NHL Preview Part Two

Taking a look at a few of the biggest storylines in the Eastern Conference this season.

By Marcus White

AP Images

Last week, we took a look at the Western Conference’s biggest storylines going into the 2013-2014 season. We’ll be taking a look at the Eastern Conference this season, and the first area of discussion is the question that everyone in Pittsburgh is dying to know the answer to.

What will happen to Marc-Andre Fleury?

Despite a reputation as a “clutch” goaltender earned on performances in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, respectively, Pittsburgh ‘tender Marc-Andre Fleury has been anything but in the last four postseasons. In those four years, Fleury’s goals against average hasn’t been below 2.50, nor has his save percentage cracked the .900 mark. As a result, Pittsburgh’s only made it past the second round once in the last four years, and that was only after head coach Dan Bylsma turned to Tomas Vokoun to man the crease.

Although Vokoun outplayed Fleury, both Bylsma and General Manager Ray Shero came out in support of Fleury this offseason. Each declared Fleury the team’s number-one goalie. Fleury’s going to get every opportunity to prove that he is the solution in Pittsburgh’s crease, especially now that Vokoun is out following blood clot surgery.

But Fleury’s not going to be judged on his regular season performance, where he’s had much more success than the playoffs in the last four years. He’s solely going to be judged on his performance in the postseason, and the Penguins are counting on him to rebound. If he doesn’t regain his form from Pittsburgh’s last two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, it’ll be another short postseason in the Steel City, and could very well be Fleury’s last as a Penguin.

Who will emerge in Toronto’s crease?

By all accounts, James Reimer had a solid year as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ starting goaltender, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.46 GAA in 33 regular season games. He was crucial in helping Toronto stave off elimination, posting back-to-back victories in Games five and six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Despite this, Toronto GM Dave Nonis felt the need to find an upgrade in goal, as the Leafs have been linked in deals to acquire goaltending since last offseason. Eventually, Nonis decided on shipping backup goaltender Ben Scrivens and young forward Matt Frattin to Los Angeles in exchange for former 2006 first-rounder Jonathan Bernier. Bernier has been the subject of immense hype since he was drafted, but has spent the last three years backing up Jonathan Quick and playing in only 55 games over that span. Considering his lack of experience and Reimer’s success, it’s a bit of an odd acquisition for the Leafs.

The Bernier trade, and subsequent contract extension, will become a true head-scratcher if Reimer is able to hold on to the starting job. It could also leave Toronto in yet another salary cap crunch next offseason, as Reimer, Phil Kessel, Cody Franson, and Dion Phanuef all become free agents. And if Bernier becomes the starter? We could be looking at a Luongo/Schneider situation on the opposite coast.

Are the (soon-to-be Brooklyn) Islanders for real?

To the surprise of many last season, the New York Islanders qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins quite a scare in an intense six-game series. The Isles’ long rebuild looked like it was finally starting to pay dividends.

The Islanders’ run to the playoffs was no fluke. This team is loaded with young talent up front, led by 2013 Hart Trophy-finalist John Tavares. And after adding veterans Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Peter Regin this offseason, the Islanders have solid depth up front. Losing former Captain Mark Streit to the Flyers will hurt, but the Islanders have an underrated group on the back-end. If their young defensemen continue to improve, they’ll will be even better.

The Islanders’ biggest question mark lies in goal. Evgeni Nabokov had a decent regular season for the club, but was far from it in the postseason, managing to play worse than Marc-Andre Fleury in the series against the Penguins. Competing for the back-up spot are youngsters Kevin Poulin and Anders Nilsson, who have played a combined total of 25 games in the NHL. The Isles need stability in net in order for their success to continue, otherwise this talented group won’t be able to take the next step.

Can the new-look Bruins make it back to the Final?

After being one minute and 16 seconds from forcing a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals this past June, the Bruins made some major changes to their roster. Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Andrew Ferrence, Wade Redden, Nathan Horton, Jaromir Jagr and backup-goalie Anton Khudobin are gone, the former two shipped to Dallas in the most talked about trade of the offseason, and the latter six signing elsewhere as free agents.

GM Peter Chiarelli has filled these holes through internal and external means. The Bruins acquired Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith and defense prospect Joe Morrow in exchange for Seguin and Peverley, and signed Jarome Iginla to a one-year deal. Eriksson, Iginla, Smith and late-season addition Carl Soderberg look to have the edge on filling the spots vacated by Seguin, Horton, Jagr, and Peverley. With Ferrence and Redden gone, Boston is a lot younger on the back-end, as out-of-nowhere postseason hero Torey Krug and sophomore Dougie Hamilton are expected to take big steps forward in their development.

On paper, the Bruins are just as formidable as they were last year. They’re solid in goal, with Vezina Trophy finalist Tuukka Rask manning the crease, and have depth at just about every position. They have the strongest roster in the Atlantic Division, and perhaps even the conference. Don’t let the offseason makeover fool you: Boston is loaded and ready to make another run at the Stanley Cup.

How will Detroit and Columbus do in their first season in the East?

As we looked at how Winnipeg will do in a new conference in Part One, it’s only natural that we do the same for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings in Part Two of our NHL preview. The former Central Division rivals are now in the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions, respectively. 

Both are coming off surprisingly successful seasons, as the Jackets challenged for a playoff spot on the back of Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky while Detroit upset the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks and took the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks to seven games in their last playoff run in the West.

Both teams are improved, too. Detroit added Senators’ legend Daniel Alfredsson and former Panther Stephen Weiss, bolstering their top six forward group led by longtime-Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. 

The Blue Jackets signed Nathan Horton and depth forward Jack Skille from Boston and Florida, respectively, and likewise appear to be deeper up front. The strength of both of these teams, however, is in goal. Jimmy Howard is Detroit’s stalwart in net and is coming off of the best season of his career. As is Sergei Bobrovsky, much to the chagrin of Philadelphia Flyers’ fans.

Unlike Winnipeg, Detroit and Columbus should do well in their new divisions. Detroit should have no problem making the playoffs, and could challenge Boston for the Atlantic Division title. Columbus will have a tougher go in the Metropolitan, with four playoff teams from last year (Capitals, Rangers, Islanders and Penguins) in their division, but they’ll be in the playoff hunt at the very least. And if Bobrovsky plays as well as he did last year? 

It’s not out of the question that the Blue Jackets will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Winter Classic Cancelled

By Andrew Miller

As of Friday, the NHL has cancelled the 2013 Bridgestone Winter Classic. An annual outdoor game played traditionally on New Years Day, the game has turned into the highlight of the NHL season besides the playoffs.

(AP Photo)

This year, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs were scheduled to play in “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Because of the various preparations that need to be made prior to the game being played, the Winter Classic had to be cancelled due to the lack of progress in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.

Cancelling the Winter Classic brings along many additional losses besides losing the hockey game itself. The league had to cancel the Winter Festival events that were to be held at Comerica Park in Detroit, which was supposed to hold a second outdoor rink. There all levels from kids to college to minor leaguers would play hockey games in the two week event.

HBO’s signature series 24/7 is also slated as a loser of the cancellation. Since the 2011 Winter Classic the show went behind the scenes for four weeks leading up the game. Well known for the incredible images as well as colorful sounds bites, HBO’s 24/7 became one of the great parts of the Winter Classic that will be greatly missed.

It’s hard to imagine not seeing the thrilling game of the year played where hockey began, outside. From the freezing temperatures to the throw back jerseys, everything about the game brought a smile to those who are not even regular fans. Only one game out of the five previous Winter Classics was not decided by one goal. The signature moment happened during the first Winter Classic when the Sabres and Penguins fought through the snow to end the game in a shootout. Unfortunately, hockey fans will have to wait until next year to witness another magical chapter of the Winter Classic.

Turning the Beat Around

by Pete Gegick

Admit it. No one saw this one coming. Outside of Don Cherry, there might have been three members of the media who saw anything redeemable in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sure, the team was good, but there was no way they'd make the playoffs.

At least, that was the general attitude before the regular season . Then, the words on fans lips went from "not bad" to "oh my god, we're good? " At 4-0, the Maple Leafs have been the toast of the NHL. And trust EP Hockey when we say that this team is built to make the playoffs.

Don't believe us? Take a look at the eight categories that matter in the NHL, then what Toronto has to offer for each one.

1) Goaltending-The backup has earned the nickname of "Monster" as a description of his play. And yes, that's the backup.

The starter merely backstopped the Anaheim Ducks to two Stanley Cups, including a win in 2007. Between these two, there will always be a player in between the pipes that can give the organization a chance to win.

2) Toughness

Two words-Dion Phaneuf. If a Cro-Magnon was to take up the game of hockey, he would play exactly like Phaneuf.

(That is meant as a compliment. He's one of the best players in the league.)

Factor in physical defenseman, like Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek, and it becomes clear why no forward wants to play this team. Even free agent acquisitions Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong and Clarke MacArthur play with a physical edge.

3) Leadership

In addition to being one of the toughest human beings on the ice, Phaneuf is also being counted on to be a leader in the dressing room. He's already been lauded by head coach Ron Wilson for his contributions to the team's mood.

Plus, the last time a Western Canadian led the Leafs, his name was Wendel Clark. He merely took the team to two conference finals.

(He also attempted to detach people's heads from their bodies)

4) Depth

The only area that scares EP Hockey when discussing the Leafs. Outside of Tyler Bozak, the team has essentially no true offensive options at the center position.

Then again, General Manager Brian Burke did decide to send top prospect and center Nazem Kadri to the AHL affiliate of the team. And since Burke won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim, he probably knows exactly what he's doing.

5) Defense

Yes, it's time to hear more about Phaneuf. He's the leader of this group, which includes a carbon-copy rookie in Luke Schenn, 240 pound Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemein. All four play with an especially physical edge, and all four can contribute offensively.

When offensive defenseman like Tomas Kabarle, Carl Gunnarsson and the now-injured Brett Lebda are available, the Leafs might just have the deepest and most talented defense in the NHL.

6) Primary Scoring
Phil Kessel had 30 goals last season while receiving no help from the rest of the forwards on the squad. He was also just a 22-year-old.


(This man will challenge for the Rocket Richard trophy someday.)

EP hockey is saying that he's a lock to top that, and will probably finish with between 40 and 45.

7) Secondary Scoring

Tyler Bozak was a revelation last year, as he went from unheralded free agent to a top-tier center. He's going to be asked to be the complement to Kessel, and it will be his success or failure that determines the teams fate.

Expect other forwards, like Kris Versteeg and Clarke MacArthur to also contribute to the team's goal totals. If the team can get major contributions from them, it will take much of the pressure off of the defenseman and goalies on the squad.

8) Special Teams
On the power play, the team will employ Phil Kessel, Mike Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf, and whoever wants to stand in front of the goalie. They will then hack away at the puck until it is either cleared, covered up, or goes into the back of the net. Since the team ranks in the middle of the NHL with a 15.00% success rate, it's unclear if this strategy can really be called failing.

The team also ranks third on the penalty kill, with a percentage of 93.33 %. Most of this can be attributed to players like Armstrong and Fredrik Sjostrom, who have what hockey commentator Don Cherry refers to as "jam." This "jam" represents a collective attitude to sacrifice one's body in order to make sure that the team has a chance to win.

As the above rate shows, there's a lot of jam in Toronto.

With all that said, things in Toronto could go from this,

to a Stanley Cup celebration rally where everyone knows their names.