The 82 game marathon of the regular season is over… the playoff begin Wednesday, for Pred Nation, they begin on Friday night as the Predators meet the Anaheim Ducks for the second time in franchise history. The first series between these two teams was history making, marking the first series victory in franchise history as the Preds won 4 games to 2 in front of a raucous Bridgestone Arena crowd.
We will go into excruciating detail over the next few days about the Preds/Ducks series, but for now… let’s take a look at the other Western Conference series… we will take a look at the East tomorrow. Since the Predators are crossing over to the Pacific, the four Central Division teams battling it out will in one case, certainly intensify a budding rivalry. The other will be another chapter in a bitter, Midwestern almost 50 year old blood feud. The Pacific Division battles will also feature a series with a ton of bitterness and angst between in-state rivals.
Blues/Blackhawks Mentioning Chicago/St. Louis and you automatically know that no matter what the sport, things is gonna get nasty. Look at the NBCSports Network schedule and you know, this is the marquee matchup of round one. For Blues fans… this is a nightmare matchup even though they have played the Hawks evenly throughout the regular season. Chicago always hits the gas in round one and rarely gets knocked out, the Blues have struggled in the first round recently and a first round loss will probably mean a coaching change for St. Louis and another year of agony for the Blues’ faithful.
Chicago is not exactly the team they have been in the past… both forward and defensive depth are not what they have been and Corey Crawford has been depended on to be brilliant… which he has been. The Hawks have three outstanding defensemen and a series of players that frankly… have not stepped up to fill Johnny Oduya’s shutdown role from last season. Maybe Trevor Van Riemsdyk can fill that role… but it is a huge question mark for the Blackhawks as the playoffs begin.
Health may be the X-Factor in this series as both teams have dealt (and are dealing with) significant injuries to key players. The curative powers of the playoffs is legendary… St. Louis won the season series and this one will be the second nastiest series in the West.
Stars/Wild Dallas/Minnesota will have its’ own bit of nastiness as Minnesota’s first NHL team meets Minnesota’s current NHL team for the first time in the post-season. The Stars steamrolled the Wild 4-1 in the season series, but it is appropriate to throw that stat out as the Wild turned their season around with the firing of Mike Yeo in mid-February a change that happened after the completion of the season series.
Dallas comes in a favorite with heavy expectations. That is difficult for a team with little to no playoff experience as this is only their second playoff appearance in the past seven seasons. The Stars can fill the net… posting a league leading 267 goals over the regular season and they finished the regular season on an 8-2-0 run. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp… this team has plenty of offensive weapons.
Where Stars fans need to be concerned is on the defensive side of the puck. When the Stars were outscoring their opponents, they were also allowing 230 goals on the season… more than any other playoff team. Playoff hockey is a different animal and for long term success, you have to lock it down defensively in the playoffs. Questions will also arise about the goaltending tandem the Stars have been using all season, they could be trying to rewrite how to win a Cup by continuing the goalie rotation of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen and Stars Head Coach Lindy Ruff hasn’t tipped his hand on his goaltending plan yet.
Minnesota has to be happy to not be facing the Blackhawks… yet… as Chicago has beaten the Wild in the second round each of the last two seasons. Capturing the second wild card spot is a pleasant surprise for the Wild as they were not a good team in the first half of the season. That changed when Mike Yeo got the axe in February, John Torchetti posted a 15-11-1 record since he took over and managed to get themselves back in the mix for the playoffs. The Wild has more playoff experience than Dallas and honestly, plays a style that is more conducive to playoff success.
Defensively, Minnesota is led by former Nashville Predator Ryan Suter, who has had a career year, posting career highs in goals and points. They have a solid defensive supporting cast as well and Devan Dubnyk has been proving last season as no fluke.
The Wild certainly have talent at forward, led by Zach Parise… but he is listed as questionable for Game 1 after leaving practice yesterday. Nino Niederreiter, Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle have had varying levels of success this season, from Koivu’s disappearing act to Coyle’s outstanding February and March, this team has enough offense to do some damage if Torchetti can find the right mix.
Kings/Sharks The last time the Sharks and Kings got together in the playoffs, LA put on a comeback for the ages… a soul-crushing comeback from 0-3 that broke the spirit of the San Jose Sharks, who lost to the Kings in a painful game 7 the year before. So not only are the San Jose Sharks looking to erase a terabyte of bad playoff memories, but also banish a hated down state rival that has taken up residence in their heads. This has been a strange season for the both of these teams. The Sharks vaunted home ice advantage has mysteriously disappeared and the Kings’ normal depth at forward has not really performed to expectations through the season.
Los Angeles blew a chance to win the division and avoid this first round steel cage death match by dropping an overtime decision to Winnipeg on the last day of their season. The Kings have added a few new but familiar names in Milan Lucic and Vincent Lacavalier, the former having a decent season, the latter has been re-invigorated with the Kings. One thing is for sure, the Kings will need Dustin Brown to wake up from his season long fink.
Defensively, LA is led by Norris candidate Drew Doughty and a nice supporting cast of Jake Muzzin, Luke Schenn, Rob Scuderi and Alec Martinez. Brayden McNabb’s physicality has also been a plus for this blueline. Quick, excellent first pass out and not afraid to throw the body, the Kings blueline will be a nightmare for San Jose.
Speaking of nightmares, Jonathan Quick… that is all. He will be a contender for the Vezina and will steal a game or two in the playoffs.
The Sharks have truly benefitted from a new voice in the room as Peter DeBoer has done an outstanding job rebuilding this team’s confidence and getting the most out of the veterans like Joe Thorton and Patrick Marleau. The choice of Joe Pavelski as captain was inspired and his rearrangement of the Sharks lines have taken advantage of the depth and skill this team possesses. When healthy, this team has the deepest pool of size and strength down the middle as there is in the NHL.
On the blueline, the Sharks boast one of the most versatile players in the league in Brent Burns, who is a dark horse candidate for the Norris. They added Paul Martin to the defense corp last offseason who has been a very nice add and Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a top shutdown d man.
Their goaltender duo of Martin Jones and James Reimer are solid with Jones the unquestioned starter, but Reimer is a more than capable fill in should Jones falter. The Sharks will need excellent netminding to contend.
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As I finish writing this blog, news just flashed about the death of Flyer’s owner Ed Snyder. He was the driving force behind the franchise for almost 50 years… a man who brought championships to one of the most victory starved fan bases in the nation… a man who had a clear vision and method and could not be deterred from it.
Godspeed Mr. Snyder… thank you for bringing hockey to a (at the time) “non-traditional… market and making it a success… rest well.
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The complete first round playoff schedule…
EASTERN CONFERENCE Florida Panthers (A1) vs. New York Islanders (WC1) Thu 4/14, 8pm: NYI @ FLA | CNBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Fri 4/15, 7:30pm: NYI @ FLA | NHL Network, SN360, TVA Sports Sun 4/17, 8pm: FLA @ NYI | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Wed 4/20, 8pm: FLA @ NYI | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports *Fri 4/22, TBD: NYI @ FLA | TBD *Sun 4/24, TBD: FLA @ NYI | TBD *Tue 4/26, TBD: NYI @ FLA | TBD Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (A3) Wed 4/13, 7pm: DET @ TBL | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Fri 4/15, 7pm: DET @ TBL | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports Sun 4/17, 7pm: TBL @ DET | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports Tue 4/19, 7pm: TBL @ DET | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports *Thu 4/21, TBD: DET @ TBL | TBD *Sun 4/24, TBD: TBL @ DET | TBD *Tue 4/26, TBD: DET @ TBL | TBD Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (WC2) Thu 4/14, 7pm: PHI @ WSH | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Sat 4/16, 7pm: PHI @ WSH | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports Mon 4/18, 7pm: WSH @ PHI | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Wed 4/20, 7pm: WSH @ PHI | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports *Fri 4/22, TBD: PHI @ WSH | TBD *Sun 4/24, TBD: WSH @ PHI | TBD *Wed 4/27, TBD: PHI @ WSH | TBD Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) vs. New York Rangers (M3) Wed 4/13, 8pm: NYR @ PIT | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Sat 4/16, 3pm: NYR @ PIT | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports Tue 4/19, 7pm: PIT @ NYR | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Thu 4/21, TBD: PIT @ NYR | Sportsnet, TVA Sports *Sat 4/23, TBD: NYR @ PIT | TBD *Mon 4/25, TBD: PIT @ NYR | TBD *Wed 4/27, TBD: NYR @ PIT | TBD WESTERN CONFERENCE Dallas Stars (C1) vs. Minnesota Wild (WC2) Thu 4/14, 9:30pm: MIN @ DAL | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Sat 4/16, 8pm: MIN @ DAL | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Mon 4/18, 8:30pm: DAL @ MIN | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Wed 4/20, 9:30pm: DAL @ MIN | NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports *Fri 4/22, TBD: MIN @ DAL | TBD *Sun 4/24, TBD: DAL @ MIN | TBD *Tue 4/26, TBD: MIN @ DAL | TBD St. Louis Blues (C2) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (C3) Wed 4/13, 9:30pm: CHI @ STL | NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports Fri 4/15, 8pm: CHI @ STL | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Sun 4/17, 3pm: STL @ CHI | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Tue 4/19, 9:30pm: STL @ CHI | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports *Thu 4/21, TBD: CHI @ STL | TBD *Sat 4/23, TBD: STL @ CHI | TBD *Mon 4/25, TBD: CHI @ STL | TBD Anaheim Ducks (P1) vs. Nashville Predators (WC1) Fri 4/15, 10:30pm: NSH @ ANA | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Sun 4/17, 10:30pm: NSH @ ANA | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Tue 4/19, 9:30pm: ANA @ NSH | USA, SN360, TVA Sports Thu 4/21, 8pm: ANA @ NSH | CNBC, FX Canada, TVA Sports *Sat 4/23, TBD: NSH @ ANA | TBD *Mon 4/25, TBD: ANA @ NSH | TBD *Wed 4/27, TBD: NSH @ ANA | TBD Los Angeles Kings (P2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3) Thu 4/14, 10:30pm: SJS @ LAK | CNBC, CBC, TVA Sports Sat 4/16, 10:30pm: SJS @ LAK | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Mon 4/18, 10:30pm: LAK @ SJS | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports Wed 4/20, 10:30pm: LAK @ SJS | USA, CBC, TVA Sports *Fri 4/22, TBD: SJS @ LAK | TBD *Sun 4/24, TBD: LAK @ SJS | TBD *Tue 4/26, TBD: SJS @ LAK | TBD
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------------------------------------- Season eight of SlapShot Radio is on! Join us every Wednesday night at 7 on 102.5 the Game. Pete Weber and I preview the upcoming week and take a look back at the week that was. This week is our annual playoff preview show.
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