Flames Die Out; Penguins in Trouble; New Challengers for Detroit.

Who would have thought at the trade deadline that the acquisition by of the Calgary Flames of former Maple Leaf players Ian White, Jamal Mayers, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, and Vesa Toskala would result in the Flames missing the playoffs? How about EVERYBODY except anyone inside the Calgary Flames organization that had any decision making ability; honestly what were they thinking? Toronto played poorly all season long yet somehow taking a lot of players from that underperforming team would raise Calgary’s level of play? Snatching up these guys was supposed to aid in the Flames scoring woes, instead it did NOTHING. There are rumors swirling around that the Flames organization is in for a huge change in the offseason at almost every level, perhaps rightfully so. Many decisions made along the way contributed to Calgary’s elimination from playoff contention but the recent moves had a lot of say in their stretch run futility. The goal for the Flames coming into this season was to finally get past the first round…funny how things change.

With their 6-3 loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Tuesday the defending Stanley Cup Champions fell to a combined 0-10 against New Jersey and Washington this season. Despite that record the Penguins have managed to put themselves in position to have home-ice in the first round of the playoffs and still have a shot at winning the Atlantic Division. But that fact aside what does an 0-10 record against two of the best teams in the East mean for the Penguins in the playoffs? The numbers themselves don’t mean a whole lot since regular season head-to-head records do not carry over into the playoffs but it’s WHY they lost so many times to these teams that is the bigger story. Washington simply did to the Penguins what they’ve done to everyone all year and that is score score and score some more. There is nothing complicated about the Capitals’ game and many experts agree their lack of defense will be rather detrimental when it comes time to try to play and beat a team in a best-of-seven series. More alarming for the Penguins is their performances against New Jersey. The Devils used their neutral-zone trap to not only beat the Penguins but they dominated Pittsburgh in each of the six games they played. The Penguins managed only 5 goals in six contests—none of which were close including two shutouts. There seems to be something about the neutral-zone trap that as really given the Penguins headaches this year seemingly more than ever before. This style has affected them so much that the Tampa Bay Lightning utilized the same system against the Penguins recently to perfection beating Pittsburgh 2-0. If the Devils and now the Lightning have created a blue print for how to dominate the Penguins then it’s likely that other good teams in the playoffs could also use the same system and actually result in the Penguins being eliminated as early as the first round. Getting shut out by the trap on three different occasions against two different teams is no fluke and that’s why that 0-6 record against New Jersey is scary for Pittsburgh.

Lastly, it’s all over but the shouting out West! Every playoff spot has been clinched and now we simply wait to see what the match-ups will be. This year’s contest includes a few different faces from last season as the L.A. Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and Phoenix Coyotes have all qualified for the post-season play after watching from home just a season ago. It’ll be great to see some new blood in the ranks out west but we cannot forget the frequent fliers in the Detroit Red Wings being present in the playoffs for the 19^th consecutive year. Can any of the new teams replace the Red Wings at the top of the Western Conference Mountain? Tune in next time when we preview the west and I give the reasons why Detroit will (or won’t) return to the Finals yet again.

April 14^th is almost here!

Olympics End but Great Hockey Continues

A week ago today the world saw one of the best hockey games in quite some time and certainly the best game of the Olympic tournament. Despite tremendous tenacity expressed by the Americans it was hockey king Canada led by Sidney Crosby who left the Vancouver games with the Gold Medal. Crosby’s overtime goal marked the end of a fantastic two weeks of hockey that produced a plethora of unpredictable moments. While it was the Canadians who climbed to the top of the mountain, in the end the real winners were hockey fans the world over. So I take this time to congratulate the Canadians on their victory, to salute the game of hockey generally, and to bid farewell to what was an awesome two weeks of hockey.

With the Olympics now behind us we transition from one set of great hockey to another as the NHL stretch run goes into full swing. As it stands today spots 6 through 11 in the Eastern Conference are separated by a total of four points while the battle for the 7^th and 8^th spots in the West is an even tighter race. Over the next few weeks we’ll find out who made the right moves at the trade deadline and who should have done more. We’ll see if upstart Phoenix can Colorado (back to glory days depicted above?) can keep their level of play high enough to maintain playoff positions as it is a new concept for both of these teams as assembled today. Can the Detroit Red Wings manage to solidify a playoff spot or will they be left out for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth? Did the Pittsburgh Penguins add enough new faces to their lineup to sure up any deficiencies they may have had to put them into the team to beat in the East? Have the Washington Capitals finally addressed their defensive woes enough to catapult themselves into the category of serious cup contenders? Why didn’t Boston—who was top seed in the East last year—not do more to address their inability to score? All the while who will score more goals before season’s end Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby? Each of these questions will be answered over the next month  and that means hockey fans are going to be spoiled from now until the end of the Stanley Cup Finals in June. So gear up puckheads because this is going to be awesome!

Kings Reign!

The Los Angeles Kings sit atop the Western Conference 34 games into the season. Plenty of people felt good about the improvement we would see in the Kings this season but did anyone have them playing this well? The team owes a lot of its success to the incredible emergences of Anze Kopitar who has become a star almost over-night, and the stellar goaltending from Jonathan Quick who is certainly living up to his name. Aside from the two aforementioned players the Kings do not look like much on paper because their numbers are par or subpar in many cases. Los Angeles has an ok power play and awful penalty killing which ranks near the bottom of the league. While the Kings score a lot of goals they also give up a ton and as a result a lot of the plus/minus numbers for many of its players are pretty terrible. With that in mind, although Los Angeles seems to do a lot of things wrong on paper there is one thing they do incredible well and that’s win! Despite everything the Kings seem to come out on top when the final horn sounds and simply put that’s all that matters. As a result of their style of play it bodes very well for the Kings come playoff time because style points absolutely do no matter, the idea is to win no matter what happens and in whatever way possible. Timely goal scoring and penalty killing are what make it happen and that is why the Kings—as long as they remain healthy—are going to win at least their first round playoff series and perhaps even further. There is in fact still a long way to go but keep an eye on this team because you’ll be hearing a lot more from them come spring time.

On the other end of the Western Conference playoff tree are the Detroit Red Wings. That’s right people the Detroit Red Wings from Hockeytown USA find themselves in ninth place a point out of a playoff spot after 32 games played. Granted, Johan Franzen has been out since October as he recovers from knee surgery and his scoring would probably be enough to at least have them in a playoff spot today. However, as it stands Franzen has not been playing and the rest of the team has been unable to pick up the slack as much as they need to. Their first issue is once again goaltending for they went through a similar situation last year in the regular season when neither Osgood nor Conklin (and this year Jimmy Howard) could keep the puck out of the net. The difference between this year and last year is that last year Detroit could outscore anyone to make up for the netminding deficiencies. Detroit has the experience and enough talent to go far come playoff time should they qualify, but getting there is going to be the problem. Fact is that Detroit is getting older, they have plenty of young talent to replace the older guys but these young players need time to find their niches and really get used to their roles to mesh as a team. Not only do the Wings have to worry about internal problems but the fact that the rest of the Western Conference simply got better. With stiffer competition and the lack of intimidation factor that used to come with playing against Detroit (even only two short seasons ago) the Red Wings could, and I think will, find themselves out of a playoff spot for the first time in a long time. Now the Western Conference has turned upside down with L.A. on top and Detroit on bottom… get used to it folks because it’s the new NHL reality.

Blue Jackets For Real; Conference On Notice

After 16 games the Columbus Blue Jackets are 9-5-2 yielding 20 points which is tops in the Central Division. Hopefully this good start shows all of the doubters that Columbus is a good team and that last year was no fluke. Many believed they overachieved mainly because of the unbelievable play of Steve Mason who put up extraordinary numbers. While it’s true that Mason stole a lot of games for the Jackets, thus far this year his numbers have been average at best. Mason certainly has been solid but not spectacular and as a result Rick Nash and company have needed to step up and they have done just that. Nash’s numbers have been stellar (22 pts from 11 goals and 11 assists) but the rest of the team has been underwhelming in comparison in terms of individual numbers. Nevertheless the numbers of the next five scorers on the team points list are pretty good for as a group the five (Vermette, Voracek, Chimera, Umberger, and Brassard) have a combined 54 points. Those numbers are so impressive because it means it’s not just one line putting up all of the numbers which doesn’t allow a team to focus on stopping one line. That also allows guys to have an off night (perhaps aside from Nash) and not have it hurt the team too much because others can pick up the slack.

Although their record is good and the scoring numbers are solid the Blue Jackets are going to have to get Steve Mason to step up his game just a bit. As they stand right now the Columbus is good enough to make the playoffs by a comfortable margin, but if Mason doesn’t rise to another level come playoff time it’s unlikely that Columbus will see past round one. The burden is not solely on Mason because there are five other players who need to play defense in front of him, especially when it comes to penalty killing. There is plenty of time left in the season for the Jackets to improve as a team, should that happen despite how good the Western Conference is everyone should be on notice that Columbus is for real.

Hockey Hodgepodge

A few random thoughts for the moment:

After most NHL teams have played in the neighborhood of eight games it is important to note (as should be said every year about this time) that no top team is as good as they seem and no bottom teams are as bad as they seem.  So Pens and Rangers fans keep your lids on and Leafs fans it really will get better.

The L.A. Kings are for real. There has been some debate whether they’re ready to be good now or are still a year off. Well after a very strong start there should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that they are ready to compete now. So to those of you on the east coast if you do not watch any other games for west coast teams all year make sure to catch L.A. in a home game if you can it’s worth it to watch a team just beginning to bloom.

Early signs point to the Atlantic Division in the east and the Pacific Division in the west as being the most competitive division in each conference. As a result they will probably have the most teams in the playoffs come April.

The Washington Capitals are in the bottom third of the conference in terms of goals allowed. As exciting as that offense is to watch they can forget about winning anything other than the division if they don’t play better defensively (and that’s not entirely on the goaltender).

The Ottawa Senators have been playing well. Enjoy it while it lasts Sens fans because they are a fraud.

Credit to the Phoenix Coyote players who have not allowed any of the off-ice drama from the summer affect them. They are playing very well right now and the team is going to be solid all year of they can remain focused on hockey. Playoffs? Doubtful, but they are no easy W for anyone. Kudos to the players and keep up the good work.

As much as many puckheads might hate to admit it the Detroit Red Wings are the favorites to win the West until they are officially eliminated from playoff contention or knocked out of the playoffs themselves.

Enjoy your weekend of hockey everyone, all teams in play Saturday, should be a good one.

Western Conference Outlook

Tomorrow the journey for the Stanley Cup begins but for now we preview the other side of the coin before the puck drops, all analysis ends, and the games begin.

Ok corny intros aside here is my preview of the west (much like I did for the east) followed by the finals pick and who I think will hoist the Cup next spring.

The eight teams to qualify—in no particular order—are as follows: Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and the San Jose Sharks.

The Detroit Red Wings are the best of the best again and despite having lost Hudler and Hossa they will simply use the machine of a farm system they’ve created to reload without skipping a beat. The only outstanding question in Detroit is the regular season play of Chris Osgood who put up subpar numbers last year from October through March. Showing up in the playoffs has always been Osgood’s M.O. but if he is as inconsistent this year as he was last season the rise of other teams in Detroit’s division could find the mighty Red Wings fighting for a playoff spot.

Things are looking up on the ice in Chicago as long as Patrick Kane can stay out of trouble off the ice. Kane along with Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews (among others) return while veterans John Madden and Marian Hossa have been added to an already star-studded roster. Much like their counterparts to the north Chicago’s only real unknown is in net as Nikolai Khabibulin is now a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The most seasoned and perhaps most likely person to provide stability for the Hawks between the pipes is Cristobal Huet who has shown some signs of greatness. No matter who ultimately gets and keeps the starting job as the goaltender goes so goes Chicago. If their netminder is consistenly good then Chicago can win it all, and if not then they won’t, but either way the playoffs are in their future.

Columbus got its first taste of post-season hockey last season riding mainly the back of surprise rookie netminder Steve Mason. While Mason will not enjoy the same amount of individual success as last year it is my contention that the team will fare better overall. Rick Nash is on a short list of stars on the Blue Jackets but what Columbus has over other teams is cohesiveness. This group has gone through a lot of losing together and last year they experienced a taste of winning. Last year’s success felt good to them and the bitterness of not winning a game in the post season no doubt left a bitter taste in their mouths and will only bring them together to work harder for one another to become a better squad.

Vancouver rode Roberto Luongo all the way to the post-season last year and sweep the St. Louis Blues out of the playoffs on the stick of Alex Burrows. The playoffs were a coming out party of sorts for Alex Burrows (according to some) and Canucks fans have to hope it was just that. Locking up the Sedin twins was huge for any hopes of being a serious contender for Vancouver but the past few seasons have shown that they cannot rely on the Sedin’s for all of their offense. Having three solid lines is something they have lacked for a few years causing their postseason success to be limited. Adding the experience of Mathieu Schneider will greatly improve their blueline but it will be up to the likes of Ryan Kessler and the aforementioned Alex Burrows to prop up this team to the next level. Round one is a given, but round two and beyond is up to Vancouver.

For the Calgary Flames it is short and sweet. They can make it to round one of the playoffs (as they will do again this year) but the question yet again for the Flames is will they have enough discipline to take their frustrations of first round exits and translate it into playing more sound hockey. It’s no longer about skill for Calgary, they’ve got that, it’s amount having the mental fortitude to better themselves as a team.

The Los Angeles Kings will probably be the most interesting and exciting story of the Western Conference this season. Most all puckheads agree that this team is on the rise but I think not only are they on the rise but that they will win their first round playoff series. Sure it puts me in a bind as far as other preseason predictions go but I’m saying this one supersedes all other predictions I make with the exception of the scenario in which they play the team I think will advance to the finals out of the west. Generally I am simply that confident in what the Kings organization as a whole is doing. They have taken their licks over the years but have spent a lot of time learning from those lumps and have put some pretty talented players in key areas. They have a lot of good, young players in Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov  (heading into the prime of his career), Jack Johnson, Jarred Stoll (also heading into this prime) and Jonathan Quick who was extremely reliable in goal last year and is likely to only get better. Along with this young talent they have added seasoned veterans in Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi who has just come off a Stanley Cup Championship with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Kings have the right people in the right places at the right time and barring injury this team is poised to be successful right now.

Lastly are the President’s Trophy winning San Jose Sharks who have done little to change their team in terms of quantity of moves but the quality of moves has been stellar. Dany Heatley was picked up—at the expense of Jonathan Cheechoo—and will be a wonderful addition to this squad. Regular season success has not been a problem for the Sharks (true of many west teams it seems) but Heatley puts them over the hump into serious contention to win the west. Heatley can not only score a lot of goals but he has enjoyed a fair amount of success before so his experience along with a chip on his shoulder to show those in Ottawa that he can still play is going to move San Jose along another step in the right direction.

The only other team that could make any noise should they make the playoffs are the Anaheim Ducks. Their experience is what sets them above the rest but unfortunately perhaps their greatest asset is their biggest downfall. The Ducks are an aging team who have lost yet another step at every position and can only hope to stay close until the trade deadline where they can maybe make a move for a younger group of players with fresher legs for a lengthy playoff run.  Edmonton is not far behind either but they fall short of the star power and physical play needed to succeed in the west. Goaltending is Edmonton’s strongest aspect but that was true last year as well so they will not get their either. No other team has a prayer of even getting to the playoffs let alone making noise once they get there.

With all of that said I think the Chicago Blackhawks will be the team to make it out of the west as they will find what they need in net and will go a step further than last year. Chicago will take on the Boston Bruins who will outlast a tired group of Pittsburgh Penguins to take the east. This sets up an awesome original six match-up which will be a marketing dream for the NHL. After an incredible back and fourth battle the Stanley Cup Finals will again go seven games at which point the Chicago Blackhawks will finally allow Marian Hossa to hoist the Stanley Cup as the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champions! Enjoy opening night everyone!

Last Two Champs Battle Headlines West Round Two

Although the east has the so called “dream match-up” the second round of the Western Conference probably has the series with the most potential as the last two Stanley Cup Champions will go head-to-head.

Western Conference:

2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Anaheim Ducks
The seeding in this series explains who has home ice advantage and that is it. The match-up itself is a very even one as each team equals the other in talent and experience alike. Coming into the playoffs the defending champion Red Wings had only one question, goaltending. But after their first round sweep of Columbus it looks like Chris Osgood is back to form when it matters the most. Ahead of Osgood the Red Wings have continued to suffocate teams by scoring goals while limiting the other team’s scoring chances by holding on to the puck for so much of the game. In large part perhaps the best and maybe only way to stop Detroit’s offensive zone, puck-possession style is by asserting one’s physical presence… enter the Anaheim Ducks. Not only do the Ducks equal Detroit in skill and experience but also in size. The Ducks are big up front and at the blue line which is what propelled them to the Stanley Cup just two years ago where they beat the Red Wings along the way I might add. Quite possibly the only weakness for the Ducks is netminder Jonas Hiller and that’s only because he has never been here before. Hiller proved himself worthy in the first round by shutting out the President’s Trophy winning Sharks and if that continues then consider that question answered.

So what is the X-factor in this series? For the Red Wings to win they simply have to do what they did in the first round and have done time and time again in the past, simply play their game from start to finish. For the Ducks they have to keep themselves out of the penalty box, but if they do go to the box they need to take a Red Wing with them when they can—via fighting majors or retaliation penalties—and when they do yield Detroit a power play they need make sure their penalties are because of hard play and not because of stupid interference or holding calls. The Ducks will also need to see if they can get Osgood to return to his 2008-2009 regular season form in which both is GAA and save percentage were terrible. However in the end it will be the Detroit Red Wings who take this evenly matched series in seven.

3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 4. Chicago Blackhawks
Many people would say this is another evenly matched series that can go either way but I tend to disagree. Roberto Luongo gets the edge in goaltending over Nikolai Khabibulin although give Khabiblulin another feather in his cap since he has won a Cup whereas Luongo has not. Outside of the goaltending comparison the Blackhawks have a much better overall team than the Canucks. On paper the teams are evenly matched but the Canucks rely way too much on Luongo to bail them out time and time again; that has worked out so far but is not likely to continue indefinitely. Alex Burrows stepped up big time for the Canucks in round one scoring huge goals with none being bigger than the series clinching goal in overtime of game four. The Sedin twins have been good but outside of the two of them and Alex Burrows playing above his pay grade in round one the Canucks did not get much support from the rest of the team. Mats Sundin should now get a chance to heal and could make a difference for the Canucks but since arriving in Vancouver he has mostly underachieved despite playing well down the stretch.
As for the Blackhawks, they have an enormous amount of skill up front (Kris Versteeg, Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Towes to name a few) while also possessing a very strong blueline with Ben Eager, Duncan Keith, and company. Sure they lost two games against Calgary while Vancouver swept through St. Louis but the Hawks were up against much stronger competition who they squashed in the last two games of that series. So all the Blackhawks have to do to win is to continue to play as a very strong unit while Vancouver’s best chance of winning is relying heavily on Luongo. With that in mind, the Hawks have a much wider margin of error than the Canucks do and will win the series in six as a result.

Enjoy round two everybody!

Stanley Cup Playoffs Make Grand Entrance

Well the playoffs are now in full swing as every series will have played two games by the end of Saturday. So let’s take a look and how the respective series are unfolding:

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Bruins VS 8.Montreal Canadiens
The final score of game one was about what everybody expected but the level of competition between the two clubs was probably higher than most thought. Boston roared out to a 2-0 lead but the Canadiens battled back to tie the game at two before ultimately going down 4-2. But the rivalry is hot and despite the perception of a major mismatch it doesn’t seem likely to be over anytime soon. Game 2 is tonight before the series shifts back to Montreal so we’ll see what surprises are in store for us.

2. Washington Capitals VS 7. New York Rangers
Jose Theodore didn’t make it past the first game as he was benched for rookie back up netminder Simeon Varlamov after Washington’s 4-3 loss at home to the Rangers. Again many people felt the Rangers were completely outmatch by the fire power of the Capitals and that the only chance the Rangers had offensively is if Theodore didn’t play well. Theodore did not play all that well in game one and the Rangers stole one from Washington but surely things would be different now that Theodore was benched. Varlamov did indeed play very well in net for Washington Saturday afternoon as the Rangers were only able to net one behind the rookie netminder. Unfortunately for the Caps Henrik Lundqvist was up to the challenge and shut Ovechkin and company out. Now the series shifts back to New York with the Rangers having a commanding lead and looking for the sweep. Sportsroids when against the grain in predicting a Rangers win in this series and so far the Rangers have no disappointed.

3. New Jersey Devils VS Carolina Hurricanes
In a series that many felt would be evenly matched has surely turned out to be that way. After game one the Canes looked to be greatly overmatched; but after Carolina took game two in overtime we’ve got ourselves a series. The two teams are so similar in every aspect of the game and that makes the series a virtually toss up on paper. Sportsroids said Carolina in five and although that seems unlikely now we are sticking to our guns! Regardless of what happens there is a lot of great hockey ahead of us in this series.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins VS 5. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers seemed greatly outmatched after game one but game two was an entirely different story. Philly took the earlier lead but Pittsburgh battled back to tie. Then the Flyers took another lead only to see penalties allow the Penguins back into a game seemingly headed to the win column for the Flyers. But take nothing away from Pittsburgh, they dominated game one and although were largely outplayed in game two they took advantage of Flyer mistakes and now have a strangle-hold on the series. Don’t expect the Flyers to quit though as they move home to play in front of their rowdy and very unforgiving fans at Wachovia center. Sportsroids told you this would go seven games, and although that is still possible if Pittsburgh wins either of the games in Philadelphia the Flyers will be in serious trouble. The Flyers won’t fold but don’t expect Pittsburgh to take their proverbial foot off the gas.

Western Conference

1. San Jose Sharks VS 8. Anaheim Ducks
People were wondering if the Sharks were finally ready to take it to the next level or if the same old Sharks would show up again in the playoffs. One game does not a series make but for at least one night it’s the same old Sharks. Granted, the Ducks are not far removed from a Stanley Cup Championship but the Sharks at least need to score a goal. There is still a long way to go but if San Jose continues to play like they did in game one they will be making an early exit.

2. Detroit Red Wings VS 7.Columbus Blue Jackets
As I write this post the Red Wings are leading the Blue Jackets 3-0 at the second intermission, this after winning game one 4-1. The Blue Jackets have been a great story all season but the playoffs are too much for them and so they are done.

3. Vancouver Canucks VS 6. St. Louis Blues
The Blues were another good story going into the playoffs but after making a pretty good showing in game one they were completely shut down by Vancouver in game two losing 3-0. Like Columbus, St. Louis is an up and coming team with great goaltending but they appear to be severely overmatched by the Vancouver Canucks.

4. Chicago Blackhawks VS 5. Calgary Flames
Game one of this series was probably the most entertaining game of the first round so far. Game one had everything you could want in a playoff hockey game: lead changes, scrums, great individual battles, fantastic goaltending and overtime! Sure Martin Havlat ended the party early by scoring only 12 seconds into the overtime period but if game one was any indication of how the rest of the series will go then this and the Carolina-New Jersey series have the potential to become classics.

Like you, we at sportsroids will be watching intently to see how the rest of round one unfolds. Enjoy the ride hockey fans!

Sportsroids.com’s Western Conference Playoffs Predictions

The Western Conference welcomes newcomers (Columbus), perennial powerhouses (Detroit) and those who haven’t been there in quite a while (Chicago, St. Louis). Those facts make for a very interesting two months so we at sportsroids will try to make it simply for you by previewing the match-ups.

1. San Jose Sharks VS 8. Anaheim Ducks
The first all California NHL playoff match-up since the 1960s puts the old dogs against the new kids on the block… in a way. San Jose has had some very good teams in recent years and have experienced a fair amount of playoff success by getting their consistently and winning their fair share of games. Despite the wins racked up since their inception into the league in the early 1990s, the Sharks have yet to reach the hockey summit. Expectations are now higher for them than ever before after a disappointing year last season leading to the firing of Ron Wilson in favor of Todd McClellan who brought the Sharks their first ever President’s Trophy. The Sharks are a relatively young team but the fans are tired of second round exits and are very much expecting a strong run at the Stanley Cup from the Sharks. On the flip side are the Anaheim Ducks who have been in the league less time than San Jose but already have two Cup finals trips to show for along with a Stanley Cup Championship two short years ago. In that regard the Ducks are the old dogs because they have “been there, done that” where San Jose has not. Bottom line is, the series will come down to experience versus youth; although I think Anaheim is a very dangerous team (despite their 8^th seed) who can cause a lot of damage if they get out of the first round. However, I think the Sharks time is now, their coach, city, and players are all read to take that next step and it starts with a six game series win over the in-state rival Ducks.

2. Detroit Red Wings VS 7. Columbus Blue Jackets
Much like the Sharks-Ducks series the Red Wings have been there done that and Columbus hasn’t… ever. This is the first playoff go around for the city of Columbus and the Blue Jackets franchise. There will be a lot of energy in the Nationwide Arena game four as the Blue Jackets host their first playoff game. Despite all the energy the Blue Jackets will have going into Detroit the Red Wings will have too much fire power for the Blue Jackets to succeed. Goaltending has been dicey all season for Detroit but as Chris Osgood has shown before when it counts he is top-notch. Blue Jacket stars Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Kristian Huselius, and rookie phenom Steve Mason will give Columbus a punchers chance in this series but will come up short. Cronwall, Zetterberg, Lindstrom, Franzen, etc. will be way too much for upstart Columbus… Detroit in five.

3. Vancouver Canucks VS 6. St. Louis Blues
Both teams have been hot as of late as St. Louis came from being down and out all the way up to the sixth seed; while Vancouver was 12 points down to Calgary only to surge back to snatch the division title from the Flames. When two hot teams meet on a playoff collision course there are usually a lot of fireworks and should make for a very entertaining series. The Blues have a lot of talent on their team in guys like Brad Boyes, David Backes, David Parron, rookie sensation T.J. Oshie and goaltender extraordinaire Chris Mason. They fought hard to reach this point and have a city that hasn’t seen the playoffs in quite some time pretty charged up. St. Lous will undoubtedly put up a great fight and may very well pull off the upset. However, the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Mats Sundin, and Roberto Luongo (the X-factor and probably the most important piece to Vancouver’s puzzle) will push forward in the playoffs and dispose of the Blues in five.

4. Chicago VS 5. Calgary
The Blackhawks are finally back to the playoffs and the city is on fire, burning with passion for their hockey team. Martin Havlat, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp along with solid goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin earned Chicago home-ice in the first round and some very excited fans. Many think Chicago can be very good for a long time but this year may be just a bit too early for the Blackhawks. They are up against a very tough first round opponent who are under a lot of pressure to finally perform in the playoffs after underachieving since their Cup Finals appearance in 2004. The Flames have assembled a lot of stars—Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri, Dion Phaneuf, and Olli Jokinen to name a few—but the most important player on the ice will be Mikka Kiprusoff. The highly touted netminder has been nothing short of spectacular for Calgary over the years but has played a lot of games over the years (including this season) and has faced a ton of shots. Kiprusoff can hold up but will need help from the team in front of him to take some of the pressure off and limit the shots the Blackhawks get on net. 25-30 shots per game are ok but once you get higher than 30 consistently Kiprusoff is only human and will break down. Limiting shots on goal for Calgary is of the utmost importance if they want to finally have the success many think they can achieve. Although they blew their division lead down the stretch I think the Flames have the right pieces assembled to go deep into the playoffs…starting with a six game series victory over Chicago.

Beware of the Wounded Ducks

With the last week of the season upon us the crazy race to the playoffs in the Western Conference is starting to solidify. The top five spots are already sewed up the only question now is where in the pecking order each team will fall. Detroit and San Jose have been jostling at the top of the conference seemingly since day one, and there is something to be said for that come playoff time. However, the most dangerous team that nobody is talking about resides in Anaheim. The Ducks’ biggest challenge this season will be just qualifying for the post-season; but once they’re in it will take a lot of pressure off of them and they will be able to shine. The Ducks have already taken themselves out of the bottom of the west where they seemed to be fading away into 7^th position overall. Anaheim’s experience is carrying them a long way and it is that very experience that will lead them to post-season success. The likes of Selanne, Pronger, J.S. Giguere, and the Niedermayer brothers have all been there before and will not shy away from any adversity that comes their way. Keep in mind that just two years ago this team was hoisting the Stanley Cup and last year’s early exit was very much a result of sheer fatigue. But now the Ducks are back, they are rolling right along and they can beat anybody at any time. There is no fear in the 2008-2009 version of the Anaheim Ducks and despite the odds against them (namely their age) don’t be surprised to see these Ducks go deep into the playoffs and perhaps even win it all.

Flames’ Defense Burning Out

The Calgary Flames acquired Olli Jokinen at the trade deadline and many put them as the new Western Conference favorites—or at least up there with San Jose and Detroit—as a result. There is no doubt that acquisition of Jokinen will help Calgary’s chances of winning both the west and the Stanley Cup. However, since the trade deadline the Flames have gone 1-3 including losing three in a row by a combined 14-5. Granted, Calgary is on a long east coast road trip which is really hard for any team let alone a team from out west. That said, losing is one thing but giving up 14 goals in three games is pathetic. The Calgary Flames needed more help on defense than anywhere else and Jordan Leopold is a fine player but not enough to make a big enough impact to give Calgary the defensive improvement it needs (you heard that first here on sportsroids right after the trade deadline). So where does Calgary go from here? They are eight points ahead of the closest team in their division and it is doubtful this losing will continue once they leave the east coast so the playoffs are almost certainly in their sites. But as many fans, observers, etc. will tell you Calgary was not built to just make the playoffs but to be highly successful once they qualify. Size, offensive fire-power, and goaltending are all important aspects of what makes a successful playoff team; the missing part of that equation is strong defense. Limiting scoring chances takes pressure off of the goalie and the offense because if you don’t the offense cannot always outscore the other team who will net many pucks if a goaltender—no matter how great—is peppered with puck after puck. The Flames have a lot to figure out in the next few weeks because being outscored 14-5 is the sign of a team headed an early round exit, an abject disaster for Flames fans everywhere.

LIke what you see? Try these on for size:

NFL

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/10/plaxicos-moment-of-truth-court-date-march-31st-is-upcoming-did-he-really-shoot-himself-in-the-foot/

NBA

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/09/are-the-cleveland-cavaliers-ready-to-come-out-of-the-east/

MLB

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/01/greener-pastures-for-jeter/

WWE

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/10/it%E2%80%99s-official-world-heavyweight-championship-will-be-a-triple-threat/

MMA

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/09/new-brutal-and-best-mma-knockouts-from-2008/

Hotties

http://sportsroids.com/2009/03/08/usc-trojan-jennifer-mueller-is-a-hottie/

Video Games

http://sportsroids.com/2009/01/07/nba-live-09-kobe-bryant-busts-a-chump-and-scores-96-points-highlight-video/

Flames Win Big; Penguins, Rangers Improve; Canadiens Do Nothing

Now that the NHL trade deadline has come and gone the general consensus is that the Calgary Flames made the biggest splash acquiring Ollie Jokinen. Many in the hockey world think this acquisition puts them over the top and makes Calgary the new Stanley Cup front runners. Calgary did indeed improve their status greatly but not because of Jokinen but rather because of Jordan Leopold. In recent years the Flames have struggled in the playoffs in large part because of their inability to limit the amount of shots Mikka Kiprusoff. Adding Leopold may be just what the doctor ordered to take some pressure off of Kiprusoff and Dion Phaneuf. With this acquisition and Detroit’s goaltending issues the Calgary Flames have now put themselves up there with the San Jose Sharks as the front runners to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Looking to the bottom part of the West perhaps the most notable move was made by Columbus who acquired Antoine Vermette. For the first time Columbus is on the cusp of making the playoffs and now management has shown that they are both serious about making the playoffs and also about winning once they get there.

Turning to the Eastern Conference now it’s probably fair to say that no major splashes were made by any of the teams on deadline day. The biggest impact of any trade to this point in the season is probably how Chris Kunitz has played in Pittsburgh netting three goals and five total points in only three games. Pittsburgh added Bill Guerin in the meantime and have won four in a row all without Crosby, so adding Guerin and Crosby to the lineup probably makes Pittsburgh somewhat of a wildcard down the stretch/into the playoffs. Perhaps the “splash” of the day in the east was made by the Rangers who acquired Nick Antropov which may just be the answer to all of their offensive woes and may provide the spark the Rangers need to break out of their recent funk. Erik Cole going back to Carolina means they are sure to score a lot of goals the final month and a half of the season. The bigger question for the Canes is can Cam Ward continue to carry them defensively; they rely on Ward a ton and he will probably get burned out pretty soon.

There were also some “non-moves” that will greatly impact the Eastern Conference race. Most notable was Florida not moving Jay Bouwmeester. If the Panthers were going to make the playoffs or at least make any noise once they got there they were going to need Bouwmeester and now they’ve got him so Eastern Conference teams beware. Also of great significance is the fact that the Montreal Canadiens did not make a single move. After addressing none of their on ice issues the Canadiens promptly lost to Buffalo 5-1 in a game they were thoroughly outplayed by Buffalo in the final 40 minutes. Many (including myself) believed the Canadiens were the favorites to win the East and they still can do just that, but by not making a single move at the deadline coupled with Price’s continues woes their chances are in jeopardy. Mathieu Schneider has done a lot to improve their power play and it’s possible that Wednesday night was the exception but considering how poorly they played it’s hard to imagine. In the end, no matter how the season turns out these final 19 or 20 games will be an awful lot of fun to watch.

By the way, I know Sean Avery is back in New York… I don’t care.

Four Important NHL Lessons to Learn

There was a lot of action in the NHL this past weekend as there is every weekend but there are four big things we learned and should keep in mind the rest of the year:

1. The Washington Capitals are for real. They have been on a roll lately but nothing like Saturday when they beat the East leading Boston Bruins 2-1 at Verizon Center. And after defeated the new trap playing penguins (more on that later) and the similar defensive style of the Bruins who supplement that with great goal-scoring the Caps showed they can beat anybody and play any style. Their team speed breaks that trap better than any other team in the East and they can win high scoring AND low scoring games… the rest of the league should be on high alert.

2. The Pittsburgh Penguins have finally figured out that with all their injuries a change in strategy is necessary and the trap is just what the doctor ordered. In casual conversation with a friend on December 12^th I mentioned the Penguins need to run a trap if only temporarily to keep themselves in games until they get some guys healthy and sure enough a month and a day later they run it and win against the Flyers. Now they have won two of three and despite all the injuries are in a playoff position. The Penguins are now a team to worry about again and once they get guys healthy the teams at the top of the standings should worry… just ask the Flyers and Rangers.

3. The San Jose Sharks beat Detroit 6-5 on Saturday. They are not going to fade away… the Western Conference has been warned.

4. The Phoenix Coyotes (yes Phoenix) is a viable team and WILL make the playoffs.

Have a great holiday everybody.

Coyotes Improving; Fans Indifferent

Perhaps it is Wayne Gretzky working his magic or maybe they are finally molding into a decent team by the Phoenix Coyotes are in 6^th position in the Western Conference and in prime position to make a push toward the playoffs. Since finishing sixth in the 2001-2002 season the Phoenix Coyotes have had very little success and have frankly been down-right abysmal. But, at least for now, the Coyotes are a viable franchise that are unlikely to make any noise in the playoffs if they do qualify but some progress is better than no progress after all. For the most part the Coyotes’ roster consists of mediocre players at best with a goaltender in Ilya Bryzgalov who is putting up pretty good numbers with a sub-three GAA and a respectable .911 save percentage. In the midst of the mediocrity there is a shining light who has been more or less unnoticed in the death pit of a sports market that is the great Phoenix (more on that later) and that is right-winger Shane Doan. Doan leads the team with 38 points (18 G, 20 A) with the next closets teammate at 28 points. He also leads all forwards on the team with an average ice time of 20:38 and is 4^th behind only defensemen who traditionally have the highest average ice time. He is a work horse who can not only score goals but set up teammates regularly as he leads the team in both goals and assists. Overall there is not much going for this franchise (and hasn’t been since they moved from Winnipeg in the ‘90s) but for all the fans in that area who can get a chance to see Doan play they are witnessing something special—at least for this year.

Unfortunately for the city of Phoenix and the NHL the Coyotes are reportedly expected to lose 30 million dollars this year and are struggling to draw attention in a city that is not just a weak hockey market but a terrible sports market. The Arizona Cardinals are to host a home playoff game Saturday for the first time in Arizona and for the first time since the franchise was in Chicago in 1947. And yet despite that the Cardinals needed two extension by the NFL to sell-out the game so there would not be a local blackout in affect. The area does not even support America’s most popular sport when its team is in the playoffs let alone a sport that continues to struggle in some areas like hockey. The 30 million dollar loss may have something to do with the team’s futility over the years but not entirely. Sports fans in that region seem to be few and far between and if they are not going to support a team in Phoenix there are plenty of other cities who would. The Phoenix hockey experiment has basically failed and there is no reason to reward that city with a hockey team (or any other major sports team for that matter) anymore.

Stars Dismiss Avery

Reports are that the Dallas Stars have decided to severe their ties with Sean Avery after his most recent comments and subsequent suspension. What Brett Hull and the rest of the Dallas Stars expected from Sean Avery when they signed him escapes me. Avery’s reputation preceded him and is part of the reason so many teams did not want to sign him but Hull and company took a chance on him and Avery should have known he was on a tight leash as a result. With that in mind, the comments Avery made were punishable without a doubt (and I agree with the suspension) now he has served that punishment; but the Stars getting rid of Avery I think is going too far. Antics were sure to follow Avery to Dallas as would have been true anywhere, and this most recent antic was embarrassing to the team and the league but let’s face it Avery did not break any laws, he did not attack anyone beyond the rules of the game on the ice or even cost them to lose any games. Dallas is not having a very good season and I refuse to believe they would be cutting ties with Avery if they were near the top of the Western Conference. More or less the Stars are making Avery the scapegoat and trying to use this as “motivation” to somehow make a push toward the playoffs. Maybe Dallas should think about getting rid of some guys who are aiding in their awful performance thus far instead of throwing Avery under the bus for some comments he made.

No Need to Panic in Minnesota…Yet

After their 3-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday night the Minnesota Wild find themselves in the midst of a three game losing streak, their first such streak this year. After scoring at least four goals in each of their previous four games, the Wild have managed only two goals in their last three games combined. While Minnesota is not necessarily designed to score a lot of goals since they rely on their tough defense to keep the other team off the board in setting up what should be a lot of one-goal game victories for the Wild. However, during this losing streak they have lost 2-1, 1-0, and 3-1 respectively when generally the Wild find themselves on the winning end of such low-scoring contests. It is hardly time for panic in the twin cities for a season that lasts 82 games has many ups and downs associated with it. Nevertheless, the results of the last three games are something to keep an eye on if you’re a Wild fan because if this trend keeps up—despite their wonderful start to the season Minnesota—it may not bode well for them come April 12^th. The Western Conference is so competitive that a number of very talented team will end up failing to make the playoffs. At the moment spots 4 through 15 are only separated by 9 points so if the Wild do not get it together come season’s end they may find themselves all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Welcome Back Chicago Blackhawks

It really is good to have the Chicago Blackhawks back in the playoff hunt; it is good for Chicago, U.S. Hockey and the NHL at-large. As it stands right now the Blackhawks are 6^th in the Western Conference two points behind 4^th place Anaheim and one point behind 5^th place Calgary but have two games in hand over both those teams. They are getting very good goaltending from both Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin, and watching Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathan Toews is a lot of fun now and will be for years to come. It is also very nice to see the fans fill the arena to see the Blackhawks who, to the fans defense, have not been very good in quite some time. That said, two years ago the Blackhawks were 29^th out of 30 in attendance average and now they are first with 21,481 per game. Watching these fans at the Winter Classic should be a lot of fun and come playoff time they will give the Blackhawks an incredible home ice advantage especially because it has been a while since Chicago made it to the playoffs. Blackhawk fans are showing what a great hockey town Chicago really is and this is just the beginning of what could form into a series of great teams in the years to come. How can you not love a team that has its own song? If you have never heard the song the following link will give you a taste of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPBw45ETm7o . So to all those who think “no one” cares about hockey in the U.S. Chicago is yet another example of how wrong you are!

Where Has Marty Turco Gone?

On Thursday night the Dallas Stars lost to the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 6-3. The Stars have lost three of their last four and now sit last in the Pacific Division with 15 points in 18 games played. The more alarming stat is that they have given up a league worst 68 goals, and that begs the question what has happened to Marty Turco? The last few years Turco has been considered one of the best goaltenders in the league and rightfully so. Turco has a career save percentage of .911 and goals against average (GAA) 2.21 which are both incredible career numbers. However, thus far this year he is way off those numbers with a .867 save percentage and a 3.67 GAA. Sure the Stars have a lot of talent and that talent combined with the brilliance of Turco drove them to be Western Conference finalists before they ran into the brick wall that was the Detroit Red Wings; and although that talent has scored a below league average 51 goals (league average is 54.4 total goals) they still need to get a lot more from Turco if they expect to be contenders. Despite his rocky start Turco is probably the Stars’ best chance at making the playoffs so there is no logic that supports demoting him at this point but if the old Turco does not show up sometime soon it will be a very long season for Dallas who are on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-2002 season.

Conference Realignment Good for NHL

As I watched the games on Saturday’s schedule I started thinking about the remarkable lack of balance between the two conferences as far as their respective travel schedules are concerned. On Saturday Nashville went to L.A. after playing Anaheim on Friday and Columbus to Minnesota while on Sunday Chicago goes to San Jose. These are only a few examples of a number of conference games these teams, as well as other in the west, play all the time that require them to travel many miles and across 2 or 3 time zones routinely not to mention the games against eastern conference teams. On the other hand, with the exception of a few games against western conference teams, no team in the east has to leave the eastern time-zone once to play anyone in conference. It is unfair to put the burden of traveling so far so often on the players and organizations in one group but not the other. Extra travel costs a lot of money and it wears the players down a bit. My solution is to keep the two conferences but do not split it into east and west but instead perhaps north and south so that teams in both conferences travel just as much as the other. It is not only fair but it causes fans to pay greater attention to teams out west (or east) who might not otherwise do so resulting in greater U.S. exposure for the league since roughly 1/3 of the U.S. population lives in the east.

Preseason Outlook on NBA’s top Championship Contenders in 2008-2009 Regular Season

You know, basketball is unlike pro football where your schedule can be favorable or brutal depending on whom teams are scheduled to play. But in basketball, you play every team. With that being said, I give you my top contenders for the title this season.

The Celtics have such a swagger. They have stifling interior defense and the stars are all leaders either by example or a mixture of that and charisma. They are a confident bunch from top to bottom.

The New Orleans Hornets are young, quick, defensive, and are lead by the best point guard in the league… Chris Paul. They let it slip against the Spurs, but they are young, and the Spurs are another year older.

The Lakers made it to the Finals, and they cruised in their Western Conference playoff matchups. However, the story was much different in the Finals.

The Lakers seemed to outmatch the Western Conference, but the Celtics won convincingly in the Finals against them so I’d put them ahead of L.A. The Hornets are good, but they are still younger than the Celtics, and ultimately the only have one true superstar against three in Boston.

I’d give the edge to Boston to win it all again.