Since I'm not going to have time today to do a full run down of all the series, I'm at least going to get my predictions and thoughts in about the first game of Round 2.
This series is going a showcase of skills. Both teams are puck possession teams, so the stars on each team like Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen on Detroit; and Thornton, Marleau and Heatley are going to have to bury their chances. Detroit has the depth and will get secondary scoring from players like Helm, Abdelkader, and Cleary. San Jose needs their "Gold Medal Line" of Thornton, Marleau and Heatley to get on a roll if they're going to have a chance. Likewise, Pavelski, Setoguchi and Clowe need to keep on the same pace that they were on in Round 1.
Both teams have solid defensemen. Lidstrom and Rob Blake are the anchors on Detroit and San Jose's blue lines. Rafalski keeps the Wing's power play ticking along and Dan Boyle is going to have to do the same for San Jose.
In net, Nabokov is going to have to steal the show. Detroit is going to be peppering him with shots and he will need to be on the top of his game. Howard, although relatively unproven so far, will be facing the biggest challenge of his career by facing the high powered San Jose offense-when it shows up.
All together, I think this series is going to go the distance. San Jose is fighting for their playoff lifes and Detroit is rolling along like they do every year. Still, I'm taking San Jose in 7.
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Now that the Habs have upset the Caps in Game 7 last night, I can break down my predictions for Round 1 for the Eastern Conference. Also, I appoligize for not giving my Round 2 predictions yesterday. They will be in a seperate post, hopefully a little bit later today.
New Jersey v. Philadelphia. I said it would be Philly in 7, but it only took the Flyers 5 games to oust the Devils. After Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne went down I didn't give the flyers much of a chance, but Brian Boucher played well during this series, and Flyers rallied around each other and played a great team game. It didn't hurt that Brodeur was a little off his game during this series. Mike Richards did a good job as a set up man, getting a little over 1 assists per game, on average. Pronger did a good job of shutting down the Devils big guns, Parise and Elias. Kovalchuk was just about the only player on the Devils to notch a couple points consistently throughout the series.
Buffalo v. Boston. I said it would be Buffalo in 5, but it was actually Boston in 6. Tim Thomas couldn't get it done, and Tukka Rask came in and never looked back. He played well for Boston, but would he have done as well if Stafford and Vanek were available to the Sabres the whole series. Miroslav Satan did a good job leading the charge for the B's by netting 2 and assisting on 3 others while still leading the B's top scorers (with 5 points each, Recchi, Krejci, and Bergeron) in plus/minus. Ryan Miller played consistent with his great work during the regular season, but the Sabres lacked secondary scoring from guys like Gerbe, Grier, and Kaleta.
Pittsburgh v. Ottawa. I said it would be Pittsburgh in 5, but it actually took the Pens 6. So far the Pens look like the team that is peaking at the right time. Crosby and Malkin wiped the floor with the Sens. Marc-Andre Fleury played well, but wasn't up to par where he was last year (can't blame him since he won it all last year). It appears that Ottawa's glaring weakness is on the back end. Pascal Leclair and Brian Elliott let in 24 goals against in 6 games. That could be due to lack of good defensemen in front of them. Ottawa's saving grace was Daniel Alfredsson, who played outstanding no matter if the Sens were winning or losing, on the road or at home, during the 1st period or overtime. He was by far the Sens best forward.
Washington v. Montreal. I said Washington in 4, but boy was I wrong as Montreal won it in Game 7 last night. I think it's safe to say that we all expected Ovechkin, Backstrom and company to win after having a comanding 3-1 lead on the Habs. Varlamov did a good job in relief of Theodore, who looked horrible. Jaroslav Halak on the other hand turned himself into a brick wall, when he came in for relief of Carey Price. The shot totals that he faced seem more like totals from games that went into double or triple overtime, not 3 regulation periods. Once Montreal figured out how to defend themselves against Washington's attack, guys like Hal Gill and Roman Hamerlik were able shut down and clear the Caps out of Halak's crease. It didn't hurt that Cammalleri found his stride and Tomas Plekanec continued his production.
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Now that the Wings have defeated the Yotes in Game 7 last night, I can break down my predictions for Round 1 and give some predictions for Round 2 for the Western Conference.
Sharks v. Avs. I said San Jose in 5 games. It actually took them 6 games, but if Dan Boyle didn't score on his own goalie, Evgeni Nabokov in Game 3. Boyle easily could have been "the goat" for the Sharks. That goal put the Sharks down 2-1 in the series. Craig Anderson of Colorado was playing some pretty darn good goal for the Avs, and kept the Heatley, Thornton, Marleau trio to 1 goal and 9 assists. The Sharks also had some great production from their not-big-name players, Clowe, Pavelski and Setoguchi.
Yotes v. Wings. I said Detroit in 5 games, but it actually took all 7. Who thought the young Yotes would bring a healthy Detroit to 7 games? I sure didn't. Ilya Bryzgalov was fantastic. Phoenix did what they've done all season by just hanging around and making the other team pay. Unfortunately for them, Detroit is one of the best teams at making their opposition pay (See the power play goal by Lidstrom in Game 7 that had all 4 Phoenix penalty killers so dead that they pretty much just stood their and watched). The big guns are rolling for Detroit, but the Yotes really didn't have a mobile enough defense to stop Zetterberg, Datsyuk or Franzen. The Yotes really missed Shane Doan who was injured midway through the series.
Canucks v. Kings. I said it would be LA in 6, but was actually Vancouver in 6. I didn't get to watch much of this series, since the games were on too late for me. Vancouver is gong to surprise some people, myself included. They have a very balanced attack. Mikael Samuelsson had a GREAT series. The Nucks are getting some production from Ehrhoff, Salo. and the rest of their D-corps. Roberto didn't have a spectacular series, but was good enough to get it done against the younger,Jonathan Quick. This experience wasn't a waste for the Kings, since Doughty, Kopitar, Johnson and crew got some much needed playoff experience.
Hawks v. Preds. I said Hawks in 5, but it actually took them 6. Lets be honest about this series, the Hawks played like poop and the Preds played like a team. The Preds did a good job of shutting down Marian Hossa, Toews and Sharp who didn't get a lot of production. Patrick Kane on the other hand, was making things happen a getting a little over a point per game on average, including a goal with 13 seconds left in Game 5 with the Hawks trailing by a goal. Pekka Rinne for the other side seemed unsolvable for most of the series, since the Hawks were only able to muster 3 goals in the first 2 games. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter did a good job shutting down the Hawks offensive players. Grebeshkov showed just how important he is on the Preds back end. Once he came back their power play had a little more power in it, but still not enough to figure out Antti Niemi.
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Ok. So maybe it doesn't count since a couple of Western Conference games happened last night, but I didn't get a chance to watch them and only looked at the box scores on my crackberry this morning. In any event, here's a couple more players to watch.
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks. Joe is one of those good all around players. He's responsible defensively and can also pot a couple goals for his club. Should the big Thornton, Marleau, Heatley line be broken up, he'll be one of the first players to get playing time with one of those big guns.
Darcy Tucker, Colorado Avalanche. A feisty guy with the ability to agitate, and playoff experience (even if that was pre-lockout with the Leafs). Watch him get under the opposing team's skin.
Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes. The single most important guy currently on the team that wasn't just called up from the minors. The team leader in points out of all the players that started the season in Phoenix. He's going to have to keep up that pace, as well as leading by example against the Wings. The addition of Wojtek Wolski should give him a little bit of breathing room on the ice.
Darren Helm, Detroit Red Wings. One of their grinders. He might not see a whole lot of playing time with Zetterberg or Datsyuk, but he is one of the guys that does the dirty work and bangs around the other team's d-men. Expect him to excel in the series against Phoenix.
Christian Ehrhoff, Vancouver Canucks. One of the top d-men for the Canucks now that Willie Mitchell is sidelined. Should get a little more playing time if the Canucks get a good lead on the Kings, so they can rest the banged up Sami Salo. He gets some PP time, and will have ample opportunity to pick up assists getting the puck to Burrows and the Sedin Twins.
Rob Scuderi, Los Angeles Kings. He was brought in for two reasons: playoff experience and shot blocking abilities. It's his turn to show the young guys, like Doughty and Simmonds, on the Kings what playoff hockey is all about. He'll be solid, despite playing against the other teams top players.
David Legwand, Nashville Predators. He has only have playoff experience with Nashville, which were all first round exits. Not that he ever plays down, but that should make him much more hungry to advance, much like Jason Arnott who is nearing the end of his career. He plays a hard nosed game and goes hard to the net. His physical play should work well against the Hawks.
Dave Bolland, Chicago Blackhawks. The second line center behind Toews and filling that role nicely. Has a good ability to dish the puck to line mates and pot a couple goals. Spent most of the season out with a back injury, but has been steadily improving his play since returning. He was also one of the more solid Hawks playing between Havlat and Sharp on their run to the Conference Finals last season.
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The playoffs start tonight. Below is a list of a few players that have the opportunity to excel this time of the year.
Brooks Laich, Washington Capitals. Everyone knows about Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green. Those guys should and will excel against the Canadiens. But Brooks is going to play a very important role for the Caps holding down the fort while linemates Semin and Backstrom work their magic.
Benoit Pouliot, Montreal Canadiens. Benoit spent most of his time in Minnesota. He's a player that is responsible defensively with some offensive upside. He's a young guy, and this will be only his second game in the NHL playoffs. Should get ample opportunity against weaker defenders, since Cammalleri & Co. will draw the other team's top defensemen.
Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins. OK. So he might not be a role player, but he is a huge part of the Pens, and fills a role. (get that?) A penalty kill specialist is going to have plenty of opportunity to shut down other teams' top lines.
Chris Neil, Ottawa Senators. He's a tough customer. Watch his physical play and ability to get nasty in the corners pay off and piss off Brooks Orpik.
Drew Stafford, Buffalo Sabres. Didn't have the best regular season by any stretch of the imagination, but his offensive upside in the playoffs is going to be needed by the Sabres if they're going to get out of the first round. He finished the season hot with 4 points in 4 games.
Michael Ryder, Boston Bruins. He's one of those role players that comes alive in the playoffs. Never one to be counted out of a play, he can usually be found crashing the net.
Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils. One of the Devils top five scorers. Mostly overlooked with bigger names on the team like Rolston, Kovalchuk, and Elias. Expect this guy to get a little extra space on the ice, even against the hard checking Flyers.
Matt Carle, Philadelphia Flyers. A solid d-man that will not have to worry about shutting down the other teams top lines, but could certainly be the shut down guy if they Flyers need him to be.
As usual, the links will take you to a card of that player on Sportsbuy.com.
The Atlanta Thrashers have promoted Don Waddel to President and Rick Dudley to GM. They have also fired the entire coaching staff, including former NHLer Randy Cunneyworth.
I don't have any opinions on the promotion of Don Waddel. I do think that Rick Dudley will be a good fit in helping the Thrashers rebuild. After all he was part of helping to bring the core of the Tampa Bay Lightning that won a cup. More recently, he helped build the core of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as stints with other teams in the NHL and IHL (remember that league?).
Although I can't disagree with the letting go of the former GM and coaching staff, I can speculate that Atlanta had a lot going on to detract from the team troughout the season. We can't help but think that the whirlwinds that surrounded the attempted resigning of Ilya Kovalchuk, up until just before the trade deadline/olympic break, caused the team to lose some focus. In defense of the GM and coaching staff, the team played well down the stretch without Kovalchuk in the line up. Also, despite Ilya saying that he wanted to stay in Atlanta, it's pretty evident that he was going to walk once the season ended anyways. It's good that they were at least able to get a solid d-man in Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and a couple picks in the 2010 draft from New Jersey.
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Regular season has been over for almost 48 hours now. Two firings and one player is already certainly going to be moving in the off season, and one retirement rumor.
As I'm sure you've already heard, Rick Tocchet and Brian Lawton were let go as head coach and GM, respectively, of the Tampa Bay Lightning. I can't say that I disagree with the decision, but it doesn't sit right with me as far as Tocchet goes. Was he really given a fair shake? That point is arguable. He was given two years to get the team going, and they never really played well for him. On the other hand, the ownership squables and subsequent sale of the team left a lot up in the air and probably tied their hands a little bit as to what could be done with the team. Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos and the rest of the team should be in for a rude awakening, since any decent owner is going to hire someone much like their old coach, John Tortarella.
Just heard out of Dallas that Joe Nieuwendyk does not plan on resigning fan favorite goalie, Marty Turco, because it is time for Turco and team to move on. That leaves the door open for Kari Lehtonen to step up and be the Number 1 goalie for the Stars.
Also out of Dallas, Mike Modano had an emotional 3rd period against Anaheim. He basically thanked the fans of the Stars and Northstars for all of the love they gave him while playing for the organization. Video is below.
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