Post by LeafsGM on May 19, 2009 15:32:09 GMT -5
Gentlemen, the 6th regular season in JGHL history has ended, and it's time for the playoffs- where boys become men, where women become gay, and where champions are born. There are so many story lines going into these playoffs, but the main story is, "who can beat the man, to be the NEW man". Yes, unfortunately for all, Calgary Ralph is back in the playoffs, and will be looking to 3-peat. The difference this year is there are more obstacles for the Flames to overcome on the way to a title. Teams now see what it takes to win in this league, and have come more prepared in every way. The east looks a lot stronger than in past seasons, and may even hold a few favorites to win it all. Let's take a closer look at the matchups going into the 1st round:
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (8) Florida Panthers
The Panthers have had their share of defeat over the past 4 seasons, but there is now reason to celebrate in the Keys- Florida's 1st JGHL playoff appearance, in dramatic fashion. Their reward? The #1 seed Pittsburgh Penguins, who some are deeming the favorite for the cup. This series could get interesting though, considering the Panthers went 3-1 against Pittsburgh in their season series. Whether Jose Theodore is going to be able to withstand the Pens' fire power in the form of Kovalchuk, Sedin, Ribeiro, Hossa, Gonchar, and Boyle is going to be the big question. Then again, even if he can, the Panthers young guys like Toews and Boyes along with vets like Sundin and Kariya are going to have a tough task in solving arguably one of the best goaltenders of our time in Martin Brodeur.
Panthers X-Factor: Jonathan Toews
Penguins X-Factor: Mike Ribeiro
(2) Buffalo Sabres vs (7) New York Islanders
This series has the makings of a classic for a few key reasons. Reason one, it's Lundqvist vs Kiprusoff. Reason two, Sidney Crosby. The Sabres had a tremendous regular season with 55 wins, finishing strong with 8 straight wins, but so did the Islanders who finished with 6 straight dubs. Buffalo beat the Isles in the season series 3-1, so look for the Isles to make some adjustments going into the 1st round. Both teams own true #1 net minders who have been battle tested and know what it takes to win in the playoffs. What's going to determine the outcome of this series is who can solve the other goalie. That fate for the Islanders will lie in the hands of Sid the Kid himself. The issue is, it means exactly that, himself. With sub-par wingers in Freddy Modin and Milan Hejduk, the task is going to be a tough one for Sid and Co if they're going to solve Kipper. Oh, did I mention that the Sabres have Thornton and Spezza?
Islanders X-Factor: Mike Modano
Sabres X-Factor: Mike Knuble
(3) Carolina Hurricanes vs (6) Boston Bruins
Another interesting matchup comes from the 3 and 6 seeds. The season series went to the Bruins 3-2, but all games were close. The Bruins offense will need to come full force, because the guy in net for the Canes is none other than Roberto Luongo, one of the best goalies on the planet. The Bruins have solid 4 lines rolling, but look for them to double shift some players to get the best out of them. Niklas Backstrom and Pat Kane have had great chemistry during the year, and they will need it to continue into the playoffs if they are to taste victory. The Canes are a more defense-oriented team but they do have some fire in the form of Danny Briere, Matt Cullen, and Nik Zherdev. They will need the supporting cast to step up because JS Giguere has been there and done that, so it's not like there is a fence in Boston's net.
Bruins X-Factor: Patrick Kane
Canes X-Factor: Dustin Penner
(4) Montreal Canadiens vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The Habs tried everything in their power to beef up this season, and beef up they have. Jagr, Drury, Sedin, Doan, and Brindamour were all mid-late season acquisitions, and maybe that is why the team didn't gel enough in time to finish stronger, but let's not get in twisted, on paper this is one scary roster. The good news for Philly is, the season series went 2-2. The bad news for Habs? Aging Marty Turco has to face 30 shots/game from guys like Marion Gaborik, Nik Antropov, Ryan Malone, and Brendan Morrow. The goalie situation for Philly isn't the greatest, but they have 2 capable starters rolling in Manny Legace and Martin Gerber. Can they stand ground against the likes of Ovie, Datsyuk, Havlat, and Jagr? Hmmmm... Stay tuned.
Flyers X-Factor: Michael Nylander
Canadiens X-Factor: Zdeno Chara
Western Conference
(1) Calgary Flames vs (8) Minnesota Wild
The champ is back and he wants his 3-peat. Who's the first to be in his way? The Wild. Is it going to be a wild series? Well that will depend on what Tomas Vokoun is made of. Flames won the season series 3-1, and will need to continue peppering Vokoun with shots from Savard, Richards, Jokinen, Heatley, Nash, Marleau, Rolston, and Malkin (.....sigh.....). The good news for the Wild is the Flames situation in net isn't as good as it has been in the past. Timmy Thomas will most likely take the driver's seat to start the playoffs, and will need to make some of his unorthodox saves to keep the Flames in the hunt for a 3rd JGHL title. Who will he be making those saves on? Well, that's where the news gets worse for the Wild, who are relatively thin on the offensive end with only Tomas Plekanec, Simon Gagne, and Pavol Demitra as the players who are capable of doing damage. The Wild D will need to play an all important role in shutting down the Flames arsenal.
Wild X-Factor: Brian Campbell
Flames X-Factor: Jay Bouwmeester
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs (7) Edmonton Oilers
Another candidate for a classic series is the matchup of the 2 and 7 seeds. The season series between these 2 teams was tied at 2-2 and should make for an exciting back and forth 1st round series. The Avs beefed up for a run with the acquisitions of Daniel Alfredsson and Jason "welcome to" Pominville, and should provide that extra offense they've been missing since their championship days. Ryan Miller vs Cristobal Huet should make for a fun netminder battle, and it's truly hard to say who has the edge there. The Oilers will not be able to rely on their experience because, well, they have very little. With the average team age at 25.5 (one of the lowest in the league), the Oilers will have to turn to their raw talent to win games. Guys like Getzlaf, Roy, Vanek, Sharp, and Semin will need to step up their games and produce magic to beat a team filled with experience, and veterans who have championship rings in their lockers.
Oilers X-Factor: Scott Niedermayer
Avalanche X-Factor: Joe Sakic
(3) Dallas Stars vs (6) St Louis Blues
The Stars deserve a lot of respect for tweaking their roster, and turning it into a #3 seed in a tough conference. The Blues deserve just as much respect but are a relatively raw team, which showed when they lost their season series to Dallas 3-1. The Blues will need to rely on their tandem of Carey Price and Nikolai Khabibulin to carry them. Look for the Bulin wall to start the playoffs based on his experience. The edge in goal goes to Dallas though, with Evgeni Nabokov at the helm. The offense comparison is pretty much even between the two teams, but the Blues have more game-breakers in the mold of Marty St Louis, Keith Tkachuk, and Ray Whitney. The Stars will need to counter, and counter well with guys like Mark Recchi, Kristian Huselius, and Vaclav Prospal. Defensive edge goes to Dallas with a strong top 4 of Redden, Gill, Hamrlik, and Sami Salo. Overall it evens out and look for the series to go to 6 or 7 games.
Blue X-Factor: Daymond Langkow
Stars X-Factor: Mike Fisher
(4) Nashville Predators vs (5) San Jose Sharks
The western version of the 4 and 5 seeds matchup features two very interesting teams. On one side we got the Sharks, who has publicly come out and said he wants to change the structure of his team that hasn't exactly ripped through opponents in the past few seasons. On the other side we got the up and coming Predators who have been quietly building a championship calibur roster. The season series went 2-2 so it will not give us any clues as to how this one turns out. The goalie matchup has got to favor the Preds who have Finnish sensation Niklas Backstrom in net, whereas the Sharks have the gradually-disappearing Rick Dipietro. No matter what the Sharks do with their roster in the offseason, they still have tremendous offensive pieces in Eric Staal, Jason Arnott, Zach Parise, and Nathan Horton. Not to mention one of the best top 4s in the league in Lidstrom, Phaneuf, Seabrook, and Weber. The preds D has pretty much nothing on the Sharks D on paper, but on the offensive end they will compete. Vinny Lecavalier, Shawn Horcoff, Martin Erat, Jarome Ignila, and Michael Cammalleri will need to go toe to toe with the Sharks O in order to come out on top. Look for Backstrom to steal a game or two in the series.
Sharks X-Factor: Kris Draper
Predators X-Factor: Willie Mitchell
I hope you guys enjoyed this preview, and best of luck to all the playoff teams!
Reporting live from a middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs of Toronto, Adnan Virk, The Score.
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (8) Florida Panthers
The Panthers have had their share of defeat over the past 4 seasons, but there is now reason to celebrate in the Keys- Florida's 1st JGHL playoff appearance, in dramatic fashion. Their reward? The #1 seed Pittsburgh Penguins, who some are deeming the favorite for the cup. This series could get interesting though, considering the Panthers went 3-1 against Pittsburgh in their season series. Whether Jose Theodore is going to be able to withstand the Pens' fire power in the form of Kovalchuk, Sedin, Ribeiro, Hossa, Gonchar, and Boyle is going to be the big question. Then again, even if he can, the Panthers young guys like Toews and Boyes along with vets like Sundin and Kariya are going to have a tough task in solving arguably one of the best goaltenders of our time in Martin Brodeur.
Panthers X-Factor: Jonathan Toews
Penguins X-Factor: Mike Ribeiro
(2) Buffalo Sabres vs (7) New York Islanders
This series has the makings of a classic for a few key reasons. Reason one, it's Lundqvist vs Kiprusoff. Reason two, Sidney Crosby. The Sabres had a tremendous regular season with 55 wins, finishing strong with 8 straight wins, but so did the Islanders who finished with 6 straight dubs. Buffalo beat the Isles in the season series 3-1, so look for the Isles to make some adjustments going into the 1st round. Both teams own true #1 net minders who have been battle tested and know what it takes to win in the playoffs. What's going to determine the outcome of this series is who can solve the other goalie. That fate for the Islanders will lie in the hands of Sid the Kid himself. The issue is, it means exactly that, himself. With sub-par wingers in Freddy Modin and Milan Hejduk, the task is going to be a tough one for Sid and Co if they're going to solve Kipper. Oh, did I mention that the Sabres have Thornton and Spezza?
Islanders X-Factor: Mike Modano
Sabres X-Factor: Mike Knuble
(3) Carolina Hurricanes vs (6) Boston Bruins
Another interesting matchup comes from the 3 and 6 seeds. The season series went to the Bruins 3-2, but all games were close. The Bruins offense will need to come full force, because the guy in net for the Canes is none other than Roberto Luongo, one of the best goalies on the planet. The Bruins have solid 4 lines rolling, but look for them to double shift some players to get the best out of them. Niklas Backstrom and Pat Kane have had great chemistry during the year, and they will need it to continue into the playoffs if they are to taste victory. The Canes are a more defense-oriented team but they do have some fire in the form of Danny Briere, Matt Cullen, and Nik Zherdev. They will need the supporting cast to step up because JS Giguere has been there and done that, so it's not like there is a fence in Boston's net.
Bruins X-Factor: Patrick Kane
Canes X-Factor: Dustin Penner
(4) Montreal Canadiens vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The Habs tried everything in their power to beef up this season, and beef up they have. Jagr, Drury, Sedin, Doan, and Brindamour were all mid-late season acquisitions, and maybe that is why the team didn't gel enough in time to finish stronger, but let's not get in twisted, on paper this is one scary roster. The good news for Philly is, the season series went 2-2. The bad news for Habs? Aging Marty Turco has to face 30 shots/game from guys like Marion Gaborik, Nik Antropov, Ryan Malone, and Brendan Morrow. The goalie situation for Philly isn't the greatest, but they have 2 capable starters rolling in Manny Legace and Martin Gerber. Can they stand ground against the likes of Ovie, Datsyuk, Havlat, and Jagr? Hmmmm... Stay tuned.
Flyers X-Factor: Michael Nylander
Canadiens X-Factor: Zdeno Chara
Western Conference
(1) Calgary Flames vs (8) Minnesota Wild
The champ is back and he wants his 3-peat. Who's the first to be in his way? The Wild. Is it going to be a wild series? Well that will depend on what Tomas Vokoun is made of. Flames won the season series 3-1, and will need to continue peppering Vokoun with shots from Savard, Richards, Jokinen, Heatley, Nash, Marleau, Rolston, and Malkin (.....sigh.....). The good news for the Wild is the Flames situation in net isn't as good as it has been in the past. Timmy Thomas will most likely take the driver's seat to start the playoffs, and will need to make some of his unorthodox saves to keep the Flames in the hunt for a 3rd JGHL title. Who will he be making those saves on? Well, that's where the news gets worse for the Wild, who are relatively thin on the offensive end with only Tomas Plekanec, Simon Gagne, and Pavol Demitra as the players who are capable of doing damage. The Wild D will need to play an all important role in shutting down the Flames arsenal.
Wild X-Factor: Brian Campbell
Flames X-Factor: Jay Bouwmeester
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs (7) Edmonton Oilers
Another candidate for a classic series is the matchup of the 2 and 7 seeds. The season series between these 2 teams was tied at 2-2 and should make for an exciting back and forth 1st round series. The Avs beefed up for a run with the acquisitions of Daniel Alfredsson and Jason "welcome to" Pominville, and should provide that extra offense they've been missing since their championship days. Ryan Miller vs Cristobal Huet should make for a fun netminder battle, and it's truly hard to say who has the edge there. The Oilers will not be able to rely on their experience because, well, they have very little. With the average team age at 25.5 (one of the lowest in the league), the Oilers will have to turn to their raw talent to win games. Guys like Getzlaf, Roy, Vanek, Sharp, and Semin will need to step up their games and produce magic to beat a team filled with experience, and veterans who have championship rings in their lockers.
Oilers X-Factor: Scott Niedermayer
Avalanche X-Factor: Joe Sakic
(3) Dallas Stars vs (6) St Louis Blues
The Stars deserve a lot of respect for tweaking their roster, and turning it into a #3 seed in a tough conference. The Blues deserve just as much respect but are a relatively raw team, which showed when they lost their season series to Dallas 3-1. The Blues will need to rely on their tandem of Carey Price and Nikolai Khabibulin to carry them. Look for the Bulin wall to start the playoffs based on his experience. The edge in goal goes to Dallas though, with Evgeni Nabokov at the helm. The offense comparison is pretty much even between the two teams, but the Blues have more game-breakers in the mold of Marty St Louis, Keith Tkachuk, and Ray Whitney. The Stars will need to counter, and counter well with guys like Mark Recchi, Kristian Huselius, and Vaclav Prospal. Defensive edge goes to Dallas with a strong top 4 of Redden, Gill, Hamrlik, and Sami Salo. Overall it evens out and look for the series to go to 6 or 7 games.
Blue X-Factor: Daymond Langkow
Stars X-Factor: Mike Fisher
(4) Nashville Predators vs (5) San Jose Sharks
The western version of the 4 and 5 seeds matchup features two very interesting teams. On one side we got the Sharks, who has publicly come out and said he wants to change the structure of his team that hasn't exactly ripped through opponents in the past few seasons. On the other side we got the up and coming Predators who have been quietly building a championship calibur roster. The season series went 2-2 so it will not give us any clues as to how this one turns out. The goalie matchup has got to favor the Preds who have Finnish sensation Niklas Backstrom in net, whereas the Sharks have the gradually-disappearing Rick Dipietro. No matter what the Sharks do with their roster in the offseason, they still have tremendous offensive pieces in Eric Staal, Jason Arnott, Zach Parise, and Nathan Horton. Not to mention one of the best top 4s in the league in Lidstrom, Phaneuf, Seabrook, and Weber. The preds D has pretty much nothing on the Sharks D on paper, but on the offensive end they will compete. Vinny Lecavalier, Shawn Horcoff, Martin Erat, Jarome Ignila, and Michael Cammalleri will need to go toe to toe with the Sharks O in order to come out on top. Look for Backstrom to steal a game or two in the series.
Sharks X-Factor: Kris Draper
Predators X-Factor: Willie Mitchell
I hope you guys enjoyed this preview, and best of luck to all the playoff teams!
Reporting live from a middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs of Toronto, Adnan Virk, The Score.