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| I got to see it when I visited Toronto a couple of year ago -- but I didn't touch it. |
If you're new to hockey, here is a basic explanation of how The Stanley Cup Playoffs work.
- There are two conferences -- Eastern and Western.
- The top 8 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.
- There are 3 rounds of play for teams within each conference to determine a conference champion.
- Each round is a best of 7 game series.
- Pairings are determined by the final regular season standings (e.g. 1st place in each conference plays the 8th place seed, 2nd plays 7th and so on).
- The champions from each conference then play each other for the Stanley Cup.
My hometown team is the Los Angeles Kings, but I have a lot of hockey buddies that are fans of other teams. I also follow a number of websites that cover the entire NHL so I'm reasonably well informed about most of the teams in the league. I was having a chat with one of my hockey pals right before the playoffs started and we were predicting the outcomes of all the first round games in the Stanley Cup series. I thought it would be fun to share my predictions here.
If you're a hockey fan yourself, I'd love your opinions on my picks!
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Eastern Conference
NY Rangers vs Ottawa Senators -- Rangers in 6
The Rangers are my boyfriend's team, so I really don't have a choice who to root for here. But even if it wasn't for him, I'd pick the Rangers anyway. They placed first in the Eastern Conference standings during the regular season and they have one of the most talented -- and HANDSOME -- goalies in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist. Plus the Senators have one of my least favorite NHL jerseys.
Boston Bruins vs Washington Capitals -- Bruins in 5
The Capitals have one of the best players in the game in Alex Ovechkin, but he has underperformed all year and been one of the Caps major story lines this season in a bad way. The Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, but they've had an up and down season. I give the Bruins the edge because Washington's problems this season are a lot more than skin deep and I don't see them getting it together enough to win a series.
NJ Devils and Florida Panthers -- Devils in 5
I don't really have a horse in this race and I don't especially like either team. But the Panthers just don't have the talent the Devils do I think this one will be over pretty quickly.
Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers -- Pens in 7
These two teams have a long standing rivalry -- and deep hatred for each other. Both teams are offensively talented and generally solid on defense. Pittsburgh has a slight offensive edge thanks to the return of Sidney Crosby, arguably the best overall player in the game today, who has been dealing with concussions symptoms most of the season. Goal tending could be the difference, which doesn't favor the Flyers. No matter who wins, this will be a hard fought and entertaining series and it will go down to the wire. It's a must watch if you want to see why hockey fans love the game so much.
Western Conference
LA Kings vs Vancouver Canucks -- Canucks in 6
I'm sure you're scratching your head right now because I'm not picking my own team to win. But I go to almost every home game and I know the strengths and weaknesses of my boys. There is no team better defensively and in goal than the Kings, but they've had trouble scoring all year. The Canucks won the President's Trophy for a second consecutive year (awarded to the team in the NHL with the most points at the end of the regular season) and they're solid top to bottom. As much as I love my Kings, I think the Canucks will be too much for them in the end.
St. Louis Blues vs San Jose Sharks -- Blues in 6
This will be one of the more interesting series in the West. The Blues are a completely different team this season under coach Ken Hitchcock. They're big, they're fast and they do a great job with puck possession at both end of the ice. The Sharks are a perennial contender that has made it to the Western Conference finals previously but never had that extra something to get the big prize. The Sharks also knocked the Kings out of the playoffs LAST season, so I'll be happy to see them get the short end of the stick this time.
Phoenix Coyotes vs Chicago Blackhawks -- Hawks in 7
The boyfriend roots for the Coyotes as well, but since they're a Pacific Division foe of the Kings, he's not the reason I'm picking them to win. The Coyotes are a hardscrabble team with an unglamorous line up but one of the best coaches in the league. They also have a goalie playing the hockey of his life right now. Add the fact that they had to fight tooth and nail to even get in to the playoffs and I believe they have what it takes to make it past the first round. The series will be a long one because the Chicago Blackhawks have some potent offensive tools in guys like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but less than stellar goal tending will hamper them in the end.
Nashville Predators vs Detroit Red Wings -- Predators in 6
This is probably the most evenly matched pair of teams in the West. The Red Wings have won The Stanley Cup numerous times and they have one of the deepest benches in hockey thanks to stellar long term player development strategy. Even though you can never count Detroit out of the conversation, I think this is Nashville's year thanks to a rock hard blue line led by Shea Weber and the wizardry of goalie Pekka Rinne.
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I'll report back in a future blog post and let you know how I did. The one pick I hope I'm wrong about is the Kings series! GO KINGS GO!
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