16 NHL Playoff Questions

16. Colorado Avalanche

Is Colorado capable of upsetting the Sharks?
In a word: no. The Aves piled up points early in the season when teams were overlooking them and then backed into the playoffs winning only three of their last 13 games. A good young core is in place but this squad over-achieved all year and will quickly be dismissed in the playoffs.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Who will stop the puck?

My attitude on goaltending is well documented in this space, but even I can't defend the Flyers in this situation. Going into the playoffs with a Brian Boucher/Sebastien Caron tandem simply isn't going to work. Let the Carey Price rumours begin in earnest.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

14. Montreal Canadiens

Are their fans capable of stealing a game or two?
I'm more interested to see what the Habs will do this summer with both their young goalies coming up to restricted free agency (it'll be delighful to watch them push a still developing Carey Price out of town) than I am with what they'll do in the playoffs. Four games? Five games? Six would be pressing it, but you never know how far the rabid crowd will be able to carry them.
Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

13. Boston Bruins

Who will light the lamp for Boston?

The emergence of Tuuka Rask in net offers Boston the threat of an upset, but their punchless offence will hold them back. (It's become clear that David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are unable to step up to fill the void left by Marc Savard, and I don't know who would count on Michael Ryder, Mark Recchi, Marco Sturm and Blake Wheeler.) We could be looking at an effort from Rask that matches Marty Turco's performance against Vancouver a few years ago when he posted three shutouts in the series but his team still lost in seven games.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

12. Nashville Predators

Can anyone give one good reason why this team isn't located in Canada?

Nashville has four trips to the playoffs in franchise history and have never made it out of the first round. That trend should continue. Other than that I have nothing illuminating to discuss about the Preds, they have a nice enough team and clearly Barry Trotz is a tremendous coach, but this franchise is boring and needs to be relocated. To Canada.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

11. Phoenix Coyotes

Has Lee Stempniak honestly transformed into Pavel Bure?

The Leaf cast-off scored 25 goals in 123 games for Toronto over the last two years and mostly looked like he was playing himself right out of the NHL. After landing in Phoenix at the trade deadline, Stempniak scored 14 goals in 18 games and made thousands of Toronto fans scream at the television while watching the highlights. So can we expect Stempniak to lead the Coyotes past Detroit and on an extended playoff run? Umm, no. Let's just say I don't think the pressure of playoff hockey will be kind to Mr.Stempniak.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

10. LA Kings

Are the Kings still hungry?

In the three seasons previous to this year the Kings finished 28th, 30th and 26th overall. After a stellar regular season that resulted in a 22 point improvement in the standings and the first playoff appearance for the franchise in eight years, does LA have enough gumption to continue to push or will they relax and feel comfortable with everything they've already accomplished? I'm leaning towards the latter.

Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

9. Ottawa Senators
Can the Sens win their first series since reaching the Finals in 2006-07?

The Sens go into the postseason with the worst goal differential (-13) of any playoff team. Even with Jason Spezza (14 points in his last 8 games) and rookie defenceman Erik Karlsson (12 points in his last 10 games) streaking, Ottawa doesn't have the depth or will to match-up with a Penguin team that swept them two years ago.
Playoff Prediction: 1st round exit

8. San Jose Sharks

Is this the year the Sharks finally put it all together?
The playoff struggles for San Jose have been well documented (haven't made it past the second round since the lockout), and now they're coming off another superb regular season that has again created lofty expectations. Unfortunately for Sharks fans, I can't see a reason why anything will be different this time.
Playoff Prediction: 2nd round exit

7. Buffalo Sabres
What's more dangerous than a hot goalie heading into the playoffs?
Nothing, and that's why the Sabres are scary. Ryan Miller has to be considered the best goalie in the NHL right now, and that gives them a chance against anyone. There's also something about Lindy Ruff (mainly the winning) that makes this team tough to ignore.
Playoff Prediction: 2nd round exit

6. Chicago Blackhawks

Why am I picking against Chicago?

There isn't a single reason I can point to for not backing the Hawks. They are a very good team (almost the Western Conference replica of Washington, right down to the goaltending questions) and could very easily outperform my prediction, I just think Vancouver will prevail in their second-round match-up.

Playoff Prediction: 2nd round exit

5. Pittsburgh Penguins
Can the Pens flip-the-switch?

Pittsburgh, more than any other playoff team, seemed to treat the regular season as nothing more than an extended training camp. They started the season with nine wins in ten games and pretty much coasted the rest of the way. The Pens went 7-9 down the stetch but have the confidence of back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances to lean on as well as the most dynamic 1-2 punch (Crosby and Malkin) in all of hockey. But no team has been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals since Edmonton in the earlly 80's.

Playoff Prediction: 2nd round exit

4. Detroit Red Wings

Are the Wings all the way back?

After residing outside the playoff picture for the first five months of the season Detroit found it's game (and got healthy) and predictably returned to it's rightful place amongst the NHL's elite. What worries me a little is that just about every player on the team performed below career averages statistically and this is not a young team (average age of 30.3, oldest in NHL).

Playoff Prediction: Conference Finalist

3. Washington Capitals

Will the Caps be able to score their way to the finals?

Washington's 318 goals scored were the most by any team in the last 15 years. The Caps had seven 20 goal scorers and nine regulars who averaged more than half-a-point a game. They are far and away the most exciting team to watch. They also allowed the third most goals of any playoff team which makes them particularly vulnerable in net.

Playoff Prediction: Conference Finalist

2. New Jersey Devils

Can Ilya Kovalchuk lead a team deep into the playoffs?

You might try to argue this question by pointing out that the Devils get most of their leadership from Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise, but if Jersey plans to challenge Washington and Pittsburgh in the East, they'll need Kovalchuk, who has four career NHL playoff games on his resume, to step up offensively and provide the spark. With a new contract hanging in the balance, and a real opportunity to shine under the brightest spotlight, I see Kovalchuk taking full advantage and going on a tear.

Playoff Prediction: Stanley Cup Finalist

1. Vancouver Canucks
Can Roberto Luongo regain his form?

On paper the Canucks have the best team in the NHL. With two elite scorers, plenty of secondary scoring options, a solid if under-appreciated blueline and an All-Star goalie, this team has all the pieces in place to make a run. The perceived problem is that their All-Star goalie was shelled in last year's playoffs and has struggled down the stretch. After facing and conquering immense pressure during the Olympics, it was only natural he would have a bit of a letdown as the long NHL season wore on. I think he'll be re-energized for the playoffs and that makes Vancouver my pick to win it all.

Playoff Prediction: Stanley Cup Champions

16 Playoff Questions

As the competition for the Stanley Cup is set to begin...these are the things I ponder.

1. Can Carey Price really follow in the footsteps of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy and lead his team to the Cup as a rookie? The PP and the crowd will carry Montreal for a round or two, but not past the conference semi-finals. The Habs are banged up and inexperienced and even after an 83 point regular season, I don't trust Kovalev to bring it when it really matters. And what about the guy (Plekanec) that wears a turtle neck? How does that inspire confidence?

2. Are the Penguins capable of going from first round losers to Stanley Cup finalists? In a word, yes. If Hossa could develop some chemistry with either Crosby or Malkin they'd be a near shoe-in to win the East. The supporting cast is surprisingly that good.

3. Do the Caps have anything left? After winning their final 7 games and 11 of their last 12, you have to wonder if Washington fired all their bullets just getting into the playoffs. On the plus side: Huet has looked fantastic and is playing for a new contract and so is some guy named Sergei Fedorov who could most definitely sucker some team into a $20M free agent deal this summer. (Hey, Bobby Holik did it.) And then there is Ovechkin, who in the absence of a great year by Crosby has blossomed into the most wildly entertaining and passionate hockey player of the last 20 years.

4. Will the Devils score any goals? New Jersey shooters lit the lamp only 206 times this year...Ovechkin basically outscored them. I think Brent Sutter is a very good coach and there's no question Brodeur is capable in net...but the blue line is a mess and the forward corps is extremely thin.

5. Is this the end of Jagr (and his hair) in the NHL? I actually like the Rangers and believe they have the second best chance in the East (behind Pittsburgh), mostly because every other team has serious holes or flaws. New York does not. They have scoring forwards, bangers, a super-pest, several reliable and versatile D, and a very good goalie. And if this is Jagr's swan song before heading back across the pond, maybe he actually tries in consecutive games. Plus, you know they'll get every call cause Bettman would LOVE to see the Rangers win.

6. Does Martin Biron scare anyone? Philly has a deep and talented set of forwards but the back-half of their blue line is very suspicious, and the goaltending never seems to come up big when it matters. It'll be interesting to see if the Caps try to kill Steve Downie in game two or wait till game three.

7. Can the Sens turn the page? The good news is that after a truly tumultuous regular season they have absolutely no pressure because everyone has labeled them as 'Dead Men Walking'. The bad news is, ummmm, that's what they are. Four games and out.

8. Are the Bruins the worst playoff team in recent history? Carolina is at least a hundred times better than Boston, whose roster is almost the NHL equivalent of the Miami Heat. And I'm not sure how well Bergeron is gonna fare after missing the last 6 months. The game is, ahhhhh, pretty quick. And hard. Oh wait, they're playing the Habs.

9. Can the Red Wings get the goaltending to win it all? I'm not sure I'd take Hasek or Osgood, at this point of their careers, in a seven game series against any of Giggy, Nabokov, Kiprusoff or Backstrom. So once again they'll have to be that much better than everyone else in all other aspects of the game...which they are.

10. Is San Jose finally savvy enough to capitalize on their potential? Ever since Thornton arrived this team looked (especially on paper) like it could get to the finals and I think now is when they finally make it. They'll be able to lean on Detroit in the Western finals, and expose their lack of speed and grit.

11. Does Marian Gaborik push himself into that top tier of players with a breakthrough performance in the playoffs? If his groin wasn't such a problem, he'd already be looked at in the same light as Sid, Ovie, Iggy, Vinny and Joe Thornton. Now with Minny opening up their style some, Gaborik and the underrated Minnesota crowd could do some damage.

12. Is the Brian Burke era about to end in Anaheim? We all know how good they've been since Niedermayer returned, and how fearsome they look on paper. But there's a reason no one in pro sports repeats anymore: It's because the battle is just too difficult and it takes too much out of you to be able to do it in back-to-back seasons. Plus, you have to figure that the longer the Ducks stick around, the bigger and more taxing the 'Burke leaving to the Leafs' storyline becomes.

13. If Dallas was offered a chance to erase the Brad Richards trade, would they still make the deal? The Stars won only 5 of 15 games with Richards in the line-up and Marty Turco gave up 3+ goals in seven of them. This team is mediocre, just like the goalie they decided to keep.

14. Can the Aves stay healthy? When your top three forwards are at best day-to-day for the rest of the year, I don't like your chances...unless you have an unbelievable goalie. Mr. Paris Hilton isn't. Theodore is set to become a UFA this summer, so a playoff run could make him a lot of money. But I don't see it. They're a coin flip to beat Minnesota, but don't have a chance at advancing any further.

15. How far can Iginla carry the Flames? Huselius is hemorrhaging cash right now and has been for months (5 goals in his last 38 games). Kiprusoff has been pretty solid lately, but is still nowhere near the goalie he was from 03-06 when he was arguably the best in the game. Calgary is really tough to play against, but probably not skilled enough to win more than a game or two against the Sharks.

16. Has anyone noticed the Predators are in the playoffs? Or better yet, does anyone care? I refuse to talk about this team until it resides in it's proper home, somewhere in southern Ontario.