough Eastern Conference.
The Devils on the other hand were able to narrowly get into the playoffs and will now be tasked with giving the talented but unproven Capitals a run for their money. With Pavel Datsyuk and David Perron each picking up 100 point seasons, the Devils have some weapons to use.
Prediction: It won't be an easy series for the Capitals but they should be able to move on past the Devils. Washington in six games.
(2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers - There are only a handful of players in the league where you can honestly say they alone can carry a club, and Toronto has one of them in Evgeni Malkin. The beast of a man scored 55 goals and 138 points to push the Maple Leaf attack, which also featured another 50 goal guy in Chris Kunitz. Arguably the team which benefited the most from last season's rollbacks, the Leafs have squeezed the most out of their team and landed a divisional title out of it in the process. The Leafs could make some noise this post-season.
They face the Flyers who have a lot of younger faces to work with and when it comes to pure talent they may be one of the best in the league on paper. Proven talent is another story however and greenhorns like Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad will be expected to elevate their game to lift the team to greater things.
Prediction: The Flyers won't roll over and go away but Toronto one-two punch of Malkin and Kunitz have unreal chemistry and might be too much to handle. Toronto in seven games.
(3) New York Rangers vs. (6) New York Islanders - A regular battle, albeit usually not until the second round, the Rangers and Islanders are always a good matchup. The rangers have been getting the best of the Islanders in recent years however so the Islanders will be expected huge contributions from Phil Kessel, Nicklas Backstrom, Carey Price and the rest of their veteran but still surprisingly young core.
The Rangers meanwhile are easily the most tested playoff club in the past five years, making the WCHL Cup finals three straight years and aiming for a fourth. Expect the Rangers to once again rely on Henrik Lundqvist and Anze Kopitar to pace them to a conference title run.
Prediction: Again it will be a tough battle but again the Rangers will prevail. New York Rangers in six games.
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators - It's odd to see the Penguins so low in the standings, and even more odd considering they actually had a great year, rattling off 123 points and 58 wins. The seeding could be a blessing though, as they won't be given easy fodder to feast on in the first round and instead will need to work to get their wins early.
Those wins will have to come over the Ottawa Senators, who are a team which is the sum of its parts. While they do have an offense that is led by Corey Perry, the Senators continue to be a club more focused on success through a team plan and good netminding, and they will need that to beat the high-flying Penguins.
Predictions: The Senators won't be blown away but they are still a few pieces away from long-term playoff success. Pittsburgh in five games.
ACHL
Western Conference
(1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (8) Worchester Sharks - Abbotsford in five games
(2) Norfolk Admirals vs. (7) Chicago Wolves - Norfolk in six games
(3) Oklahoma City Barons vs. (6) Grand Rapids Griffins - Oklahoma in six games
(4) Lake Erie Monsters vs. (5) Rockford IceHogs - Lake Erie in seven games
Eastern Conference
(1) Hershey Bears vs. Syracuse Crunch - Hershey Bears in seven games
(2) Hartford Wolfpack vs. (7) Adirondack Phantoms - Hartford in six games
(3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (6) Binghamton Senators - Wilkes-Barre Scranton in six games
(4) St. John's IceCaps vs. (5) Hamilton Bulldogs - Hamilton in five games
