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| Stanley Cup in Hockey Hall of Fame (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
At the beginning of the season, my prediction for the Stanley Cup finals was the St. Louis Blues versus New York Rangers. Oh how things have changed over the course of this lockout shortened season. The Blues have had their ups and downs throughout the season. They have consistently been the most inconsistent team in the NHL. They have had issues forechecking, scoring, defending, and not to mention, have had three different starting goalies this season.
Throughout the season the Rangers have had issues scoring goals, but never have had issues keeping the opponent from scoring as Henrik Lundqvist is consistently one of the league’s best. All of this being said, I believe only one of these teams is still a contender heading into the playoffs.
Starting in the Western Conference, the clear cut favorite has to be the Chicago Blackhawks. They set the league on fire from the start of the season and haven’t slowed down since. They play fast, they score goals, and thus far Corey Crawford has been steady between the pipes.
Next, in the Western Conference has to be the defending champion LA Kings. The Kings have a bunch of big bodies that play hard and smart. They dominate the boards and the front of their net as well as their opponents.
Finally, the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues are the next most likely to come out of the West. Anaheim has a physical team that can also put the puck in the net. As the playoffs wear on I believe their depth at forward would be a concern as they really drop off at 3rd-4th line.
As I stated earlier, the Blues have had a very bumpy ride this season. That being said, I do not believe any team wants to play the Blues because of the potential they have to “turn it on”. They have 4 defensemen that can skate, move the puck, and match up vs any top line. I think the Blues have the most depth at forward, but have three No. 2 lines and a fourth line. Having no true first line hurts their production and matchups.
I believe the Western Conference will boil down to the Blackhawks versus Kings, but there could be an interesting second round matchup if the Blackhawks dispose of Columbus and the Blues bare down against the Vancouver Canucks.
In the Eastern Conference, no team has gotten more publicity than the Pittsburgh Penguins and their trade deadline acquisitions. While the Blackhawks have been the class of the NHL, the Penguins have remained a consistent threat to the top team. The Penguins added grit, depth, and most importantly leadership when they picked up Brendan Morrow, Jarome Iginla, and Douglas Murray. Unfortunately, the Penguins have seen injuries to Sydney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin hit at inopportune times, but both should be back and ready for playoffs.
In net, Fleury is as good as they come and will be looking to bounce back after a terrible series last year against Philadelphia.
Next in the east has to be the New York Rangers. While they are currently seventh in the standings, no team has been hotter than them since the trade deadline. They too added grit and depth in Ryan Clowe and provide more of a John Torterella, grind it out style hockey team.
With the good looking Swede, Sir Henrik Lundqvist in net, the Rangers have a team that looks primed to make a run.
Finally, Washington and Boston, round out the list of contenders. Washington goes as Alex Ovechkin goes. Recently, Ovechkin has been finding the back of the net at an MVP pace. However, I do not believe they have the pieces to hold on against a Pittsburgh or New York.
Boston is interesting. They have a group that has recently won, and now they are carrying the weight of a city on their shoulders after everything that has happened over the past week. That being said, they have hit a lull in play and were recently beaten by an injury ridden Pittsburgh team in an emotional contest in Boston.
The Stanley Cup playoffs tend to be about goal-tending and dictating the physical play. I think Jonathon Quick has proved he is the top goaltender in the West and clearly has a team that can play physically enough to win the Cup. Challenging them in the West will likely be the high powered Blackhawks. IF Corey Crawford can match Jonathon Quick save-for-save, then I like the Hawks chances. If not, the Kings could be the first team to repeat since the Redwings 97-98.
In the East, I like the team Pittsburgh has put together, but I keep turning back to the Rangers. Sir Lundqvist between the pipes and a new energy in New York could be too much for the Penguins, especially if it is in a second round match up as it is shaping up right now.
The Stanley Cup Finals is the most exciting hockey you will see in this shortened season. The fact paced, high energy play is sure to be dramatic and keep fans on the edge of their seats. As last season’s sixth seed Devils and eighth seeded Kings proved, all you need is a chance and anything can happen from there.
Can the Blackhawks continue their winning ways? Will the Rangers do what everyone expected them to do at the beginning of the season? Can the Penguins get healthy? Are the Kings primed to repeat? It’ll all be decided over the next few short weeks when all of these teams and more start their quest for the CUP!
1st Round Matchups
CBJ v CHI (5) OTT v PIT (5)
MIN v ANA (6) NYR v BOS (7)
STL v VAN (6) NYI v WAS (6)
SJS v LAK (5) TOR v MON (6)
2nd Round Matchups
STL v CHI (6) PIT v NYR (7)
LAK v ANA (5) TOR v WAS (6)
Conf Finals
LAK v CHI (7)
NYR v WAS (6)
Stanley Cup Finals
NYR v CHI (6) 
