Here we go again. 16 teams, 16 victories to capture Lord Stanley's Cup. The Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us.
Before the opening faceoff gets underway, we preview the eight first-round matchups, each with a story to tell.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
(1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
Regular Season: Ottawa won 3-1
The Senators slipped to No. 8 on the final day of the regular season, which was a blessing in disguise considering they were 1-5 against their supposed playoff opponents from Boston. Now they figure in a favorable playoff matchup against the Rangers, whom they defeated three of four times. But this is the playoffs, and the Rangers know all too well that it's a different puck game.
The Senators thrive on offense and speed, while the Rangers play well with a gritty, physical defense. The Senators have their major offensive weapons in Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson. While the Rangers have Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and Carl Hagelin leading the forward lines, it is their No.1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist who leads the defense corps. This year, however, Lundqvist has his best offensive cast in his NHL career, a deficient end during his previous four playoff trips. Meanwhile, the Senators need to address their goaltending, which was shuffled between Craig Anderson, Alex Auld and Ben Bishop, neither of whom have the numbers worthy of No. 1 status. In the regular season, the Senators took advantage of Ranger miscues en route to a 3-1 season series win. However, can they pull off the upset, or can the Rangers unleash their dominant form in the best time of the year?
(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
Regular Season: Washington won 3-1
The Washington Capitals clinched a playoff berth on the penultimate game against Florida, and then defeated the Rangers on the final day to take the seventh seed, ensuring a playoff matchup with the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins. The Capitals have a history of regular season success followed by playoff failures. This year, however, the Capitals are the underdogs, and can they relish it? And can Boston finally dominate after spending last season's run playing from behind?
It's Alex Ovechkin against the Bruins. After all, Ovi is the main attraction and the Capitals' anchor. However, he had a poor regular season, and as a result, the Capitals struggled. Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom won't be 100% entering the playoffs. The goalie situation will also be an issue for Dale Hunter, as both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth were both hurt and Braden Holtby is unproven. Meanwhile, the Bruins overcame a rough October, then lackluster play throughout February and March to post another division title and the second seed, and they rely more than just one moving piece. From Tyler Seguin to Patrice Bergeron to Brad Marchand to David Krejci, the Bruins have virtually everyone contributing. And Tim Thomas continues to be a human brick wall behind the pipes. Their big concern is Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid's health, while Tuukka Rask is getting closer to returning from a groin injury. However, the Capitals won three of four from Boston this year despite odds thrown against them. It'll be a clash between Boston's experience against Washington's determination as they face off in the playoffs.
(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
Regular Season: Series tied 2-2
Old faces meet again. Peter DeBoer took over the Devils after being fired by the Panthers at the end of the 2011 season. John Madden won two Stanley Cups with the Devils, and Scott Clemmensen was Martin Brodeur's backup for several years. And the Panthers' last appearance in the playoffs was bittersweet, getting swept by Brodeur and the Devils en route to their 2000 Stanley Cup title. Now the Panthers are back in the playoffs after 12 years, but can they write a different script this time?
The Panthers are led by Tomas Fleischmann, Stephen Weiss and Kris Versteeg, their three top scorers. The midseason addition of Mikael Samuelsson gave them an additional scoring threat, while Sean Bergenheim, who flourished in last season's playoffs with Tampa Bay, will be relied upon as an insurance policy in case any of his teammates struggled. Both Clemmensen and Jose Theodore played decently behind the net, but they'll face a proven playoff performer in Brodeur, who at 39 may just about to write a final chapter in his NHL career. Among the skaters for the Devils, Ilya Kovalchuk will be the one to watch for, as he looks to rebound from his poor playoff debut in 2007. The Devils will also be led by Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, David Clarkson, Adam Henrique, Dainius Zubrus, and Petr Sykora. The Panthers have the youth, but the Devils have playoff wisdom, and a possible playoff repeat.
(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
Regular Season: Philadelphia won 4-2
Scott Hartnell described this series as a 'bloodbath', and six games of the 2011-12 season wasn't enough. So here they go again, the Battle of Pennsylvania begins anew in a bigger stage that is the Stanley Cup playoffs. There will be bodies flying, coaches trash-talking, and even intense jarring from both fans. Indeed the Flyers and Penguins hate each other.
Making it more intense are two Flyers who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins: Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr. Jagr will undoubtedly receive the most ire from Penguins fans, after spurning them for the Flyers in the offseason. Despite his age, he can still score with the best of them, flourishing alongside Hartnell and Claude Giroux in the Flyers' top line. The Penguins will counter with Sidney Crosby, James Neal, Pascal Dupuis and Evgeni Malkin. Marc-Andre Fleury has been stellar on goal for Pittsburgh, while Philly's Ilya Bryzgalov overcame a slow start to post stellar numbers in March. Both teams seem to be even on paper, which makes for an exciting and brutal series between the two teams.
Western Conference Quarterfinals
(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
Regular Season: Series tied 2-2
Like the Rangers-Senators series, the Canucks-Kings series will feature a contrast of styles. The difference, however, is that top-seeded Vancouver can score goals in bunches, while Los Angeles relies on a defense-first mentality to win games, anchored by goalie Jonathan Quick. Vancouver is off to yet another President's Trophy-winning season, but can they write a joyful playoff ending?
With Daniel Sedin still recovering from Duncan Keith's sucker-punch, twin brother Henrik will have to be relied upon to score, a role Daniel usually fulfills. Aside from the Sedins, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows will be the primary goal-scorers for the Canucks. The only issue will be goaltending, as coach Alain Vigneault is still undecided on whether he would start breakout star Cory Schneider or veteran Roberto Luongo, who faltered down the stretch in last year's playoffs. Aside from Quick's stellar play on goal, the offense for the Kings remains its biggest concern, despite the addition of Mike Richards. His former Flyers teammate Jeff Carter has yet to make an impact, after missing the latter part of the season with an injury. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams remain the leading goal-scorers for the Kings, but if they failed to score regularly against either Luongo or Schneider, whoever will be the main starter, then it will be another 'Quick' exit for the Kings.
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks
Regular Season: St. Louis won 4-0
Once again, good job Ken Hitchcock, turning a sad-sack team to a playoff contender, with a seemingly unstoppable goalie duo and a suffocating defense that throw opponents off their games. The St. Louis Blues are now an NHL power, enjoying their best season in over a decade. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks underachieved, and even though they made the playoffs in the penultimate playdate, they knew it was a disappointing season for them. However, they have a chance to redeem themselves in the playoffs, against a Blues team that is still green.
The Blues' Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak will anchor the Blues' defense, which led the NHL in GAA. Elliott did his Tim Thomas impression in breaking his single-season save percentage record with .940. On offense, it'll be David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and T.J. Oshie leading the way. However, the Sharks' advantage will be experience, as the main line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have had tremendous playoff experience. Another major weapon for the Sharks is Logan Couture, who made the 2011-12 season his breakout party. And Antti Niemi is a playoff warrior, having played in more playoff games than Elliott and Halak combined. The Sharks are a battle-tested unit, but can they overcome the odds against St. Louis's goaltending duo?
(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
Season Series: Phoenix won 3-1
The Phoenix Coyotes won the Pacific Division title on the final day of the season, thus making the playoffs as the third seed. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks overcame a tough February to finish sixth. The Coyotes are in the best position to make it to the second round, and they look at Chicago as a springboard to their breakthrough season.
Indeed, the Coyotes gambled on Mike Smith to replace the ineffective Ilya Bryzgalov, and he has been stellar. Smith finished at the top 10 in GAA, and rose to become one of the NHL's best goalies. The Coyotes only hope that Smith won't wilt like Bryzgalov did the past two trips. The aging duo of Ray Whitney and Shane Doan will again lead the Coyotes offense, and providing much-needed support will be Radim Vrbata, Raffi Torres, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Lauri Korpikoski. Chicago's main issues will be the health of Jonathan Toews, who missed the final two months of the season due to a concussion, as well as their inconsistent goalie duo of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, who has shown Jekyll and Hyde tendencies. The Blackhawks will rely on their high-scoring forwards Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Viktor Stalberg, Andrew Shaw and Marian Hossa, as well as veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya. All eyes will be on the Coyotes as they look to win a playoff series for the first time since moving to Phoenix in 1996.
(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings
Regular Season: Series tied 3-3
For the first time ever, the Nashville Predators finished ahead of the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division. More importantly, they earned the home-ice advantage for this series. The Predators are still learning, but they are maturing. Now what to do for an encore after winning a playoff series last year, a franchise first?
The Predators have leaned upon their main guns David Legwand, Martin Erat, Shea Weber, Mike Fisher, Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn, but the addition of Sergei's brother Andrei and the return of Alexander Radulov from the KHL proved to be crucial as the Predators locked up the fourth seed. Pekka Rinne has become a reliable force behind the pipes, and he proved that after signing the largest contract in the team's history by winning 43 games. The Red Wings are showing their age, however, and despite the NHL's longest home winning streak of 23 games, their below average road play will be tested in the early going. The aging core of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom will again be the key for the Red Wings, while Jimmy Howard will be relied upon behind the pipes. If the top line failed, backup skaters Johan Franzen, Valeri Filppula, Niklas Kronwall, Jiri Hudler and Todd Bertuzzi will be leaned upon for added scoring. The Predators have never beaten the Red Wings in a playoff series, so will this year be a breakthrough for Barry Trotz's troops?
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