By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: April 11, 2012
The playoffs are always intense. They always have great stories, and make for great games. This year is no exception. In fact, this year may have even more intensity, as the points race has been incredibly close. Most teams are within only two points of those behind them in their conference standings, and realistically speaking, this is the tightest the race for the Cup has been in a while.
To get you primed for the playoffs, here are a few things to remember. First, let’s talk about seeding: the top team in each division gets first, second, and third in their conference, depending on points. This is how Florida and Phoenix ended up in third place of their respective conferences – points-wise, they’d be much lower, if they were in the race at all. After the first round, re-seeding will happen. If the division winners survive, they continue to be seeded 1-3. The remaining teams are lined up behind them according to total points. The higher-seeded team always has the home-ice advantage, which means they play the first game (and seventh, if it gets there) game at home.
A few other things to keep in mind: there are no shootouts in the playoffs. I know we’re used to them after that stretch of 8000 games going to shootout in the middle of the Canucks season, but it’s time to kiss them goodbye until September. If a game is not won in regulation, a regular intermission of 15 minutes occurs, followed by a 20 minute period of sudden-death overtime. This process of intermission and overtime continues until one team has won. Another thing to think about; things get really tight-lipped at this time of year. Coaches aren’t going to speak up about their player’s injuries. They’re not going to give a timeline. They’re not going to decisively say which goalie is playing the next game. They’re not going to talk about their feelings while braiding the hair of journalists in the media scrum. Well, they probably never do that. But still.
Western Conference
(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (8) Los Angeles Kings
This match-up could be reminiscent of the Nashville vs Vancouver series last year. The Kings limped into eighth place because of their stellar defence, led by the brick wall in front of their net otherwise known as Jonathan Quick. He had 10 regular season shutouts this year, which doubles the respectable five that Roberto Luongo has garnered. The Kings’ point total, however, isn’t necessarily indicative of their current offensive power: just before the trade deadline, they acquired Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets. This reunites Carter with his teammate from Philadelphia, Mike Richards. The two have been known to stir things up together, both on and off the ice. Don’t be saying sweep just yet, folks – this could be a bumpy ride.
(2) St. Louis Blues vs (7) San Jose Sharks
Blues captain David Backes is a viable contender for this year’s Selke trophy – in other words, he’s dangerous offensively (he leads his team in points) and defensively. The other thing the Blues bring to the table is depth. They don’t have any superstars on their team, yet they still managed second place in the Western Conference. The Sharks, on the other hand, have Big Joe Thornton. He’s one of the best offensive players in the league, and creates plenty of opportunity for his team, which brags three 30-plus goal scorers. In net, they have Antti Niemi. Most Vancouver fans won’t need to be reminded that he was in net when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 – he’s no stranger to the playoffs, and has found a way to succeed under the pressure.
(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs (6) Chicago Blackhawks
This has the potential to be the biggest Cinderella story of the post-season. The Coyotes are in third because they won their division. The top three teams in that division are separated by just one point each. They trail second-place St Louis by 12 points. It seems like they’re in over their heads, but the Blackhawks are down captain “Serious” Jonathan Toews, who is out with concussion symptoms with no timeframe for his return. However, the Hawks managed to get into the playoffs without him – they’ve got something going for them, even if it’s just Patrick Kane’s mullet. The Hawks also made a pretty key trade at the deadline, losing hulking John Scott to the Rangers for Johnny Oduya. He’s bulked up their blue line – with brainpower, that is, as Scott is great to have around for size but not so much if you want smart defensive plays. This is good, because the blue line is one of Phoenix’s strengths: D-man Keith Yandle has racked up 43 points this season, while the contender for longest nameplate in the league, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, has 32.
(4) Nashville Predators vs (5) Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver fans groan when they see Nashville’s name on their schedule. There’s a reason for that – their 1-3-1 defence style makes for some boring hockey. It’s hard to tally the points against effective defence, and they never had a particularly explosive offence. Until now. They acquired Paul Gaustad and Andrei Kostitsyn at the trade deadline, who’ve both done great things for the Preds: Kostitsyn has netted four game-winners since joining the team. Match their sudden offensive ability against the Red Wing’s defence, and you’ve got a problem – legendary defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom, their defensive core, currently suffers from a deep bone bruise on his ankle. While he’s playing, he’s not playing like the Lidstrom that Wings fans know and love. That being said, Lidstrom at half-power is still probably better than most defencemen in the league.
Eastern Conference
(1) New York Rangers vs (8) Ottawa Senators
The New York Rangers narrowly missed out on first place in the league, meaning they’ve scored a lot of points. Further, they allowed just 187 goals in the regular season (third lowest in the league), meaning they’re pretty good defensively. Ottawa has been touted as a dark horse all season – they’ve quietly made their way up through the standings, yet fallen back to eighth due to inconsistency rearing its ugly head at the end of the season. Forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek have been consistent goal-scorers this season, but they’re easily matched by Ranger Ryan Callahan (who garnered 29 goals playing on the second line). New York’s true strength, though, is Henrik Lundqvist – and not just because he’s consistently voted the hottest player in the NHL. He’s a strong Vezina trophy contender this year, with a .931 save percentage and a 1.93 goals-against average. That’s earned his team 39 wins with him in net, and the Senators might have trouble stopping that total climbing in the postseason. That being said, Ottawa is the only other Canadian team in the playoffs. As such, you are required by hockey law to support them. Go Sens.
(2) Boston Bruins vs (7) Washington Capitals
Vancouver has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to the Bruins. However, the rage that the black and gold elicits in our hearts is blinding us to the fact that the Bruins are a solid team defensively and offensively with plenty of depth. As we saw last year, they’re big, and led by Zdeno Chara, who towers over most of the league. They do best against teams that rely on one or two point-scorers. Happily for them, they’re pitted against what should likely be referred to as the Ovechkin show – despite his incredible slump leading up to Christmas, he finished the regular season with 38 goals and 65 points, which leads the team. What’s more, their goalie situation is dire: starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun is out with a groin injury. Their backup, Michal Neuvirth, is also out, with a lower-body injury. Their AHL starter, Barden Holtby, hasn’t been having a great season at that level, yet he may be the Capitals’ only hope in this series. No pressure, though.
(3) Florida Panthers vs (6) New Jersey Devils
This series could be an interesting one. Devils coach Pete DeBoer was fired two seasons ago by the Panthers organization. Behind the opposite bench, coach Kevin Dineen boasts being the first coach to get the Panthers to the postseason for the first time in 12 years. It’s not all about the coaching, though: Devils goalie Martin Brodeur—the other goalie who played in Canada’s victorious 2010 Olympics run—is playing what could be his last season. He’s likely to lay everything on the line for his team and his last chance at a Cup. This is also the first year that New Jersey has had three players – David Clarkson, Ilya Kovalchuk, and captain Zach Parise – score 30 goals. This matches up against the Panthers, who lack any superstar forwards. However, what they lack in star quality, they make up for with four lines of grit. Even though they wouldn’t be in the third slot if they didn’t come from a weak division, this won’t be a cakewalk for New Jersey.
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers
This is the match-up of the first round. The Penguins and the Flyers have a well-documented rivalry, spanning multiple seasons of mutual hatred. Flyers fans call the Penguins soft, Penguins call the Flyers “all brawn, no brain.” With this year’s Art Ross winner Evgeni Malkin on their side, the Penguins will be a team to contend with for the Flyers. Apparently, the Penguins have another player that’s kind of good, too … but no one likes talking about Matt Cooke in Vancouver. Plagued with multiple concussions throughout the first half of the season, the Flyers could be in better fighting form than their standing suggests. Again – this is the match-up of the first round. If you’re watching any aside from your team, it should probably be this one.
