NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) New York Islanders

Even without Sidney Crosby for a period of time, the Penguins still have talent.  Evgeni Malkin is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and is complimented by the likes of James Neal, Kris Letang, and Jarome Iginla.  Want toughness?  Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray provide that.  Marc-Andre Fleury had a shaky playoffs last year and is out to prove that he is still an elite goaltender.

The Islanders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and John Tavares is a candidate for the Hart Trophy this year.  Having a good wingman in Matt Moulson gives the Islanders a one-two punch.  Their defense isn't that great, but a lot of those deficiences can be covered by great goaltending, and that is what Evgeni Nabokov provides.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5

(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (7) Ottawa Senators

Montreal's strength is in the back end, where Carey Price is the backbone.  PK Subban is turning into a Norris Trophy candidate, and that makes the Canadiens a better team.  Offensively, the Canadiens get contributions from the likes of Alex Galchenyuk, Michael Ryder, and Brian Gionta, but it is the team chemistry that has the Canadiens where they are.

Ottawa had injury issues throughout the season, but it now seems that the Sens are finally getting healthy again.  Craig Anderson was having a Vezina Trophy winning season before injuries hit, and both Jared Cowen and Erik Karlsson were not supposed to be in the lineup for the playoffs, but both are here, and that gives the Sens a big body and an offensive dynamo.  Jason Spezza could return soon, but in the meantime, the kids such as Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad, as well as Kyle Turris, are filling in nicely.  Leadership is no issue with Daniel Alfredsson around.

Prediction: Ottawa in 7

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers

Washington struggled early, but they turned it around when Alex Ovechkin became his usual self.  For the Caps to win, he will have to put the team on his back, as Martin Erat and Niklas Backstrom are the only true options on offense.  Defense was a work in progress, and certainly, the goaltending was an issue for a fair part of the season, but Braden Holtby seized the starting role, and the Caps are better for it.

The Rangers were less than the sum of their parts, as only Henrik Lundqvist played to expectations on a consistent basis.  Rick Nash came on late in the season, but Brad Richards didn't play as well as last season. The Rangers are hopeful Marc Staal returns this series, as the blue line can never have enough warm bodies to block shots.

Prediction: Washington in 7

(4) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Bruins struggled down the stretch, and it cost them a division title.  Tuukka Rask played well for much of the season, but the playoffs are a different animal, but he did play well when he started in the 2010 playoffs.  Offensively, Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton, and David Krejci are good options, but a consistent Milan Lucic will be a key to everything.  When he's on, he's the best player out there, but that isn't always the case, as he can disappear for stretches.  Zdeno Chara will have to be the dominant defenseman that he's been if the blue line is to have a chance.

Much of Toronto's success this season can be attributed to James Reimer, who seized the starting spot in goal.  Defensively, the Leafs are good, with Dion Phaneuf leading the way.  Offensively, Phil Kessel and a healthy Joffrey Lupul are options, but they need Nazem Kadri to snap out of a recent funk if they want to advance.

Prediction: Boston in 6

NHL Playoffs Preview: Western Conference

The NHL playoffs begin tomorrow, and since the Western Conference is getting that early start, they will get the coverage first.  Eastern Conference picks will come later.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (8) Minnesota Wild

The Blackhawks were the best team from start to finish in the regular season.  Patrick Kane is the team's best option on offense, but don't count out the likes of Marian Hossa or Jonathan Toews.  The second ranked offense (behind only Pittsburgh) is complimented by the best defense in the league, and it begins with the blue line.  Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are a top flight duo and are backed by the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson, who is quietly becoming a premier stay-at-home defenseman.  The question mark at the beginning of the season was goaltending, and it remains a question, though Corey Crawford continues to silence critics with his bounce-back year and Ray Emery ensures that the Blackhawks don't miss a beat.

The Wild had high expectations, with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter coming over in the off-season.  The offense didn't quite get the spaek that the Wild were hoping for, and at times, team chemistry was an issue, as the team struggled to make the playoffs in a season where they were expected to win the Northwest Division.  Still, the Wild will have the backing of the home fans for a couple of games, which should count for a win or two simply because of the energy.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Detroit Red Wings

Anaheim has had a year to adjust to coach Bruce Boudreau's style, and it has paid off, as Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, the oft maligned duo, have had great years.  The real story is the goaltending of Jonas Hiller and Victor Fasth, who have turned a question mark into a period.  Depth is still an issue, as the team is still relatively top heavy, but they won't be pushed around with a rock solid blue line.

Detroit had to win on the last day to get in, and with blue line questions lingering, there is no reason for Detroit to advance out of the first round.  Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are still there on offense, but goaltender Jimmy Howard will have to steal some games for Detroit to have a chance.

Prediction: Anaheim in 5

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) San Jose Sharks

Vancouver struggled for most of the season, as they bounced back between Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo, but Schneider has seized the starting role lately, and with the team getting healthy again (outside of David Booth), the Canucks are looking more like their 2011 team.

The Sharks also struggled for much of the season, but Antti Niemi has been the reason for the team getting into the playoffs.  He's often overlooked, due to the fact that he just isn't spectacular, but when he's on, he provides the Sharks a peace of mind, even when the team struggles to score (paging Patrick Marleau).

Prediction: Vancouver in 5

(4) St. Louis Blues vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings

The Blues had issues in the early going, with Jake Allen at one point being the starting goaltender.  Brian Elliot seems to have turned it around, regaining the starting goaltender spot, though, and the Blues will undoubtedly have revenge on their mind from last year's sweep at the hand of the Kings.  Alex Pietrangelo will need to step it up if he is to become an elite D-man.

Los Angeles had their consistency issues, especially with goaltending.  However, they are also finding their groove at the right time, and that begins with Jonathan Quick.  Remember, the Kings did not have home ice advantage at all last year, and they start without that home ice advantage.  Jeff Carter will be counted upon to provide clutch goals once again.

Prediction: Los Angeles in 6

Black Sunday in the NHL

While I'm waiting for the NHL playoffs to sort itself out (there's still seeding and matchups to worry about, as Ottawa takes on Boston tonight in a game postponed by the Boston Marathon bombings), today is not a good day if your name is Joe Sacco or Joe Nieuwendyk.

Sacco was canned as the coach of the Colorado Avalanche after a 130-134-30 record in four seasons with one playoff appearance in 2010.  Odds are general manager Greg Sherman will soon be joining him in the unemployment line, as no replacement was named.  After a promising start to his coaching career in the NHL, Sacco failed to lead the Avs to a playoff appearance, with the final straw being a rant from J.S. Giguere in the midst of the team's slide in the last half of this season.  Sherman is almost certainly going to get axed, as he was at the helm for some bad trades, ranging from Erik Johnson and Jay McClement for Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart to Semyon Varlamov for a first and second round pick in 2012.

As for Nieuwendyk, he was relieved of his duties as general manager of the Dallas Stars.  At the helm since 2009, Nieuwendyk made his fair share of bad moves, such as trading James Neal for Alex Goligoski and trading Steve Ott for Derek Roy.  Seemingly, the Stars were without a clear direction as far as what they wanted to do, and fair or not, that falls on Nieuwendyk.  No word on the future of Glen Gulutzan, who was his hand-picked coach after canning Marc Crawford after the 2010-11 season.

It's been a major fall for two teams that dominated much of the late 90's and early 2000's as far as making the playoffs are concerned.  Whoever comes in to try and revive those franchises will undoubtedly need to know what they want to do and have a clear plan in getting there.

Winterhawks Weekly: Ed Chynoweth Trophy, We're Coming for You!

I haven't posted a Winterhawks Weekly since the playoff series dictates a lot of the updates, but now, I can post something today.  Despite getting off to a bad start to the week, a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Kamloops on Tuesday, the Winterhawks shut out the Blazers the following day 3-0 to get their first chance to clinch a spot in the WHL Finals.  The Winterhawks made the most of that opportunity on Friday, sending Kamloops home 4-1 and in the process, will meet either the Edmonton Oil Kings or the Calgary Hitmen (Edmonton is currently up 3-2 in their series).  Ty Rattie took home the Western Conference playoff MVP honors.

All the Staals in One Building

Just when you think the Carolina Hurricanes couldn't get all the Staals, the news that the youngest Staal will make his NHL debut tonight against the New York Rangers makes it possible.  Jared Staal was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL and will likely be on a line with Jordan Staal on the wing.  In case you're keeping score, that means oldest brother Eric, third brother Jordan, and youngest brother Jared will all be suiting up for the Hurricanes tonight.  Second oldest brother Marc is on the New York Rangers, but will not be suiting up, despite practicing for the first time since an eye injury suffered on March 5.

Getting Wild in Iowa?

The news (courtesy of Hockey Blog in Canada and Icethetics) that's been circulating around is the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate in Houston will be relocating to Des Moines, IA.  Out will be the Aeros and in will be the Iowa Wild.  That's right, the AHL club known as the Houston Aeros (until the conclusion of the Calder Cup) will be calling Iowa home starting next season and will be playing in the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines.  As you can see from the logo, it doesn't look all that much different from the parent club's alternate jersey.  And as you will see from the picture below, the jersey design leaves a lot to be desired:

via Twitter

While this move does make travel shorter (and possibly easier) for the call-ups and demotions to be made, one wonders if the Minnesota Wild could have done a little more to distinguish the minor league team a little better.  I'm not sold on it, personally, but we'll see how it looks on the ice.

USHL Playoffs Update

I realize in the midst of the WHL playoffs and the upcoming NHL playoffs (Vancouver is in and can clinch the Northwest Division as soon as tonight) that I have largely ignored the USHL.  The Clark Cup tournament began last week, and so far, we can expect the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Youngstown Phantoms in the Eastern Conference finals after they disposed of the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Green Bay Gamblers, respectively.  The Western Conference is less certain at this point, but the Waterloo Black Hawks can send the Fargo Force home, as they are up 2-1 in the best of five series.  The Lincoln Stars and Sioux Falls Stampede are nodded at two a piece with a deciding fifth game that will determine one of the spots in the Western Conference finals.