22 teams.
Anywhere from 11 to 14 games.
16 seeds at stake.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the NHL playoffs. It’s that time of year where everyone begins to sacrifice body limbs in the hopes of touching Lord Stanley’s Cup. It’s where players will do everything physically possible to ensure that their team will go on to victory.
Granted, the playoffs might start in a few weeks, but everyone is, to paraphrase the eloquent Bruce Boudreau, getting their asses out of their heads.
(6:00 mark is where it starts. Warning: Adult Language)
And on that note, here’s the questions that teams need to answer.
#11-Toronto Maple Leafs-“Is there any chance that we can make the playoffs?”
It’s looking pretty bleak. Based on projections from Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun, Toronto essentially needs to win out to grab the eight seed. Even that’s a bit generous, because the teams ahead of them (Buffalo, NY Rangers, Atlanta, Carolina) all have easier schedules.
Next year, though, is another story. Nazem Kadri and Joe Colborne should be ready for the NHL, great news for a team that needs forwards the way that Adam Sandler needs a good movie.
Plus, there’s hope that a puck-moving defenseman–Jake Gardner–will make his debut for the club next season. As long as James Reimer takes a break this offseason and avoids the demons that plagued Steve Mason(the last goalie who nearly killed himself dragging his team to a playoff spot), there’s definitely a chance that the club could be one of the contenders in the East next year.
All in all, there’s hope in Toronto. It might not be this year, but Burke and Wilson can contend for the next few years with the core players they have now.
#10 Atlanta Thrashers-“If the Thrashers make the playoffs, will anyone notice?”
Probably not, which would at least provide NHL fans with a hilarious moment, as the Versus/CBC announcers begin to wonder aloud why the Philadelphia crowd is so vocal…despite the fact that the game is in Atlanta. Gary, when one of the players makes a quote like this, it might be time to think about relocation.
From Chris Vivlamore and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution–
“Definitely,” Zach Bogosian said when asked if it was difficult to play in a half-empty building. “It’s never good feeling when you come out and you are all pumped up and there’s not that many people in the stands. After playing here for three years, you kind of get used to it. The more fans would be a lot better but it’s not an excuse we can use.”
The bigger issue is that this team is actually good. No one has a better defensive grouping, with a talent like Dustin Byfuglien playing as the third defenseman. That’s not even considering players like Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane, bruising power forwards who will probably top out as thirty-goal scorers in the NHL. If the group had even some sort of fan base, they’d probably be right there for the eight seed.
On the bright side, Quebec can start printing off those Byfuglien jerseys. They’re going to need them when Nikki Yanofsky begins belting out the national anthems at Le Colisee next year.
#9-Carolina Hurricanes-“Is Jeff Skinner for real?”
For those who have been living under a rock for the past few months, it’s fairly obvious that the kid from Kitchner can play.
(This is him. Also, this can't really end well for the Minnesota goalie)Skinner is an offensive presence with this team, surprisingly so for a player who spent exactly zero time in the minor leagues.
Skinner’s best and most underrated quality is his puck handling. The puck acts as his tango partner, as the two dance around defenseman and sashay their way to the net for quick passes and his accurate wrist shot. Plus, there’s his skating ability, which can make even the most veteran defenseman look like an OHL rookie.
Even if his team doesn’t make the playoffs–and it looks like they won’t, because they’re going to have to win five games against Stanley Cup contenders–Skinner will be picking up some hardware.
#8-Buffalo Sabers-“Are we the most dangerous team entering the playoffs.”
Far and away. First, there’s Lindy Ruff, who no doubt is ticked off over the fact that everyone assumed he would be fired at the end of the season(Hint, he’s not). He’s going to pull out all the stops against his opponents just to prove a point about this season.
(If he gets this mad at his own team...)
The team also has rediscovered where they were stashing Tyler Myers after his Calder campaign, and found Mike Weber in the AHL. The two have gone on the become the core of the most underrated defense in the entire NHL.
The offense isn’t half bad either, as Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek have helped to offset the loss of Derek Roy, an All-Star candidate prior to his season-ending injury. If Ryan Miller doesn’t disintegrate down the stretch due to wear and tear, this could be the team that shocks everyone come playoff time.
#7-New York Rangers-“We can’t blow another chance at the playoffs…right?”
Probably not, since their schedule appears to have seven winnable games left, including two dates with the Islanders. That being said, this is the Rangers, and they owe a lot of karma for having Sean Avery on the roster.
The problems begin, though, because the team doesn’t really have a primary scoring option on the roster. Marian Gaborik has had one of his most disappointing seasons to date, yet still remains second on the team in points. Right now, the city of New York is depending on a line of Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan to sustain them during the playoffs and, well...that's just not going to work.
Then again, the Rangers do still have Henrik Lundqvist in net, with Dan Girardi and Marc Staal policing the blueline. No matter the opponent, it's going to be a physical, drawn-out, beat the opponent into the ice series. And though they might not win, the Rangers certainly will make their opponent's road to the Stanley Cup tougher.
But yes, Rangers fans, the team will be dancing. Just wait until game 82 to start the celebrations.
#6-Montreal Canadiens-“Is there enough offense?”
It’s the question that haunted the team all through last year’s playoffs. Even with the defense’s inspired effort and goaltender
Jaroslav Halak turning into the second coming of Vladislav Tretiak, the offense never did hold up their end of the bargain. The team’s strategy of suffocating the other team until they made mistakes finally stopped when Philadelphia’s offense became too much to handle.
So, what did the team do? They added offense…to the blueline. P.K. Subban has grown into a force over the course of this season, and his skating ability cannot be counted out come playoff time. On the other side is James Wisniewski, a physical blueliner with a slap-shot so heavy that it could possibly decapitate opponents. Together, the two are as dangerous on the powerplay as they are to opposing forwards.
Don’t discount the forwards on this roster, either. Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta are talented goal scorers, as is Tomas Plekanec(if he's not gone for an extended period of time). If these three can continue their scoring ways, Montreal will be a force come playoff time.
#5-Tampa Bay Lightning-“Can we actually stop anyone?”
The high-scoring Lightning have been downright dominant on offense during this season. Steven Stamkos is the purest goal scorer in the NHL right now, and with Marty St. Louis spoon-feeding him the puck, he could easily top fifty goals on the season.
Unfortunately, none of that mattered since the defense and goaltender looked like they had been grabbed off of an AHL squad. Mike Smith and Dan Ellis would not be the answer if this team ever wanted to get near the Stanley Cup, and at least one defensive upgrade was required for them to even think about a playoff run.
Fortunately, they grabbed father time himself, Dwayne Roloson.
(The best part? He kept the Islanders mask.)The 41-year-old has been a dominating goaltender for multiple contenders, and has at least one good run left in him. There’s also Eric Brewer, who’s defensive prowess and leadership will definitely help the team.
Can the Lightning stop anyone? Sort of. But in this playoff climate, that’s enough to make them a Cup contender.
#4-Pittsburgh Penguins-“Who’s left to win?”
Imagine the following situation. You’re a Pens fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the two superstars who have carried the team for the past four years, are both injured. Plus, barring Crosby making some miraculous return a la The Rock, both are done for the playoffs.
(Such a convenient way to fit this video onto the website. And yes, since we're here, I'm completely saying that Sidney Crosby needs to return to this song. )
But fear not, Pens fans. Marc-Andre Fluery is one of the best players in the game today. Outside of the net, there’s Kris Letang, a player who’s quietly morphed into the most underrated defenseman of the NHL. Plus, don’t forget recent additions James Neal and Alexei Kovalev, who can score in bunches.
There’s certainly not as much talent in the “Burgh” these days. But don’t mistake that for the cupboard being totally bare. There’s still a chance that this team can contend for the Stanley Cup, even without the two superstars.
#3-Boston Bruins-“Are we the team to beat?”
Surprisingly, Boston is the team that can outplay anyone in all areas of hockey. Their offense is skilled, their defense can physically dominate opponents, and their goaltending is as reliable as snow by November in Syracuse.
At this point, the team is like Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights. This group can play any style, at any speed, against any of the top contenders. Peter Chiarelli should easily win the NHL’s executive award for assembling this squad.
On paper and on the ice, they can win every matchup. That’s why the Bruins are my favorites to make the Stanley Cup Finals out of the East. Plus, it’s not like there’s any conflicts with the NHL...
Moving on,
#2-Washington Capitals-“Have We Arrived?”(Warning: Video contains adult language)
In some ways, it’s a good thing that the Capitals finally learned that defense wins championships. It’s about time that the team figured out that “Hey, they pay this guy in the suit a lot of money. We should probably start listening to him.”(That is, we should start listening to what he says in between his colorful adjectives)
(Side Note: The Penguins once hired a guy who couldn’t speak English to be their head coach, either because the team had six guys from North America, or because they had Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux, which means that the girl in 3A who just chose her bracket based on uniform colors could coach them to the six seed. Until this season, that was the best coaching comparison to Bruce Boudreau.)
That being said, there’s still a lot of questions about this roster. Can Jason Arnott adjust to the quick pace that Washington likes to play? Can one of the three young goaltenders adjust to being "the man" in net? Will Alexander Ovechkin finally show up for a playoff series not involving Sidney Crosby? It's going to take the rest of the season, and longer, in some cases, to figure out those issues.
So, has the team made it? Ted Leonsis hasn’t written any blogs about it, so he doesn’t believe the hype. Neither should anyone else...yet.
#1-Philadelphia Flyers-“Can we pull a Chicago?”
There hasn’t really been a term to describe a team that just tries to, for lack of a better word, out-talent the opposition while completely ignoring the fact that they’re starting an untested player in goal. Chicago tried this last year, when the team decided it could ice a team that was so good, it had a thirty-goal scorer somewhere on its third or fourth line(Andrew Ladd).
Philadelphia is much of the same, especially since the team is only 11 total goals away from having nine 20-goal scorers on the same roster. In fact, there’s no doubt that even with Chicago’s prodigious forwards, this team could match-up offensively with the Blackhawks of last year.
However, the defensive battle isn’t even close. Chris Pronger is banged up, and, frankly, Matt Carle, Kimmo Timmonen and Braydon Coburn would not be accurate substitutes for Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. In the playoffs, its critical that the group plays its best hockey of their respective careers, because if they don’t, the pressure is going to be on a 22-year-old who’s looking to double his maximum amount of games.
(It's either him or Brian Boucher. Exactly)So yes, it’s true that Philadelphia can outscore everyone. But will it matter more than defensive hockey?
For the Flyers, it’s just one more question to answer before the playoffs begin.
–Peter Gegick
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