NHL Playoffs: Western Conference

Yesterday, I covered the Eastern Conference of the NHL playoffs. Mind you, I am no prognosticator but I will make an attempt to handicap the opening round of the Western Conference.

Here goes!

(1)Vancouver Canucks vs (8) Chicago Blackhawks

Is there any wonder why Vancouver was the NHL's best team during the regular season? The Canucks won 54 games, score goals by the boatload, defend solidly, and have superb goaltending.

Offensively, Vancouver is lead by the Sedin twins Daniel and Henrik. Daniel scored 41 times this past season while Henrik had a whopping 75 assists. On top of that, Ryan Kessler also had 41 markers for the Canucks and Alexandre Burrows had 26 to boot. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff is a threat from the blue line tallying 14 goals.

Asides from Ehrhoff, back liners Kevin Bieska and Dan Hamhuis were +32 and +29 respectively.

Roberto Luongo once again had a stellar season minding the net for Vancouver. The Vezina Trophy candidate was victorious in 38 of 60 starts sporting a fantastic 2.11 Goals Against Average and a sparkling .928 save percentage. Luongo is truly one of the league's best.

Defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago had turned over a significant portion of it's roster during the off-season and struggled just to qualify for this post-season.

The Blackhawks still have firepower from forwards Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, and Marian Hossa. However, Chicago is not as good defensively as star defenseman Duncan Keith had an off year by his standards.

This season, the netminding will rest on the shoulders of young Corey Crawford. Crawford did a respectable job taking over for veteran Marty Turco by winning 33 games and posting a respectable 2.30 GAA. That being said, this is a question mark for the defending champs.

Dick Says: As hard as this is to believe, it appears as though the defending champion Blackhawks have little chance in beating Vancouver in a best-of-seven scenario. Too many weapons and superior in goal, Vancouver could make this easy.

Vancouver --- 5 Games

(2)San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings

San Jose has the gunslingers to match Vancouver as seven Sharks scored 20 or more goals led by All-Star Patrick Marleau's 37 and Logan Couture's 32 tallies. Three lines of offense is hard to stop unless hot goaltending comes along.

Antti Niemi defected from Stanley Cup champion Chicago to play in net for San Jose this season and didn't disappoint. With 35 victories, a 2.38 GAA and a .920 Save percentage, Niemi has the experience to help send the Sharks deep into the post-season.

Los Angeles will have a difficult time offensively without center Anze Kopitar who broke his ankle in late March and is out of commission. Dustin Brown, Justin Williams, and veteran Ryan Smyth are all capable but this may be too much to ask to replace the puck skills Kopitar possesses.

Jonathan Quick will again man the goal for the Kings. A winner of 35 games with a 2.24 GAA, Quick is more than capable of handling the pressure San Jose will apply.

I believe: San Jose will prove far too powerful for the undermanned Kings. Pure and simple.

San Jose --- 5 Games

(3)Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes

Detroit has plenty of goal scorers to go around as 13 players scored at least 10 goals during the regular season with Johan Franzen and Danny Cleary leading the way. Of course there always Henrik Zetterberg who will shoot the puck at any time.

While goalie Jimmy Howard won 37 games, he didn't play particularly well for most of the season. He must step up if the Wings are to make another run at Lord Stanley's Cup.

Phoenix has no one player that will scare the Wings offensively. Shane Doan was the only player with 20 goals and that an even 20 at that. Defenseman Keith Yandle provides a spark from the blue line but he needs help from the forwards.

The Coyotes have Ilya Bryzgalov holding down the fort in net. While Bryzgalov had a somewhat high 2.48 GAA, his .921 save percentage is a testament to his outstanding play as Phoenix gives up a ton of shots.

I Think: Detroit has many weapons that can score but Howard is questionable in goal. Phoenix lacks goal scoring capabilities but had an outstanding goalie. Who knows?

Detroit --- 7 Games

(4)Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Nashville Predators

Anaheim has three players that can tickle the twine. Corey Perry was the NHL's leading goal scorer with 50 on the season. Perry also lead the league with 11 game winners and was 5th with 14 power play goals. Bobby Ryan had 34 shots go to the back of the net and the ageless Finn Teemu Selanne still showed his scoring touch potting 31 goals, including 16 on the power play, good for 3rd in the NHL. To boot, blue liner Lubomir Visnovsky had 18 markers to help the forwards.

With starting goalie Jonas Hiller still suffering the effects of vertigo, it will be up to Dan Ellis to guard the net for the Ducks. Should Ellis falter, Ray Emery will fill in but Anaheim is hoping Hiller can play if need be.

Nashville is playing tremendous hockey entering the playoffs. While not loaded on offense, goalie Pekka Rinne has been nothing short of fabulous of late.

Rinne posted 33 wins with a fantastic 2.12 GAA and a .930 save percentage, second only to Boston's Tim Thomas.

Dick Chimes: While Anaheim clearly is better offensively, the questions in goal could haunt them. Nashville could win this series if Rinne plays as advertised.

Nashville --- 7 Games

There is my view of the opening round in the Western Conference.

Enjoy the games!

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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An Apology Then NHL Playoff Preview

Hello to my readers. I know it's been two months since my last post and I apologize for that. Many events have happened to me in that time period and I was unable to avoid any of it...as a good friend of mine used to say “Feces occurs!”

But now I'm back and things have settled down. I'm ready to return to “My Thoughts on the World of Sports” in a better way.

Now on to the NHL playoffs!

Tonight, I begin my playoff preview with the Eastern Conference pairings which could produce exciting action. Now comes my time to spout off my feelings about the East.

(1)Washington Capitals vs. (8) New York Rangers

Washington's scoring punch was down a bit this season mainly due to Alex Ovechkin's off year as he scored “only” 32 goals. Alexander Semin had 28 tallies for the Caps and old reliable Mike Knuble chimed in with 24 goals.

Injuries have also hampered the Capitals and none was worse than defenseman Mike Green's concussion suffered on February 25th versus the Rangers. Green could be ready for game one as he has been skating regularly with the team.

Goaltending was much improved this season as Michal Neuvirth has taken the reins in net. Neuvirth finished the regular season with 27 wins, a 2.45 Goals Against Average and a .914 Save Percentage.

The Rangers had balanced scoring this season led by center Brandon Dubinsky's 24 goals Followed closely by Ryan Callahan with 23 twine ticklers. Marian Gaborik, Derek Stepan, and Brian Boyle also were 20 goal scorers for the “Blue Shirts”.

New York has been bitten by the injury bug as well. The aforementioned Ryan Callahan is till in a walking boot after breaking his right ankle. Without Callahan, the Rangers will lack some of the physical play needed to slow Washington's speed.

If there's one area where the Rangers are superior it's the play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. “King Henrik” won 36 games, enjoyed a sparkling 2.28 GAA, a .923 Save Percentage, and 11 Shutouts. Lundqvist is very capable of stealing games in the series and is the main reason the Rangers won a playoff berth.

My Prediction: While Lundqvist can steal the series, Washington has too much firepower for the Rangers.

Washington --- 6 Games

(2)Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres

Let there be no argument, the Flyers can score as seven players scored more than 20 goals. Center Jeff Carter had 36 goals for the season while Danny Briere tallied 34 for Philly.

One key injury the Flyers must deal with is ageless defenseman Chris Pronger's right hand injury. While hopeful to play, he's doubtful for game 1 of the series.

Goaltending is a huge question mark for the Flyers. Twenty-two year old Sergei Bobrovsky will get the call for Philadelphia in game 1 versus Buffalo. We'll see how young Sergei will handle Stanley Cup playoff pressure for the first time. Should he fail, veteran Brian Boucher will fill the void in goal.

The Sabres are entering the playoffs playing their best hockey of the year. Buffalo has been scoring of late and goalie Ryan Miller has been playing his best hockey recently.

Offensively, Buffalo is led by Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford with 32 and 31 goals respectively while the rest of the scoring is well balanced.

The key to the Sabres playoff run rests on the shoulders of net minder Ryan Miller. Miller, a perennial all-star, is capable of winning a playoff series by himself and we all know that history often repeats itself.

I Say: It will come down to goaltending --- the experience of Miller versus the youth of Bobrovsky even with the Flyers firepower, I see an upset.

Buffalo --- 6 Games.

(3)Boston Bruins vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens



The Bruins style of play begins with defense and goaltending. Norris trophy candidate Zdeno Chara was a plus 33 while youngster Adam McQuaid was at plus 30 from the blue line. In goal, Vezina Trophy favorite Tim Thomas had a season to remember. Thomas had 35 victories, an even 2.00 GAA, 9 shutouts, and an NHL record .938 save percentage. If Thomas should fail, Boston would still be in good shape with backup goalie Tuukka Rask.

While the Bruins don't score a ton of goals, six players scored at least 18 goals. Milan Lucic led the way with 30 goals while Nathan Horton ended the regular season with 26 tallies.

While Montreal won't scare anyone with their offense, they did have three players with 20+ goals with Brian Gionta leading the way with 29 to the back of the net.

Carey Price will handle the load in goal for the Habs. Price had 38 wins this season, a 2.35 GAA,a .923 save percentage, and 8 shutouts.

What I Think: This rivalry will be fiercely played as both teams feel they have to prove themselves. The Bruins must play physical hockey to neutralize Montreal's skating ability While Carey Price must be superb to keep the Habs in the series.

Boston --- 7 games

(4)Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Tampa Bay Lightning


We know what the Penguins will probably struggle scoring goals without mega-stars Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. So where will the scoring come from? Pittsburgh hopes that Chris Kunitz, Tyler Kennedy, and James Neal can pick up the slack.

Also, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury must be at the top of his game if the Pens' are to survive. Fleury has played well this season as his 36 wins and 2.32 GAA suggests.

Tampa Bay has plenty of goal scoring capabilities to win any playoff series. Led by Steven Stamkos (45 Goals), Martin St. Louis (31), and Vincent Lecavalier (25), The Lightning are ready to prove that the regular season was no fluke.

Keeping pucks out of the net could be a problem for Tampa Bay. The Lightning will depend on veteran Dwayne Roloson to man the net. If Roloson isn't at peak performance, the Lightning would be in serious trouble.

My Opinion: Pittsburgh has found a way to win without Crosby and Malkin while Tampa Bay wins with offense as well. It comes down to the men between the pipes.

Pittsburgh --- 6 Games.

That's a breakdown of the Eastern Conference of the NHL.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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