Matt Krombach Sports Editor
The NHL Playoffs are the one thing this
season that will be the proper length.
Seven game max series, one team must win four games. For hockey fans clearly this is the best time
of the year
Western
Conference
Seed1: Chicago
Blackhawks vs. Seed 8: Minnesota Wild
Chicago started off the season with a
point in 24 straight games, setting a new league record. The Hawks only lost seven games in the
regular season with a record of 36-7-5.
With the additions of Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Jason Pominville this
season, the Wild are bound to put up a fight.
Unfortunately, they took a hit in early April as Dany Heatley will be
out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. As much as we might want to see an upset, the
Blackhawks will probably take the series
Prediction: Blackhawks in 6
Seed
2:
Anaheim Ducks vs Seed 7: Detroit Red
Wings
Detroit barely squeaked into the
playoffs after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had an incredible final
season stretch, and kept the 21 season playoff streak alive. However, with many new young additions and a
lack of team chemistry, the post season for the Red Wings appears that it will
be short lived. Anaheim took a steep
incline of success after Bruce Boudreu took control of the head coaching job
mid-way through last season. However,
the Detroit Red Wings are known to be one of the deadliest teams in the
playoffs regardless of their placement.
Prediction: Ducks in 7
Seed
3:
Vancouver Canucks vs. Seed 6: San
Jose Sharks
San Jose has made the playoffs for eight
consecutive years, yet has not managed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks have yet to really make their mark
in the NHL and until they do so they’re going to be the team that everyone
forgets. Roberto Luongo was supposed to
be the backup goaltender for the Canucks, but instead he earned himself the
starting job. If the Canucks can stay
healthy, they can definitely go far in the playoffs.
Prediction: Canucks in 5
Seed
4:
St. Louis Blues vs. Seed 5: LA Kings
Los Angeles won the Stanley Cup last
season as the eighth seed and they haven’t made many roster changes since
then. The Kings just need to remain calm
and not get ahead of themselves considering last years’ result, since St. Louis
should be an easy win. St. Louis has a
decent team, but even with their additions from this season and Jaro Halak’s
goaltending, they’re not ready to withstand a berth in the second round of the
playoffs.
Prediction: Kings in 5
Eastern
Conference
Seed
1:
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Seed 8: New
York Islanders
Now this is going to be fun. The two teams played a game two years ago on
February 11, 2011that resulted in a total of 346 minutes in penalties. If you would like to view this brawl, type in
Islanders Penguins Brawl into YouTube. Yes, goalies are involved in the fights. Who had the upper hand in that game? No, it wasn’t Pittsburgh for once. The Islanders actually had complete control
the entire game winning 9-3. In light of
the fact that Pittsburgh is currently one of the best teams in hockey right
now, this is a good playoff experience for the Islanders but don’t count on
them to be out of any game. This series
will be filled with playoff intensity that hockey fans love. Pittsburgh Captain, Sidney Crosby, hopes to
make a return from his broken jaw injury early into the series.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6
Seed
2:
Montreal Canadiens vs Seed 7: Ottawa
Senators
Canada versus Canada games are always
intense. Now, this may not be as intense
as a Montreal and Toronto match up we had hoped for, but it will be
interesting. Ottawa’s star defenseman
Erik Karlsson recently returned to the lineup after having his Achilles tendon
cut and surgically repaired. Montreal
has had one of their best seasons in a while.
Carey Price is one of the most impressive goalies in the league and
could possibly lead the team to the conference finals.
Prediction: Canadiens in 7
Seed
3:
Washington Capitals vs Seed 6: New
York Rangers
Red, white, and blue represents both teams’
colors, which is only one of many similarities of New York and Washington. Washington emerged from the bottom of the
conference to the top of the Southeast Division while New York scratched and
clawed to clinch a playoff berth after bouncing between being in a playoff spot
and not. This could end up being a long
series considering these are both high scoring teams with great goaltending,
but Washington doesn’t have a good playoff resume.
Prediction: Rangers in 6
Seed 4: Boston Bruins vs Seed 5: Toronto Maple Leafs
This is the first time the Maple Leafs
have made the playoffs since the 2003-2004 season and they haven’t raised the
Stanley Cup since 1967. Toronto had a
decent season last year, placing ninth in the conference and have now been
entitled to a playoff series. Nazem
Kadri was the golden boy this season for the Maple Leafs. Kadri was back and forth between the minors
last year and was finally given a well deserved opportunity to play in the NHL,
and he did not disappoint with 44 points this season. However, the Bruins possess one of the
deepest lineups in the NHL. If Toronto
can match up well in opposition to all lines against the 2011 Stanley Cup
Champions, they might have a chance in the next round.
Prediction: Leafs in 7
