Pardon My Bias

The zombie apocalypse is aparently upon us. Photo courtesy of sportsofboston.com

The NHL has been facing the brunt of a lot of scrutiny and jokes regarding supplementary discipline ever since Colin Campbell has been at the helm. It has been as head scratching confusing as it has been maddening for teams and players looking for enforcement or for that matter getting punished excessively. So while one could rant about guys who are essentially let free to head hunt (cough, cough, Mike Richards) commissioner Gary Bettman (another joke throughout the league) has replaced Colin Campbell for the Stanley Cup Finals and he will be replaced entirely in his position by former player Brendan Shanahan.

Whether this is because Campbell is inept at his job where it is summarized via the “wheel of justice” and particular flow charts (see right)

Pretty accurate really. Thanks to downgoesbrown.com

, or because his son Gregory is playing in the finals for the Boston Bruins isn’t too clear. What is clear however is that interim sheriff Mike Murphy missed a slam dunk of a call where Alex Burrows bit Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in the first game of the finals. While Burrows “discretely” covered the play by putting up his glove and the referee was looking the other direction it was clear to just about everyone (besides those in Vancouver who are blind to anything anti-Canuck) that Burrows tried to grab some finger food.

This has happened a few times in the league before, one such case being with Jarkko Ruutu of Ottawa (at the time) who chomped down on a finger during a scrum. While a few large differences were that Burrows tried to have a snack through a glove and Ruutu was biting a bare hand, that one was during the finals, and that Burrows obviously plays a much larger role than that of fourth line pest it shows that no matter who is at the wheel the NHL’s delivery of punishments is still a guessing game.

The NHL is on the biggest stage of the year in terms of contention (if this was visibility, the biggest stage was the Ovechkin versus Crosby Winter Classic) and yet while eyes on the league for the finals the move that was supposed to resolve the bizarre punishment (or lack thereof) system immediately whiffed. Burrows bit a guy. Whether this is reality or the Walking Dead, it doesn’t matter. The NHL needs some consistency and suspending a player for two games for biting seemed like it made sense.

Though I suppose not yet. The system is the same it seems and the NHL appears like a bush league organization once again. It is a real shame as well since game one was such a tight game (albeit low scoring) with some real intensity and instead the game looks ridiculous again where players are given a pass for a play that should regularly be suspension worthy no matter the circumstances. Maybe it was because the refs missed the play at the exact moment or that Bergeron wasn’t bleeding all over the ice, but the NHL and Shanahan needs to simply implement a straight forward system where no one is given preferential treatment. For a league trying to cut down on reckless play the NHL sure does an odd job trying to enforce such changes.

I love sports yet I am not much of a hockey spectator and this may have to do with the fact that San Diego, my home city, does not have a NHL team. I have watched a few games now and then in the past but for most the part, the most interaction that I have had with hockey is through my Xbox controller…mind you, I wasn’t half bad! I barely know the rules and know only a handful of players and therefore never really kept track of the NHL world. I have now successfully watched 2.5 games this postseason and have to say that hockey is actually pretty darn cool.

Hockey isn't so bad! Photo courtesy of www.bleacherreport.com.

Americans rag on soccer due to its low scoring (although I am used to it since I am originally from England) but I never understood how they were into Hockey, which at many times is also low scoring. Yesterday, during game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, is the first time that I preplanned to sit down and watch the game and finally received my answer. Even though the score was 0-0 throughout most of the game, it was just damn exciting to watch! There were hard hits, smashed shot attempts, jaw-dropping saves and of course the glue to it all, the fights!

I could careless who wins and barely know any of the players yet with each shot attempt and save I was uh-ing and ah-ing (Off topic but how do you actually spell uh-ing? uw-ing? ew-ing?). Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo were incredible, or at least I thought so. Each were making crazy saves and helping their teams get through some intense power plays and let me reemphasize INTENSE! I now understand how people can find a non-scoring hockey game so exciting. It is so fast paced and there are shots just flying everywhere with some being saved in a jaw dropping fashion and some resulting in a fist pumping goal, then you add in the hard hits and the fights and you got yourself one hell of a time!

Did I mention someone bit a finger! Photo courtesy of www.latimes.com.

So I have finally truly discovered what a joy hockey is and am suggesting that you all also give it a shot. Along with all the action, there is also the humor of watching the referees. Those dudes deserve some mad credit! They must stay active at all times, trying to avoid pucks, sticks and any on-coming players. The humor comes with watching this take place. In just a few games, I have seen referees jump out of the way of flying pucks, get accidentally smashed by players and jump to sit up on the side boards in order to avoid interfering with the game.

So yes, watch hockey…it may grow on you!

The offensive depth for both the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks is something that has obviously propelled them as far as they have. Though, it is easy to state that the Canucks have the more offensive savvy squad with the Sedin twins. The Bruins on the other hand sport a more physical style exemplified by their big front man Milan Lucic. Lucic though has been slow to get going but fortunately for Boston Nathan Horton has been the new power forward to step up. So starting from the top…

The Bruins haven’t had one guy (or two) step up big time to where the offense is solely reliant upon them. David Krejci and Nathan Horton have been the two guys to find some scoring touch, and Patrice Bergeron has been finding a groove after missing a few games. The issue has been other big names not producing as much, with Lucic only scoring three goals so far. Tyler Seguin though has chosen a nice time to have his breakout moment of his rookie year as he has three goals and three assists in just seven games. Resident senior citizen Mark Recchi has been relatively quiet, and if he can find a scoring touch the Bruins could easily go toe to toe with the Canucks in scoring ability. Until then, it’s up to guys like Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand to keep chipping in whenever they can.

With possibly two MVPs, Vancouver still needs the rest of their forwards to pick up their offense still. Photo courtesy of asia.eurosport.com

Vancouver meanwhile sports three very well-known scoring threats with Daniel and Henrik Sedin and super versatile pest Ryan Kesler. Alex Burrows continues to thrive off the fact he plays with the Sedins and Kesler at times, all the while frankly pissing off the other team to obscene levels. The rest of the Canucks’ forwards haven’t reached double digits in points and with Mikael Samuelsson out guys like Mason Raymond need to step up their game, while others like Janik Hansen and Chris Higgins need to keep up their offensive play. Vancouver’s’ top line may be better than any line Boston may put together, but they need to get Ryan Kesler going with some support outside of just having him score on the power play.

The Canucks possess one of the best defensive forwards in the game with Ryan Kesler. Outside of Kesler the Canucks are a tad thin in two-way play though with Manny Malhotra still out and the rest of the bottom six are more physically inclined than actually defensive. Raffi Torres, Max Lapierre, Hansen, and enforcer Tanner Glass make up the bottom portion of the lineup and are far more likely to drive a fist into someone than be used on the penalty kills. If Malhotra does in fact make it back for the finals the Canucks are going to be breathing one huge sigh of relief. One huge issue (or two rather) lies with the Sedin twins. Despite the large amount of points they have put up they are both -4. Vancouver is appearing more reliant on the power play than they have during the regular season and their top line is getting scored on more often than they were used to during the regular season.

Two Bruins have been carrying the offensive load for Boston so far, but the rest of group has been mostly solid. Photo courtesy of newshopper.sulekha.com

The Bruins are closer to a complete opposite of the Canuck forwards in terms of goal production and two-way play. Boston has struggled mightily on their power play with only four goals scored by their forwards on the power play, but in terms of locking down the other team Boston’s forwards boast a very impressive group. Chris Kelly, Rich Peverly, and Patrice Bergeron are very capable forwards in both zones and Mark Recchi has the veteran knowledge to help out the younger guns of Marchand and Seguin. Boston is required to be solid in their own zone. The biggest issue though for Boston is just maintaining consistency as they have had games where they completely lockdown on other teams, but have also had games where they have gotten lit up or blown leads. They won’t have that room for error against Vancouver.

Ryan Kesler provides the depth behind the Sedin twins, while guys like Mason Raymond need to step up. Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

In my opinion, no team had as much offensive depth as that of Boston. Vancouver certainly has depth, but it is more physically based as mentioned earlier. That can work for their advantage with some of Boston’s hot heads and youngsters. Boston is going to need to stay out of the penalty box and just keep rolling three solid lines at Vancouver, as Vancouver has shown they are vulnerable at times five-on-five.  The Canucks need to essentially just annoy the Bruins and keep at it unless the lines without a Sedin can start producing more goals. Call me crazy, but I think the Bruins have the better overall group of forwards even with Vancouver’s pair of Sedins.

Washington's defensive woes fixed? Not quite, as they got lit up this series. Photo courtesy of getty images

The Washington Capitals certainly didn’t aspire confidence where after their game two loss they said they were still going to win this series, only of course to lose game three to where the response was then “we will win a game this series”. That didn’t happen either for the Caps who faced a rather humbling experience with a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No, one year removed after the Capitals coasted in the playoffs with the top record in the East they found themselves bounced early by a surprising Montreal Canadians team. This year it was déjà vu all over again, though the Caps did show up for the first round series only to get bashed in the second round. Maybe next year the Caps will have the top record again and make it to the conference finals only to get bounced after Mike Green scores accidentally into his own net. Give them a few more seasons and maybe then Washington will have the jitters out of the way, or whatever it is ailing them and win a Cup.

But where exactly did the wheels come off for Washington this year? It’s easiest to start from the goaltending on out, and rookie tender Michal Neuvrith was certainly an issue in this series. After being outstanding in the opening round, having his lowest save percentage be 91.4% and the most goals he gave up being three, only losing once, Neuvrith realized the difficulties of playing against a high powered offense (or even a middling offense) and not just the Rangers inefficiencies. In the four games, Neuvrith never had a save percentage over 87, and allowed a minimum three goals in each start. While most of the goals were pretty much not his fault, there were a few questionable ones that snuck by, usually at the inopportune time where Tampa stole all momentum. The game one equalizer and go ahead goals, all the way to the long range blasts and fat rebounds in game four Neuvrith just didn’t look like the same goalie. Not that all of the Capitals’ issues were his fault. His rebounds weren’t ever effectively cleared, if at all, and any time Sean Bergenheim starts lighting up the scoreboard the defense is likely doing something wrong.

The Bolts’ big three of Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier were scoring and play making machines in the series, and the entire Lightning offense did a great job just driving the net. Not to take too much away from Tampa but the Caps’ defense, which seemed to have turned a corner with their play, regressed back to 2010 letting opposing forwards rip through them, and not clearing their own zone effectively. And perhaps this one is on Coach Bruce Boudreau, but not locking down defense on three of the most obviously dangerous guys in the league? C’mon. There is a reason why smaller names take the big stage come playoff time, and it is because that defenses know they have to shut down the other team’s top guys, even at the expense of role players scoring more regularly and important goals. In any case, the Caps didn’t do that either as again Sean Bergenheim is playing at the level of Johan Franzen.

Another year, another collapse for the Caps who need to fix their playoff funk. Photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

Along with the defensive issues, trouble in net, and Boudreau’s questionable coaching, the power play and offense in general for Washington was atrocious. The Caps went two for nineteen on the man advantage, and the big guns for Washington just never got it going. Ovechkin only had four points, two of them goals, and Alex Semin only had two points with one goal. Still that topped Nicklas Backstrom who only had one assist for the entire series. At least Tampa Bay followed through on the shutting down of the top offensive threats.

But this is the most distressing part about the Capitals. They were on paper just as an effective team as the Lightning, and during the regular season they were more so.  Their offense was deeper, and their defense more seasoned, yet when it came down to it, the Lightning made them look foolish. The Caps system has worked by getting the puck in deep and forcing the defense to run around a ton, then waiting for an opening and (pardon the pun) capitalizing on the chance. It takes a sharp mindset for a team to play this

The talent is there for Boudreau but his team just can't seem to find a way, making him one irritated cream puff. Photo courtesy of getty images

style of offense and have it work effectively as great awareness and hustle makes it work. The same could be said for defense in general. Putting it this way, the Caps struggled the last few seasons when they lose their focus and their style relies vastly upon that to function properly. The problem only grows exponentially when they start to press more and grow frustrated with the lack of success. The Caps lost their focus early, then grew frustrated, losing their focus further and you can see how there is a snowball effect.

Moving forward for Washington it seems they either are going to need to work (again) on intensifying and maintaining their focus, or simply getting a new approach. Saying that, Boudreau’s seat may already be feeling a bit warm.

Ok sure, the second round may have started last night, but it doesn’t fully kickoff until this evening. And seeing how I got six out of eight predictions right, I think Vancouver playing Nashville for one game is something everyone can live with without my incredibly knowledgeable insight. With that being said, here is how the far more manageable four series will shake out (according to me).

Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators

Vancouver got one hell of a scare out of Chicago in their first series, as they nearly blew a 3-0 series lead. Nashville on the other hand handled to the Anaheim Ducks relatively well, and advanced for the first time in franchise history. With all that said, this figures to be a relatively low scoring affair as both teams have outstanding defense and (mostly) reliable goaltending. The 1-0 match to start things would appear to be an indicator of things to come. This series will once again fall though to Roberto Luongo. Pekka Rinne is a far more consistent goaltender, and if Luongo starts coughing up goals again Vancouver’s offense will need to really start playing out of their minds to get around Shea Weber and the rest of the Preds’ defense to even have a chance against Rinne. Nashville’s Achilles’ heel lies with their offense, or their lack thereof. They got some huge contributions from unlikely places in the last series, a la Jordan Tootoo, but Vancouver is a decidedly tighter team than Anaheim. The offense of the Canucks also has a lot more depth, which likely will also be a detriment to Nashville. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter can only play so many minutes.

The Sharks looked vulnerable, and the Wings looked dominant. A short series in store? Photo courtesy of sharkspage.com

Prediction: There likely won’t be a game where either team scores more than three goals, unless Luongo plays sloppy again. There will be exactly one Cory Schneider appearance. Vancouver in six.

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Despite a relatively short handed Los Angeles Kings team, the Sharks really had to bust their backs to win the series. Three games went to overtime, and the come from behind victory was less the Sharks winning and more the Kings losing. That being said, San Jose still can win games, but they are going to need a far better performance from goalie Antti Niemi. Niemi looked flat out terrible most of the series against L.A. and Detroit packs far more offensive power than the Kings do.  Detroit has had a lot of time off so it will be interesting to see if there is no momentum or if they are well rested for this series. Detroit did let their guard down at times against Phoenix, but they still managed a sweep. San Jose’s defense isn’t as tight as the Coyote system employed by Dave Tippet but the Red Wings will need to be far more on their toes against the Sharks offense. Speed kills, and the Sharks got loads of it. If Henrick Zetterberg returns though, Detroit has an upper hand. They crush the Sharks if Niemi can’t step up his play.

Prediction: The Wings are rolling, and the Sharks look vulnerable. They may have won their series with a game to spare but they could have easily been bounced against a more mature team. Detroit gets a sweep. Niemi gets chased in the first three games before getting benched for game four. Detroit in four.

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The seldom heard Southeastern division round two match up. The Lightning squeaked by the Penguins to give NBC and the league a headache by not having the highly touted Winter Classic rematch, Caps versus Pens series. Though it wouldn’t have mattered as Crosby is still feeling woozy. Anyways, the Lightning won a very tight series, whereas Washington’s series was the epitome of a number one seed against a number eight seed. Which is rare for Washington given their past playoff chokes. Still, both teams had surprisingly strong results in their own end with defense and goaltending, and both also have high octane offenses. The Caps rebounded from being down numerous times, and the Lightning showed they can win tight games and blow you out. One thing to watch for is how Washington will handle a far better offense than that of the Rangers, and how Tampa handles a far deeper team than Pittsburgh. This will likely be the series no one watches, which is too bad because I think this will be one of the closer and more exciting series that will be seen this postseason.

Two very similar teams that saw a lot of each other during the regular season. The problem is that they play in the Southeast so not many people care. Photo courtesy of sportschatplace.com

Prediction: Any takers for a Stamkos versus Ovechkin fight? Despite the high scoring prowess each team possesses, both goalies for Washington and Tampa have shown they can stand on their head at times. However Roloson’s experience however, and the fact the man is a whole different being in the playoffs, is a deciding factor. Roloson gets two shutouts, including another game seven win. Tampa Bay in seven.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

You can rest assured that the Bruins do not want anything resembling last season to happen to them again. They showed some real fire though, coming from two games down, losing both at home, to win in seven after Nathan Horton won overtime games twice. Phily however has had some issues  so far. Buffalo, despite not being the greatest team but with an outstanding goalie, had the Flyers on the ropes twice. Still, they survived and get a fresh slate against a far more well rounded Boston squad, who has their own outstanding goalie. The issue though was Thomas was streaky in the first series, but Phily had to replace their chosen starter and went back to goalie roulette, opting for Brian Boucher. Ironically, Boucher has had a few years with Philadelphia before where he struggled in the spotlight, getting booed, and now here he is saving the team. Overall, the Flyers will drastically need to up their game if they want to survive a fired up Boston team, who they know will be out for some revenge over last year’s epic choke. Boston’s defense should step up, and if they do and Phily can’t get it together, this could be a quick series.

Prediction: Boston looked soft to start, but Phily looked soft the entire way through against Buffalo. Thomas will find his groove, as he showed later on against Montreal. The trio of centers for Philadelphia remains relatively cold, while the defense has trouble with the rough and deep offense of Boston. It will be an interesting series to see what team actually steps up their game, as both looked to be playing below what was expected of them. Tipping point will be when Mike Richards is FINALLY suspended for laying out David Krejci. Boston in seven.

Hey, well I got most of the series right, some even within a game. Not impressed? Neither am I. I also haven’t posted in two weeks since I had to go down to North Carolina for a week and am now in the process of wrapping up school (again). So to make up for it, I have haikus. I’m pretty sure most everyone will have left reading this upon that last sentence. Anyways…

New York Rangers

Lack luster roster,

Even with Torts and Lundqvist

Go get Brad Richards.

Buffalo Sabres

Miller out, Buf lost.

Miller back, make the playoffs.

Rest of team…still sucked.

The Kings played it close in the post season without their top gun, but they blew a lot of chances. Photo courtesy of thenewstribune.com

Los Angeles Kings

A promising start

With an embarrassing end.

Dammit Kopitar.

Anaheim Ducks

Powerhouse offense,

Surprisingly solid D,

But who is in net?

Chicago Blackhawks

Roster turnover,

Injured and barely made it in,

Still surprised Canucks.

Phoenix Coyotes

Dave Tippet again

Always finds a way to win

Just not in Detroit.

James Neal has a good reason to be bummed, but hey, at least he's not on Dallas any more. Photo courtesy of post-gazette.com

Pittsburgh Penguins

No Malkin? Big deal!

No Crosby? Don’t need him now!

Except when shutout.

Montreal Canadians

Small yet full of fight,

Chance for revenge on Bruins,

Blow it in OT.

New York needs to prove they aren't a fluke by sneaking into the playoffs, and the Caps will provide a more than adequate test. Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com

Washington Capitals (48-23-11) vs. New York Rangers (44-33-5)

Last year the Caps were the number one seed then as well, but ran into a wall in the opposing net and got dismissed in the first round by a team that on paper they had dead to rights. A lot of it was also attributed to a light defense and a goalie that was out of his league. Well déjà vu. The Capitals’ defense is better this year with Karl Alzner and John Carlson stepping up, but injuries to Mike Green, Dennis Wideman, and Tom Poti is a problem still. The goaltending went from one inexperienced goalie to three inexperienced goalies, so while there is a chance of one of them taking over it is still a best of seven series so the Caps can’t wait to figure out the carousel. As for the Rangers, they made the playoffs this year after Carolina choked away their postseason berth (as reparation for New York’s absence from last year’s playoffs due to the shootout) but really on paper the Rangers look like they should have been a better team. Injuries popped up though, and up and down the roster the Blue Shirts were just flat out inconsistent. If they up their focus, and, more importantly, Henrik Lundqvist turns into a super human this postseason the Rangers do have a legitimate chance. But it will also require Marc Staal and Dan Giradi to play out of their minds and shut down the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin line along with the rest of the Caps offense that is frankly far deeper than that of the Rangers’ blueliners. Also hindering New York is the removal of Ryan Callahan, a big part of their offensive machine, which means it is time for Marian Gaborik to finally show up. Given that Lundqvist also has had some rather spotty performances throughout his playoff career the Caps may escape the first round this time.

Prediction: Washington’s offense is deeper than the Rangers’ defense and that is really all that it comes down to. The Caps will struggle though finding their man in net for a playoff run. The bold prediction for this series is the goalie that will step up for the Capitals will be (drum roll) Seymon Varlamov, who got the playoff jitters out of him from last year. Washington in five.

The Flyers made it to the finals last year as the number seven seed, and look to keep Buffalo from emulating that success. Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Philadelphia Flyers (47-23-12) vs. Buffalo Sabres (43-29-10)

In terms of momentum this a large reversal in terms of seeding. The Sabres have been rolling as of late, and the Flyers, well, have looked something between rotten and mediocre. Still, if it comes down to basic talent against talent the Flyers are still the front runner in the east. Except in one category. Sergei Bobrovsky has been a stabilizing factor for Philadelphia all season, something they haven’t had in god knows how long, but he has zero big game experience seeing how the Flyers were first to clinch a playoff berth in the east and Bobrovsky is only a rookie. His counterpart, Ryan Miller, however is one of the best in the business at what he does and Buffalo’s playoff losses certainly weren’t his doing. If Phily can get their act together and remember that the playoffs started the series should still go their way with the likes of Jeff Carter, Danny Brier, Claude Giroux, and Mike Richards outweighing a Derek Roy-less Sabres squad. The blueline isn’t even a comparison if the Flyers play to their full ability. The issue may be that coasting too much is going to bite the Flyers in the butt. They should be familiar to that seeing how they were in the same spot doing that to New Jersey last year.

Prediction: The Flyers have the talent, but Buffalo has the goaltending and momentum, so unless Philadelphia spent the last month resting they may be in trouble. Stealing an early game on the road for the Sabres could prove to be the tipping point. This is my bold prediction…Sabres in six.

This feud is something akin to medieval lords, or rap lords. So of course you should watch. Photo courtesy of newyork.cbslocal.com

Boston Bruins (46-25-11) vs. Montreal Canadians (44-30-8)

Original Six teams…Division rivals…And a load of bad blood. Oh yeah, this will be a fun one to watch though it may be a good idea to tell the kids to go to sleep, less their eyes are tainted with the blood of hockey players. While that may be a tad over the top the Habs and Bs are bound to have a pretty physical series similar to that of the Kennedys in the early sixties on St. Patrick’s Day. In terms of winning a physical matchup it is hardly a contest as Boston possess size and grit aplenty with the likes of Nathan Horton, Zdeno Chara, and Milan Lucic. Montreal is a team looking like they play more for the Lollipop Guild as it is hard to find a forward on their team over six feet or two hundred pounds. But when it comes to special teams Montreal has been better on the penalty kill and power play while Boston has been middle of the road at best in both categories. The skill up front overall though does tip more in favor of Montreal, but the defense has been a patchwork behind Hal Gill and P.K. Subban while the Bruins hold two of the top defenders in the league with Chara and Tomas Kaberle, with a very solid shutdown core behind them. So as for goaltending…Tim Thomas has been playing out of his mind while getting plenty of relief from Tuuka Rask. Carey Price hasn’t been so fortunate despite playing very well, though he has been called upon 72 times, second in the league only behind Cam Ward (and then you wonder why he looked shaky in the last game for the Hurricanes). Added that Price in the postseason is equivalent to sticking a high schooler in net and, well, you get the idea.

Prediction: If the play gets scrappy, Boston will need to avoid the penalty box. Montreal has a deadly power play and they can entice the Bruins into some needless penalties with a few penalties of their own and easily afford them. The series though will ride on Price. He has been awful so even if Montreal can exploit the special teams gap the Canadians may be undone. Bold prediction is Karma strikes Zdeno Chara in the form of, wait for it, Brian Gionta. Just kidding, Price will fold like a lawn chair. Bruins in four.

No Crosby or Malkin against Stamkos, Lecavlier, and St. Louis? Time for Dan Byslma to earn his cash. Photo courtesy of fresnobee.com

Pittsburgh Penguins (49-25-8) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (46-25-11)

Despite all logic, the Penguins are succeeding quite well in the absence of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And their odds of winning this series sky rockets if Crosby comes back. Until then, he will be tortured with the fact knowing that he now has wingers capable of scoring with James Neal and Alex Kovalev. Tampa Bay however knows they can light things up in a hurry if need be with Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavlier, Simon Gagne, and Martin. St. Louis. On the flip side the Lightning can’t keep pucks out of their own net if they paid the other team, while Pittsburgh has completely turned into a shutdown lineup anchored by Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin, Zybnek Michalek, and Jordan Staal who should be up for Selke consideration. With that being said, defense wins championships and the Penguins have more than enough offense with what they got. So unless Marc-Andre Fleury reverts back to his garbage play from early this season, or Dwayne Roloson turns back the clock and puts on a performance mirroring his success he had with Edmonton back in 2006 Pittsburgh has the upperhand. Plus they have home ice advantage and the Bolts have yet to win in Pittsburgh this season.

Prediction: With or without Crosby the edge goes to the Pens. Their defense will face a huge test up against the juggernaut offense Tampa sports but they have proved time in and time out they can handle the job. The only real question will be if Fleury falls back into his subpar play, which he has done in the past in the playoffs, but he also has been a wall before as well. The bold prediction is Crosby returns, doesn’t record a point, and winds up benched. Penguins in seven.

Chicago has been the problem team for the Canucks. Winning here may mean no stopping the Canucks anywhere else. Photo courtesy of canucks.nhl.com

Vancouver Canucks (54-19-9) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (44-29-9)

Once again the Vancouver Canucks will match up against the Chicago Blackhawks in the postseason though this is a very different Chicago team. Chicago has suffered a lot of turnover from last season, and barely squeaked into the playoffs but for some reason everyone still has the Hawks as the team most likely to knock off Vancouver. Probably because the Hawks knocked off the Canucks twice in a row in the playoffs that past two years. My guess is however that for the Canucks the third time is a charm, and not having half your roster from the seasons prior doesn’t help either. Added that the Canucks are first in goals scored, goals against, power play conversion, and in the faceoff circle while also being the fourth best penalty killing team in the league means that Chicago certainly has their work cut out for themselves. Chicago certainly proved last year they know how to bring it come crunch time, which may be the one thing they have going in their favor compared to Vancouver, as I think it is fair to say the Canucks are deeper on offense and defense. The Hawks have the talent on the top end to hang with Vancouver but little beyond Toews, Sharp, Kane, Hossa, Keith, and Seabrook. The Nucks however have about six lines of offense that are dangerous, two Art Ross winning Sedins, and a defensive corps enviable of the NHL. The turning point is Roberto Luongo. Putting it that way Chicago stands a chance.

Prediction: It’ll likely be more of a struggle than Vancouver would like to be, but they are still the better team. Even if Luongo blows a game and Corey Crawford stands on his head. Bold prediction is Cory Schneider sees some starts after Luongo gets lit up in game four. Canucks in six.

San Jose may have gotten their choking habit out of the way earlier this season, though the Kings are really hoping not. Photo courtesy of nhl.com

San Jose Sharks (48-25-9) vs. Los Angeles Kings (46-30-6)

A perfect series considering the bad blood between northern and southern California going on currently after the Giants and Dodgers opening series. This is however the first time the Sharks and Kings have met up in the postseason. In fact, it’s the first time the Kings have run into a fellow California team in the postseason. Sadly for them they will be shorthanded as leading scorer Anze Kopitar is done for the year, and Justin Williams will be playing with a bum shoulder at best. Given that the Sharks have three centers with Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture that could be number one guys LA is in a spot of trouble. But while San Jose has the clear edge in offense, the nod for defense goes to the Kings. SJ’s isn’t bad by any extent with Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray but the Kings simply have more weapons and shutdown guys with Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson backed up by a very underrated trio of Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi, and Matt Greene. The issue will be scoring goals for LA though. The Sharks caught fire the second half of the season, and the Kings squandered home ice down the stretch so momentum could very easily be another factor. The wild card will yet again be goalies. Jon Quick can be inhuman at times, and Antti Niemi has shown what he can do when he gets going so that duel will be interesting to watch. The Kings have the better depth though with the other Jon (Bernier) but again it won’t amount to squat if the Kings can’t score.

Prediction: Defense wins championships, but goals win games. Added that the Kings only beat the Sharks in regulation once out of six games, have been in a skid lately, and aren’t healthy gives the clear advantage to San Jose. The bold prediction is both sides make a vow that however wins HAS to beat the Ducks (if they make it) and has the backing of the other’s fan base. Sharks in five.

Once again it looks like the Wings may keep Phoenix from seeing the second round. Photo courtesy of coyotes.nhl.com

Detroit Red Wings (47-25-10) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (43-26-13)

A repeat of last year’s opening round, but with the home ice advantage switched in favor to Detroit, the matchup on paper seems to be more clearly in favor of Detroit as well. Up front it will be Henrick Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Pavel Datsyuk against…Shane Doan. Defensively the Wings have Nicklas Lidstrom, likely to get another Norris trophy, while Phoenix has Keith Yandle, who will likely get snubbed for the Norris in favor of Lidstrom. Goaltending is relatively the same as last year. Jimmy Howard is no slouch but the Coyotes have the great consistency of Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes, and there is likely going to be a few games where Bryz is going to need to shoulder the load himself. Phoenix is not as good as they were in the season prior, whereas the Red Wings are (mainly due to their roster being completely healthy, or thereabout) so this could be a quick series. However, Detroit has scuttled down the stretch, but still showed they can win the important games (important as in screwing over Chicago), but they have struggled with stifling games that teams like the Coyotes use. Phoenix’s ultimate undoing though will be there struggling penalty killing against the high octane Red Wings. Doesn’t help either that Phoenix can’t score on the power play also. Dave Tippet will achieve god-like status as a coach if he can sneak the ‘Yotes past Detroit.

Prediction: Usually for the Red Wings to choke they have to play a California team and try as they might, Phoenix isn’t California. Phoenix will play tough close games, but winning those is a completely different series. I will boldly (BOLDLY I SAY) predict that each game goes to overtime, and Phoenix wins one giving us another great Doan-Face. Red Wings in five.

Teemu Selanne has more goals than most of the Preds do combined showing that being a dinosaur isn't a problem. Photo courtesy of predators.nhl.com

Anaheim Ducks (47-30-5) vs. Nashville Predators (44-27-11)

The purest battle of offense versus defense in this series. The Ducks stack up with Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Teemu Selanne while Nashville counters with Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and the guy I used to play against (ok, sorry I went back to that) Jonathan Blum. Nashville has plenty of forwards but not much offense, while the Ducks have a top heavy scoring machine, again providing a nice contrast. Goaltending will be where this series is decided though. The Ducks have Jonas Hiller, Ray Emery, and Dan Ellis while Nashville uses the unsung Pekka Rinne like the work horse he is, showing off another battle of quantity versus quality. Sadly for Anaheim you can have only one goalie play at a time, though the chances of one catching fire is a lot better. The question then becomes how many games does it take to find that goalie for Randy Carlyle. Nashville’s shutdown play will be asked to do a ton (much like Phoenix’s against Detroit, and Los Angeles’s against San Jose. Sensing a pattern?) but they have the tools to do so, and the offense is there just enough to keep games close if Anaheim can get on the board. The Ducks’ blueliners aren’t a bad bunch either but are far more offensively minded, and if Nashville can apply pressure Anaheim may be in trouble. That or Hiller’s vertigo is contagious.

Prediction: Again, defense wins championships. Or in this case series. Anaheim has the offensive firepower to bring down some of the better defenses so it will be up to Nashville to at least score a few. They will get chances with the Ducks’ suspect penalty killing and love of visiting the sin bin. That being said, the crazy prediction will be Sergei Kostitsyn blowing up the score sheet while Weber and the Preds’ defense keeps Perry goalless. I did say crazy. Predators in seven.

This has been the year of the sleeper pick for the Norris trophy. None of the three nominees are likely to be mentioned this time around, and only one name I think that will crop up is a prior winner. Not surprisingly it’s Nicklas Lidstrom once again. And there stands to reason a very large chance that he will likely win it again. But there are some surprising new names being kicked around, all of which deserve serious consideration since it is most likely a few of them may not ever be up for the Norris in their career again. Not because they aren’t talented but nobody really pays attention to their teams.

The snubs

Shea Weber, Nashville (16 G, 31 A, +9)

On this list, Weber may be the most defensively sound player (currently that is). He checks a lot, blocks shots, and has a shot of his own that terrifies goaltenders and puts nets out of commission. He has been overlooked for a few seasons now, and it doesn’t really stop here either. So even though he doesn’t have the most points out of the defenders in the league, Weber has

One of the more deserving defensemen in the league for his all around play, Yandle suffers from playing for a borderline fictional hockey team. Photo courtesy of redflagfantasy.com

been Nashville’s best skater (Pekka Rinne is still my Nashville MVP) and has carried a team with essentially no offense to the postseason (most likely) having the second most points on the Preds.

Keith Yandle, Phoenix (16 G, 46 A, +11)

Another obscure defenseman largely in part because of the team on which he plays, Keith Yandle has been proving himself to be the heart and soul of the Phoenix Coyotes (outside of Shane Doan who is really more of the weird screaming face of the Coyotes) this year, as he leads the team in points, is second in penalty minutes, and is fourth for +/-. Plus he doesn’t have the support that Christian Erhoff has (who he has more points than) nor has the atrocious +/- of James Wisniewski (-15? Flawed stat or not that isn’t good). Yet Yandle will be a snub this year. Largely because of…

The nominees

Dustin Byfuglien, Atlanta (20 G, 33 A, -3)

Yep, Dustin Byfuglien. He’s second on the Thrashers in points, and second in points only behind fellow former Blackhawk, Andrew Ladd. Now while Yandle actually has more points, and, in my opinion only, seems to have played better year round Byfuglien has got the goals, the most among blueliners with 20 and with another top scoring defenseman going down due to an injury Big Buff seems to have the goal scoring title amongst D in the bag. One thing that is really interesting to point out with Buff has been his defensive play. He’s been throwing his weight around and leads takeaways amongst defensemen by a landslide. For me the one knock on him has

Arguably the best defenseman this season, and inarguably the most likeable Duck by a landslide. Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

been not blocking enough shots. Plus, he has extra recognition from his Chicago days so those who relatively follow hockey have at least heard of him, something the other two guys haven’t had a

chance to benefit from.

Who should win: Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim (18 G, 48 A, +15)

Lubomir Visnovsky had a season quite worthy of Norris consideration before. He didn’t win it however, and it will be déjà vu all over again for Lubo this time around as well. Statistically speaking Visnovsky has been the best defenseman in the league with the most points, a respectable +/-, and defensively it has been one of Lubo’s best years in his career. He still doesn’t hit a ton, but his giveaway-to-takeaway is drastically improved and he has well over a hundred blocked shots. Additionally, Visnovsky has been logging a ton of minutes, on average logging over a minute nearly more ice time than Dustin Byfuglien or Nick Lidstrom. The Ducks’ defense was in turmoil and their biggest weakness going into the season and Visnovsky has been the offensive force they sorely needed, and isn’t a defensive liability for Anaheim either. Pairing him up with Toni Lydman has certainly helped also. Unfortunately for him and the Ducks, Douglas Murray got away with one, and now Lubo may not be playing too much more this season. And did I mention that he is the best living actor?

NHL All-star, Stanley Cup winner, Norris trophy winner, and Detroit's oldest fossil. Photo courtesy of nhlsnipers.com

Who will win: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit (16 G, 46 A, -1)

Why will he win? Because it’s Nicklas Lidstrom, that’s why. The veteran is second in points amongst defensemen in the league, and he has already proven he doesn’t need to lead the category to win the Norris also. Which he already has won six times before anyways, so you know the NHL is prone to handing him the hardware. But while the big Swede has slowed down a bit over the years, his defensive prowess is still sharp. He may hit less, block fewer shots, and be on the negative side of +/- for the first time in his career, but Lidstrom game in and game out is always one of the sharpest defensemen in his own zone. Plus he has the poise of a grizzled quarterback patrolling the blue line when the Wings are on offense. Just not Brett Favre. The creepy phone stuff is for the Chicago boys.

The Vezina award may be my favorite one to debate, largely in part because I used to take pucks to the head on a regular basis as well. This year has had no shortage of goalies worthy of consideration for the trophy, but it also highlighted the haves and have-nots in the league when it came to netminders. Boston, Los Angeles, and Vancouver look to be the envy of the league with their duos of goalies versus teams who struggled to find just a number one guy even.

The snubs

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles (33-8-3, GAA 2.19, SV% .919)

The Kings have lived and died by Quick this season. While he has been prone to letting a soft goal in occasionally, he makes about three crazy as hell saves a game per softie at least. Plus he is magic seeing how even when a puck does beat him they still won’t go in. Quick, in a more empirical matter though, has a 61% win percentage, is in the top five of goaltenders with goals against average (30 or more games), is tied for fifth with six shutouts, and has been perfect in shootouts going 9-0 netting his team 18 points on his own practically. Though he will get a snub with L.A.’s choking defense helping him out and the fact that, yep, he’s on the wrong coast (it’s true!).

Rinne deserves the love (but won't get any...Again). Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Pekka Rinne, Nashville (30-21-8, GAA 2.10, SV% 929)

Between Cam Ward, Mikka Kiprusoff, Ryan Mille, Ilya Bryzgalov, Marc-Andre Fleury, Carey Price, and Pekka Rinne one of them leads in save percentage and goals against average by a decent margin. And of course it’s the one of the names you have likely heard the least about, that being Rinne obviously. Rinne also has more shutouts than the others listed do, outside of Bryzgalov, Price, and Kiprusoff who have also played in a number of games more than he has. While Rinne clearly also benefits from the defensive mindset of the Predators, the numbers don’t lie, and unfortunately that’s also why Rinne is on this list called “snubs” and not nominees as his winning percentage hangs precariously around 50%. Still, this is the second straight season Rinne has been consistently stonewalling opponents.

The nominees

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver (36-14-7, GAA 2.16, SV% .927)

Not-so-sweet Luo is finally seeing his numbers hit their pinnacle with a combination of his individual stats from his days with Florida meeting with his wins that come from being on a team that isn’t Florida. He has the support in offense and defense to help him win, which is also why he won’t win the Vezina ironically, but Luongo has been having his best season since the 03-04 campaign with the Panthers. Maybe it took the fact of getting Cory Schneider to light a fire under his ass, but this was

The model of sheer excellence which will result in random shouting of "TIMMAY!" throughout Boston. Photo courtesy of chickswhogiveapuck.com (great name by the way)

the Luongo the Canucks expected with the pay they dished out to him and he is delivering big time this year. Third in goals against and third in save percentage certainly get Luongo into the nominees, but he’ll also only finish third in voting (go figure).

Who should win: Tim Thomas, Boston (33-10-8, GAA 1.96, SV% .940)

I am a stats man. So this is the easiest choice I have had to make. Tim Thomas has been godly so much this season God himself is debating whether to come back out of retirement to show him a thing or two and lead the Leafs back to the post-season (him and Thomas I think are around the same age). Save percentage and goals against both belong to Timmy T. and he has nine shutouts in only 53 games, whereas the leader, Henrik Lundqvist, has played 63. While the one knock on Thomas may be that his team in front of him is better than most it’s hard to really make that a case as he has faced on average 33 shots a game. Lundqvist may be more important to the Rangers’ success but Thomas is the better of the two.

Who will win: Henrik Lundvist, New York Rangers (33-25-5, GAA 2.22, SV% .924)

Does King Henrik really need a trophy? Doesn't being extremely good looking suffice? Photo courtesy of toxicways.com

Putting it plainly the New York Rangers aren’t the best hockey team in the league. Not the Eastern conference either, and, hell, not even the Atlantic Division. In fact, New York is fighting for top team in their own state (and not the Islanders by the way). A big reason they are even vying for that is because of Lundqvist. While his numbers haven’t been as insane as Thomas’s, or for that matter even Luongo’s or Rinne’s, it is pretty safe to say that Lundqvist plays on a weaker defensive team than that of Nashville and Vancouver. The Rangers’ defense isn’t terrible with Dan Giradi and Mark Staal, but there isn’t really too much else there, and New York’s offense hasn’t been too enviable either, ranked 16^th overall. Added the fact the Blueshirts have been slammed by injuries, including losing backup goalie Martin Brion, Lundqvist has been the Rangers saving grace (no pun intended) leading New York (most likely) to a playoff berth. Look at what 11 shutouts can do for a mediocre team. Talk about a turnaround after the shootout ordeal from last year.