NHL Playoffs Preview
by Frank Doyle of Sports Interaction - 4/13/2011
Vancouver enters the NHL playoffs as Presidents Trophy holders and favorite to win the Stanley Cup with Sports Interaction. The bad news is that only one of those is always a good sign.
The record of the Presidents Cup holder in the playoffs in recent years has been poor. Only Detroit, in 2008, has gone on to win the Stanley Cup. The rest have lost, and three of them even suffered the humiliation of losing in the first round.
Whatever else awaits the Canucks, they are unlucky to go down in the first round. Vancouver’s first round opponents are the Blackhawks but the Stanley Cup holders are a shadow of what they were, and it’s very hard to see how they can withstand the forked onslaught of the Sedin brothers descending on the Chicago goal.
The Canucks’ biggest threat in the West is possibly from the third seeded Red Wings. Detroit is the team that’s been there and done that, and a veteran team like Detroit is always the best bet to take over should a favorite falter. Detroit is hampered by the absence of Henrik Zetterberg for the first round series against Phoenix but the longer Detroit lasts the more powerful it becomes.
Over in the East, it looks like a contest between Washington and Boston. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are in the mix but questions remain over how Philadelphia can get out of its late season slump or how long Pittsburgh can survive without Sidney Crosby.
Boston or Washington has no such worries. Boston are as old school as a hockey team can get, with the best goalie in hockey and no shortage of guys who are big, tough and mean in front of him. The Bruins play Montreal in the first round and could sweep it. It’s that much of a mismatch.
Washington is the really interesting prospect – or worrying, if you live in British Columbia. Washington has flown under the radar all season only to suddenly get hot just in time for the playoffs. And in the absence of Crosby, Washington has the most talented player in all of hockey in Alex Ovechkin.
Combine Ovechkin’s natural talent with the new defensive steel that coach Bruce Boudreau has instilled in the Caps and you could just be looking at the Stanley Cup Champions. The Russian is coming.