NHL Playoffs

The Game Room
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The regular season is drawing to a close. I believe the first round playoff matchups are set, they are as follows. I’m posting my predictions I want to hear everyone else’s.

West

(1)Sharks vs. (8)Blues

The Sharks are a perrenial powerhouse. They’ve clinched the Presidents trophy. I’m thinking the Sharks in 5

(2)Wings vs. (7)Ducks

Being a die hard Wings fan, I’m hoping Osgood can come through for a repeat. Wings in 6.:smiley:

(3)Canucks vs. (6)Blue Jackets

Not too sure about this one, but I take a shot. Blue Jackets in 7.

(4)Blackhawks vs. (5)Flames

Flames in 6

East

(1)Bruins vs. (8)Canucks

The best team in the east this year wants revenge for last year. Bruins in 6.

(2)Capitals vs. (7)Rangers

I like the Rangers, but Ovechkin is great. Caps in 6.

(3)Devils vs. (6)Canes

New Jersey in 5.

(4)Flyers vs. (5)Penguins

This is going to be a dandy. Penguins in 7

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The Canucks are going to quite tired playing both the Bruins and the Blue Jackets.:smiley:

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Oops… Wrong Canucks, I meant Canadians.:smiley:

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Canadiens.

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The regular season is now closed. Playoff matchups are as follows

East

(1) Bruins vs. (8) Canadiens

(2) Capitals vs. (7) Rangers

(3) Devils vs. (6) Hurricanes

(4) Penguins vs. (5) Flyers

West

(1) Sharks vs. (8) Ducks

(2) Red Wings vs. (7) Blue Jackets

(3) Canucks vs. (6) Blues

(4) Blackhawks vs. (5) Flames

I’m just glad to see that the Wings aren’t starting against the Ducks. We’re prone to early chokes against strong goalies and I’m not going to miss the 10:30 start to at least two playoff games. Not to say that Mason isn’t strong, but it’s his first postseason and nerves may play a part.

I’ll post more of my wildly wrong and often times high-larious postseason picks later after I’ve had a chance to mull the match ups.

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Nerves? Yeah, 20 year old, with no NHL playing time, been carrying the future of his team on his back since November, played well through a bout of Mono, and posted a league leading 10 shutouts as a rookie this season. If the Wings are pinning the first round on Steve Mason’s nerves, then they may want to start worrying.

Which is not to say the Jackets won’t collapse elsewhere, but if the first round comes down to goaltending …

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Updated predictions: Sharks, Wings, Canucks all in six. All those last spots in the west hinged on a game.

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Playoff hockey often comes down to goal keeping. Remember Gigeurre a few years ago. We got over 100 SOGs and lost the first 2 games. But rookies and new teams have to knock on the door a couple times before it opens.

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Settle down. What I was saying is that there is a huge difference between the regular season and the playoffs. That’s why this is referred to as the “second season.” Manny Legace carried the Wings through the regular season and choked in the first round playoff series. There is also a difference between a hot young goaltender in the playoffs and a tested veteran in J.S. Giguere.

For Detroit, it really shouldn’t come down to goaltending. Osgood, no matter his record, is a solid but not great goaltender. He’ll make some clutch saves but isn’t likely to outright steal a game. Same with Conklin. With the defense Detroit has, this shouldn’t be a problem. Of course it has been a problem all season. Early in the season Detroit did a crap job of clearing rebounds and covering forwards leading to too many easy goals for the opposition. This affected the mental game of Ozzie, costing him his force field of confidence that he picked up with his cup ring. If the D picks up their game and the forwards back check like they did last year, he’ll regain his confidence. If not, bad day.

Truth be told, Mason may not even have to stand on his head. The Red Wings have a nasty habit of throwing pucks on net from the blue line with no screen and noone to pick up rebounds. Thusly a goalie winds up making 30-40 saves with almost none of them being high percentage shots. He gets into the heads of the Wings forwards and the series is over. See Anaheim/L.A. Kings/Edmonton.

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East

(1) Bruins vs. (8) Canadiens

-Bruins have an edge in every category. Bruins in 4

(2) Capitals vs. (7) Rangers

-Caps have a better offense, Rangers have a far better goalie. Rangers in 6

(3) Devils vs. (6) Hurricanes

-Hurricanes have been a quality hockey team the last month or so and I’m not sure I can say the same for the Devils. I’m going Hurricanes in 7

(4) Penguins vs. (5) Flyers

-Penguins may have been the best team in hockey since the trade deadline and recently seem to be getting balanced scoring. I’d almost have them as a favorite in the east if they weren’t playing the Flyers in the first round. That said, Pens in 6.

West

(1) Sharks vs. (8) Ducks

  • I really have no idea. Ducks have been playing some solid hockey lately and SJ has been pretty mediocre as of late, not bad, but not great either. THey could lose this series, easily I think. I’ll go out on a limb here and give it to the Ducks in 7 games.

(2) Red Wings vs. (7) Blue Jackets

-I really don’t know which Red Wings team will show up. I have to assume Columbus will be jacked for this series though. They also will probably pay a pretty tight defensive series to support Mason. I think the wings win, but I think it’s close. 6 or 7 games.

(3) Canucks vs. (6) Blues

-This series I’m looking forward to most of all. The Blues have been a heck of a team for a while now and the Canucks made 10 points on the Flames over the last month or so which is quite a task in the age of 3 point games. I’m saying Luongo makes the difference and Vancouver wins in 7.

(4) Blackhawks vs. (5) Flames

-The Hawks seem to be playing a little better over the last few games after having a pretty rough stretch for a couple weeks. My Flames haven’t been good for quite some time. The difference is goaltending, however. If Calgary gets good performances out of Kipper the series is over before it begins but if they don’t the opposite is true. I say Kipper shows up. Flames in 5.

I’m not notoriously bad at picking playoff series in the NHL. I think I’m due!

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As a Wings fan I am so glad we got Columbus. Not that I think they are a week team, but I do think the constant trips across the county that seem to happen every round to the Wings add up to late round fatigue.

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Tried to post this yesterday and got about 2/3 through when my internet froze and wiped everything. If at first you don’t succeed…

Eastern Conference

  1. Boston vs. 8) Montreal: You can also find this matchup in the dictionary under “Cakewalk.” Boston has been one of the league leaders all season. Montreal has been the model of inconsistency and failing to live up to potential. What a thunker this is. Boston in four.

  2. Washington Capitals vs 7) New York Rangers: I don’t like Theodore in net. I really don’t like Theodore in net. I really really don’t like Theodore in net. Yet after all that, I like the Rangers offense even less. For the Caps to win the series, Ovechkin merely needs to be Ovechkin, celebrations and all. For the Rangers to win, Lundqvist needs to stand on his head and Avery needs to be a pest without being a distraction. :dubious: Yeah. I still don’t like the Rangers offense. Caps in five.

  3. New Jersey Devils vs. 6) Carolina Hurricanes: New Jersey has a weak offense, but they do have Brodeur. Carolina has been one of the hottest teams in hockey recently, but they’re playing against Brodeur. To win they’ll have to make all their shots good shots and not let Brodeur get into any kind of a groove making save after save after save. New Jersey just has to play solid defense, clearing rebounds and keeping shots low percentage to win games 1-0. I’ve just never been able to bet against Brodeur. Devils in seven.

  4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5) Philadelphia Flyers: For the Flyers to win the series, they have to drive the Pens to distraction with physical play while not running afoul any sort of Jordan rule-esque Crosby penalties. Pittsburgh just has to score goals, which should be easy with the number of power plays the Flyers will give them. Even though it would make my heart sing to see the saviour of hockey go down, it’s not going to happen this series. Pens in six.

Western Conference

  1. San Jose Sharks vs. The Los Angeles Ducks of Anaheim: This will be a rough series for both teams what with all the travel. More seriously, this is the series with the biggest chance for an upset. Thornton has a reputation (fair or not) for disappearing in the playoffs, and Giguerre can get hot and shut a team down. It’ll be up to the Ducks defense to give him a chance to get there. I don’t think that’ll happen, though I do think this will be the most interesting series of the first round. Sharks in seven.

  2. Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Another big travel series. God the western conference is brutal. I’m just happy not to have to stay up until 10 to watch a playoff game. Fair warning: As Detroit is my team of choice, this will be a big post.

Columbus has Rick Nash and Steve Mason, along with Ken Hitchcocks group of ragtag borgian regulars playing his system. Detroit has everyone that they have with a big question in net. In all honesty, I don’t agree that the goalie is the problem. That’s not to say that Ozzie has played well. He’s played crap in net lately, but the biggest problem is the defense. Ozzie is not the kind of goalie that steals games. He’s a solid netminder that can win games with help from the defense. The problem is that the Wings haven’t been clearing the net of pucks or players and the rebounds are costing them. Their recent problems with turnovers haven’t helped things either. Their best chance to win is to get Holmstrom, Franzen, and Cleary in front of Mason. This is his first playoffs and they need to put pressure on him early and often. The Wings can’t just pepper him with low percentage shots from way out. They also need to play tight defense. Conklin or Ozzie in net, if they’re not keeping the quality chances to a minimum, they’ll be another Cup to golf course statistic.

Columbus can win this one pretty easily. Put pressure on the Wings in the defensive zone to make them cough the puck up and it’ll be in the net fast. Defensively, they can keep the Wings to the outside and give Mason a clear look at the shooter. Then all Mason will have to do is stop an easy thirty to forty shots that he’ll see the whole way from the blue line. The biggest problems for Columbus will be keeping out of the box and containing Datsyuk, who has turned into one of the leagues best players. No prediction due to bias.

  1. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6)St. Louis Blues: Aw gawd. Not another Vancouver series. They’re so booooring. The Canucks have no offense beyond the Sedin twins and will rely on Luongo to stop the few shots that get past their choking neutral zone crap. St. Louis has come into the playoffs on the hottest streak in hockey, clawing their way not just into the playoffs but up to sixth place in a single bound. I can’t see their momentum carrying past the Canucks. Vancouver in zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
  2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 5) Calgary Flames: I don’t care if I’m a Wings fan. It is damn nice to see the Hawks back in the playoffs. The question is whether or not the Bulin wall can stand taller than Kiprusoff. Hmmmmmm. I’m a sucker for feel good stories. Hawks in five.
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West

(1)Sharks vs. (8)Blues

San Jose sweeps this one. Sorry St Louis.

(2)Wings vs. (7)Ducks

Have to go for Wings here. Probably in 5.

(3)Canucks vs. (6)Blue Jackets

Columbus is going to bring the heat with their first playoff appearance. Will it be enough to edge Vancouver? I don’t think so. Canucks in 6.

(4)Blackhawks vs. (5)Flames

I don’t really know much about either of these teams, so shot in the dark: Blackhawks in 7.

East

(1)Bruins vs. (8)Canucks

Bruins sweep series.

(2)Capitals vs. (7)Rangers

Caps take this series in 5.

(3)Devils vs. (6)Canes

Canes in 6. Canes took the Devils to the mat in 3 of 4 games in the series this season. They have Brodeur figured out and outplayed the Devils in the last game, but 2 bad bounces off the boards caught Leighton of guard and out of net. Without those two gimmes, the Canes would have won the 4th one as well.

(4)Flyers vs. (5)Penguins

Now this is the matchup to watch right here. Slight edge to the Pens. I think it will take them 7 games though.

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ummm- you might want to recheck your Western Conference break down

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Heh, good lord, I copied and pasted from post 1. :smack:

I don’t really care about the West anyway. :smiley:

(1) Sharks vs. (8) Ducks

Still give this one to San Jose in 4.

(2) Red Wings vs. (7) Blue Jackets

Wings in 6.

(3) Canucks vs. (6) Blues

I haven’t a clue. I’ll take the Blues for this one.

(4) Blackhawks vs. (5) Flames

Still don’t have a clue, but staying with the Hawks.

And change my East Bruins matchup to them playing Montreal. :smack:

I’m gonna back out of the thread now and hope you guys forget I was here.

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Forget who was what now?

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Sorry about that, I started the thread with a few games left to play.

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I’ll preface this post with the fact that I’m a lunatic Sharks fan.

The last time I was able to follow my own team all the way to a championship was the 1994 season of the San Francisco 49ers. The January day in 1995 that the 9ers won the Superbowl was the very day I drove from a Portland, Oregon suburb to a San Jose, California suburb. I had to listen to it in the car on southbound Interstate 5. I was 15 years old. The 49ers had never been bad in my time of fandom: championships were practically a given. The only real noticeable failure was the heartbreak of the NY Giants’ last-minute win in the 1990 NFC Championship game following a Roger Craig fumble. Still, it was not unusual for my team to win it all, and I was too young to really realize this was a special thing.

I had experienced the supreme disappointment of the Portland Trailblazers’ repeated post season failures despite regular season dominance in the early 1990s. It was natural to get sucked into the only game in town when the team was kicking ass. Seeing them lose to the Pistons, Lakers and Bulls wasn’t fun.

And now, with San Jose Sharks hockey, I repeat the cycle. But which cycle is it?
Isn’t that the great thing about the playoffs, no matter the sport?

I thought the Sharks could win it all last year, but they once again failed in the second round. Knowing a little more about hockey now I see that once the playoffs start, the team has to kick ass and take names. Never back away from an opportunity to humiliate the other team. Beat them by as many goals as you can possibly score. Get your fans free pizza in every home game (Four Sharks goals in a home game lets you redeem a ticket for a free pizza at Round Table.)

The 49ers humiliated their playoff opponents during that last championship run, outscoring their postseason opponents by an average of 20 points. But the Blazers just couldn’t beat other championship-caliber teams; they just didn’t have the mentality.

I really do think that a change in coaching and some key additions (Boyle, Blake) have brought something special to my hockey team. The change to a more offensive system should help them pound their opponents with a proverbial stick. I want to see margins of 5-2 and 6-2. Whenever they have a lead, I want to see them add to it, not just protect it.

The Sharks have the ability to do that. As long as they keep pushing, they’ll go all the way.

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Today I’ll just cover the series that are starting now:

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

I just don’t see that the Rangers have anybody who can be the answer to Ovechkin. The Rangers have Lundqvist, yes, but there isn’t a goaltender in the world who I think can single-handedly shut down Ovechkin right now. The Rangers’ defence corps is weak in all areas and it’s been their Achilles’ heel since the lockout.

Capitals in five

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers

This is an interesting one – I keep going back and forth. The Penguins had a horrific start but really turned it on in the second half, but I don’t like their depth, their defence or their wingers. The Flyers faltered down the stretch and lost home-ice advantage. I’ve long said that Biron is an underrated goaltender but he’s yet to prove me right. I take Philadelphia because I think that they’re a much more rounded team than Pittsburgh.

Flyers in seven

Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues

This is a tough one to analyse. The Blues’ have some ugly statistics in some key indicators for how good a team really is, like goal differential. The confounding factor is that the Blues were a lottery team in the first half of the year and an amazing one in the second half, so you have to throw those stats out the window. Vancouver has long been a team that chokes badly in the playoffs, and the addition of Mats “At least I’m not as bad a choker as the Senators” Sundin isn’t impressing me much, especially given his points totals in his abbreviated season. Apparently, signing big-name players who aren’t really sure if they want to continue playing hockey isn’t the best idea – just ask the Ducks.

Blues in six

Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils

The Devils have been a funny team since the lockout. They’ve won their division 3 years out of 4, but haven’t gotten out of the second round once and have lost in 5 games each time. The Devils need Brodeur to be in top form for them to be a contender, but he hasn’t been in the last month and the Devils dropped well behind the Caps and Bruins. I really wonder about this team playing so well without Brodeur only to lose steam when he returned. Carolina, on the other hand, made an excellent run into the playoffs. Cole and Staal have been dynamite and Cam Ward looks to be regaining his form. Still, I have niggling doubts in the back of my mind about the Hurricanes. I’ve never been a fan of the defence corps. Sorry, Hockey Monkey, but I think that Parise ends up carrying his team past Carolina.

Devils in seven

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Boston vs Montreal - Boston 5

San Jose vs Anaheim - San Jose 6

Washington vs NY Rangers - Washington 6

Detroit vs Columbus - Detroit 5

New Jersey vs Carolina - New Jersey 7

Vancouver vs St. Louis - Vancouver 7

Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia - Pittsburgh 7

Chicago vs Calgary - Chicago 5