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NHL Playoffs 2014 Predictions (Round 1)

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Of course the weather outside doesn’t matter: it’s playoff hockey time! This year provides us with something old (classic rivalries ), something new (the format), and something (black &) blue: such as any team surviving most of the 2-3 seed match ups. Plus a whole lotta goal-tending uncertainty.

To the predictions then….

Bos vs Det

An original six match up! Not since the 1950’s have these two teams gone head to head in the playoffs. That adds a little something. And, in fact, this series at first blush did seem to offer good potential for an upset. But, when you consider just how solid the Bruins are offensively and defensively (even without d-man Siedenberg), and with the edge in nets (Rask), even the wiley, well-coached Red Wings with their long-in -the-tooth vets and surprising up-and-comers are no match for the President’s trophy winners. Bruins in 6

Tampa Bay vs Montreal

Here’s one of those 2-3 seed match ups, although probably the least gritty of the four. Pretty even points-wise during the regular season, these two teams arrived at similar places in the standings, but by different means: the Habs with defensive play; the bolts with scoring punch. Something’s gotta give. As with NY, BOS, and LA, the Habs’ edge is in goal with Corey Price. It’s a cliche by now, but as Corey goes, so go the Habs. If the Habs can out-check Stamkos and Co. they’ll win. Habs in 6

Philadelphia vs New York

Another of the 2-3 seed match ups, this one will feature a little more edge (hitting) than the Montreal/TB pairing. These two teams have played each other tough all year and this series promises to be hard fought. A match-up that contrasts offense (Philly) with defense (NY) should see NY prevail based on King Lundqvist’s presence in goal. But something tells me that a Berube coached Flyer team will have a little more fire in the belly that coach V’s blue shirts. So, Philly in 7

Pittsburgh vs Columbus

The perennially playoff-participating Penguins certainly resemble their former, successful editions, but aren’t as much of a sure thing as in the past. Injuries, age and some question marks in goal are a factor for these Pittsburghers. And Columbus has obviously made some great strides in their development to be in the post season–with strong goal-tending being a notable element. Pittsburgh will still prevail, but it’ll be much closer than anticipated. Pens in 7

Anaheim vs Dallas

The Ducks are a formidable team. Great offense. Not bad defense. A little bit uncertain in goal. Would have picked ’em to win it all, but not sure they have the battle hardness to do so. In this series against the Stars we have two teams who are decidedly offense-first. Anaheim’s Perry and Getzlaf are the elite goal scoring duo in the league, but not far behind are Benn and Seguin in Dallas. The Ducks have more balance in their lines, 1 thru 4, and certainly a deeper defense corps. Dallas, though, does have a better goalie. I’d be surprised if Dallas wins more than one game.
Ducks in 5

Colorado vs Minnesota

Hard to really access this series. Colorado appears to have been punching above their weight this season, and missing Matt Duchene, for at least a while, could spell a bit of a coming down to earth for the Avs. Plus Minnesota is rounding out nicely with a pretty good balance between offense and defense, and has some playoff experience to build on. This has upset written on it. Yet, if Varlamov stands on his head (with inspiration from Patrick Roy), those dynamic Avs forwards O’Reilly, Mackinnon and Landeskog just might be the difference. Avs in 7

San Jose vs LA

Once again, another 2-3 seed match up. This series, like the CHI/ST.L one, will be war. It features offense (SJ) against defense (LA). Year after playoff year the Sharks seem poised to go deep into the later stages of competition. They look even better now than over the last 5 years. But are they really capable of getting shut down again? If so,  the stingy LA Kings and Jonathan Quick would be the team to do it. The Kings have a lot of difficulty producing goals, but in the playoffs, in a grind ’em out battle royale, maybe they don’t need many. Kings in 7

Chicago vs St. Louis

The final of the four 2-3 seed pairings. It boggles the mind how any player is not going to come out of this series  hurting. Big time. An old Norris division tilt, this has all the hall marks of a classic tilt. Two well developed, mature playoff-seasoned teams with a bunch of newly rehabed players on both sides that will undoubtedly be engaged in the toughest series of the first round–along with that between SJ and LA. Which teams’ players returning from injuries will be up to speed and ready to rumble? I like Chicago’s integrity as a team just a little bit more than the blues’. And also, Ryan Miller is a shade past his best before date and I doubt he will be the difference maker St. Louis needs him to be. Black Hawks in 7

 

 

 

Canucks – looking forward to 2011/12 season

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We’re going to start you off with a primer on what the Canucks have in terms of prospects in their organization. Last season was close but staying pat means you’re losing ground on the rest of the competition.

Team Overview

They came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup and have talent and depth throughout their roster. The Canucks also boast a nice blend of youth and experience although there is some work ahead for Gillis and company as six forwards and five defencemen who made considerable contributions this season are now free agents. We should expect Jannik Hansen and Christian Ehrhoff to be re-signed, with Christopher Higgins, Raffi Torres, Jeff Tambellini and Sami Salo as possibles. Unless there is a desire to shake up the roster like the Philadelphia Flyers have done recently, next year’s edition of the team will have a similar lineup and character. Look for them to blend Cody Hodgson, Victor Oreskovich, Chris Tanev, Billy Sweatt, Sergei Shirokov and Ryan Parent into the lineup and possibly bring in a veteran or two depending on which of their own free agents they’re able to ink to new contracts. There will not be much room for any other prospects to crack the lineup barring any unforeseen injuries. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider are among the best goaltending tandems in the league and while rumours circulate about one of the other being moved, they will likely both begin next season with the Canucks and we can expect the emerging Schneider will look to get more starts.

Top 10 Prospects

  1. Cody Hodgson, C, 21 Vancouver/Manitoba 1-1-2/17-13-30 ~ still finding his way in the pro ranks, has considerable leadership and skills but may top out as a 3rd line center
  2. Anton Rodin, W, 20 Brynas IF (SEL) 7-19-26 ~ good offensive skills and plays competitively for his size, still a couple of years away from making the Canucks roster
  3. Nicklas Jensen RW, 18 Oshawa (OHL) 29-29-58 ~ highly-skilled potential power-forward with high-end speed and size just needs consistency and strength
  4. David Honzik, G, 17 Victoriaville (QMJHL) 17-12-1 3.54 0.884 ~ big, athletic even-tempered goalie with a quick glove hand, should only get better, could improve puck-handling
  5. Sergei Shirokov, RW, 25 Vancouver/Manitoba 1-0-1/22-36-58 ~ determined player with a nice mix of hands and vision, his speed and size will likely limit him to a third line role in the NHL
  6. Billy Sweatt, LW, 22 Manitoba 19-27-46 ~ impressive straight line speed and defensive awareness are countered by his below average hands and strength, could develop into a decent checking winger
  7. Chris Tanev, D, 21 Vancouver/Manitoba 0-1-1/1-8-9 ~ smooth, two-way defenseman who makes good decisions and plays a safe game, should push for a spot on the 3rd pairing next season
  8. Jordan Schroeder, C, 20 Manitoba 10-18-28 ~ good skater who’s more of a play-maker than a scorer, he needs to take a big step forward next year to get his career back on target.
  9. Patrick McNally, D, 19 Milton Academy, Mass (committed to Harvard ECAC) 22-29-51 ~ potential power-play quarterback who’ll need to make the adjustment to the ECAC next season at Harvard, likely will play all four years of his college eligibility.
  10. Eddie Lack, G, 23 Manitoba 28-21-4 2.26 0.926 ~ ‘the Stork’ is a tall, butterfly style goaltender who showed considerable poise and had great success this past season with Manitoba in the AHL

Organization Strengths/Weaknesses

The Canucks have skilled prospects at varying stages of their development with minor pro, NCAA, CHL and Swedish players in the mix. Overall the group has speed among most of the forward prospects but is a bit short in meeting top six scoring forward projections. On defense there are limited top four prospects other than McNally who’ll be a college freshman this fall. Their goaltending position is covered well with good prospects at all levels. There is a definite Swedish flavour on the Canucks roster although the draft last produced one in 2004 with Alex Edler with many misses since. While the jury is still out on the last few drafts, the reality is the organization has not drafted well since 2004 and have supplemented their prospect pool with some solid free agent signings last year adding Sweatt, Tanev and Lack.

The high expectations for Hodgson may yet be realized as he’s only 21 but there does seem to be a reluctance by Coach Vigneault to have confidence in him which seems to reflect in his play. The CHL player of the year in 2009 has had to overcome a couple of misdiagnosed injuries first with his back and then with his toe plus dealing with a broken orbital bone this past season. Shirokov and Sweatt played well most of the season in the AHL and Schroeder is still young but definitely struggled to have success with the Moose this year. Rodin, Jensen and expected new minor pros Steven Anthony and Kelly Tochkin are still a couple of seasons away from trying to crack the big club forward ranks.

Among the aspiring Canucks blue-liners in the AHL Tanev appears to have the most upside and acquitted himself well when pressed into duty with Vancouver as an injury replacement. Among the rest of their AHL prospects Lee Sweatt is really more of a journeyman type, Kevin Connauton is a one-dimensional offensive defenseman albeit with a howitzer shot and Yann Sauve who appears to have recovered from getting hit while crossing Burrard Street but has limited offensive upside. Although the NHL roster should be set on defense for next season, Gillis and company will need to look to inject some more young talent in their pipeline moving forward.

The goaltending position has Lack in the AHL, Joe Cannata entering his senior season in Hockey East with Merrimack and recently added Honzik from the QMJHL. Luongo and Schneider will allow these players to develop at an organic pace and keep this as a position of strength for the organization.

2011 Draft Recap

The Canucks had their full complement of picks this year and received Minnesota’s third-round pick (71st overall) and a fourth-round pick (101st overall) in exchange for their second-round pick (60th overall) on a draft day trade. Size was the common element with their first three picks already 6’2 or taller and all over 200 pounds and others who will grow yet. Four picks were made from ranks of the CHL including two European players, three from Sweden and one from U.S. high school in Minnesota. Of the players chosen, five are forwards, two defensemen and one is a goalie. None will be expected to fight for a roster spot in training camp this fall.

Round 1 (29th overall) Nicklas Jensen RW, Denmark 6’2 202 OHL Oshawa Generals 29-29-58 ~ projected power forward with skills and speed had good first year in NA and produced well in the playoffs

Round 3 (71st overall) David Honzik, G, Czech Republic 6’3 209 QMJHL Victoriaville Tigres 17-12-1 3.54 0.884 ~ butterfly style goalie responded positively to having a goaltender coach and capped year with good playoff showing

Round 3 (90th overall) Alexandre Grenier, C Canada 6’5 200 QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads 9-15-24 ~ classic late bloomer has size, toughness and skill, had an excellent playoff run with Quebec Remparts, likely will play an overage season in the Q with Halifax

Round 4 (101st overall) Joseph Labate, C USA 6’4 190 Minnesota HS Academy of Holy Angels (committed to the University of Wisconsin WCHA) 29-23-52 ~ big, rangy scoring center needs to fill out and will have a good opportunity to test his skills at the NCAA level

Round 4 (120th overall) Ludwig Blomstrand, LW Sweden 6’1 198 Sweden J20 SuperElit Djurgårdens IF 3-4-7 ~ hard-worker with good size and skating, plays physically

Round 5 (150th overall) Frank Corrado, D Canada 6’0 190 OHL Sudbury Wolves 4-26-30 ~ smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman gaining poise, has power-play quarterback potential

Round 6 (180th overall) Pathrik Westerholm, RW Sweden 6’0 187 HockeyAllsvenskan (Div II) Malmö Redhawks 8-13-21 ~ skilled offensive player, adept playmaking skills and good shot, remains to be seen if he can produce without his twin brother Ponthus

Round 7 (210st overall) Henrik Tommernes, D Sweden 6’1 176 SEL Vastra Frolunda 3-17-20 ~ mobile puck-moving defenseman with good skating and hockey sense who improved immensely this past season, passed over in previous three drafts

The next piece will be coming soon to a screen near you.

2010-2011 Stanley Cup Final

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Looks like Lost in Skates lost the handle on the conference finals this year. Not only did we not pick the correct winners, we were also wrong about which series was going to be the most interesting. Way back in the first round we said that Tim Thomas couldn’t win the cup all on his own, but he’s 12 out of 16 wins from doing just that! The Boston/Tampa Bay series was a real battle and  turned out to be much more entertaining, by far, than the Canucks/Sharks penalty riddled, special teams, affair.  Who knew?

 

Stanley Cup

Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins

 

You get the sense that the referees, by this stage, are going to be swallowing their whistles. No way the NHL or any fan is going to want to see what happened between Vancouver and San Jose in the last round. If the whistles are put away, then that would help Boston a lot.  The Bruins have an inept power play and are not quite as good at killing penalties as the Canucks have been. Otherwise, if Vancouver’s speed draws power play opportunities in any significant number, Boston won’t survive.

For the Bruins to win it’s going to have to be the Zedeno Chara/Tim Thomas show all the time. These two are the story where limiting scoring chances in the defensive zone is concerned. Also, the B’s have shown decent fore checking, smash and crash pressure down low, which will have to continue period in, period out.  If they can do it they’ll have to stymie Vancouver’s (break out) speed and the ‘Nucks creativity in the attacking zone. Boston has been blocking a helluva lot of shots, and that may be the key to being able to prevail once again.

Vancouver, the President’s trophy winners, have been the best team all year and  have to be considered the favourite in the final. They stack up just fine against the Bruins in every and any category you care to pick.  The thing that is problematic for the Canucks is playing against relatively tight, defense-first minded teams. Boston is that. (Look how much fun Vancouver had with the Predators.) The glaring difference maker in the final though, we believe, is going to be the depth that Vancouver can boast at every position as compared to the Bruins. And Manny Malholtra might even return you say? If they have him (at 100%) just to take draws and get off the ice that would be enough to seal the deal. Vancouver looks too well rounded, too explosive offensively not to win their first Cup. It’s possible the bruisin’ Bruins could smash and crash their way to victory, but doubtful. Take ‘Nucks in 5.

 

 

2010-11 Nhl Playoffs (Round 3)

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The final four. Lost in skates went 3 for 4 in round 2.  Somewhat surprising how both Tampa Bay and the Bruins swept the Capitals and Flyers, respectively, so convincingly in round 2. That Philly looked so tepid was a real shocker. Not surprising that the two western conference series were real grinds.

 

Eastern Conference final

Boston (3) vs Tampa Bay (5)

I’m still amazed that the Bruins are at this stage, in a way. They have the goal tending and the shut-down defensive parings, but not much offensive fire-and no power play to speak of at all. So much for acquiring Kaberle…I know defense wins championships, but!… The team they are facing has a very effecient defensive system of their own. Bruins don’t have the edge in that department, and they certainly don’t in the offensive category either. And Roloson (who didn’t face the Bruins in the regular season) seems to be the equal to Thomas, at the very least, to boot. Probably lucky to see this series go 6, with the Bolts prevailing.

 

Western Conference final

Vancouver (1) vs San Jose (2)

 

Living in Vancouver it’s hard not to have a soft spot for the ‘Nucks. I would love to see them win. San Jose , too, though, also has that need for a ‘finally, at last’ result that’ll take them into the final. This is going to be the series to watch, and it’s going to go 7 games. I’m thinking that if things go shaky for Luongo you’ll see Schneider put in nets a lot quicker than in the Chicago series. I feel that if it were Corey starting in goal that the Canucks would take the series! But we know that ain’t going to happen and, of course, he’s been sitting so long. The Sharks are going to have a lot of confidence coming in having dispatched an elite Red Wings team. Vancouver, on the other hand, doesn’t really have two particularly good confidence-buiding series under their belt. It’s more of the same old: ‘will the President’s Trophy winners show up, or are they going to be struggling to find their complete game. The doubts still linger. Should be fun. Sharks in 7

Nhl Playoffs 2010-11 (Round 2)

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First round is in the books for 2010-11 playoffs. Mostly things went without a major upset; two fifth seed teams won out over two 4th place teams, but there wasn’t much daylight between the Ducks/Preds, or the Bolts/Penguins (especially with Pittsburgh missing so many key guys). But how about Tampa Bay, nonetheless? Who’d have thought they’d have the edge in goal with Roloson playing just as he did for the Oilers back in the 2006 Cup run? The Lightning are a complete team with a great coach (and GM) and i think they’ll take the Capitals in this second round.

LA Kings put up a good fight and showed they were a better team than at first glance. Positives for them to build on.  San Jose and Detroit took care of biz more or less as predicted: the wings proving to be even more formidable than thought.  The Bruins did not look all that convincing in prevailing over Montreal. Thomas is mighty good, but can’t win the cup for them all on his own.  Philly looks just now to be coming together as a team and should go by the Bruins without much trouble. And finally the Canucks at last exorcised their big nemesis the Blackhawks. The jolt or wake up call that that series provided (basically telling them that from President’s trophy to the Stanley Cup ain’t no smooth ride) is really just what Vancouver needed.  They left their season hang in the balance on one goal, but were fortunate to prevail. They really are the better team this year.

 

East

 

Washington vs Tampa Bay

 

Can the Bolts maintain their stellar defensive play (against a decent defensive team in Washington) while still getting the offense they clearly possess? I think so. If Roloson doesn’t tire, the Lightning are a balanced team and might, in fact, hold the edge in coaching– and Boudreau ain’t no slouch behind the Caps bench. Take TB in 6.

 

Philly vs Boston

 

As mentioned above, the Bruins didn’t look that impressive in dispensing the Habs and Philly did look a lot better by the end of their series than at the beginning. With Pronger back…I think the Bruins are cooked in 5 games.

 

West

 

Canucks vs Predators

Vancouver and Nashville play tight, low scoring, wear-em-down type games and I’m not sure that if the Predators had’ve been the Canucks’ first round opponent that they wouldn’t have won. But the lift (lesson?) of getting by Chicago I think will help Vancouver immensely. Pekka Rinne: fantastic goalie. Luongo and Sneider: better, certainly with the team playing in front of them. The music stops in the ‘Music City’ this round. ‘Nucks in 5

 

San Jose vs Detroit

 

This is going to be the best of all the second round match ups. The perennially solid and well coached Redwings are capable once again of getting to the cup. They have all the pieces, are getting key players back and have pretty good (under rated) goal tending. They play so methodically and with such determination (sense of entitlement?) that it’s hard to see them failing…

The Sharks however seem superior in their explosive, opportunistic offence and creativity. San Jose has, like Vancouver, some playoff bogeymen to exorcise themselves. They seem a bit more intense this year. And they have a lot of scoring threats.  If Niemi has it together, the Sharks will take hockeytown in 6.

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