Not to brag (but, yeah, to brag) I picked 7 of the 8 first round series right. The one I got wrong was the Kings beating the Canucks, which I regretted about one period into Game 1. Just so no one thinks I am tooting my horn too much, I only picked one of those seven in the correct amount of games (Washington over Boston in 7). That said, add this to my 7-4 ATS work in the NBA playoffs and I am doing quite well so far in picking things in the 2012 year.
Anyway, it was a memorable first round. It featured four Western series where four defense-first, gritty teams led by hot-goalies knocking off the three most dominant Western Conference teams post-lockout (Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks) and the most recent Western Cup Champion (Blackhawks). To drive home how ever-present that trio was, the last time neither the Wings, Sharks nor Canucks were in the 2nd round was in 2005, because there was no season. If you want to go before that, you have to go back to 2001, when the Colorado Avalanche were a dominant force (they beat the Kings, while the Blues beat the Stars). Yeah, since then it was 2002 (Wings, Sharks), 2003 (Canucks), 2004 (Wings, Sharks), 2006 (Sharks), 2007 (all three), 2008 (Wings, Sharks), 2009 (Wings, Canucks), 2010 (all three - and Chicago) and 2011 (all three). Yup, the West has been taken over by Pekka Rinne, Jonathan Quick, Mike Smith and the Halak/Elliot combo. That said, all of these teams are fun. They all play in non-conventional hockey cities (I mean, St. Louis is probably the most natural hockey location left) and have good fun crowds in places that just quite don't get hockey all too well. It should be a lot of fun out West, all though I am sure NBC is crying about now (not as much as they will be if the Devils keep advancing as well).
As for the East, we got three incredibly tight, seven game series and one series that might go down as the most infamous 1st round series in years, when the fraudulent, dirty, whiny bastards from Pittsburgh got shamed. I applaud them for forcing a Game 6 by winning one of the only two close games in the series (that and Game 1), but my God, was that despicable in Game 3. Everything from Crosby's display of arrogance and cheek, to James Neal embodying Dog the Bounty Hunter, to Adams trying to pull Hartnell's hair, to Aaron Asham cross-checking Brayden Schenn's neck. It was all awful, but so sweet because of the holier-than-thou that team, and their owner Mario Liemieux, showed after trying to say they were above this foul play of the commoners in the mid-season. The Flyers were just as good as Pittsburgh, especially with that mook Marc Andre-Fleury in goal. Anyway, the other three series were all 7 games, and all of the Game 7's ended in one-goal games, including two in OT. How sweet was that? I'm just happy for my sanity, and my heart rate and blood pressure, that the Devils didn't blow another late lead in Game 7 and went through to the 2nd round for the first time since 2007. Thank God, and let's go. 2nd round finally starts tonight.
East
(1) Rangers over (7) Capitals in7
I think the Capitals display of grit and toughness could work against Boston because Boston was attempting to out-tough them by fighting and being weaselly (I'm looking at you, Brad Marchand!!). The Rangers are a lot like this new-Capitals team. Solid goaltending. Solid offense that goes three lines deep. Great defense. The Rangers have the edge with the better goalie (though Braden Holtby was doing a great Cam Ward 2006 impression), the better defense and better low lines, but the Capitals have the better top two lines. I am picking the Rangers mainly because I just love what I have seen from that team all year. I was surprised Ottawa took them to 7 games, but I won't if Washington does. The Rangers just seem to have that special ingredient, getting contributions all over the lineup on offense. The Rangers remind me a lot of the 2003 Devils, which is a great compliment, as that was an awesome team that won a Cup with a deep stable of capable offensive lines and great goal-tending.
(6) Devils over (5) Flyers in 6
Part of this pick is about the fact that the Devils are my team, and despite this pick, I will still call this season for the Devils a success if they lose in this round. The Devils has a great season, despite losing Travis Zajac for much of the year, and not getting much from their blue-line. Anyway, the other part is that just like in the 1st round with the Penguins, EVERYONE is picking the Flyers. Why? I don't know. These two teams split the season series 3-3 (The Devils did win one of their three in a Shootout). The Flyers ended the season with 103 points, while the Devils ended with 102. Yeah, not much difference. The Flyers have great offense, but they won't be facing a sieve in goal this round. Yeah, Marty looked shaky at times in the 1st round, blowing leads of 3-0, 2-0 and 2-0, but that would make it the shakiest round that ever ended with a save percentage of .922 and a GAA of 2.06. Bryzgalov was a mess for much of that 1st round, and while the Devils don't have the fire-power of the Penguins, they do have quality, deep forwards and two great snipers with Kovalchuk and Parise. I'm scared to hell of this series because the Devils blue-line looked awful against Florida. That said, I think that Florida series was a test of the Devils nerves. They looked nervous in that series, with the team having the whole "haven't won a 1st round series in 2007" thing hanging over their back. Brodeur has that monkey off his back, but so does Kovalchuk. Also, there needs to be some revenge for the Flyers winning the 1st round series in 2004 and 2010.
West
(2) Blues over (8) Kings in 7
This might be one of the lowest-scoring series in NHL history. The Blues remind me of the 1995 Devils. Just a stifling, strangling defensive team that can suck the life out of the neutral zone. They came within one goal of setting a new record for fewest goals allowed in an 82 game season (the Devils from 2003-2004 still hold it). Their offense looked better against San Jose than it had for much of the season, especially the resurrected Andy McDonald (quick trivia: he was on the 1st-line for the 2007 cup-winning Anaheim Ducks, with Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz). Their defense is stellar, and Alex Petrangelo had a monster series in the 1st round. That said, the Kings pose problems. They have more natural offensive talent to go with that disciplined defense of theirs. It was a mystery to me (and many in hockey circles) how a team with Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar did not score more goals. They definitely had some more offensive production in the 1st round, especially from Jarrett Stoll, but I think they will have a little more trouble in this series. I'll take the Blues in 7 but it will be really tight. There could be a lot of 2-1 type games going late into the night.
(4) Predators over (3) Coyotes in 6
I love this Nashville team. They don't remind me of any Devils team (no team left in the playoffs is as good as the 2000 Devils squad, a team that could won games in the Cup Finals of 2-1 and 7-3), but they remind me a lot of the 2007 Ducks, with three good top lines. I heard Mike Babcock say after the series ended that the Preds had 7 top forwards out of 6 (most teams have good forwards in lines 1-2, and checkers in 3-4). And they do. Alexander Radulov should continue to get only better as he continues to get the NHL legs under him. Shea Weber is a monster at the blue-line, and Suter, Josi and Buillon are also steely. Their forwards go deeper than maybe any team left. As for the Coyotes, they now have to face a real goalie that won't let in incredibly soft overtime goals this time (I mean, how bad was Corey Crawford on those two OT goals?), and do it possibly without Keith Yandle and definitely without still suspended Raffi Torres. I just think the Coyotes have fewer nameless, randomly above average players than the Predators do, and they got a bit lucky in the 1st round drawing a less-than-full Blackhawks and needing a string of OT wins to knock them out. The Predators have waited their whole history for this, and I don't see the soon to be Quebec Nordiques knocking them out.
So, my predicted Conference Finals are Rangers-Devils (Holy Shit!! If that happens, get ready to hear a lot of Hockey in the NYC area, especially if the Knicks are inevitably bounced by the Heat by then) and Blues-Predators (a pretty hostile divisional rivalry). Anyway, round two will have a hard time living up to round one, but with matchups that should have some menace and familiarity (which breeds hostility) in the East (the Flyers and Devils are divisional rivals and the Caps knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2009 and 2011) and tough, close games in the West that could go late, late, late into the night. Hell, that is what the NHL Playoffs is all about. The "main attractions" may be mostly gone (Wings, 'Hawks, Penguins, Bruins) but the drama is far from over.
Anyway, it was a memorable first round. It featured four Western series where four defense-first, gritty teams led by hot-goalies knocking off the three most dominant Western Conference teams post-lockout (Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks) and the most recent Western Cup Champion (Blackhawks). To drive home how ever-present that trio was, the last time neither the Wings, Sharks nor Canucks were in the 2nd round was in 2005, because there was no season. If you want to go before that, you have to go back to 2001, when the Colorado Avalanche were a dominant force (they beat the Kings, while the Blues beat the Stars). Yeah, since then it was 2002 (Wings, Sharks), 2003 (Canucks), 2004 (Wings, Sharks), 2006 (Sharks), 2007 (all three), 2008 (Wings, Sharks), 2009 (Wings, Canucks), 2010 (all three - and Chicago) and 2011 (all three). Yup, the West has been taken over by Pekka Rinne, Jonathan Quick, Mike Smith and the Halak/Elliot combo. That said, all of these teams are fun. They all play in non-conventional hockey cities (I mean, St. Louis is probably the most natural hockey location left) and have good fun crowds in places that just quite don't get hockey all too well. It should be a lot of fun out West, all though I am sure NBC is crying about now (not as much as they will be if the Devils keep advancing as well).
As for the East, we got three incredibly tight, seven game series and one series that might go down as the most infamous 1st round series in years, when the fraudulent, dirty, whiny bastards from Pittsburgh got shamed. I applaud them for forcing a Game 6 by winning one of the only two close games in the series (that and Game 1), but my God, was that despicable in Game 3. Everything from Crosby's display of arrogance and cheek, to James Neal embodying Dog the Bounty Hunter, to Adams trying to pull Hartnell's hair, to Aaron Asham cross-checking Brayden Schenn's neck. It was all awful, but so sweet because of the holier-than-thou that team, and their owner Mario Liemieux, showed after trying to say they were above this foul play of the commoners in the mid-season. The Flyers were just as good as Pittsburgh, especially with that mook Marc Andre-Fleury in goal. Anyway, the other three series were all 7 games, and all of the Game 7's ended in one-goal games, including two in OT. How sweet was that? I'm just happy for my sanity, and my heart rate and blood pressure, that the Devils didn't blow another late lead in Game 7 and went through to the 2nd round for the first time since 2007. Thank God, and let's go. 2nd round finally starts tonight.
East
(1) Rangers over (7) Capitals in7
I think the Capitals display of grit and toughness could work against Boston because Boston was attempting to out-tough them by fighting and being weaselly (I'm looking at you, Brad Marchand!!). The Rangers are a lot like this new-Capitals team. Solid goaltending. Solid offense that goes three lines deep. Great defense. The Rangers have the edge with the better goalie (though Braden Holtby was doing a great Cam Ward 2006 impression), the better defense and better low lines, but the Capitals have the better top two lines. I am picking the Rangers mainly because I just love what I have seen from that team all year. I was surprised Ottawa took them to 7 games, but I won't if Washington does. The Rangers just seem to have that special ingredient, getting contributions all over the lineup on offense. The Rangers remind me a lot of the 2003 Devils, which is a great compliment, as that was an awesome team that won a Cup with a deep stable of capable offensive lines and great goal-tending.
(6) Devils over (5) Flyers in 6
Part of this pick is about the fact that the Devils are my team, and despite this pick, I will still call this season for the Devils a success if they lose in this round. The Devils has a great season, despite losing Travis Zajac for much of the year, and not getting much from their blue-line. Anyway, the other part is that just like in the 1st round with the Penguins, EVERYONE is picking the Flyers. Why? I don't know. These two teams split the season series 3-3 (The Devils did win one of their three in a Shootout). The Flyers ended the season with 103 points, while the Devils ended with 102. Yeah, not much difference. The Flyers have great offense, but they won't be facing a sieve in goal this round. Yeah, Marty looked shaky at times in the 1st round, blowing leads of 3-0, 2-0 and 2-0, but that would make it the shakiest round that ever ended with a save percentage of .922 and a GAA of 2.06. Bryzgalov was a mess for much of that 1st round, and while the Devils don't have the fire-power of the Penguins, they do have quality, deep forwards and two great snipers with Kovalchuk and Parise. I'm scared to hell of this series because the Devils blue-line looked awful against Florida. That said, I think that Florida series was a test of the Devils nerves. They looked nervous in that series, with the team having the whole "haven't won a 1st round series in 2007" thing hanging over their back. Brodeur has that monkey off his back, but so does Kovalchuk. Also, there needs to be some revenge for the Flyers winning the 1st round series in 2004 and 2010.
West
(2) Blues over (8) Kings in 7
This might be one of the lowest-scoring series in NHL history. The Blues remind me of the 1995 Devils. Just a stifling, strangling defensive team that can suck the life out of the neutral zone. They came within one goal of setting a new record for fewest goals allowed in an 82 game season (the Devils from 2003-2004 still hold it). Their offense looked better against San Jose than it had for much of the season, especially the resurrected Andy McDonald (quick trivia: he was on the 1st-line for the 2007 cup-winning Anaheim Ducks, with Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz). Their defense is stellar, and Alex Petrangelo had a monster series in the 1st round. That said, the Kings pose problems. They have more natural offensive talent to go with that disciplined defense of theirs. It was a mystery to me (and many in hockey circles) how a team with Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar did not score more goals. They definitely had some more offensive production in the 1st round, especially from Jarrett Stoll, but I think they will have a little more trouble in this series. I'll take the Blues in 7 but it will be really tight. There could be a lot of 2-1 type games going late into the night.
(4) Predators over (3) Coyotes in 6
I love this Nashville team. They don't remind me of any Devils team (no team left in the playoffs is as good as the 2000 Devils squad, a team that could won games in the Cup Finals of 2-1 and 7-3), but they remind me a lot of the 2007 Ducks, with three good top lines. I heard Mike Babcock say after the series ended that the Preds had 7 top forwards out of 6 (most teams have good forwards in lines 1-2, and checkers in 3-4). And they do. Alexander Radulov should continue to get only better as he continues to get the NHL legs under him. Shea Weber is a monster at the blue-line, and Suter, Josi and Buillon are also steely. Their forwards go deeper than maybe any team left. As for the Coyotes, they now have to face a real goalie that won't let in incredibly soft overtime goals this time (I mean, how bad was Corey Crawford on those two OT goals?), and do it possibly without Keith Yandle and definitely without still suspended Raffi Torres. I just think the Coyotes have fewer nameless, randomly above average players than the Predators do, and they got a bit lucky in the 1st round drawing a less-than-full Blackhawks and needing a string of OT wins to knock them out. The Predators have waited their whole history for this, and I don't see the soon to be Quebec Nordiques knocking them out.
So, my predicted Conference Finals are Rangers-Devils (Holy Shit!! If that happens, get ready to hear a lot of Hockey in the NYC area, especially if the Knicks are inevitably bounced by the Heat by then) and Blues-Predators (a pretty hostile divisional rivalry). Anyway, round two will have a hard time living up to round one, but with matchups that should have some menace and familiarity (which breeds hostility) in the East (the Flyers and Devils are divisional rivals and the Caps knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2009 and 2011) and tough, close games in the West that could go late, late, late into the night. Hell, that is what the NHL Playoffs is all about. The "main attractions" may be mostly gone (Wings, 'Hawks, Penguins, Bruins) but the drama is far from over.
