Baby Bruin Boom

Seguin has the Bruins back on track with his Game 2
performance that netted 2 G and 2 A.

Once again, the NHL playoffs continue to feed fans with ravishing hockey and a nice cold dish of refreshing youth as dessert. One young superstar in the East, Steven Stamkos, was slow out of the gates in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but picked up his play against the Capitals and again scored last night versus the Bruins.  That's not a shock seeing as he followed up his 51 goal 2009-2010 campaign with 46 more this year.  Best part is, he's 21 years old.

However, the most surprising youth movement is occuring in Boston. Tyler Seguin, the 2nd pick in last year's draft, watched the first two rounds of the playoffs from seats high above the rink.  More impressive is that Seguin took that slice of humble pie and used it as a learning opportunity. It allowed him to view the game that had been taken away from him, and regain that hunger for playing hockey at a high level. For a player that is only 19, that could have been career suicide, but his mental strength is nearly as important as his physical tools. 


It was that same mental strength that helped him through a challenging first year in the Bruins sweater. Seguin appeared in 76 games, but only tallied 11 goals and 11 assists and a minus 4.  The expectations were undoubtedly high, but with his skill set those expectations weren't unwarranted because of the numbers he put up in the Ontario Hockey League.

Now, through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Tyler Seguin has been the brute force behind the Bruins bite, especially as we saw in Game 2 last night. In Game 1, Seguin was no slouch as he had a hand in  both of the Bruins goals (1 goal, 1 assist) even though the Bruins lost 5-2. Eddie Olczyk made a comment in Game 1 that Seguin looked to have the freshest legs for any player on both teams. Now obviously that would be the case because Seguin hadn't played in the first two rounds, but I think Eddie was saying more so that it'd be ridiculous for this kid not to be in the lineup from here on out.  Figure that he only totaled 7 minutes in Game 1. I know Claude Julien has a lot of talent in his lineup, but I also think Eddie was pointing to the decision to play him more in Game 2.

As we found out, Patrice Bergeron was once again out of the lineup for Game 2 because of the concussion he sustained at the end of the Flyers series which meant Sequin would dress. Again, Seguin looked like a waterbug that flys across the water as he took a pass, split two defensemen, and went in calmly and beat Roloson on his backhand. That was the spark the Bruins needed as they proceeded to pour in five goals in the second period. While that is impressive, consider that Seguin had his quick hands, and mighty slapshot, in on three of the next four goals. He finished the night with 2 Goals and 2 Assists. Those numbers sounds like they would come from someone who played 20-22 minutes in the game. Now that I told you Seguin only banked 13 minutes, what do you think the result will be in Game 3?

There is no doubt it will be tremedously hard for Seguin to keep up this pace, but Julien would have to be buzzed up on Sam Adams not to find a spot in the lineup for him, even when Bergeron, who was the Bruins leading points getter thus far in the playoffs, returns. For now, let the freshness of the youth movement cleanse your palate, and allow your eyes to feast on more great hockey.

-Pat

Western Conference Finals: Sharks Swim Together

Alright, I'm a day late but SU had me slaving all day yesterday. It won't change my prediction on the Sharks-Canucks series at all.

In the Western Conference Semis, we saw two great series go right down to the wire. The Preds put up a decent fight against the #1 seeded Vancouver Canucks but in the end the better team came out on top.

The Sharks jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on the Detroit Red Wings but Hockeytown wouldn't go down without a fight and came all the way back (a la the Chicago Blackhawks) to tie the series at 3-3 before the Sharks finished them in the seventh game at HP Pavilion. I had the Red Wings winning in decisive fashion but the Sharks proved me wrong.

This brings me to where we are now. The Western Conference Semi-finals.


#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #2 San Jose Sharks

The Sharks blew a third period lead in Vancouver last night but still played well enough to win on the road against the #1 seed in the West. The success of the Sharks relies on the play of Antii Niemi. He has the deep playoff experience that can get the Sharks to the Stanley Cup finals. Virtually the entire squad of the Vancouver Canucks have no experience this deep in NHL post-season play.

I think the Sharks are a deeper team than the Canucks. The Sharks first two lines are nearly untouchable. Having said that, don't think for a second that former Shark defenseman turned Canuck Christian Ehrhoff will want to get a good shot in on Heatley or Marleau as they move into the zone.

I feel confident that the Sharks will get to the cup on the wings of their offense. Devin "The Canasian" Setoguchi has had a good post-season. He's no Sean Bergenheim but he's still playing well. Sharks win 4-3.


Those Bay Area sports fans are spoiled.


-Mikko

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals

A sharp glance at the finalists in the Eastern Conference and you are likely to catch a few raised brows from NHL experts to casual fans.  The Washington Capitals seemed poised for a deep run in the playoffs.  We knew the Flyers had goaltender issues, but a red-hot offense had masked that flaw in the previous series against the Sabres. However, little did we know that two veteran goaltenders, Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson, would dominant the series' like they did.  To recap, I had taken Boston in 6 and Washington in 6.  Boston would instead sweep the Flyers and the Lightning quickly removed of the Capitals with a sweep of their own. 

Therefore, it's the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Boston Bruins for the chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup.  In an effort to freshen up the experience I'll give a brief scouting report on the offense, defense, and goalies of the respective teams and who I think has the advantage.


Offense

The Lightning offense is quick to strike.

The Tampa Bay Lightning unquestionably carry the more recognizable weapons in this category.  Stamkos has picked his game up, Marty St. Louis leads the East in points, and Sean Bergenheim has been on a torrid pace putting him in a tie for goals thus far in postseason play.  Not to mention a stable that houses Vinny Lecavalier, Steve Downie, and Simon Gagne who is returning from an injury.  The Bruins on the other hand, rely on contributions from a supporting cast that consists mostly of young talent.  They will be without Patrice Bergeron which could spell trouble for the B's in this series. The burden will then be placed on the shoulders Brad Marchand, Nathan Horton, and David Krejci.  With the goaltender play on each team, goals could be at a premium. Time to see if the young guns on Boston can get timely goals or the Lightning simply overpower the Bruins with that explosive core.

Advantage: Tampa Bay Lightning

Can Chara's phyiscal play keep Tampa at bay?

Defense
The Bruins have a blue line group that is anchored by big man Zdeno Chara. He is supported by Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and Johnny Boychuk. They are a big, physical group that loves to stand in front of their goaltender and block shots.  Keep an eye on any adjustments Claude Julien might make with his defensive pairings throughout the series to try and neutralize the Lightning.  The Lightning's defensive unit will take a hit depending on how long they expect Pavel Kubina to be out. The Lightning defense also was key in shutting down the Capitals power play. Expect lots of hitting from each team on the blue line.

Advantage: Boston Bruins

Goaltending
They play thus far by Roloson and Thomas speaks for itself here. Roloson posts marginally better statistics with a 2.01 Goals Against Average and .941 Save Percentage compared to Thomas' numbers at 2.03/.937 respectively. They are the best in the playoffs so far in keeping the puck out of the net and I don't expect a change in this series.  Each goaltender realizes the importance that one mistake can make in a series which is why every minute of every period is so crucial in the Conference Finals. 

Advantage: Push

I think this series will maintain the excellent play that we've seen in the playoffs this year. Hopefully, that includes a few OT games and maybe another Game 7 in what would be a rocking TD Garden crowd anxious for one of its teams to beat a team with Florida zip code. I think that the 'X-Factor' in this series is Dwayne Roloson because he doesn't have quite the defense that Tim Thomas camps behind. Sometimes the pressue can get to a goalie, but with a veteran like Roloson he should be up to the task.

Tampa Bay Lightning win 4-2

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semis

If you're not a hockey fan, then the first round of the NHL Playoffs was just a snapshot of why you are obviously not a sports fan. Each series was filled with headlines, offered great match ups, historical importance, and a flare for the dramatics.  As always there were missing teeth, blood, glove saves, kick saves, and snipes.  Throw in a few penalty shots and a plethora of OT and it strengthens my argument for the greatest playoffs in sports; bar none. With that being said, here's a recap of first round Eastern Conference action and a look at the semifinal slates. 

As you can find here, I correctly picked the top-seeded Fighting Bruce Boudreau's and their revamped style of "defense first" hockey to dethrone King Henrik and the Rangers; however I predicted a 4-2 series win and the Caps did it in Game 5. I went for the upset pick in the Flyers-Sabres series and while I did correctly pick the length of the series, Danny Briere and the Flyers were able to secure the series at home in Game 7. I am proud to say that I picked the winner and the length of the series in the Bruins-Canadiens series. I did not foresee each team winning their first two road games of the series, then taking home ice advantage in the remaining three games. But, the series lived up to the hype in terms of physical hockey and a splash of goaltending brilliance.  Lastly, I correctly picked the Lightning to defeat the Crosby-less Penguins; however the series lasted the full seven games, not six as I had predicted.  Not only was Crosby a great set up man for his linemates, he was a great leader for that team, something that can't be underestimated as to why the Penguins could not advance.  Props to the high-scoring Lightning though for moving on. If you're keep tabs, I scored on 75% of my shots in the first round. Let's chat about Round Doux.

Semin (left) and Ovechkin (right) can bring it. Will they get
enough support against the Lightning?

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning

These Southeast Division combatants face-off in what promises to be another round of masterful hockey.  The Lightning rallied back from a 3-1 deficit against the Penguins on the heels of netminder Dwayne Roloson and an offense that found ways to score goals at crucial times.  The Lightning finished four points out of first in the SE Division and were 2-3 against the Caps in the regular season.  But the Capitals enter this series as a confident bunch after flexing their muscles against the pesky Rangers.  The new defensive prowess of this team, along with the right amount of offensive weapons in Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom seem to have a legitimate chance of getting to the Conference Finals.  Keep an eye on Mike Green, the Caps defensemen that was hit in the head with a puck.  If he's out for a considerable amount of time, the Lightning may have what it takes offensively with the likes of Stamkos, St. Louis, Gagne, and Lecavalier to shock the Capitals. Both goalies are playing well, but Michal Neuvirth looked solid from Game 1 on against the Rangers.  I think this is another great series, but the Capitals are too deep and have a mentality that they are never out of a game if they get down. Capitals 4-2

Is Tim Thomas the 'X-Factor' in the series? Stay tuned.

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #3 Boston Bruins

I know I've beaten the dead horse in the Eastern Conference with constant references to history, but of the two semifinal games, this is the one that has more chapters than Harry Potter.  The Bruins didn't disappoint in their series against the Canadiens in making it a memorable playoffs.  I expect nothing less between these two teams because if you don't mind a litter refresher, let me remind you that jsut last year, the Bruins held a 3-0 lead on the Flyers before the Flyers won 4 straight games and rolled through the playoffs to the Stanley Cup Finals.  If you think that each arena won't be rockin' then you're mistaken.

This series will be high energy and loaded with highlight reel hits. I give the edge on offense to the Flyers because they have too many weapons to be held down.  The defenses of each teams is nearly a wash. The Bruins and Flyers each have verteran blueliners, like Zdeno Chara and Chris Pronger, who can get the puck to the net and take each others' forwards out of the game physically.  If you don't know, the Flyers had more goalie changes in Round 1 than Charlie changes his outfit for Water Street if I may steal a line from fellow writer Easy E.  However, they managed to weather the storm and advance.  Clearly, Tim Thomas is the best of the goalies in this series so the overwhelming advantage goes to the Bruins.  This prediction is a crapshoot because there are too many variables in this series.  My heart is calling for the Flyers, but my head is telling me that the Bruins are the safe pick, albeit in a tense six games.  Bruins 4-2

-Pat

Special Commentary on Bobby Ryan's Amazing Goal

From the YouTube account ZachParise9, this video is great. The goal itself was from Anaheim's overtime victory over Nashville this past Friday. It has some special commentary from the guy who did the Marshawn Lynch "Hold muh dick!" video. Great stuff and fantastic editing.

-Mikko

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference

Is this the year the Ovi and the Caps get past the 1st Round?

In my opinion, the most grueling and intense playoff in sports starts Wednesday with the drop of the puck for Lord Stanley's Cup.  As Mitch highlighted in his preview of the Western Conference, the NHL is widely overlooked by most Americans due to the decreased national television coverage following the '04-'05 lockout.  NBC is the only major network that carries the NHL during the regular season with a "Game of the Week" on Sundays.  However, the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs offers dedicated and casual viewers alike, the opportunity to watch the most physical athletes beat the hell out of each other for their chance to capture "16W" and the best trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup.

With that being said, it was decided that I would take on the task of predicting the Eastern Conference's half of the bracket.  The East is as deep as I have seen it in quite some time. There are match-ups all across the board that feature hockey history and a stable full of international superstars, although one of them may miss the entire playoffs.  Let's drop the puck.

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers

Even though the Caps have once again earned the #1 seed in the East, don't think that one of Charlie's Top Five man-crushes in Bruce Boudreau, isn't on the hot seat again if his team once again fails to get out of the first round. (See 2010 when the Capitals were up 3-1 on the Canadiens and had a meltdown of historic proportions.  However, Ovechkin has tailored his trade to become more of a team-leader, and the team has become more balanced and consistent since their losing streak that was well-documented on HBO.  The loss of Ryan Callahan already diminishes a thin forward corps for the Rangers and Marian Gaborik needs to prove he's worth the money, but will the pressure be too much? Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers and Michal Neuvirth of the Caps is an interesting match-up to keep an eye on. Lundqvist will single-handedly keep the Rangers in games, and Neuvirth, who is in his rookie season, could succumb to the jitters. At the end of the day, the Rangers just don't have the depth and the talent to compete in a series with the Caps. Capitals 4-2

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres

If you want a history lesson, this series will be the 9th time that these teams have met in the playoffs.  Each party can recall certain moments that stick out, and 2011 has the possibility to write another chapter in the book.  The Flyers are stumbling into the playoffs like I stumble into Buzzy's on Water Street at 2:30 a.m. The Sabres on the other hand, have fine tuned their game and march into the playoffs like Charlie marching into The Pickle expecting to get a smokeshow or two's number.  The Sabres' Thomas Vanek has been carrying the flag for his battalion in the last weeks of the regular season.  For the Flyers, Jeff Carter was the automatic point machine in leading his team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year.  Another staple in last year's Cup run, Chris Pronger, is day-to-day entering the playoffs. If he misses the first three or four games of the series, beware Flyers fans.  The other problem I have with the Flyers is their inconsistency in net.  I say Sergei Bobrovsky. You say who?! The Sabres however, get to pencil in Ryan Miller; advantage to the Sabres.  Just like our man Charlie who gets lucky once and awhile, I see Buffalo going into a hostile Philadelphia and beating the Flyers in the most exciting game in sports, Game 7. Sabres 4-3

#3 Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

The most historic of the first-round match-ups pits the Bruins against the Canadiens.  I guarantee you that this Original Six rivalry will make your Grandpa throw on the 'ol sweater and crank the volume.  Both cities will be riled with hatred and intensity.  The fact that Montreal police are still investigating Zdeno Chara's hit on Max Pacioretty, adds a unique plot to the series.  Is it really possible that the Montreal police would culminate their investigation and pursue Chara for his crime? I can't see the NHL letting this happen on any circumstances, but who knows.  The spotlight in this series will certainly be the netminder match-up.  Budding superstar, Carey Price, will be between the pipes for Le Canadiens, and Tim Thomas will set up his brick wall on the other end of the ice. The Bruins are much more physical. The Candiens have more team speed that includes Plekanec, Gionta, Gomez, and Cammilleri. The Canadiens have a veteran defense that matches the Bruins veteran blueline group. The Bruins forwards are much younger than the Canadiens, but sputtered last year after being up 3-0 on the Flyers.  I want this series to go to a Game 7. With the history and the hate between these teams, it could be one of the memorable series of the entire playoffs.  Bruins 4-3

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning

If I would have woken up today from a winter hibernation that had been induced in early January I would have had multiple reactions.  What the hell happened to the Pens?! What the hell happened to the Lightning?! But I would have thought, "Hey, this is still going to be a helluva series!" Then, I'd turn on the game and see no Sidney Crosby and no Evgeni Malkin in pads for the Penguins and think, "What the hell happened to them? And when?" Knowing that Crosby had been gone since January 5th with a concussion, I'd say it's encouraging for the Pens to even have the fourth seed in the East. They relied on styming defense, suberb goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, and young guns on offense to score just enough goals to win games.  The Tampa Bay Lightning though were commanding the East in early January. Playing in the same division as the Capitals eventually catches up to teams though, hence why the Lightning finished in fifth place. I like the offense on this team. No wait, I love the offense on this team.  One line includes Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Simon Gagne.  Then there is Steven Stamkos, who had the second most goals in the league, pitted with Steve Downie, and Ryan Malone.  Even with those offensive names, they struggle on defense and their goaltender, Dwayne Roloson, hasn't played in the playoffs since 2006.  Keep an eye on that in the opening round.  Something just tells me to pick Tampa Bay here...and I will. I have fallen in love with their offense. It's like looking at Marissa Miller. You can't take your eyes of them.  Lightning 4-2

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference

As we enter into an exciting time in American sports with the start of baseball season and the stretch run of the NBA season, we cannot forget about the NHL post-season. While the regular season doesn't get nearly the publicity it deserves in America, ESPN actually pays a pretty decent amount of attention to professional hockey during the post-season.

I figured I would step up and take the challenge of predicting the Western Conference's piece of the pie. The Canucks had a great year, but can they handle the pressure of being the #1 seed? Can they handle the pressure of Canada not winning a Cup since the Montreal Canadians in 1993?


Truth be told, I haven't really followed the NHL this season any closer than the Thursday night "shot-a-goal" games of EA Sports' NHL 11 over on Cramer but, contrary to popular belief, I am not a dumbass when it comes to who could win it all so here goes:

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks

The two squads have faced each other the last two post-seasons with Blackhawks taking the series each time. Not so fast though 'Hawks fans, I think that spells - advantage Canucks. The Sedin brothers are the hottest set of twins since Mary Kate and Ashley, and those two will have something to say. The Canucks are also impossible to beat when they get up early. You can attribute that to netminder Roberto Luongo. I think the 'Hawks have enough offense to make it a series though. Canucks 4-3. If the Blackhawks win I'll puke.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #7 Los Angeles Kings

I am fan of both of these division rivals but with Anze Kopitar on the shelf, it might get ugly. The Sharks have a ton of depth at center and feature a guy at that position from Plover, WI named Joe Pavelski who had a HUGE 2010 post-season leading the team to the conference finals. The inexperienced Kings could be in for a long series, or short one depending on how you look at it. Sharks 4-1 


#3 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Phoenix Coyotes


Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg has come out this morning and said that he will miss at least the first game of their series with the Phoenix Coyotes. I wonder how big of a factor that could be considering he had 80 points this year. The Coyotes' strength is their goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The franchise's winningest goaltender is playing very well and we all know what a hot goaltender can do for a team. I like the Coyotes in this one. Coyotes 4-3


#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Nashville Predators


The Predators also have a lights-out netminder with Pekka Rinne but I don't know if a brick wall could stop Anaheim top line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaff and Bobby Ryan. Corey Perry is the league's only 50+ goal scorer this year and is worthy of the MVP. Teemu Selanne is like a fine wine with 80 points as well in 2010-2011. If the Predators can play the shut-down D they showed against the 'Hawks last season, the series could be great. Ducks 4-2


Later rounds to come boys.