Playoffs are here!

April 10, 2007 – 6:25 pm

Well, it’s one of the most exciting times of the sports year, as baseball is starting up, and the NHL Playoffs are about to begin. (The NBA Playoffs are about to start for you basketball fans out there). Anyhow, the NHL Playoffs, to me, are about as exciting as any sports time, even if the market for the NHL is nowhere near where it used to be. (Meaning, if the NHL holds a playoff and no one watches it, did it really happen?) That being said, I think the people that watch the NBA over the NHL do not realize the excitement that hockey brings to the table. But, that’s not what this article is about….

IT’S PREDICTION TIME ONCE AGAIN! Back from vacation and my MLB predictions, to bring you my outlook at the upcoming fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Let’s jump right into the Western Conference:

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs #8 Calgary Flames:

Could the Flames write the same tale their rival Edmonton Oilers wrote last year, and make a run to the Stanley Cup Finals? Well, stranger things could happen, as the pieces are in place for the Flames, with star power in net (Miikka Kiprusoff), on defense (Dion Phaneuf, Roman Hamrlik & Robyn Regehr), not to mention the likes of Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, Daymond Langkow and Kristian Huselius up front. Remember, the Flames are only two seasons removed from a run to the Stanley Cup finals themselves. So, it would not be too hard to fathom the Flames putting a run together. That being said, the Detroit Red Wings are running a finely polished machine. C Pavel Datsyuk leads the offensive charge, with help from veterans like Robert Lang, Henrik Zetteburg (will he be healthy?), Tomas Holmstrom, and recent acquisition Todd Bertuzzi. It still seems very odd without Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan leading the way, but the salary cap and age have broken apart some of the old regime in Detroit. The defense is led by the “ancient” triumverate of Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mathieu Schneider. The acquisition of Danny Markov has bolstered the defense, giving them another offensive option from the blueline. As long as Dominik Hasek is able to stay healthy between the pipes, it’s hard to see the Red Wings falling, but this first round will not be easy by any means. I am very tempted to pick the upset here, but instead I’ll have it…. RED WINGS IN 7

#2 Anaheim Ducks vs #7 Minnesota Wild:

You wouldn’t think a team with 104 points would only garner a 7th seed, but that is the case with the Minnesota Wild this year. After posting an impressive 48-26-8 record, the Wild get a tough draw, facing the Anaheim Ducks in round 1. Led by rookie goaltender Niklas Backstrom (taking over for the injured Manny Fernandez), the Wild finished very strongly. They have more offense then they’ve had in the past, led by forwards Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra and Marion Gaborik. The Wild had five 20-goal scorers (plus 19 from Mark Parrish). Kim Johnsson leads the defensive corps that is mostly solid in their own end, but doesn’t offer much production wise offensively. In fact, they only had 22 goals scored by their defensive corps the entire regular season. (That being said, watch them get 10 from their defense in the first round here)

As for the Ducks, they are led by the two titans on defense, in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, both of whom rank in the top 5 of all defensemen in the NHL today. After losing in the conference finals last year, the Ducks kept most of their nucleus together and added Pronger, which just gives them two defensemen that seemingly never leave the ice. You may be hard pressed to find much time in any playoff game, where at least one of them isn’t on the ice in a close game. It is reminiscent of the 2001 Colorado Avalanche, who paired Ray Bourque with Rob Blake, seemingly the entire game. Before you forget about the forwards, remember that Teemu Selanne appeared to find the fountain of youth this season, posting 48 goals. There also is Andy McDonald, Chris Kuntiz, and Dustin Penner there, all of whom have the ability to put the puck in the net. The question is which goaltender will take the brunt of the work? Both Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003 Conn Smythe Winner - Playoff MVP) and Ilya Bryzgalov have had playoff success, so you would think they can do no wrong with whichever one they select. The Ducks are going to be a tough team to beat, as Scott Niedermayer can simply take over a game almost seemingly at will. In the end, I have to go with the best player, although picking against Coach Jacques Lemaire of the Wild is not an easy thing to do… DUCKS in 6

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 Dallas Stars:

Here is another interesting Western Conference Matchup, pitting the Canucks of Vancouver against the Stars of Dallas. The question that jumps out to anyone with hockey knowledge is, how will Dallas goaltender Marty Turco perform? He’s starting to build the nasty ARod type reputation of being a great regular season player, but folding like a tent come playoff time. While Turco had another incredible regular season (2.23 GAA, 6 shutouts), it will all mean nothing if he doesn’t peform when it counts most. His playoff record of 8-14 is a big concern. The fate of the Stars will also rely on Turco significantly more than in years past, because the offensive depth is not the same as it was in the magical years of 1999-2000. Mike Modano is no longer the same player he was back then, and gone are the likes of Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyk and others. Now, the Stars rely on players like Ladislav Nagy, Mike Ribeiro and Jussi Jokinen. The Stars only had 20-goal scorers on the season, so they must get production from a variety of different sources, and will count on Mike Modano to step up and lead the team offensively. The defense is very solid, led by Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor. The Stars are a team that are certainly capable of defeating a Vancouver team that has it’s own set of question marks.

The biggest addition to the Canucks this season was the acquisition of goaltender Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers. The stronger Canucks teams of the past fell short of their goals, mostly becuase of subpar goaltending. While he has yet to taste playoff hockey (thanks to playing for terrible Panthers teams), Luongo has succeeded in the International competitions, playing for Team Canada. Anyone who doesn’t think playing for Team Canada isn’t a pressure packed situation, should pay closer attention next Olympics, come 2010. Luongo had a magical regular season statistics wise, posting 47 wins (tied the old record by Bernie Parent in 1974), and posting a 2.29 GAA. Along with Martin Brodeur, Luongo is expected to finish 1-2 in the Vezina Trophy balloting announced at year’s end. The offense is led by the Sedin twins (Henrik and Daniel), who have finally broken through with the success expected of them. Add in the talented Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, Bryan Smolinski, and you have a lot to work with up front. The backline misses Ed Jovanovski, but still has solid performers in Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Sammi Salo, Brent Sopel, and youngsters like Kevin Bieksa and Lukas Krajicek. The Canucks have real potential here to go far, as long as Luongo plays as well as expected. You have to get the impression Dallas is on its way down and not up, and thus the pick is…CANUCKS IN 5

#4 Nashville Predators vs #5 San Jose Sharks:

This is a battle of two strong looking teams, both of which might take out a lot of the other to advance to Round Two. Then again, either of these teams are more than capable of the sixteen wins necessary to lift up Lord Stanley’s prize come early June. The Predators have built themselves quite a lineup up front, led by Peter “The Great” Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont, David Legwand and Steve Sullivan. It is a great mix of young and old, and there is a ton of depth, aided by the fact that there were 8 players who netted at least 54 points on the season, and 11 players who scored at least 13 goals. Forsberg and Arnott have both won Stanley Cups, so they know what it takes to go all the way. The defense is led by Kimmo Timmonen, Marek Zidlicky, Vitali Vishnevski and Ryan Suter, so there is depth there as well. Add to the mix a strong goaltender in Tomas Vokoum, and the Predators have a little bit of everything you would think a team would need in place to make a strong run in the playoffs.

As for San Jose, the acquisition of Billy Guerin at the trade deadline, gave the Sharks a much needed veteran presence. Not only that, but Guerin is the only one in the San Jose locker room who currently has his name on the Stanley Cup. It certainly gives him instant credibilty in the locker room, among the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek. Add Evegni Nabakov and Vesa Toskala, both of whom have shown the ability to play in the playoffs, and the Sharks have a to offer. Their biggest weakness is a mostly unheralded defense, led by Matt Carle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Christian Ehroff, all of whom have a ton of talent, but are certainly not battle tested like the veterans elsewhere on the San Jose team. This will be the area that will most likely make or break the San Jose squad. The Predators took 3 of 4 from the Sharks in the regular season, and with the veteran leadership and star ability of guys like Kariya and Forsberg, I can’t see the Predators coming up short in this one. I’d expect Nashville to stick around awhile in these playoffs. PREDATORS IN 5

NEXT: A look at the Eastern Conference…. and my prediction on who I think will win Lord Stanley!