In Detroit We Trust

If any team can come back from 0-3, it is the Red Wings. If any team can blow a 3-0 lead it is the San Jose Sharks. Detroit should of won Game Three, and was leading Game two going into the third period. Take nothing away from San Jose, as they have played brilliantly in this series. However, maybe Jimmy Howard is due to steal a game, maybe Franzen will score another 4 goals, who knows maybe Bertuzzi will step up. Detroit will do what it takes to take this series back to the Joe.

The Pick: Detroit + 125

Wednesday Wrap Up

Some thoughts from Tuesday's action:

The Montreal Canadiens are giving the Pittsburgh Penguins all they can handle. Last night it was the Canadiens turn to find out what happens when you run into a hot goalie. The second half of the first period found Montreal all over the Penguins. They did everything right except score. As the game went on, Marc-Andre Fluery made terrific save after terrific save and deserves most of the credit in Pittsburgh's victory. For Montreal, PK Subban looks like the real thing on defense. He moves the puck, plays well defensively and could be the 6th defensemen they have been looking for. This series is far from over.

The San Jose Sharks take a commanding 3-0 lead on the 2 time Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings. The achilles heal of the Red Wings for years has been their goaltending. Usually, they are good enough despite the goaltending and veteran Chris Osgood always made the saves he was supposed to make. Last night, Rookie (I hate calling him that, he is 25) Jimmy Howard gave San Jose a gift when Logan Couture scored on a terrible angle to tie the game up at 3 in the later stages of the third period. Give San Jose full marks for coming from behind to tie that game up. Patrick Marleau scored the game winner in overtime when the Sharks took advantage of a bad read by the Red Wings off a player change. Marleau has gotten beat up each offseason when the Sharks have had early exits, and has also lost his captaincy.
Good for Marleau and the Sharks as they appear to be on the door of the Western Conference Finals.

Tuesday Timeout

Just another day to discuss topics such as:

The biting incident: Too bite or not too bite? During Game two of the Boston-Philly series, Daniel Carcillo accused Marc Savard of biting his finger. Carcillo had this to say about the incident. "The last time I was bit was in grade school. "It's not a good feeling and it was pretty cowardly" Savard responded by saying "I guess that's biting when a guy tries to pull your front teeth out like he did" Perhaps Carcillo, who has no front teeth, wanted Savard to look like him and was trying to do him a favor for his appearance. Funny stuff that only happens in hockey!

Sid the Cry Baby: I have to admit, I defend Crosby to most of my fellow hockey followers who can't stand the guy, but his actions during Game Two was indefensible. After Jarosalv Halak made one of his many saves in a Game Two win, Crosby throw his stick in the direction of Halak and was visibly upset. I'm sorry Sidney, you're not the only player Halak has stoned this postseason. Don't come across as a spoiled baby. Ask Ovechkin and the Capitals how it feels.

The Up's and Down's of Antti Niemi: After allowing 5 goals in a game one loss to Vancouver, Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada suggested that the Hawks may go to Huet in Game two. However, if you look at Niemi this season after a bad game, he usually responds with a solid performance, as he did last night. Vancouver scored two early goals, one on a five on three, and Niemi shut the door after that. Even if he gives up 8 goals he still probably has more confidence than Huet at this point. He is the guy for the Blackhawks, as I'm sure Chicago fans have developed a love-hate relationship with him this season.

When Mike Babcock speaks, I Listen: His team is in an 0-2 hole to San Jose after taking several penalties in the third period of game two, yet he did not blast the officiating and still appears confident heading back to Detroit. I don't think there is a coach in the league, as prepared, respected, and not afraid to make a tough decision(ex.pulling Brodeur in the Olympics). Reading his quotes this morning makes me appear confident that the Wings will win tonight.

TV ratings up in US: This seasons epic playoffs have produced the highest cable ratings in ten years in the US. We have had our frustrations with Versus on this blog at times, but overall this is good news for hockey fans and the NHL. I think NBC is another issue as I could do without Pierre Mcguire, and the ridiculous early start times here on the West Coast, but if people are watching than I can deal with it.

For what's it worth, We'll take the two Stanley Cup Finalist from a year ago to win tonight.

Detroit -165
Pittsburgh -170

Monday Minutes

Another exciting round of playoffs is underway as we rank the top five performers in the post season thus far.

1) Jaroslav Halak - How can anyone forget his 53 save performance in Game Six against Washington? He is simply the only reason why the Canadiens pulled off the biggest first round upset in years. Not a bad performance yesterday in Game Two against Pittsburgh as he is officially in the head of Sidney Crosby.

2) Joe Pavelski - He leads the NHL playoffs in scoring with 9 goals and has taken over as the Sharks go to guy this postseason. Forming a dynamic line with Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi, that is providing the Sharks the added scoring they have lacked in years past. As Joe Thornton put it "I wish I was on the planet that he is on right now"

3) Mikael Samuelsson - The leading scorer for the Vancouver Canucks has scored 7 goals in seven games. He has not only scored this postseason, but also is one of the teams best defenders and has a plus 9 rating to show for it. May be playing on the leagues most explosive line with the Sedin twins, that dominated the series against LA.

4) Sidney Crosby - The first round series against Ottawa was simply brilliant for Crosby, scoring five goals and nine assists. He leads the NHL playoff scoring in points with 16 and has to be on this list. We'll see what he can muster against Halak as he was visually frustrated after Game Two.

5) Mark Recchi - I could put Brian Boucher, Jonathan Toews, or Pavel Datsuyk on this list as well, but the 42 year old Recchi has been amazing for the Bruins this post season. He scored a huge goal in Game two vs. Buffalo and has registered six points in seven games for the surprising Bruins. Recchi is also very valuable for his leadership and his ability to make the players around him better. Dude is playing like he is 22 not 42.

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

8 Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins 4

Season Series: Pittsburgh won series 3-1.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are marching towards their 3rd straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Montreal shocked the hockey world after upsetting the #1 seed Washington Capitals in 7 games. Can they pull off another upset?

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins although the 4th seed are by rights the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference and now the best team remaining after Washington's loss. Only an 0-6 record to New Jersey during the regular season cost them from being the #2 seed. Turns out, everything works out. Pittsburgh avoided a matchup with the 7 seed Flyers in the first round, in our opinion a better playoff team than Ottawa. Now that Washington is out, we see no reason why the Penguins shouldn't march into the Stanley Cup Finals. Impressive in the Ottawa series was the resilience of the Penguins when falling behind. An impressive comeback in game 6 when trailing 3-0 on the road was more proof that Pittsburgh is the class of the East. As usual, the Penguins relied on Crosby (14 pts) and Malkin (8pts) to lead the way. Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin had decent series as well, but the Penguins will need more from secondary players if they want to win the Cup.

Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens improbable path to the 2nd round has caused lots of people to question the importance of the regular season and how important playoff seeding is. Is there that much parity? We aren't sure. What we do know is that Jacques Martin out coached Bruce Boudreau, Jaroslav Halak outplayed Semyon Varlamov and Hal Gill kept Ovechkin from taking over the series. Mike Cammelleri had 10 points and Tomas Plekanic had 7 to lead Montreal in scoring. For a team that clinched a playoff birth on it's final game of the season, a knockout of the Washington Capitals should seem like a nice accomplishment but the Canadiens are not satisfied. The Bell Centre will be electric for game 3 and Pittsburgh will have a tough time matching their intensity.

Pittsburgh still by far has the best 1-2 punch in the game. No team has an answer for Sidney Crosby as he has become a scary goal scoring threat as well as a dish man. If Hal Gill can slow down Crosby and play physical and Halak can continue his ridiculous play, Montreal will then have a shot. We saw them do it to Washington so I don't want to say it can't happen, but look for the Penguins to move on to next round.

Pittsburgh in 6


7 Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins 6

Season Series: Split, both teams were 2-1-1.

Should be an old school slugfest. Let's break down both teams and see who has an edge.

Philadelphia Flyers: They say regular season matchups don't translate to the post-season. Well the Flyers, who took 5 of 6 from the Devils during the regular season, breezed through the first round in 5 games against that same team. The Flyers who got into the playoffs by winning a shootout against the New York Rangers on the final game of the season, find themselves in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Brian Boucher proved us and many hockey people wrong by being the backbone of the Flyers during their first round match-up. The Flyers are built for the playoffs and have several guys that can light the lamp. Richards, Briere, Giroux all had solid series as well as Chris Pronger adding 5 points to the scoresheet. Pronger solidifies the defense and adds grit and size that most teams can't match up with. The Flyers will need for all these players to contribute.

Boston Bruins: The Bruins are another team that is built for the playoffs. Several gritty forwards and a defense led by Zdeno Chara has them capable of matching up with the also gritty and physical Flyers. Add Tuukka Rask, the NHL goaltending leader in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage, the Bruins are capable of beating anyone. However, the Bruins were also the lowest scoring team in the NHL this season and although Marc Savard will be back in the 2nd round, the Bruins will need him to play like he hasn't missed the last 6 weeks of the season.
The Bruins did upset the Buffalo Sabres largely in part to their defense and goaltending. Tuukka Rask outplayed the over rated Ryan Miller and Marc Recchi played like he is 23 years old.

This should be a throwback, old time beat em up series. Both teams play hard physical games and defense and goaltending should be the keys to each team's success. The Flyers have the edge in offense but the Bruins have the edge in goaltending and defense. Although these teams are the 6th and 7th seeds, both of them are better than their records and are built for these situations. This should be an excellent series to watch. All in all, the Bruins have failed to prove they can score enough goals.

Flyers in 7

Western Conference Playoff Previews

(1) San Jose vs. (5) Detroit

Season Series: 3-1 Detroit

Once again the San Jose Sharks will have a chance to prove they can win in the playoffs, but standing in their way are the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings.

The Low down on the San Jose Sharks: What was most impressive about the Sharks first round victory over Colorado was the secondary scoring from Joe Pavelski(5 goals), Devin Setoguchi(3 goals), and Ryan Clowe, who led the Sharks in points with eight. In years past, San Jose has relied solely on Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who once again struggled in round one. If San Jose continues to get production from the second line, and the big three of Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley step up, then the Sharks are in good shape offensively. The Sharks also got contributions from grinders Scott Nichol, Logan Couture, and Manny Malhotra in round one which will be needed even more against Detroit. Defensively, aside from game two which they gave up 5 goals to Colorado, they limited the Avalanche offense to only six goals the rest of the series. Dan Boyle averaged almost 27 minutes of ice time in Round One and is paired with the bruising Douglas Murray. They will be assigned the duty of stopping Pavel Datsyuk and company. Evgeni Nabokov had a brilliant series as well, and when he is on he is one of the leagues best. Head coach Todd McLellan knows the Wings well from being an assistant coach to Mike Babcock two years ago.

The Low Down on the Detroit Red Wings: The Stanley Cup Champions two years ago, and they were one game away from winning the Cup last season. Experienced veterans and proven winners throughout the Wings lineup. Most importantly, this team is completely healthy and has been the best team in hockey since the Olympic break. Henrik Zetterberg led the Wings in scoring against Phoenix by registering 11 points in seven games. The usual suspects, Franzen, Datsyuk, Filppula, Lidstrom, all seem to be hitting thier strides at the right time. The Coyotes did manage to take Detroit to seven games and were leading the series 2-1 at one point, but managed only 7 goals in the next four games. Perhaps this is not the strongest Wings team we have seen, but the fact that they are healthy and confident presents a challenge to San Jose. Nicklas Lidstrom continues to lead the team in ice time, and Brad Stuart had a strong series against Phoenix posting a team best +6. I would expect the Thornton line to see lots of Niklas Kronwall who is the Red Wings shut down defensemen. Rookie goalie Jimmy Howard made some mistakes as expected, but overall played well and posted a shutout in the pivotal Game 4.

The Pick: This series is a toss up, but I like the Sharks in seven. I like the way Evgeni Nabokov and the Sharks defense is playing and wonder how much Detroit has in the tank after a tough seven game series with Phoenix.

(2) Chicago vs. (3) Vancouver

Season Series: 2-2 split

For the second time in two seasons the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks will renew acquaintances in Round 2 as the Canucks will look to avenge last seasons defeat to the Blackhawks. Plenty of animosity exists between these two teams who are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and their seasons would be considered a disappointment should they be eliminated in the second round.


The low down on the Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago is coming off a first round series victory over Nashville in which they trailed the series 2-1, but gained confidence as the series went on and finished off the Predators in six games. Jonathan Toews led the Hawks balanced attack against Nashville by scoring 8 points in six games. Chicago is the most skilled and deepest team offensively in the playoffs which may present problems for Vancouver's blue line which was exposed at times by the Los Angeles Kings in round one. One player that goes under the radar due to the fact that Chicago has so many star players, is Tomas Kopecky who had a terrific series against Nashville. Both these clubs are among the league's best in offense and it may boil down to which team gets more contributions from the third and fourth lines. Expect to see Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook match up against the Sedin line for Vancouver. Chicago is just as deep overall on defense, especially since Brian Campbell is back from injury. Antti Niemi put up solid numbers in goal versus Nashville posting a 2.15 GAA and a .92 save percentage. Chicago killed off 26 of 27 Nashville power plays in round one but continued to struggle on the power play, just as they did in the regular season.

The low down on the Vancouver Canucks: Led by the NHL's leading scorer and Hart trophy finalist Henrik Sedin, the Canucks also possess a dynamic offense. Forward, Mikael Samuelsson scored 7 goals in six games against LA, and after being moved to the Sedin line in Game Four, they proved to be unstoppable. Secondary scorers such as Steve Bernier(4 goals), Pavol Demitra(5 points), and Kyle Wellwood(3 points), played better as the series went on. Although Alex Burrows struggled to score in the LA series, he was a 35 goal scorer during the regular season which adds to Vancouver's lethal attack. However, the defense has some issues especially after their top four. Salo, Bieksa, Edler, and Ehrhoff are solid, but after that is a huge drop off. The big question is whether they are deep enough to handle what the Blackhawks will throw at them. Roberto Luongo picked up his game after being pulled in Game Three at Los Angeles, and made a highlight reel of saves. He will be looking to avenge the nightmare series he had against the Hawks last season when he gave up 7 goals in Game Six which ended the Canucks season. Vancouver had tons of trouble killing penalties in the LA series, but seemed to fix their issues in the final game. No team in the playoffs has had more success at home this year than the Vancouver Canucks.

The Pick: Chicago in Seven

This is another series that is a toss up. The fact that Chicago is deeper on defense appears to be the reason why they should advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Game 7: Detroit at Phoenix

Detroit -115 -1.5(+245) Over 5(-130)
Phoenix -105 +1.5(-290) Under 5(+110)

Detroit squandered a chance to put the Coyotes away at home on Sunday, and will now have to win a Game Seven on the road for the first time since 1964. The big question heading into tonight is how rookie goaltender, Jimmy Howard responds after allowing five goals in Game Six, even if three of them were scored on the power play. Detroit almost always bounces back well in the playoffs after a bad loss, and we expect them to stay out of penalty trouble tonight. For the Coyotes, it appears that captain, Shane Doan, will be a game time decision as they will be relying on a big effort from goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov who is capable of stealing a game anytime. It's always difficult to win a Game Seven on the road, but we are fairly confident that the Red Wings can get it done tonight.

The Pick: Look for the experience and leadership of the Detroit Red Wings to win a very tight and low scoring Game Seven. Detroit -115, Under 5

Tuesday Timeout

More and more story lines abound as one of the best NHL first rounds in years are coming to an epic end.

1. Buffalo ousted in Round One: Everyone expected Boston-Buffalo to be a low scoring series that could go either way, but did anyone really think Tuukka Rask would outplay Ryan Miller in goal? The Sabres problems start and end with offense. Top Centers Derek Roy and Tim Connelly did not register one goal this series and their most explosive forward, Tomas Vanek battled injuries all series. This will be a long and painful summer for Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff as they must address their lack of scoring this offseason. Yes the Sabres won a weak division, but it's another year of a playoff letdown in upstate New York.

2. Jaroslav Halak: 53 saves to shut out Washington last night and force a game seven. Shockingly, the Capitals are 1-30 on the power play this season. Everyone predicted the Capitals to make short work of Montreal, but amazingly the Canadiens, on the strength of their goalie have hung in with the explosive Capitals. I still don't feel like Washington makes enough of a commitment to defense which will hurt them, even if they advance to the second round.

3. Another Chicago-Vancouver Series awaits: I saw the Canucks first hand this playoff year and if Roberto Luongo plays like he did the last three playoff games against LA, this team can beat anyone. Expect lots of animosity between these two teams, especially from Vancouver after losing to the Blackhawks last season. Perhaps no team is deeper than Chicago, but will they be able to stop the Sedin line? Is the Canuck defense deep enough to handle the firepower of the Hawks? Can Antti Niemi outplay Roberto Luongo? This series is must watch TV.

4. Young teams such as Nashville, Colorado, and Los Angeles proved they are on the rise: Nashville coach Barry Trotz is one of our favorite coaches and although he has never advanced the Predators past the first round, he is to be commended by how that team performs. Nashville gave Chicago everything they could handle and with a few breaks could of won. Due to budget restrictions, expect the Predators to continue to rely on goaltending and defense and not go the free agent route. As for Colorado and LA, they both should benefit from a year of playoff seasoning. Both teams are building with young players and just need to stay the course. I would expect the Kings this summer to try to add more pieces to take the next step.

5. Finally, I want to touch on an article in NY Newsday today, concerning the Islanders lighthouse project and a potential casino being built near Nassau Coliseum, instead of the original plan presented to Nassau County by owner Charles Wang. Quite honestly, I am sick and tired of all this uncertainty surrounding the Islanders. The New York Islanders and their fans deserve a new building and the scuttlebutt around the team should consist of what happens on the ice, not off it. Islander fans are very loyal, as I rarely go to an NHL arena, without seeing someone wearing an Islander jersey. Enough is enough, as the county and Wang need to get something settled because it is becoming borderline embarrassing and unfair.

Saturday Playoff Thoughts

• Chicago Blackhawks score shorthanded with less than 14 seconds left after Marian Hossa takes major penalty. Hossa gets out of box in Overtime and scores game winner. Penalty was awfully similar to Ovechkin's hit on Campbell. Hossa should have been kicked out in our opinion and if you are a Predator or Predator fan, you have every right to be kicking and screaming.
• Versus screws the fans again as San Jose and Colorado are joined in progress
• The Stanley Cup Champions fight back from 3-0 hole to eliminate Ottawa in Overtime
• Look for San Jose to knock out Colorado tonight. The Avs won't go down without a fight though.
  

NHL and Versus Screwing Fans

It's April 21st, 10pm Eastern and 7pm Pacific time. Your Los Angeles Kings are in the playoffs for the first time in 8 years and you are about to watch them take on the Canucks for game 4 of the playoffs. A win gives you a commanding 3 games to 1 lead. Turn on the TV and what do you see? Boston and Buffalo in an overtime that may never end. Add to that, people that own the NHL Centre Ice Package got blacked out with a message that read, catch game on Versus.
This was the case for many Kings fans (and Canucks fans) that live outside of their teams market. One of HockeySureShot's members made the 6 hour drive from San Francisco to LA for game 3 of this series. This same fan has bought hats, jerseys, tickets to games, bought the NHL Centre Ice Package and now sits at home missing the entire first period of the Kings and Canucks.
"Don't miss a single second of the NHL Playoffs" is what you hear when you call Versus to complain or simply ask what is going on. Versus is owned by Comcast, who owns about 400,000 channels. No good answer was given to me as to why the late game, (in this case LA vs Vancouver) can't be shown temporarily on another channel or why their exclusive rights screw over fans that pay $140 for the Centre Ice Package.
When calling the NHL, they agree with my complaints and say that next year is the last year of the contract with Versus and that they are not happy with what has been going on. Versus needs to find a way to get every game on TV for their entirety.

San Jose at Colorado

San Jose -160 over Colorado

Sharks fans are echoing the words "must win" yet again this time of year as the Sharks are down to Colorado 2-1 in this best of seven. We find it astonishing that the #1 seeded Sharks have yet to have played with the lead in this series. Their only win was in Game Two when they came back five different times to tie it and ultimately won 6-5 in OT. The first question that can be raised heading into tonight is how San Jose responds to the bizarre way that they lost game three. Yes, they outshot Colorado by wide margins the last two games, and it does appear that they have figured out the Avalanche's neutral zone trap, but can the Sharks be trusted mentally? On paper Colorado does not have near the skill of the Sharks and on top of that they are very banged up. We expect the Sharks to rebound in this pivotal Game 4. If they lose tonight we promise to NEVER pick them again. It's time for the core group of the Sharks(Thornton, Boyle, Murray, Nabakov and especially Marleau) to step up their game and earn a big win on the road. The best chance the Av's have tonight is if Craig Anderson stands on his head like he did in Game Three.

We are through five exciting days of the NHL playoff season which included seven overtime games already. We decided to rank all eight of the series in terms of excitement thus far. The action has been tremendous across the board proving once again that no sport can match playoff hockey.

8) Chicago vs. Nashville
We ranked this series last because no game has gone to OT and the other series have been slightly more entertaining. This matchup will pick up more intensity as it shifts to Nashville.

7) Buffalo vs. Boston
Looking forward to tonight's game in Boston. Both games have been in close so far and the hitting is starting to pick up. This has the feel of a seven game series.

6) New Jersey vs. Philadelphia
Daniel Carcillo of all people scores the OT winner for Philly yesterday. Pressure mounting for the Devils who have had trouble getting past the first round in recent years.

5) Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa
Ottawa shocked the defending Stanley Cup Champions in game one, but the Penguins have rebounded nicely in yet another exciting and competitive series. The hit by Andy Sutton was memorable as has Sidney Crosby's performance thus far.

4) Vancouver vs. Los Angeles
Two games and two overtimes. First home playoff game for LA tonight which should have that building filled with overwhelming excitement.

3) San Jose vs. Colorado
The snake bitten Sharks lose game 3 as Dan Boyle puts the puck in his own net. The Sharks only win was in OT, and they have never led in the series. All three games have been tied going into the final minute of play.

2) Phoenix vs. Detroit
Game one is decided by one goal, and game two may have been the most entertaining game I have ever watched. This is another series that will probably go seven games. Both teams are fast and aggressive which adds to the spectacle.

1) Washington vs. Montreal
Didn't expect this series to be as close as it is, but Montreal is giving the favored Capitals all they can handle. After Washington came back from a 4-1 deficit in the third and both games have gone into overtime, this series got our nod as the best series by a slim margin.

Sunday Morning Playoff thoughts

-Still recovering from an amazing night of playoff action once again. Seven series are tied 1-1 which gives you an idea how entertaining the playoffs have been thus far.

-We get the feeling that the Washington Capitals could put up ten goals in a game if they wanted to. Niklas Backstrom's OT winner last night may be a series changer for Washington.

-Enjoyed reading that Ottawa coach, Cory Clouston wants his team to be more physical as Andy Sutton's hit the other night is still fresh in my mind. Game three vs. Pittsburgh should be a must watch today.

-Los Angeles appeared in big trouble after going down 2-0 in the first period last night, but give the young team credit for a huge win. Jonathan Quick did not give up a goal the rest of the way and Anze Kopitar set up the tying goal and won it in OT.

-Finally, I could do without the matinee playoff games. I know NBC has to show games on a weekend, but a 10:00 AM start on the west coast is kind of mindless in our opinion.

Hockeysureshot Thoughts from the first night of the NHL Playoffs

-Every game last night was decided by one goal which proves how much parity there is in the league right now.

-Phoenix continues to amaze us, and took it to Detroit after playing a lousy first period. That arena was rocking!

-The defense for the Penguins should be a major concern, in addition to the play of Fleury in goal lately.

-What is the deal with the San Jose Sharks? I know its only game 1, but there is no excuse to get out played like they did last night. Besides the start of the first period, and parts of the third, they played uninspired most of the game.

-And finally, Hockeysureshot would like to give props to Brian Boucher for his stellar effort last night limiting the Devils to only one goal. We wrote a blog recently, that was critical of the Flyers and their goaltending. On this night we give credit to where it is due.

Western Conference Playoff Previews and Picks

(1) San Jose vs. (8) Colorado

Season Series: 2-2

All the playoff pressure will be on the San Jose Sharks as they once again go into the playoffs as the first seed. The upstart Colorado Avalanche enter the series limping with injuries to top forwards Matt Duchene and Peter Mueller.

The low down on the San Jose Sharks: Most importantly the Sharks need to get over the mental hurdle of losing in the playoffs. Game one is very significant for the Sharks as they need to get off to a fast start in this series and not give the underdog Avalanche any reason to think of an upset. The Sharks have the fourth best offense in the NHL, were ranked in the top five in penalty killing and power play, and are very solid on home ice. San Jose is loaded upfront with the line of Patrick Marleau(44 goals), Dany Heatley(39 goals), and Joe Thornton(20 goals). They will rely heavily on this line but will also need the likes of Devin Setoguchi, Ryan Clowe, and Joe Pavelski to contribute offensively. In years past, San Jose has not had production from their 3rd and 4th lines. Manny Malhotra, Scott Nichol, and Jed Ortmeyer will attempt to change that. On defense they are led by playoff vet and Stanley Cup winner Dan Boyle. who will get tons of ice time along with the rugged Douglas Murray. For the most part the Sharks have a veteran defense that is not overly fast or physical. Goalie, Evgeni Nabokov will be looking to make amends for getting outplayed by Jonas Hiller last season in round one. If he is on his game, the Sharks can go far in the playoffs, but he has been inconsistent during stretches this season. Head coach Todd McLellan leads the Sharks in his second year. He had playoff success as an assistant with Detriot, and once again will try to translate that in San Jose. he is popular among the players and is known as a well respected coach around the league.

The low down on the Colorado Avalanche: This was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Denver, but rookie coach Joe Sacco had the Av's playing well from the start of the season and surprised the NHL by making the playoffs. What they bring to the table is young and dynamic scorers, Paul Stasny, Chris Stewart, and first round pick last year, Matt Duchene. The Avalanche do possess playoff veterans in Milan Hejduk, Darcy Tucker, and Stephane Yelle and finished with the sixth best offense in the NHL this season. They are average on special teams and will need to stay out of the box as much as possible against the Sharks explosive power play. Colorado's leading scorer on a balanced defense is the inconsistent, John Michael Liles(31 points). Veterans, Adam Foote, Scott Hannan and Ruslan Salei will be counted on to contain the Thornton line. Craig Anderson was one of the biggest surprises this season carrying the Avalanche in goal, but wore down late in the season. That being said, he is capable of frustrating the Sharks and stealing a game. We're not sure what type of home ice advantage the Av's will have as they have struggled to draw fans to the Pepsi center this season. On the injury front, it appears that Matt Duchene will play in Game 1.

The Pick: Sharks in six
Colorado is the faster team and the younger team, but does not have the talent that San Jose has. The Shark players realize that their window for winning the Stanley Cup is closing and should be primed to get out of the first round. The Avalanche will play scrappy and give the Sharks a hard fought series, but in the end the Sharks talent, and the fact that they are tired of hearing about playoff failures will win this series.

(2) Chicago vs. (7) Nashville

Season Series: 4-2 Chicago

Central Division rivals renew acquaintances in which promises to be a hard fought series as Nashville will be a difficult opponent for Stanley Cup champion hopeful Chicago.

The low down on the Chicago Blackhawks: Talent, Talent, and more talent. The Blackhawks are loaded with six forwards that scored more than twenty goals. They have skill, grit, and speed which are all necessary components to winning the cup. Chicago can roll out four solid lines all of which will test Nashville. Patrick Kane leads the charge registering 88 points to lead the team in scoring. His center, Jonathan Toews put up 68 points and Marian Hossa scored 24 goals in only 57 games. The Hawks gained valuable playoff experience last season making the Western Conference Finals. That should only help them this season and make them more dangerous. The defense is led by Duncan Keith who does everything and is favored to win the Norris trophy. Brent Seabrook, Kim Johnsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Brent Sopel make up a very solid defense. They may feel the loss of Brian Campbell who is out for the season, at certain points of the playoffs, but are still deeper than most teams on the blue line. The key for the Hawks will be the play of goalie, Antti Niemi who posted a 2.25 GAA, and .912 save percentage. Those are very solid numbers, but he has never appeared in a playoff game. Backup goalie Cristobel Huet played in three playoff games last year, but has not posted great numbers in the postseason. Head coach Joel Quenneville is a veteran coach who has been to the playoffs before with the St.Louis Blues and the Blackhawks, but his teams have never advanced past the conference finals. No team will have a better home ice advantage than the Hawks as the United Center will be rocking for sure as it has all season.

The low down on the Nashville Predators: Not a flashy team by any means as the Predators leading scorer, Steve Sullivan only put up 51 points. They do have a thirty goal scorer in Patric Hornqvist and have perhaps the most underrated defense in the NHL. Expect the Predators to put Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on the ice to match up with the Patrick Kane line. Nashville will also has a solid stopper line in Marcel Goc, Steve Sullivan, and Joel Ward to attempt to contain the explosive Blackhawks. Martin Erat, Jason Arnott, and JP Dumont are very capable scorers and they will need to notch goals for Nashville to have a chance. On defense, the Predators have the players to frustrate the Hawks. In addition to Weber, and Suter, they also have Dan Hamhuis and one of the teams best shot blockers in Kevin Klein. Pekka Rinne is a very solid goalie, and the question is if he can translate his regular season success to the playoffs. Very rarely do the Predators get out worked by any opponent and that has to do with longtime coach Barry Trotz. He has never advanced past the first round, but does a tremendous job getting the low budget Predators into the playoffs. Nashville does not have a strong power play and was not great penalty killing this season either. They are a fast team, and can be an annoyance to play against because they do not give opposing teams much room to work with on the ice.

The Pick: Blackhawks in six

We're expecting this to be an entertaining and grueling series that should go six games. The Predators have never won a game on the road in their history and will have difficulty winning in the United Center. Offensively, the Hawks clearly have more talent and are a much better team on face offs which is critical. On defense, Nashville may be slightly deeper, but Chicago does not give up many shots on goal, in part because they spend so much time in the offensive zone. Both goalies will have to prove themselves, but this should be a good match up for Antti Niemi because Nashville should have trouble generating offense.

(3) Vancouver vs. (6) Los Angeles

Season Series: 3-1 Vancouver

Very interesting series between the Vancouver Canucks led by Art Ross trophy winner, Henrik Sedin, and the up and coming Los Angeles Kings, making their first post season appearance since 2002. Both teams finished with similar records, and both were ranked near the same in power play and penalty killing.

The low down on the Vancouver Canucks: When looking over their roster, the first thing that jumps out is that they have six players that scored more than 25 goals. Henrik Sedin led the charge by putting up the most points by anyone in the league with 112 points. His brother Daniel scored 29 goals in only 63 games. Contrary to years past, the Canucks have balanced scoring and rely heavily on secondary scorers, Alex Burrows(35 goals), US Olympian, Ryan Kesler (25 goals) and Mason Raymond who chipped in 25 goals as well. The offseason pickup of Mikael Samuelsson from Detroit not only provided 30 goals this season but he also supplies valuable playoff experience. The Canucks have agitators in Tanner Glass, Rick Rypien, and one of the biggest pests in the league, Darcy Hordichuk. Look for them to try to get under the skin of the young players on the Kings. The defense for Vancouver has been banged up lately. They will sorely miss Willie Mithcell, who is battling concussion issues, and Sami Salo and Christian Ehrhoff are battling injuries as well. The latest reports were that they should be ready to go for Game 1. Still this could be a concern against the Kings who have had success this season with working the puck down low and wearing down other teams defenses. It's surprising that goaltending may be a slight concern in Vancouver, but Roberto Luongo has not been sharp of late. He is an all world goalie who is capable of dominating, but he was inconsistent at times, including yielding 8 goals to the Kings in LA on April 1st. Vancouver is a dominate team at home and they defeated the Kings in both meetings at GM Place. Head coach Alain Vigneault has guided the Canucks to the second round three times, but has never advanced past that point. This is a team that is fast and very physical. The only concern really is the depth on defense, especially if they have injuries.

The low down on the Los Angeles Kings: The goal for the Kings at the start of the season was to make the playoffs, and they did so in a big way by eclipsing 100 points, and setting a team record for most road wins. Offensively, they are led mostly by players 25 and younger. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings charge scoring 34 goals this season and forming a lethal line with veterans Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams. The best line for the Kings to end the season was the second line of captain Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov, and Jarret Stoll. The Kings are a big team that is not overly fast. They like to cycle the puck deep and have success when players such as Smyth, and Michal Handzus are camped in front of the net. The Kings had 11 players score double digits in goals, so similar to Vancouver, they have balanced scoring top to bottom. The defense is led by 20 year old Drew Doughty who has drawn comparisons to Ray Bourque and Scott Niedermayer. He's very slick with the puck and logs plenty of ice time and is the Kings best point man on the power play. He is usually paired with Stanley Cup winner Rob Scuderi, who is a shut down defenseman that will be asked to contain the Sedin's if that's possible. Matt Greene is another defenseman that plays mean and is physical. Jack Johnson, Sean O'Donnell, and Randy Jones, round out a very formidable defense for the Kings. Johnson showed flashes of brilliance late this season. The Kings finally solidified the goaltending position with Jonathan Quick who won 39 games. However, he did not win a game in his last eight starts and appeared worn down the last couple weeks of the season. He is by far the biggest key for the Kings, as he will be playing in his first post season series. Head coach Terry Murray, has had playoff success in the past reaching the Stanley Cup Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers. Los Angeles was not one of the better teams at home this season, but one would think after an eight year absence that building will be hostile.

The Pick: Kings in seven

Very difficult series to predict. At one point this season we thought Vancouver could win the cup, but the injuries on defense is worrisome. This series may go down to overtime in game seven, it's that close. We'll take the Kings because they are healthy and we're expecting Jonathan Quick to play the way he did for most of the season. The pressure of all of Canada will be on the Canucks as they very well could win this series but we'll take the Kings for the mild upset.

(4) Phoenix vs. (5) Detroit

Season Series: 2-2 Both Phoenix wins occurred in Overtime.

There has been no bigger story in the NHL this season, than the shock of the Phoenix Coyotes, battling through bankrupcy and potentially moving this summer, to making the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The prize for being the 4th seed, are the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings, who were one of the hottest teams in the league after the Olympic break. This should be the series with the most story lines as well as one of the most exciting match ups we have in the post season.

The low down on the Phoenix Coyotes: What more can be said for a team that was picked to finish dead last in the league by almost every expert in hockey, other than they deserve all the credit they are receiving. Starting with the front office making schrewd moves at the deadline, this team has been terrific in competing in one of the leagues most difficult divisions. Captain, Shane Doan, anchors the Coyote forwards that also consists of top center, Matthew Lombardi(19 goals), and leading goal scorer Radim Vrbata(24 goals). This is a team that has no superstar, no ego, just a group of young players and veterans that play very well as a team. The surprise of the season for the Coyotes is the play of Lee Stempniak who scored a whopping 14 goals in 18 games after being acquired from Toronto. Wojtek Wolski, another player acquired at the trade deadline added 18 points in 18 games since becoming a Coyote. The defense is mostly a veterean defense which is helpful in the playoffs. Yes, Mathieu Schneider is still in the league and he logs plenty of ice team as well as fellow veterans Adrian Aucoin, Ed Jovanovski, and Derek Morris. The MVP of the Coyotes was goalie, Ilya Brzgalov, who ranked in the top ten in all major goaltending categories. He posted eight shutouts this season and makes certain saves look very easy. Dave Tippet will no doubt be named coach of the year, and enjoyed playoff success during his reign in Dallas. Phoenix finished 29-10-2 at home, playing in front of some scarce crowds which grew near the end of the season. If the Coyotes play with that nothing to lose attitude they had most of the season they are a scary opponent for the Red Wings.

The low down on the Detroit Red Wings: Year in and year out this team is a model of consistency. They may not be as explosive as in years past, but still have a solid group of forwards, most of which have came back from early season injuries. The names are familiar, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterburg led the Wings with 70 points apiece. Johan Franzen only played 27 games this season and is fully healthy, Tomas Holmstrom has scored plenty of big goals in his career, and Kris Draper and Dan Cleary are experienced playoff performers. On special teams Detroit had the tenth ranked PP, which is remarkable considering the injuries this season. The penalty killing improved dramatically from last season and finished in the top ten. Detroit has the looks of a team that is healthy and peaking at the right time. On defense, Niklas Lidstrom leads the charge as usual, logging an average of 25 minutes of ice time. Brian Rafalski adds offense form the blueline and Niklas Kronwall has played well since his return from injury. Expect the Coyotes to be opportunistic and try to wear down the Red Wings defense that is very solid, but up in years. The man in charge of leading the Red Wings turnaround is rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. His numbers are off the charts as he enters his first post season as a starter. He was especially terrific near the end of the season and is mostly responsible for the success of the Red Wings this season. Don't forget that the Red Wings were in danger of missing the playoffs up until the last month or so of the season. In my opinion, Mike Babcock is the best coach in the league and Joe Louis Arena is always a difficult place to play in, especially during the post season.

The Pick: Red Wings in six

Unfortunately, Phoenix drew the team that nobody wanted in the first round. It wouldn't shock us if Phoenix won the series, but with the fact that the Red Wings are playing so well, and that they have had so much playoff success in the past makes it hard to pick against them. The 16-3-2 record that Detroit has posted since the Olympics tells the story about how in the zone this team is right now. Goals should be hard to come by, but the Wings have more scoring threats than the Coyotes do.