Let's take a break from wrist gate....shall we?
Tonight!
On the Rangers vs. Penguins
Okay it's easy enough to pick the Rangers in this series going away. The Penguins have struggled mightily and since they're on national television almost all the time we've all seen them struggle mightily. This Penguins team is decimated with injuries on the back-end. When you look at the fact that two of their top four from last year's playoffs are playing in Washington right now and their top two defense from this season are out for the season things get even more grim. This Penguins team hasn't shown the ability to overcome its two biggest demons: The fact that they can be easily rattled, and until MA Fleury wins in the playoffs… yada yada yada…
And the Rangers…The Rangers are playing incredible hockey. All kinds of depth, all kinds of speed, two great goalies... The Rangers are the gold standard of the Eastern Conference this year. This team is better than the team that went to a Stanley Cup Final less than a year ago.
And yet, these teams with these players have never met in a series where everyone expected the Rangers to win and everyone expected the Penguins lose. Yes the penguins have Crosby and Malkin... But they won't be the players to win this series if the Penguins win it. Pittsburgh is going to have to grind and tough one out here. And Marc-Andre Fleury has to be dominant... but with the pressure off in a way...he just might be.
The best thing the Penguins have going for them in this series is how everyone believes they're going to lose. That and the fact that the Rangers, these Rangers, have never shown a deep-seated love of being a big time favorite. Last year they snuck up on everyone. That is always the preferred method.
I am picking the Rangers in seven. I know that probably surprises you after all I said. But I am also predicting this series to be a roller coaster ride. And I am predicting that Marc Andre Fleury willl be an absolute monster of a thorn in the side of the Rangers. I'm also predicting that more of you will find yourself rooting for the Penguins that has ever rooted for them before. We will see….
On the Lightning and the Red Wings…
This is not a great match up for the Detroit Red Wings. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a score to settle. The way they were eliminated last year in the playoffs has been a part of every shift the Lightning have taken this year. They were way better than a four game elimination sweep.
If the Predators belong in the Eastern Conference, Lightning belong in the Western Conference. This is a dynamic team driven by an incredible defense, a clockwork transition game, and star forwards who can both fly and finish with the best of them. Steven Stamkos it's going to be a monster in these playoffs, but he doesn't even have to be a monster for the Lightning to light it up.
The Red Wings are smart to go with a relatively unknown in goal. Babcock is the king of figuring out tiny advantages. Tiny mental advantages especially. These Wings are tough and have the ability to get up for big games here and there. Where they struggle is with consistency and at times they look less experienced and actually might be on the defensive end of things.
For the Red Wings to win this series, they will have to win the special teams game in a dominant way. I'm not sure they can do that.
I am going with Tampa in 6
On the Wild and Blues….
You can throw the Blackhawks, Predators, Blues, and Wild into a hat. I really feel that way. There is so little that separates those four teams that at the end of the day it comes down to luck and bounces… but mostly it comes down to goaltending. Dubnyk has been Hammond squared this season…. He's played the role perfectly and he solidified the one factor which has kept the Wild from glory in the past.
But these are the playoffs. Can he keep it up? I wouldn't want to bet against it, but until the puck drops tonight and the bounces start bouncing... I don't think any of us have any idea what's going to happen.
The Blues would've been better off playing the Blackhawks or the Predators... And to think the two of the four teams I am talking about in our theoretical hat we will be watching the playoffs two weeks from now is insane. These two series could be looked at as the two Conference Finals were they in opposite conferences and no one would be disappointed from an entertainment perspective.
It actually pains me to pick against either of these teams. I picked a wild in the beginning of the year to go to the Stanley Cup Final. I have watched almost every Blues game and am in awe of how balanced they are and how talented they are. This Blues team is way better than last year's team, and last year's team went up 2-0 on the Chicago Blackhawks before getting hit with injuries... And still almost took that series to seven.
Make sure you have plenty of coffee on hand if you're going to watch this series… like last night’s Nashville/Chicago battle..we are going to see a lot of hockey played..
I would pick the Wild over any other team in the NHL, that's how much I think of them, but the Blues….in 7
On Anaheim and Winnipeg.
This is the hardest series to predict in the NHL playoffs. Hands-down. That is why I saved it to the end. The Ducks have been very good winning one goal games and everyone seems to hold that against them. The Jets have had so many injuries they could easily be looking on like the Blue Jackets or the Kings are… But they aren’t. They are playing great hockey and winning great hockey... with or without their best players... Against good teams, against bad teams…
One thing the Anaheim Ducks share with the Blackhawks is the reputation that their defensemen don't want to turn around and play the puck. If you keep dumping the puck in their zone you will get your turnovers. And if you can keep the Ducks from getting their transition game going... Everything changes.
And that is Winnipeg's game. They will outwork anyone. They will make their share of mistakes as well, but their goaltending has also been nothing short of remarkable... But again it's a new season.
My love of this Winnipeg team goes back to a preseason game I watched. I was flipping through the channels and thought, for a second, I was watching the Columbus Blue Jackets. Constant speed. Constant pressure. Doing everything at an extremely fast pace…
If the Jets get to the Conference Finals... I am going to have to go and see a game in that building...Because I think it's happening. Jets in 6.
We will discuss all this and more at 3 PM on the podcast..