Wild Crush My Optimism; Drop a Pair in Helsinki
With the Helsinki games done, the Wild head back to St. Paul with a measly one point out of four available.
The Wild have looked very good, in spurts, but overall showed that they have a long, long way to go to join the ranks of the league’s elite.
I will say that today’s game had the Wild looking much, much better but still was not a consistent effort for a team that desperately needed one.
The Wild came out very, very flat in yesterday’s game and had many mental and defensive lapses. They showed many of the same weaknesses that they showed last season – leaving pucks free in front of the net, leaving the slot open and making poor outlet passes and difficulties exiting their own zone.
Today’s game was much better, in that fashion. The Wild didn’t necessarily have the mental lapses that they were prone to and their defensive zone coverage was much better. When a puck was free in front of the net, it was quickly shuffled to the perimeter – either down to the corner or to the sideboards. When a man was in the slot, he was quickly shadowed and tied up when the puck came to him. To that end, the Wild have got to be very happy with their performance today.
But a general lack of intensity was plainly clear after the first period and the Wild looked listless for long stretches during the game after coming out and dominating early. Whether it was the length of the trip wearing on them or whether it was a lack of motivation, I don’t know, but the Wild clearly have to find that intensity if they want to be successful.
Again, however, I hate to beat a dead horse but this all goes back to the coach.
The Wild came out like gangbusters early in today’s game. They had intensity and they were playing aggressive, angry hockey. They looked ready, plain and simple. But they couldn’t sustain that intensity. Just like the pre-season and last season – they had it, then they went into the locker room and left it in there.
Plain and simple, either these players aren’t buying into what Richards is preaching, or he’s not getting through to them – either way, something is lacking behind the bench.
It’s like what my fellow Hockey Primetime Colleague, Justin Bourne, said in his Puck Daddy Column today:
The first games on the schedule are more important, because positive momentum is paramount in a hockey dressing room. Once that snowball gets rolling in either direction, it’s tough to turn around.
It’s how a team like the Phoenix Coyotes can come from nowhere last year to become one of the more formidable opponents in the West.
They got a few early wins, started to believe in Coach Dave Tippett, and bought into the systems. If they start 0-3, the little behind-the-scenes pot-shots start (along with creeping doubt), and maybe the train never gets on the tracks. Instead, they had a fantastic start to 2009-10 — a 6-3 win in Los Angeles — and that makes a guy eager to get back to the rink and do it again. Winning is addictive.
Plain and simple, it happened last season and it’s happening again this season and you’ve got to wonder how much longer Fletcher will continue to let it happen before he makes a change.
But enough about that, for now. The Wild looked good on the ice today, lack of intensity aside. They showed good presence in the defensive zone, keeping players out of the slot and clearing pucks away from the front of the net and Backstrom rewarded them with a spectacular performance. Even in the post-game skills competition, Backstrom looked sharp, only getting beat on what was a spectacular move by Jeff Skinner.
Offensively, the Wild looked good in spurts and, were it not for a spectacular performance by Cam Ward, they could have easily skated away with four or five when it was all said and done.
So there are a lot of positives that can be taken from this game but, in the end, the Wild are 0-1-1 heading back to St. Paul and that is definitely not what they wanted.
Some random thoughts about tonight’s game:
- I love me some Cal Clutterbuck, but honestly I can’t understand Richards’ insistence that he play on the second line with Havlat and Cullen. For the second straight game, Clutterbuck looked out of place (in my opinion) on the second line while Latendresse looked like he was being wasted on the fourth line. Indeed, Latendresse created more chances than all but a handful of the Wild’s roster while only playing 12 minutes, while Clutterbuck was largely ineffective. Both Latendresse and Wellman played great in limited ice time and it is baffling to me how they were not used more in a game that desperately needed the Wild to generate some sort of offense.
- How great was Backstrom tonight? Other than his little brain fart on Jeff Skinner’s breakaway, Backstrom was the Wild’s best player all night long. He made 36 saves and he was the reason why the game even got to a shootout. Even in the shootout, he was solid and the lone goal that beat him was just a dandy.
- Two games down and two losses. I know a lot of people are saying that Richards has more job security than Denis Savard did a couple seasons ago, but at this point I can’t imagine that he’s got that much more – especially not with Michel Therien now on the team’s payroll. I know, I get it. Therien was brought in as a scout and I truly believe that he was. But what his presence does is give the Wild options. If they decide it’s time to make a move, they have a former NHL coach that they can just insert right in. That’s heartening for Wild fans and could be a little disheartening for Richards.
- It was nice to see Burns and Schultz have a solid game. These two should easily be the Wild’s top defensive pairing. Schultz is one of the most under-rated shutdown defensemen in the league, while Burns is looking like he’s figured out that he doesn’t have to do it all in order to be effective. Burns had a stellar game today, creating chance after chance and other than a couple penalties (one of which was a terrible call, in my opinion) Schultz did as well.
- On the topic of defensemen, Cam Barker was better today, but not great. He’s got to, got to, got to, got to move his feet better. Too often he gets caught flat footed, and that’s where he gets caught taking bad penalties. You can tell he’s got all the tools to be a really good defenseman in the NHL – he just needs to start using them.
Wild Nation’s Ridiculously Early Season Previews: The Southeast Division
Last time, we took a look at the Northeast Division but, today, in our final division preview of the Eastern Conference, our view moves south to the division that is considered by many to be the weakest in the East.
Those perceptions, however, look as if they may be changing. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Atlanta Thrashers – Atlanta found themselves second in the Southeast last season, despite their tumultuous season that saw them deal superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils for a king’s ransom.
Their biggest off season change, in my opinion, was the insertion of Rick Dudley into the general manager position, moving former GM Don Waddell to a more administrative position.
The move has already started to pay dividends, as Dudley has brought in the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel from Chicago as well as Chris Mason to share the net with Ondrej Pavelec.
Let’s be clear. The additions of Byfuglien and the like make the Thrashers a better team, but don’t necessarily make them a contender.
The Thrashers are still missing that gamebreaker that they had in Kovalchuk, though Little, Bergfors or Kane could easily turn into that. The mantra for this team for this off season has seemed to be “get harder to play against,” and for the first time in a long time it looks like there is a distinct plan in place to mold this team into a contender.
The bottom line is that the Thrashers are getting better and they’re heading in the right direction – they just might have a little farther to go.
Carolina Hurricanes – The question that everyone is going to be wondering about this Hurricanes team is whether they were the team that started the season so miserably or that ended their season so strong.
Injuries hampered the ‘Canes last season and Staal, Ward and Ruutu should be healthy and ready to go this season and their defense will be anchored by four familiar faces. If Cam Ward is healthy, this is a team that could really do some damage in the Southeast.
The ‘Canes have been relatively quiet in free agency, compared to their Atlanta counterparts, but have brought back Anton Babchuk who played last season in the KHL.
What Carolina is counting on is the growth of their younger players. The losses of veteran leaders Ray Whitney and Rob Brind’amour are both big for the team but their top-six could be considered relatively in tact as Chad LaRose or Brandon Sutter will step in to the spot vacated by Whitney.
Let us not forget that this is still relatively the same team that marched to the Conference finals two seasons ago. The ‘Canes have a good team and, if everything lines up right they could be heading back to the playoffs.
Right now, however, there are too many question marks to say that this is a playoff team, but all the parts are there for a successful season.
Florida Panthers – It would be easy to write off the Panthers as being in a re-building phase of their franchise’s history, but the fact of the matter is that they’ve been re-building now since the trade of Roberto Luongo and they have been surprisingly competitive the last few seasons.
Their immediate strength is in net with goaltender Tomas Vokoun coming off the two best seasons of his career.
In front of him, they have a group of solid, but not flashy defensemen anchored by Bryan McCabe and Dennis Wideman. Youngsters Keaton Ellerby and Dmitry Kulikov give some hope for the future on the blueline and will get some valuable ice time this season.
Where this team will struggle is up front. David Booth and Stephen Weiss lead a corps of forwards that are unimpressive, to say the least. The team lost its second leading scorer last season and did little to nothing to replace him. The additions of Steve Bernier and Michael Grabner will help, but not enough to help a team that was 28th in goals for last season.
If the Panthers are going to be successful, it’s going to be on the strength of their defense and their goaltending and, in an offensively powered Southeast Division; that could pose a problem.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Like the Thrashers, the Lightning’s best move could have been the hiring of Steve Yzerman as their General Manager.
Yzerman has already made some big moves for the team, trading for Simon Gagne, as well as signing Pavel Kubina, Dominic Moore and Dan Ellis.
The trade for Gagne is a huge addition to the squad as he gives the team a legitimate fourth scoring threat if he is healthy, and also allows them the ability to break up the big-three without losing anything. Once Steve Downie is re-signed (he is a Restricted Free Agent), the Bolts will have themselves one of the most potent top-six forwards in the league.
On top of that, the additions of Dominic Moore and Sean Bergenheim give this team two players that may not be top-six forwards, but that are capable of logging powerplay time and pitching in offensively as well.
But offense may not be this team’s downfall. With 260 goals against last season, they desperately needed an upgrade on defense and in net and Dan Ellis and Pavel Kubina represent that.
While Kurtis Foster had a remarkable season last year, it was obvious that he wasn’t exactly what the team needed. Kubina, however, gives them another top-pairing defenseman that is both comfortable in the city and is able to log even strength, powerplay and penalty kill time. The team has yet to re-sign Paul Ranger, but once that is accomplished, this could be a very solid defense.
But, by far the biggest upgrade is in net. The team will have Dan Ellis and Mike Smith sharing the net – something that they hope will benefit both goaltenders, who have struggled at times in starting roles.
With an improved defense, however, they hope that Ellis and Smith will be protected enough to find themselves as contenders again and, with this offense, they could most certainly be that.
Washington Capitals – Let’s be honest here – this is the easiest pick to call.
The Caps will be good. They’ll be first in the division and back in the playoffs.
How’s that for a bold prediction?
In all seriousness, though, the Capitals will be a very good team again this season. They will score goals and they will win games. But will they be Cup contenders?
As with many other teams, the answer to that question lies in goal.
Semyon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth are taking over the duties in goal and it’s going to be interesting to see if these two young netminders can handle the pressure of what will be expected of them. Both have shown flashes, but it is still uncertain as to whether or not they can go the distance for the team.
Meanwhile, the team is still built to win. They haven’t lost any important cogs on either offense or defense and, in fact, should see both Karl Alzner and John Carlson improve on defense to make for a very potent blue line unit. In fact, the Caps even have some cap room to make improvements throughout the season or even before the season starts.
And that is a scary thought for the other four Southeast teams wanting to take over their crown.
Predictions
So, how will this conference break down? Let’s take a look:
1) Washington Capitals
2) Tampa Bay Lightning
3) Carolina Hurricanes
4) Atlanta Thrashers
5) Florida Panthers
As for the playoffs, I see the Capitals and Lightning making the playoffs and the Hurricanes and/or Thrashers again being a bubble team. The Panthers, as is likely expected, will be on the outside looking in as they build towards a Stanley Cup contending team.
Up Next: The Central Division
Wild Schedule Released
For a complete version, click here.
The NHL has released the schedules for the upcoming season today. Here are some of the highlights for the Wild.
- The Wild’s season opener will be on October 3, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Their home opener will be against one of Chuck Fletcher’s former teams, the Anaheim Ducks, on October 6.
- The team starts the year with a very road-heavy schedule, playing nine of their first fourteen games on the road.
- The Wild play fifteen sets of back-to-back games. In other words, 37% of their games are back-to-back sets.
- Marian Gaborik returns to Minnesota on October 30, while Jacques Lemaire returns on January 2.
- The team will play home-and-home series against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Carolina.
- Three of the team’s last five games are on the road against Division Rivals.
- Todd Richards will return to San Jose on October 10, Martin Havlat will return to Chicago on October 26 and Chuck Fletcher will return to Pittsburgh on October 31.
- Training camp will open on September 13 and pre-season games will be announced at a later date.
An Update of Sorts
Since there hasn’t been much (read: any) Wild news to report recently, I just felt that I should inform you all that I am writing for Hockey Primetime once again. All of my Wild news will still be contained here on Wild Nation; however, I will be posting all of my NHL articles on there for the time being. For those interested, here are the links:
HPT Western Conference Predictions: #3 Vancouver vs. #4 Chicago
HPT Western Conference Predictions: #2 Detroit vs. #8 Anaheim
HPT Eastern Conference Predictions: #1 Boston vs. #6 Carolina
HPT Eastern Conference Predictions: #2 Washington vs. #4 Pittsburgh
Masterton Candicates Announced
Canucks Stave Off Comeback; Win Game 1
Backstrom For Vezina; Aeros Advance
First off, I’d like to thank you all for bearing with me over the last few days. My seven month old daughter had come down with something which necessitated my being gone for a few days. But never to fear…It’s the off season, so not a whole heck of a lot occurred over those last few days!
Niklas Backstrom
It’s been a big couple weeks for the Finnish netminder. First, his surgery was a huge success, leading Dr. Philippon to conclude that Backstrom will be ready to go in full in about 12 weeks. I don’t know all of the details, but apparently the cartilage damage was much less than the doctor had originally thought and the issues with Backstrom’s hip have been corrected by the surgery. Keep in mind that this is the same surgery that Marian Gaborik underwent during the season.
In addition to a successful surgery, Niklas Backstrom also became the third member of the Wild’s organization to be named a finalist for a voted-upon NHL end of the year award. The other two? Jacques Lemaire and Wes Walz for the Jack Adams and Selke trophies respectively. This is not the first hardware that Backstrom has won as a member of the Wild. In the ’06-’07 season, his rookie season, he walked away with the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award for the league’s best save percentage and teamed with Manny Fernandez, winning the William M. Jennings Trophy, for the team with the least goals against.
Backstrom will have a tough time winning this award, however, as he will be going up against Boston’s Tim Thomas and Columbus’s Steve Mason.
My personal thoughts on this is that Backstrom will come in second in the voting. Backstrom was certainly the Wild’s best player, and Josh Harding’s 3-9-1 record on the season certainly helps Backstrom’s cause, but let’s not forget that Harding posted extremely impressive stats during those 13 games as well. The way I look at it is like this:
- Without Mason, the Jackets miss the playoffs AND are likely to have a lottery pick in the top six.
- Without Backstrom, the Wild are likely to have a lottery pick in the top ten.
- Without Thomas, the Bruins probably wouldn’t have won the conference, but still likely would have made the playoffs.
To me, what that equates to is that Mason will get the Calder-Vezina sweep this season (and, honestly, I think there’s a pretty good argument for him getting the Hart as well, but that’s neither here nor there.) Backstrom had a phenomenal season and, let’s be honest…If the Wild make the playoffs, there’s no question that he’s up there for the frontrunner. The bottom line is that, as important as he was this season to our team, Mason was just a touch more important in their run.
Aeros Advance to Round Two
Leave it to the farm team of a Minnesota team to take every opportunity to give their fans more hockey. Houston won game seven against the Peoria Rivermen 5-2 on the strength of goals by Krys Kolanos, Marco Rosa and Maxim Noreau as well as empty netters by Corey Locke and Mitch Love. Goaltender Anton Khudobin was credited with the win, saving 19 or 21 shots.
Houston advances now to play the first seeded Milwaukee Admirals in what should prove to be an intriguing match up; at least from a front office point of view. Milwaukee is the farm team for Nashville, making it Craig Leipold’s current farm team vs. his former farm team. In other words, two candidates for the Minnesota Wild GM position (Tom Lynn and Paul Fenton) fighting it out for GM supremacy, though I doubt this series would be the deciding factor in one or the other getting the job.
Houston has three of the top 20 scoring leaders thus far for the playoffs, with Corey Locke third in scoring (4-5-9), Matt Beaudoin sixth (2-6-8) and Krys Kolanos sixteenth (2-4-6). Meanwhile, Khudobin is trucking along with a 4-3 record, a 2.45 GAA and a .906 Sv Pct, as well as one shutout. The most interesting stat? Corey Lock has 24 penalty minutes. Anyone care to explain that one to me??
Wild Sign Carson McMillian
The Wild also have signed another of their 2007 draft picks to an entry level deal. Carson McMillian of the Calgary Hitmen has been signed to a three-year, entry level deal. McMillian was in his fourth season with the Hitmen this season and recorded career highs in goals (31), assists (41), points (72) and penalty minutes (93). On top of that, he added seven game winners, five powerplay tallies and four shorties. It will be interesting to see how McMillian fares in Houston next season, as he is certainly an intriguing player for this organization (one that has rarely seen success at drafting in the later rounds).
Seventh Heaven
There are two game sevens on the docket tonight and, honestly, does it get ANY better than a Game Seven in the NHL Playoffs? It’s win or go home for four teams and it’s going to be I-N-T-E-N-S-E!!! Now I typically shy away from predictions (for those unable to pick up on sarcasm through text, I’ll note it here), but I feel inclined to share my views on these two games.
2) Washington v. 7) NY Rangers - I made the observation a few days ago that, if any team is equipped to come back from a 3-1 defecit, the Capitals were certainly one of them. It took a few games for the Caps to realize that they can’t shoot at Lundqvist’s mattresses (and for Boudreau to realize that he can’t have Theodore in nets), but once the Caps got it figured out and started executing their gameplan, they started rolling. Torts will be back on the bench for the Rangers after his Game 5 hissy fit and, if I were a Caps fan, I wouldn’t relish sitting behind him because he’ll likely be packing for this one.
The Rangers Win If: They score first. If they can do that, they can tighten up around Lundqvist and clog up the neutral zone. In their three wins, the Rangers have proven that they can give the Caps fits when they do this. The Caps offensive stars need room to skate in order to be effective, and if the Rangers are protecting a lead, they can afford to tighten up and not give the Caps the space to skate
The Capitals Win If: They get to Lundqvist early and often. Not necessarily score, but pepper him with shots. He’s been pulled in two straight games and they can’t afford to let him gain any confidence. Crash the net, get in his way, do anything and everything they can to disrupt his game. If that means buzzing him and taking a goalie interference penalty early on, that’s what they have to do. Get in his head and this one’s over.
My Prediction: Washington 4 New York 2
(3) New Jersey Devils v. 6) Carolina Hurricanes – This series has been the epitome of even. Neither team has won more than one game in a row and only two of the six games have been decided by more than one goal. At the onset of the series, everyone expected this to come down to goaltending and, tonight, it will. Both Ward and Brodeur will be at their best and this game will be very, very tightly played.
The Devils Win If: Their offense shows up early. This team has an absolutely explosive offense. The problem is that they have been extremely inconsistent this series. One game, they’ll look like absolute world beaters; the next, they look like they couldn’t find the back of the net if it were the size of the broad side of a barn. If they come out of the gates ready to skate hard and ready to play, they’ll gain the advantage over Carolina. If they falter, though, Carolina will exploit this.
The ‘Canes Win If: Cam Ward plays like he did in Games 5 and 6. Ward is the catalyst for this team. If he’s playing well, this team gains confidence and can steamroll opponents. This team does not have the defense to protect Ward if he’s playing poorly and that can lead to a collapse if he is. A couple big saves early and Ward’s confidence will go through the roof. If this happens, it gets exponentially harder for the Devils to take ahold of this game and get any sort of momentum.
My Prediction: Carolina 3 New Jersey 2 (OT)
Playoff Picture
Where’s Jim Mora when you need him?
Playoffs?!? Playoffs!!?!
Okay, okay, so the reference has probably been beaten to death every single season for every sport since Mora’s famous outburst. The fact remains, however, that the playoffs are bearing down upon us. While the field has yet to be set, we do have a pretty good idea of who is going to be in the big show. We’ll be rating the potential playoff match ups on our newly patented Mora-Meter. One Mora would be the equivalent of watching the World Series of Gin Rummy played on ESPN (my guess as to what the next program to move into the Worldwide Leader instead of hockey) while five Mora’s would be a series that would lead to so much excitement that it would drive Jim Mora into a frenzy that would leave him frothing at the mouth.
So here you have it. The playoff match ups, if the playoffs started today, complete with the new and improved Mora-Meter!
Western Conference
#1 San Jose Sharks v. #8 Nashville Predators
Analysis: The Nashville Predators are like that kid in high school that you never wanted to hang out with, but always somehow ended up getting invited wherever you went. Over the last few seasons the Preds have been the whipping boy of the NHL, more specifically from Canadian fans, about how southern expansion just flat out doesn’t work. The bottom line is, however, that the Preds continue to put a good package on the ice and continue to make the playoffs no matter what. In this series, they’d be running up against a Sharks team that will be hellbent to prove that they can perform in the playoffs. I don’t envy anyone in the position that the Preds are in, but if anyone can pull off a first round upset, it’s them. This could be an intriguing series; however, it could just as easily be a case of the Sharks doing their thing and the Predators hanging on for dear life.
Mora-Meter: 
#2 Detroit Red Wings v. #7 Anaheim Ducks
Analysis: The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, the Ducks bounced the Wings en route to a Stanley Cup Championship. Can anyone think of anything more intriguing than the last two Stanley Cup Champions facing off and in the first round no less? The biggest swing in this match up is that the Ducks still play like they’re the class bully, while the Red Wings bully teams by skating circles around them. What makes this series even more interesting is the fact that the Wings and the Ducks quite simply don’t like each other. Lest we forget Chris Pronger attempting to remove Tomas Holmstrom’s head from his body, amongst other things transpiring between the two teams that cultivated the bad blood in their last post season meeting. The Red Wings always seem to be a step ahead of the NHL; however, this season, their goaltending could be their Achillies Heel and with a potent Ducks powerplay, it would make for some great playoff hockey.
Mora-Meter:
#3 Vancouver Canucks v. #6 Columbus Blue Jackets
Analysis: Is it bad that there’s a large part of me that really wants Vancouver to slide down so that Calgary takes this spot? I mean, let’s be honest. I’m a Wild fan. I have no vested interest in the playoffs to mention at the moment (maybe by the last game of the season…A guy can dream, right?) so I don’t really care who wins the division, other than the fact that I just want to watch an entertaining playoff series. To me, there would be no more interesting series than a Flames/Jackets and Canucks/’Hawks series, because the teams just don’t like each other. But I digress. In this one, honestly, there’s not really any appreciable storylines to speak of, nor do either of the teams play extremely exciting hockey. On one side, the Blue Jackets are almost 100% playoff un-tested (save for a few players), while the ‘Nucks have some star players with a propensity to do a disappearing act in the playoffs. All of this adds up to a series that could prove to be pretty uneventful; though worth watching to watch how the Jackets respond to playoff hockey.
Mora-Meter:
#4 Chicago Blackhawks v. #5 Calgary Flames
Analysis: As much as I would love to watch the ‘Hawks fight play the ‘Nucks, I think this series would be extremely entertaining to watch. First, you have a rematch in net of the ’03-’04 Cup Finals (Kipper v. Bulin), then you’ve got two teams with some very dynamic players (Kane, Toews and Havlat v. Iginla, Cammalleri and Jokinen) and finally you’ve got two teams with some fantastic defensemen (Seabrook and Keith v. Phaneuf and Regher). This could become the best series in the first round if it stays this way. Plus, if Phaneuf keeps playing the way he has been, you could find yourself looking at a very formidable “sloppy” second defensive pairing of Phaneuf and Leopold. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
Mora-Meter:
Eastern Conference
#1 Boston Bruins v. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Analysis: How’s this for a role reversal? The exact match up of last season’s first round, just with home ice turned around. If both teams are on their game, this could be an exciting series to watch. The problem is that both teams have battled inconsistency since the All Star Break. The biggest thing to look forward to, however, is that these two teams always get up to play one another. Look at last season’s first round. A seven-game slugfest that was probably the most entertaining series in all the playoffs. Plus, there’s also always the chance that you could hear Jack Edwards’ maniacal laugh again. That in and of itself is reason enough to watch. All of this equals one amazingly entertaining first round series.
Mora-Meter: 
#2 Washington Capitals v. #7 New York Rangers
Analysis: Honestly, this is another that I wish was a little different, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? This one, well, this could be interesting. On one end you’ve got the Caps’ unbelievable offens and on the other you’ve got the Rangers’ unbelievable goaltender. Coach John Tortorella has helped the Rangers find their game again; however, can he put a stop to the attack of the Capitals? On the other side of things, you’ve got the Rangers’ aneimic offense squaring off against the Caps’ inconsistent goalie. This could either be a very high scoring series or a series where you get nothing at all. Any series pitting a high powered offense against a solid goaltender, however, can prove to be a fun series to watch.
Mora-Meter:
#3 New Jersey Devils v. #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Analysis: Ok. So can someone please explain to me if the Devils are just coasting to the playoffs or if something is going on and when, exactly, Lou is going to place himself behind the bench yet again? Alright. I feel better now. Now that I’ve said my piece, this could be a very one sided series if the Devils don’t right the ship and quick. The ‘Canes have had success against Newark’s finest this season, and if the Devils back into the playoffs this could get ugly quick. Looking at the potential match up, the ‘Canes match up quite nicely against the Devil and have the hot hand. Both teams have a solid defense and an under rated offense. There should be some very tightly contested games in this series and some good, physical play.
Mora-Meter:
#4 Philadelphia Flyers v. #5 Pittsburgh Penguins
Analysis: The Broadstreet Bullies against the NHL’s wunderkid. I don’t see how it could get much better than this; a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers were ran out of town by the Pens in the ECF last season, but this is also a Flyers team that has gained a lot more character since then, not in turnover of players but just in experience. The big question mark for both teams is definitely in net and, in all honesty, that could lead to a very entertaining series. These two teams are also division rivals and flat out don’t like each other. That’s good enough in my book!
Mora-Meter:
So there you have it. My thoughts on the current playoff picture.
Also, coming next week will be the first intrim show of Wild Nation. Join myself and Nick in New York next week as we talk about all things Wild! We will have a time and date set for our first show sometime this weekend.
If the Playoffs Started Today – 3/12/09
It’s that time of the year. The time when every point matters. The time where the difference between losing in regulation and losing in overtime could mean a playoff spot. Both conferences are jam-packed, especially towards the bottom, so we’re going to keep an eye on potential first round match ups and even do a little prognostication as to how the teams match up. We’ll also keep an eye on who’s on the outside looking in.
And here…we…go…
Eastern Conference
(1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Florida Panthers - This is a pretty intriguing match up for the first round. You’ve got the Bruins, who have been struggling recently against the Panthers who have been one of the biggest surprises of the season. The Bruins struggles have been in large part to the disappearing acts of Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler, as well as some inconsistency with the rest of their offense and the Panthers are a scrappy team that may thrive on the close quarters and pressure of the playoffs. All told, though, it’s hard to think that the Bruins couldn’t pull out a seven game series in this one. Advantage Boston.
(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Carolina Hurricanes - If I’m the Devils, Carolina is the absolute last team I would want to face in the first round. The ‘Canes are buzzing right now and the acquisition of Erik Cole has re-energized Eric Staal. On the other hand, the Devils have a fresh Martin Brodeur and one of the most dynamic group of forwards in the league. This series could be an instant classic, with both teams having unlimited amounts of energy as well as fresh and re-energized superstars. Brodeur ultimately gives the Devils the edge in just about any series, but this one would be fun to watch. Advantage New Jersey.
(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Pittsburgh Penguins - Is it just me or would this be the NHL marketing department’s dream come true? I can’t think of a more compelling match up for the first round and the only thing that I can think of that would be better is if the two teams met in the Conference Finals. The Pens are the hottest team in the league, while the Caps are, well, the Caps. The animosity between these two teams has continued to grow throughout the season and a playoff series between the two would send it over the top. This is also a series that could go either way. It’s hard to pick a clear cut winner in this one. Draw.
(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Montreal Canadiens - To round out the first round, a Philly/Montreal series? This could ultimately be some pretty exciting hockey in the first round. The Flyers were the team that knocked the Habs out of the first round last season and don’t think that the Habs or their fans have forgotten it. This is another series that could make for an instant classic; mostly because of how well these two teams match up against one another. Looking at this, it’s very hard to pick a team that would have a distinct advantage, but Philly’s physical game could easily put them over the top. Advantage Philadelphia.
On The Outside Looking In: With just 15 games remaining in the season, a big part of the Eastern Conference is already eliminated (not necessarily mathmatically, but realistically). The two that remain in contention are the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers. Of those two teams, the Rangers have the most realistic chance of supplanting the Panthers in the 8th seed, seeing as how they are one point behind. Both teams have struggled recently, with the Sabres losing Ryan Miller to injury and the Rangers having to be broken into a new coach, so it’s likely that the way the playoffs sit now could easily be how they sit come the end of the regular season.
Western Conference
(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Nashville Predators - Once again, the Preds are making a hard charge at the playoffs late in the season. Meanwhile, the Sharks are, well, the Sharks. They have struggled lately, but are still a strong team and, though he has had a sub-par season by his standars, Evgeni Nabokov is one of the top goalies in the league. It is pretty hard to think that the Preds could give the Sharks a run for their money as they did with the Wings last season, but if the stars align, anything is possible in the playoffs. Advantage San Jose.
(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers - The last time the Wings and Oilers met in the first round, the Wings were bounced unceremoniously en route to the Oilers magical run to the Cup finals. Don’t expect that to happen this time. The Red Wings are one of the most talented teams in the league and, despite not having a designated “enforcer,” have a great deal of sand paper on their roster. Meanwhile, this Oilers team is nowhere near as gritty as the team that contended for the Cup. The Wings should have no problem in this series. Advantage Detroit.
(3) Calgary Flames vs. (6) Columbus Blue Jackets - This series is a crap shoot in that there’s really no telling how the majority of Columbus’s roster is going to react to playoff hockey. They could take to it like a fish to water and fly, or they could flounder. Looking at the Flames roster, however, it’s very difficult to bet against this team as they have a roster that is even better than the last time they reached the finals. As hard as it is to discount a team coached by Ken Hitchcock, you can’t look past the talent and depth of the Flames roster. Advantage Calgary.
(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Vancouver Canucks - This is an interesting series. The Blackhawks are certainly more talented, but have limited playoff experience, while the Canucks have multiple players on their roster that have been involved in deep Cup runs. The wildcard for the Canucks, however, is Roberto Luongo. Time and again he has proven that he’s one of the best in the game, but he’s also only played in the playoffs once (though he was dazzling). Ultimately, you’ve got to believe that the ‘Hawks talent would win out of the ‘Nucks experience in a seven game series. Advantage Chicago.
On the Outside Looking In: There are four teams within three points of the playoffs and and one more within four. The Wild, Stars and Ducks all are within one point of 7th, the Blues are just two points back from them and the Kings are just one back from the Blues. In a tight playoff race, the extra points can make or break a season. The team that could have the best shot of squeaking in is the Wild. They hold a game in hand over both Dallas and Anaheim as well as Nashville and they hold the tiebreaker over Edmonton. The Wild are a good team mired by inconsistency and they will be getting their most dangerous offensive weapon back soon. It’s no stretch to think that they could make a solid run at the playoffs in the last weeks of the season. Both the Ducks and the Stars have been inconsistent at best of late, while the Blues and Kings have been streaky as well. If one of these five teams finds any modicum of consistency, they could easily streak into the playoffs.
Mondays Links
A new week and 3 games on tap for this evening. Carolina takes on the Rangers tonight on Versus, while CuJo will get the start tonight for Toronto against Ottawa and Vancouver rolls into LA to face the Kings.
- The Red Wings should be getting a shot in the arm soon (as if they need it). Homer is back for the Wings and Marian Hossa should be returning soon.
- Wild Road Tripper has a good look at the Wild’s victory last night over the Anaheim Ducks at Hitting the Post.
- Speaking of the Wild, Hockey Wilderness has a nice e-mail exchange between a disenfranchised former season ticket holder and Wild owner Craig Leipold. Kudos to Mr. Leipold for standing up for himself and for the team. I don’t necessarily know that I agree with the author’s sentiment about Mr. Leipold’s take on the team; after all, there really were no moves for the team to make at the deadline this season.
- An absolutely fantastic piece by James Mirtle at From the Rink on hockey in Nashville.
- Sounds like Devils coach Brent Sutter wasn’t happy with losing to the Isles 7-3. I can’t really think of a larger embarrassment for an NHL team, can you?
- An old post, but a good one nonetheless. A good list of hockey people using Twitter. I wonder if they’re going to add “Brian Burke”?
- Patrick Roy is backing Martin Brodeur? Really? If I were Marty, I’d be careful of any loose doors lying around.
- It’s a bad time for the Panthers to be dealing with injuries to key players.
- An interesting look at stats since the all star break. Steve Ott has more than 20 points? Couldn’t have called that one.
- Matchsticks and Gasoline is circling the wagons around Curtis McElhinney. I agree. Cut the kid a break. I can’t imagine backing up Kipper is an easy job by any means.
- And finally, because the playoffs are just around the corner, the guide to grading the playoff beard.
Enjoy!
