Here we go
In a season which seen some powerful teams on paper struggle on the ice the playoff matchups in the WCHL may appear somewhat unbalanced but it also represents a chance for redemption. For some teams who underachieved but made it, the playoffs represents a chance to truly strut their stuff and show the regular season was a misnomer.
For others however the playoffs poses a chance to get someplace they never have before. While the WCHL is 21 seasons old there has only been 12 different teams to actually claim a WCHL Cup, meaning the majority of the league -and the majority of the teams to make the playoffs- have yet to add a piece of hardware to their trophy cabinets.
Here's a look at how the 1st round might play out:
Western Conference
(1) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche - The Blues have shocked most everyone to sit atop the Western Conference and second in the league with 112 points. St. Louis finished second in the league in goals for and fifth in goals against, and had a goals for/against differential of +51. The Blues can bring it at both ends of the ice.
Colorado is in the midst of what has been a two year slump, struggling to even make the playoffs. But if any line up can knock off a top seed in round one it's Colorado. While the Avs are very talented up front, they also gave up the fewest shots per game this season, showing an ability to shutdown the other team. If they can get the goaltending to go with that defensive effort it could spell success in the first round
Prediction: St. Louis has just been to consistent for to long. Blues in seven games.
(2) Arizona Coyotes vs. (7) Chicago Blackhawks - How does a team finish in the bottom 10 in the league in both shots against and shots for yet still manage a 100 point season? Finishing in the top 10 on both the powerplay and penalty kill is one way and that's what the Coyotes did. They might be beatable five-on-five but they are deadly otherwise.
For Chicago, they may be five seeds lower than Arizona but they only finished the season with three fewer points and one fewer wins, so they definitely can hang with the Coyotes. In a rarely seen stat however the Hawks were the team that had the most shots for and the most shots against. That will likely see the Hawks sink instead of swim at some point.
Prediction: Chicago could win this but they are just to inconsistent to do so. Arizona in six games.
(3) Nashville Predators vs. (6) Dallas Stars- The Predators may have home ice in this series but both the Preds and the Stars finished the season with 103 points, effectively making this series a coin flip. Nashville had a slightly better goals for/against differential but they also were third in goals for and second on the powerplay. They can bring it offensively.
Dallas may not be able to outscore the Preds but Dallas could have the ability to shut them down. Dallas typically controls the flow of play and are among the league leaders in shots for and against. If Zach Parise can keep up his scoring ways and get some help from the secondary options, Dallas can prevail.
Prediction: Despite the closeness in the standings this series likely won't be close at all. Predators in five games.
(4) Edmonton Oilers vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings - The Oilers are coming off strong seasons the past couple of seasons and have forged a solid path as a darkhorse contender. They are again in that seat and will try to make another run at a cup but finishing in the bottom half of the league in goals for and against and possessing the 28th ranked penalty kill isn't the ideal route.
The Kings were the only team in the West to finish with a losing record in regulation time and yet still make the playoffs. Finishing in the bottom third of the league in goals for, goals against and penalty killing is why. The Kings figure to be lucky to even be in the playoffs.
Prediction: The Oilers may just be the least worst of these two. The Oilers in six games.
Eastern Conference
(1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (8) Pittsburgh Penguins - The roles in this series should be flipped based on how each team looks on paper. The Penguins are equipped with a lot of firepower yet have yet it put it all together, something the Lightning have done in spades this season. Tampa Bay not only had a league best 56 wins and 120 points, they topped the charts in goals scored and in powerplay proficiency, while also allowing the second fewest goals per game and taking the least number of penalties. This team has been firing on all cylinders this season.
Pittsburgh finished right behind the Lightning in goals against giving up just five more goals than the Lightning but offensively the Penguins slumped. Despite being led by Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh tumbled to 19th in goals per game while Jonathan Tavares posted just 50 points and Jeff Carter had just 29 despite playing over 20 minutes per game. If those offensive guns can start firing the Penguins could pull off an upset.
Prediction: Don't expect Pittsburgh to suddenly get it. Tampa Bay in six games.
(2) New York Rangers vs (7) Detroit Red Wings - The Rangers are trying to get back to the top of the mountain and they will have to go through the defending cup champion to do so. For New York it's simple; keep doing what you have been doing all season long. The Rangers finished the season as the only team in the league to give up less than two goals per game and have a penalty kill kill rate of over 85 per cent.
Detroit is simply the team that does what it shouldn't. Last season they went from being dead last to winning it all and while this year can't be more dramatic the Red Wings also want to prove it wasn't a fluke either. The Wings rank fourth in goals against average and on the penalty kill so they have the defensive talents to keep up with the Rangers.
Prediction: It's hard to bet against the Red Wings but the run has to end eventually. New York Rangers in seven games.
(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Buffalo Sabres - Not only is this a classic Adams Division show down that played out every year in the old NHL, this is also a battle of brothers as the Khera clan bragging rights are on the line. Boston held the upper hand in the regular season, albeit barely, and hope to capitalize on their balanced attack to do so.
Buffalo meanwhile is actually only finished one point behind the Bruins in the regular season and have some strengths to lean on in their effort to claim those bragging rights. Those include the conferences best faceoff percentage and top five rankings in both special teams situations.
Prediction: This will be close but Buffalo is doing the little things right. Buffalo in six games.
(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers- The Flyers didn't have a GM for most of the season and New Jersey is currently without one at all so it may be surprising these two teams are even in the post-season. But here they are and one will see the second round. Only one point separate these two teams and the edge went to New Jersey who rode a fourth ranked powerplay to a 101 point season.
The Flyers hope to see their first successful post-season run in their first playoff since the departure of original GM Doug Van Strepen. They'll be in tough against the Devils and have to look to find a way to take a squad which was middle of the pack in the regular season and put them on top of the heap in the post-season.
Prediction: New Jersey moves on in this one. Devils in six games.
ACHL
Eastern Conference
(1) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (8) Worchester Sharks - Wilkes/Barre-Scranton in five games.
(2) Hartford Wolfpack vs. (7) Manchester Monarchs - Hartford in six games.
(3) Hershey Bears vs. (6) Norfolk Admirals - Hershey in five games.
(4) Syracuse Crunch vs. (5) Portland Pirates - Portland in five games.
Western Conference
(1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (8) Lake Erie Monsters - Lake Erie in seven games.
(2) Texas Stars vs. (7) Chicago Wolves - Texas in six games.
(3) Olkahoma City Barons vs. Adirondack Flames - Adirondack in six games.
(4) Toronto Marlies vs. (5) San Antonio Rampage - Toronto in seven games.
