The Box Scorn NHL Playoff Preview – Round 1
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The NHL Playoffs begin tonight, and a tumultuous year in the rankings will lead to an extremely interesting couple of months. Here at Box Scorn, we took it upon ourselves to predict the outcome of the first round and share our thoughts on the teams involved. So sit back and get your fix from us while you count the minutes until the puck drops on what I expect will be one of the most interesting playoffs in recent years.
Eastern Conference Preview
#1 New York Rangers vs #8 Ottawa Senators
Kyle Begley: The Senators have proven a lot this season with Jason Spezza playing great alongside Milan Michalek. Erik Karlsson led all d-men in scoring this season — by 25 points. These three and goalie Craig Anderson will continue their excellent seasons. But there’s no goalie I would rather have going into the playoffs than Henrik Lundqvist. Overall the Rangers are just a more complete team. The Senators are moving in the right direction, but round 2 is out of reach. Rangers in 5.
Derek Schmitt: The New York Rangers were built for the playoffs. Tough D, just enough scoring, and King Henrik between the pipes. A talented Ottawa team will give them a run for their money though. Lots of scoring, and a goalie who could catch fire quicker than Harry Potter’s wand, will push this series to the limit. I still think the Rangers win in 7. (…or else Hollywood Tortorella might literally blow his top for the cameras)
#2 Boston Bruins vs #7 Washington Capitals
KB: Last years Stanley Cup Champions play against the team every ‘expert’ thought would be the favorite this time of year. I must admit, I thought the adition of Tomas Vokoun would make the Capitals unstoppable. I forgot how big of a smoke and mirror show Ovechkin is. Without Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps aren’t worth worrying about. Tim Thomas is playing more like the Thomas of old instead of his heroic 2011 playoff style, but the Bruins have too much ability to lose to a Washington team without it’s best player. Boston wins in 6.
DS: As much as the greatest player in the world will carry his team to playoff success…..ohhh wait, Ovechkin’s disappearing act continues. Tim Thomas or Braden Holtby when the pressure heats up hotter than Tyler Seguin’s high school sweethearts? I’ll take the one with the ring. Bruins in 7.
#3 Florida Panthers vs #6 New Jersey Devils
KB: The best team in the worst division in hockey against the Devils. New Jersey is a hockey powerhouse with stars like Martin Brodeur in net and Ilya Kovulchuk on the wing. Florida played the majority of their games against bad teams. Their rebuild is going well, but they aren’t ready to win in the playoffs yet. The Devils defensive style and steady scoring will leave Florida in the dust. New Jersey gets a rest after winning in 4.
DS: Florida limped into the playoffs after a strong first half of the season. The Southeast is one of the weakest divisions. The only way Florida wins this series is to use the energy from a fan base eager to jump on the bandwagon after years of playoff drought. The Devils come in red hot and Marty between the pipes is looking to party like its 1995. Devils in 6.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
KB: The Penguins have the best set of three centres in the league. Add defensive scoring threat Kris Letang and underrated (but slumping) goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and it’s going to take a hell of a team to knock these guys out. Ilya Bryzgalov proved to be a clutch playoff goalie while playing for the Coyotes, and the Flyers are better team than any he had protecting him in Phoenix. I haven’t jumped on the Claude Giroux bandwagon, but with some great goaltending, the Flyers could find a way. Chances are, they will not. Penguins in 6.
DS: These teams hate each other. This easily shapes up to be the most exciting series. Marc-Andre Fleury has a few days to regain his focus after a sub par performance in his last few starts of the regular season. In the other crease all the pressure sits on some crazy Russian science experiment who will be pondering the universe as God bears down on him in a 71 jersey. Pens in 5.
Western Conference Preview
#1 Vancouver Canucks over #8 Los Angeles Kings
KB: Jonathan Quick is great and had a great season. But eyes seem to be trained on the Canucks net to see which Luongo turns up, but I doubt the Canucks are too worried. Their backup, Corey Schneider, has become one of the best goalies in the league from their bench. Look for Luongo to swap spots with Schneider quickly if he starts collapsing. It looks like Daniel Sedin will return this series which makes Vancouver much more lethal. Mike Richards has a lot of fight in him, and Jeff Carter a lot of skill, but I don’t see these new additions to the Kings getting them out of this one. Give them another year to gel, and we’ll be talking a lot more about the Kings. But this year, the Canucks win in 5. The real question here: who will Alexandre Burrows bite this year.
DS: This series is filled with great goaltending. LA just doesn’t have the scoring to keep up with the Canucks, even without Daniel. If LA rattles Luongo like teams have been able to in recent years it will be interesting to see how quickly the Canucks turn to Schneider. Quick could keep the Kings close, but in the end the Canucks win in 6.
#2 St. Louis Blues vs #7 San Jose Sharks
KB: This was the series I least wanted to predict. St. Louis has been the best team at home all season. Jaroslav Halak has proven before that he can hold an entire playoff series on his shoulders. The Sharks have been a disappointment this season, but they still have Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Expect these two to be stand-outs. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi has been inconsistent since winning the Stanley Cup with Chicago, but if he’s in good form then expect a low-scoring series. The Sharks win in 7.
DS: The Blues are pretty much in the second round already. San Jose is a dying team that will always be remembered for playoff failures. St. Louis swept the regular season series and I sense the brooms will be out again. St Louis in 4.
#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs #6 Chicago Blackhawks
KB: This is all about Mike Smith. You know… Your buddy. Mike Smith. That guy you’ve known forever. Yeah he’s all of the sudden a great goalie and Phoenix’s only chance at beating Chicago. Mike Smith. Unfortunately for Phoenix, Chicago and their long list of star players will find a way to beat Smith and the Coyotes. You could argue that Jonathan Toews is the best player in the league. (You would be wrong, but not that wrong) His return to the line-up will simply be a nail in Coyotes well-worn coffin. Blackhawks win in 6.
DS: Instead of looking at this matchup as Phoenix v. Chicago, I am more looking at Chicago vs. Mike Smith. The brick wall in net is peaking his play at the right time, but a team that has a veteran core from their championship run will be tough for Phoenix to handle. Series sort of reminds me of when Phoenix took Detroit to 7 games 2 seasons ago, but with less bandwagon playoff fans. Phoenix has the home ice, but Patrick Kane might grow that mullet again so Chicago in 7.
#4 Nashville Predators vs #5 Detroit Red Wings
KB: Yes Detroit, we get that you have Pavel Datsyuk. Unfortunately for the Wings, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter will be taking turns watching the tiny Russian. Shit, they could easily be out there together against him. Special teams are where the Wings are going to have to win this series. The Predators were the best power play unit this season. Can the Wings penalty kill stop them? The Wings have the advantage in experience. The Predators have the advantage when it comes to goaltending, and I expect Pekka Rinne to be the best player in the series, leading Nashville to victory in 7 games.
DS: Welcome to SMASHVILLE! Papa Shea surely already has a full playoff beard before game 1 even starts. All of Motown’s hopes rely on a crafty Russian forward with an unlucky number, but this is the coming out party for the best Russian on the ice, Alexander Radulov. Plus that Nashville crowd gets a lot more rowdy than so called “Hockeytown”. Nashville in 6.
The Box Scornites:
Pete Barrows
Eastern Conference
#1 New York Rangers over #8 Ottawa Senators in 5 games
#2 Boston Bruins over #7 Washington Capitals in 5 games
#6 New Jersey Devils over #3 Florida Panthers in 7 games
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins over #5 Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games
WHY? Chalk, on ice, most of the way out West. The Senators are not incumbents and cannot manage to rig the election against a superior New York Ranger crew. The Boston Bruins pick up right where they left off last year, full steam ahead, making it the two top seeds who advance to the second round with relative ease.
The middle seeded series ought to provide a bit more fight. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia renew their in state rivalry, competing for Pennsylvania’s heart, but in the end the Penguins fly on past former birds Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr in pursuit of their second Stanley Cup in four years.
The Devils have ice-melting ability and firepower to spare with front lines consisting of Illya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, David Clarkson, and Zach Parise who have accounted for 124 goals amongst themselves on the year. The Panthers, straight out of the everglade swamps, have scrap in spades, a team many doubted would even slip into the playoffs, let alone take the division. Scrap won’t be enough though. Florida will fight against the odds, backed in against the wall, but with an abysmal minus-24 goal differential and future hall of fame keeper Martin Brodeur guarding the gates for the Devils, the Panthers simply cannot adequately match up.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks over #8 Los Angeles Kings in 6 games
#2 St. Louis Blues over #7 San Jose Sharks in 6 games
#6 Chicago Blackhawks over #3 Phoenix Coyotes in 6 games
#5 Detroit Red Wings over #4 Nashville Predators in 7 games
WHY? For years now, the San Jose Sharks have entered the postseason as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. For years now, they have come up short, only to see a lower seed pass them by. In 2012, the Sharks will relish the opportunity play the role of the underdog. In 2012, they will again come up short as even the struggling Blues have yet to drop a game to the sharks on the year.
How do you defend two Sedins? With 148 points between the brothers on the year, it’s painfully apparent that this is a nearly unsolvable riddle across NHL ranks, a riddle that few have been able to contrive a solution for. One Sedin might be manageable though. If Daniel plays and plays healthy, the Canucks roll like the zambonis between periods. If not, there might be a bit of tough Ice.
The Blackhawks present one of the most formidable front lines in the league and after 22 consecutive games of absence, are ready to resort to full strength. Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, and the rest of Chicago’s star-filled lineup welcome back Jonathan Toews, who has 29 goals and 28 assists in 59 games this year, with open arms as they look to provide the Phoenix Coyotes with an absence of play of their own.
On play alone this year, the Predators are the pick. The Red Wings still house two of the best two-way players in the game though in Sundance/Butch pairing Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Shea Weber has a good shot at finally stealing the Norris trophy crown from once in a generation defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, but if the Wings can finally skate healthy, they have the playoff expertise to make this one interesting. A potential classic bout in the early goings.
Brady Fredericksen
Eastern Conference
#1 New York Rangers over #8 Ottawa Senators in 6 games
#2 Boston Bruins over #7 Washington Capitals in 4 games
#6 New Jersey Devils over #3 Florida Panthers in 6 games
#5 Philadelphia Flyers over #4 Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games
WHY? I just like New York. Ryan Callahan and Co. aren’t flashy, but they just have the feel of a gritty team that can get hot and make a run. Washington is such an enigma, and the Broons are quietly entering the playoffs winning seven of their last nine games. Florida almost blew that No. 3 seed to those Capitals, plus, can you really trust a Jose Theodore-Scott Clemmensen combo between the pipes? Ilya Bryzgalov became my favorite goalie during 24/7 this year, thus, Philly moves on.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks over #8 Los Angeles Kings in 7 games
#2 St. Louis Blues over #7 San Jose Sharks in 4 games
#6 Chicago Blackhawks over #3 Phoenix Coyotes in 5 games
#4 Nashville Predators over #5 Detroit Red Wings in 6 games
WHY? The Kings are as dangerous an eight seed as there is, but there’s a reason Vancouver owns this season’s Presidents’ Trophy. Watching San Jose try to kill a penalty is a lot like watching this video of Easter puppies – cute and totally non threatening. Honestly, I think the Coyotes have been mentally scarred by all the times they’ve been bounced by Detroit in the first round. Nashville stocked up at the trade deadline and Detroit stood pat with it’s elderly core. Youth and superior goaltending take this series.
Keiran Bleich
Eastern Conference
#1 New York Rangers over #8 Ottawa Senators in 6 games
#2 Boston Bruins over #7 Washington Capitals in 4 games
#6 New Jersey Devils over #3 Florida Panthers in 6 games
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins over #5 Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games
WHY? I’m not completely sold on the Rangers as an unstoppable force yet, but the Sens won’t be able to stop them. It pains me to pick the Bruins over my Caps, but here we go, another post season with two inexperienced goalie – didn’t they throw a boatload of money at Tomas Vokoun this offseason? Florida is reeling, hard. Watch the veterans on New Jersey pull the upset. The Penguins and Flyers series could go either way, but boy will it be fun to watch.
Western Conference
#8 Los Angeles Kings over #1 Vancouver Canucks in 7 games
#2 St. Louis Blues over #7 San Jose Sharks in 5 games
#3 Phoenix Coyotes over #6 Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games
#4 Nashville Predators over #5 Detroit Red Wings in 6 games
WHY? Here we go again, which Roberto Luongo will show up in the playoffs? The Canucks are going up against a Vezina-caliber goalie in Jon Quick and with the addition of Jeff Carter; LA takes a hard fought series. No one seems to know how he did it, but Ken Hitchcock has the Blues playing like a contender this year. This is the year the Coyotes can make a run in the playoffs. Get to the Choppa! Red Wings can’t buy a win in the second half of the season. Age finally catches up with them here.
Lets us know what you think about our picks, and check back in for future rounds.