Matt Krombach Sports Editor
Most teams have less than ten games to play as the shortened regular season winds down. Some teams are on the verge of a playoff run while others are clawing and scratching for a playoff spot. The season’s trade deadline ended last Wednesday, April 3, and as the teams prepare for their postseason, it’s time to find out who might be the dark horse or the favorite team of the playoffs.
The favorites to win the Stanley Cup on the last stretch of the final season usually tend to be the teams that choke in the playoffs, which happened with Vancouver in 2011. As of now, the two best teams at the top of their conference are the Chicago Blackhawks in the West and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the East both of which have clinched a spot in the playoffs. These two teams are very alike due to incredible winning streaks. Chicago started off the season on an 11 game winning streak and kept the point streak going to 24 games. Pittsburgh also had a share of glory as they went 15 consecutive games without a loss. The Penguins received help from players they acquired around the trade deadline with Brenden Morrow, Jerome Iginla and Jussi Jokinen. Iginla and Morrow spent more than a decade with their previous teams, Iginla with Calgary and Morrow with Dallas, before they came to the Penguins in the race for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Star of the Penguins Sidney Crosby is expected to be out of the lineup for another 4-6 weeks recovering from a broken jaw. Even without Crosby in the lineup, Pittsburgh has proven that one person doesn’t make a team. With the depth, skill, and leadership the Penguins possess they should be the favorite over the Blackhawks if the two teams were to make it to the Stanley Cup.
The Sleepers
Toronto, Ontario has been without a Cup since 1967 and without a berth in the NHL Playoffs since the 03-04 season. They have found themselves in a comfortable spot finally to have a berth in the playoffs after a seven season drought. Currently, the Maple Leafs are sitting in fifth place in the East. In the West, the State of Hockey might finally have an opportunity at a Stanley Cup since the 90-91 season with the North Stars. As the Minnesota Wild have cleared a name for themselves in the hockey world, they still need to prove themselves, which is exactly what they’re doing. Their lineup is filled with skilled players, enforcers and veterans and has a built fan base that is hockey crazed. They don’t call it the State of Hockey for no reason. Minnesota has the complete package to be a Stanley Cup contender, they just need to get to the bank and cash that check.
They Were Terrible
Okay, what’s incredible about any sport is that year after year there are teams that are completely in the cellar one year and are either dominating or doing pretty well the next. Bruce Boudreau was the Washington Capitals head coach and lead them to several Division Championships in his tenure there. After being let go mid-season last year, he took over the Ducks who were down in the dumps at the time. They finished third from the bottom in the West. Anaheim is currently sitting second in the Western Conference with 59 points and lead it for a while as well. They are only six points behind the conference leading the Chicago Blackhawks. Whatever wasn’t working in Washington with Boudreau is certainly working in Anaheim. Could they be on the run for their second Stanley Cup?
On Long Island things are a little different. From 1979-1983 the Islanders were the best team in the NHL winning four consecutive Stanley Cups but have yet to win one since. Although the drought isn’t as long as Toronto’s, they haven’t been very good since. 2006 was the last time the Islanders reached the playoffs and since then they’ve been on a rebuilding stage. Currently, they are only seventh place in the East, but they’ve won seven out of their last ten games. Even if they don’t go far in the playoffs this season, look for them to make continuing appearances over the next years since, it seems that their rebuilding stage did them well.
The Consistent teams that Choke
Two teams that either always do well or dominate the regular season but get out early or don’t do as well in the playoffs as anticipated are the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks. If you look at the cup part of the Stanley Cup, the Senators won the Stanley Cup multiple times in the early 1900s, but does that really mean anything? They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 06-07 and lost against Anaheim. The Sharks, however, have yet to win a Stanley Cup in any years of hockey history. San Jose has made the playoffs for eight seasons in a row, but have never succeeded to make it past the Conference finals. The Sharks are a very good team; they just need to find the power to get to the Finals.
Honorable Mention
The Columbus Blue Jackets are known to be the worst or one of the worst teams in the entire NHL. Columbus made the playoffs once and were swept in the first round. After Rick Nash left for New York last season there didn’t seem to be much of an outlook for optimism. Right now they are currently on a roll. They’ve had two short stints of a three game winning streak and have clearly outplayed some of the better teams and only losing by one or two goals compared to three or four like they have in the past. No, they’re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but it seems very unlikely. However, this boost at the end of the season could provide momentum for a possible playoff run next season.
