It’s time for the Playoffs and another year of half assed television coverage of the most exciting postseason in pro sports. NBC and OLN will exchange duties throughout the playoffs and you can always rely on your local FSN affiliates to carry the first three rounds of your local team for you. In Canada, well, it goes without saying that you’ll get full doses of playoff coverage no matter where you turn to.
#1 Detroit Red Wings Vs #8 Edmonton Oilers
Game 1: Friday, April 21st
Game 2: Sunday, April 23rd
Game 3: Tuesday, April 25th
Game 4: Thursday, April 27th
Game 5*: Saturday, April 29th
Game 6*: Monday, May 1st
Game 7*: Wednesday, May 3rd
*If Neccesary
More shocking things have happened in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as far as upsets are concerned but this series will see none of that happening. The Oilers might be able to make a good run at the Red Wings (a la Nashville Predators of 2004) by winning a couple of games but that would be about it.
The Wings have just way too much going for them after many had predicted that the team wouldn’t even be among the top teams in the Western Conference and after winning the President’s Trophy, they’re out to seal the deal with another Stanley Cup Championship and the Oilers won’t be stopping them.
Red Wings in 6.
#2 Dallas Stars Vs #7 Colorado Avalanche
Game 1: Saturday, April 22nd
Game 2: Monday, April 24th
Game 3: Wednesday, April 26th
Game 4: Friday, April 28th
Game 5*: Sunday, April 30th
Game 6*: Tuesday, May 2nd
Game 7*: Thursday, May 4th
*If Neccesary
Yeah, that’s a 7 hanging next to the Av’s name in the playoff seeding this year. It was no surprise to see the Avalanche struggle after losing Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg and struggle to make anything happen with the roster that Pierre Lacroix was able to make with mix and match signings but the AV’s made it to the postseason. They have guys like Konawolchuk (who hasn’t played since November) and Marek Svatos ready to play….in the second round. it’s doubtful that Colorado will get past Dallas but if they do, they’ll have a couple of guys who have been injured for a while who can come in and raise the bar a bit. The biggest question for Colorado will be the play of Jose Theodore, whom the Av’s acquired at the trade deadline. His play will dictate how far the Avalanche go.
For Dallas, a whole lot of nothing has changed since 1999, it seems. Every year they come in as a team that’s going to be good but hardly anyone takes them as serious Cup contenders, here they are again, as the No. 2 seed after tearing through the league in the second half of the season. It wasn’t a horrible start to the season at all but the Stars didn’t look like they woulc accomplish much mainly because Mike Modano and Marty Turco were struggling so much, but once that was all 180’d the Stars took off and quickly went up the Conference ranking. This matchup was once a shoe in for the Conference Finals, this year, it seems like more of an afterthought for the Stars.
Dallas in 6.
#3 Calgary Flames Vs #6 Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Game 1: Friday, April 21st
Game 2: Sunday, April 23rd
Game 3: Tuesday, April 25th
Game 4: Thursday, April 27th
Game 5*: Saturday, April 29th
Game 6*: Monday, May 1st
Game 7*: Wednesday, May 3rd
*If Neccesary
I’m going to miss not being able to add “Mighty” to that name next season but people are talking about Hart trophy this and Hart trophy that and there’s a guy in this series who should really be considered for that honor and how he does in this series will help his cause and Teemu Selanne may end up not disappointing. It was in the last tournament that he competed in that set a fire under him and it more than carried over into the second half of the NHL season. Selanne and his Finnish team came very close to delivering Finland’s first Olympic Hockey Gold Medal but once that didn’t happen the message had already been sent…Selanne had lost a tooth and was pissed off about it.
On the Calgary side, there’s an entire crew of playoff expirience and that’s going to make the difference in this series. Yes, the Ducks have Selanne (who hasn’t had much playoff action in his career, by the way) and Giguere and Neidermeyer but the cast that the Flames sport took them to Cup Finals two years ago and if anything, that has only been solidified by adding guys like Darren McCarty and losing some of the guys. That’s not to say that the Flames or for that matter the Ducks don’t rely on the young players but both teams cores are heavily centered there…what it is saying is that the Flames just have a little more grit and come Game 6 or 7, that’s going to make a huge difference.
Flames in 7.
#4 San Jose Sharks Vs #5 Nasvhille Predators
Game 1: Saturday, April 22nd
Game 2: Monday, April 24th
Game 3: Wednesday, April 26th
Game 4: Friday, April 28th
Game 5*: Sunday, April 30th
Game 6*: Tuesday, May 2nd
Game 7*: Thursday, May 4th
*If Neccesary
Those Sharks are pretty damn good and the Nashville Predators (a recent NHL darling amongst fans) are in trouble. Their best player and stalwart Tomas Vokoun is out and has no chance of returning at all this season…a move that puts the Preds behind the eight ball for sure. On the other hand, you have the Sharks who are one of the hottest teams in the league and who continue to erase their horrible start to the season. After acquiring Joe Thornton (Hart Trophy favorite as well) this team has done nothing but shoot out of the Western Conference cellar and into the 4th spot in the playoffs. The Predators have won 6 in a row coming into the series but the Sharks have gone 16-4-2 in their last 22 games.
This, along with the Anaheim/Calgary series, will be one of the two best series in the first round and it’s a shame that the Predators will enter it so undermanned due to injuries to Steve Sullivan and Marek Zidlicky on top of missing Vokoun. That combined with the awesomeness that is Thornon and Cheechoo will be the cause for San Jose moving on to the second round.
Sharks in 6.
Eastern Conference Preview is to follow along with other news like Luc Robitaille retiring, the Kings dumping their entire coaching and front office honchos, the Leafs waking up and finally firing Pat Quinn (as predicted here!) and the return of NYR to the playoffs.
