For hockey fans, the most wonderful time of the year is just a day away. The NHL's "second season" is about to kick off, and the 16 remaining teams have a pile of hockey ahead of them on their way to Lord Stanley's hardware. Today will feature a quick spin through predictions for the first round in the East. Tomorrow, the West will get it's chance to shine.
#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Top seeds can lose in the first round. Just ask last year's San Jose Sharks team. However, when the top seed features one of the best players the league has right now, and a stellar supporting cast, the odds of them getting bumped out right away are pretty slim. Especially when you factor in an opponent who can be less-than-consistent night after night.
The Capitals are a high-flying team. They have far from the best goaltending and defense in the playoffs, but they'll survive the same way they did all season; the scoring that they put on the ice is just sick at times. Even once you move beyond Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps are a deep offensive team, and their moves at the trade deadline helped shore up some of the role positions that could have lead to question marks.
Meanwhile, Montreal is a team that almost didn't find itself in the post-season, and they have a lot of ground to make up. Jaroslav Halak will be relied on to make incredible saves, and Michael Cammalleri is the biggest offensive threat for the Canadiens. However, they'll be playing back on their heels all series long, as the Caps will come gunning, looking to enter the second round with momentum. Washington should send Montreal home in 5.
#2 New Jersey Devils vs #7 Philadelphia Flyers
The New Jersey Devils have the best goaltender ever to play the game in Martin Brodeur, and they've got skilled players in every corner of the ice. Whether it's Zach Parise on the offense, Jamie Langenbrunner on defense, or a wicked slap shot from Brian Rolston, the Devils have assembled a tough team to play against. Add Stanley Cup winning coach Jacques Lemaire back into the mix, and New Jersey could be a viable contender for the Eastern Conference crown.
The Flyers, on the other hand, are a team that's been scrambling for the last month or so, hoping to solidify a playoff spot, which they did (barely), by beating the New York Rangers in their final game of the season. The Flyers are a team that's willing to get dirty and play the physical side of the sport, while still seeing contributions from Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. The biggest problem for Philadelphia? They don't have a legitimate goaltender. The Devils will slap the Flyers around, taking the series in 5 games.
#3 Buffalo Sabres vs #6 Boston Bruins
Buffalo should be concerned. While they've got a fantastic goaltender in Ryan Miller, the rest of the team has stayed pretty much under the radar. Not many people outside of Buffalo may know who plays for the team, aside from Miller, but they've still gone about their business, taking their division with relative ease.
Their first-round opponent, the Boston Bruins, on the other hand, have some players you can't miss, but their goaltending isn't where they're most noted. Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara provide a physical side to the game, and Marc Savard, David Kreci, and Patrice Bergeron should provide an offensive kick. The question remains, however, if the Bruins have enough left in the tank to advance to the second round. They overcame the distractions of Phil Kessel's situation to start the season, and will overcome the Buffalo Sabres in 6 games.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Ottawa Senators
The Stanley Cup champions, with Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of their cast, are looking ahead to their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Their first obstacle is the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins have a ton of offensive firepower, and it's no secret that the league itself wants to push them to the elite status, even despite potential burn-out from people getting tired of hearing about Crosby.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators had their own problems to deal with this season, but the loss of Dany Heatley may actually prove to be a gain. The Senators have a solid four lines of hockey, and they may have found their goaltender for the future. Unfortunately for Ottawa fans, it won't be quite enough, and the Senators will get bounced by the Penguins in 6 games.
Showing posts with label Ottawa Senators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ottawa Senators. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
2009-10 Game Thirty-Five: Wild 1, Senators 4
How do you spell "adversity"? If you're an NHL fan, you just might spell it "Minnesota Wild". The Wild had more than their fair share of adversity heading into their game against the Ottawa Senators. If Minnesota had found a way to win the game, it might have ranked as one of the biggest surprises the NHL had ever seen. As it was, the Wild played hard, with a lot of energy, but it was easy to tell that the team was not on the same page as each other mentally.
Facing a goaltender in his NHL debut, the Wild had chances, but couldn't seem to get the puck into the net. Pucks left untouched in open areas, posts hit, and shots just misdirected right into the Ottawa goaltender left the Wild exposed to chances, and the Senators made the most of theirs. On a night where most of the Wild was playing with unfamiliar equipment, they put forth a strong effort, but couldn't find a way to capitalize on any of the mistakes made by Ottawa, and left the short road trip with a 1-1 record.
Game pluses:
- Wild staff. The fact that the Wild was able to take the ice at all against Ottawa, let alone play a relatively physical game, is thanks to the Wild staff, who put in extra time making sure that the team had the materials to play.
- Martin Havlat. True, the goal that extended Havlat's points streak was an accidental deflection off of his angle, but Havlat was playing well, in spite of having lost much of his gear. His shot after getting tripped almost went in, and shows that he is finding his game.
- Clayton Stoner. Playing in only his second NHL game, Stoner clocked a lot of ice time, scored his first NHL point by assisting on Havlat's goal, and was a strong defensive presence all game.
Game minuses:
- Adversity. Not only were the Wild playing their 21st game (out of 35) on the road, and not only did they have to deal with randomized gear for the most part, but they also got hit with a flu bug, shortening the bench even further. For all intents and purposes, the Wild only had 10 forwards for the game, and it showed by the end.
- Niklas Backstrom. It was easy to see that Backstrom was not himself, and he didn't really look like himself all game. Chalk it up to the difficulties of the past 24 hours, and not having gear he was familiar with. Still, why not give Anton Khudobin a shot in a game against a non-conference opponent, when it's more important to get on the ice and play than it is to put together a perfect contest?
- Power plays. The best way to overcome adversity is to embrace every advantage given. The Wild were given plenty, thanks to Ottawa marching to the penalty box. Unfortunately, the Wild power play was completely disjointed, and couldn't often connect on a pass, let alone get a shot towards the goal.
Next up: The Wild return home, and hopefully return to a better sense of self, as they face the Colorado Avalanche.
Facing a goaltender in his NHL debut, the Wild had chances, but couldn't seem to get the puck into the net. Pucks left untouched in open areas, posts hit, and shots just misdirected right into the Ottawa goaltender left the Wild exposed to chances, and the Senators made the most of theirs. On a night where most of the Wild was playing with unfamiliar equipment, they put forth a strong effort, but couldn't find a way to capitalize on any of the mistakes made by Ottawa, and left the short road trip with a 1-1 record.
Game pluses:
- Wild staff. The fact that the Wild was able to take the ice at all against Ottawa, let alone play a relatively physical game, is thanks to the Wild staff, who put in extra time making sure that the team had the materials to play.
- Martin Havlat. True, the goal that extended Havlat's points streak was an accidental deflection off of his angle, but Havlat was playing well, in spite of having lost much of his gear. His shot after getting tripped almost went in, and shows that he is finding his game.
- Clayton Stoner. Playing in only his second NHL game, Stoner clocked a lot of ice time, scored his first NHL point by assisting on Havlat's goal, and was a strong defensive presence all game.
Game minuses:
- Adversity. Not only were the Wild playing their 21st game (out of 35) on the road, and not only did they have to deal with randomized gear for the most part, but they also got hit with a flu bug, shortening the bench even further. For all intents and purposes, the Wild only had 10 forwards for the game, and it showed by the end.
- Niklas Backstrom. It was easy to see that Backstrom was not himself, and he didn't really look like himself all game. Chalk it up to the difficulties of the past 24 hours, and not having gear he was familiar with. Still, why not give Anton Khudobin a shot in a game against a non-conference opponent, when it's more important to get on the ice and play than it is to put together a perfect contest?
- Power plays. The best way to overcome adversity is to embrace every advantage given. The Wild were given plenty, thanks to Ottawa marching to the penalty box. Unfortunately, the Wild power play was completely disjointed, and couldn't often connect on a pass, let alone get a shot towards the goal.
Next up: The Wild return home, and hopefully return to a better sense of self, as they face the Colorado Avalanche.
Friday, December 18, 2009
2009-10 Game Thirty-Four: Wild 3, Canadiens 1
The last two games for the Minnesota Wild have looked eerily similar. A strong first period. A fast pace. Very few penalties. A complete collapse once the second period starts, only to have the goaltender make the big saves needed. And, at the end of it all, a Minnesota Wild win. It's pretty obvious watching the team that their recent schedule is starting to get to them. After all, they've been all over the continent recently, barely having time to rest before jetting off to the next location. They'll get to return home for the holidays, and it might be the best gift that they could ever receive.
Still, even though they're obviously fatigued, and even though they obviously haven't been playing their best hockey of the season, the Wild keep finding ways to win, and they did it again by knocking around the Montreal Canadiens. The boos that filled the arena at the start of the game were directed at Guillaume Latendresse, playing in his first game since being traded from Montreal to Minnesota. By the end of the game, the boos were directed at the Canadiens themselves, for trailing 3-1. Not that Montreal should be faulted for effort. They just couldn't put the puck into the net, even though they spent the majority of the final forty minutes in the Wild's zone. Thankfully for Minnesota, physical play and some timely saves helped propel the team to yet another win, keeping them as the hottest team in the west (10-1-2 in their last thirteen games).
Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck played exactly the kind of game you expect, and he appears to be one of the few Wild players with a lot of energy left in their legs. Not only did he notch ten hits against the Canadiens, but he also put in the back-breaking third goal for Minnesota.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom practically had to stand on his head to make some of the saves that he did, but he just went about his business shutting Montreal down. The one goal that snuck past him was from such a sharp angle that it certainly seemed like there was no chance for the puck to even get in front of the net, let alone into it.
- Robbie Earl. All Earl does is score goals. Well, that's not entirely true, but he came through with a huge goal in the first period. Not only did he score by threading the puck through an incredibly small opening, but he created the chance with some strong play at the Montreal blue line.
Game minuses:
- James Sheppard. Sheppard was once again a liability in the face-off circle, and he put extra life into Montreal with a foolish delay of game penalty, after the Canadiens had already pulled their goaltender.
- Fatigue. It's clear that the Wild are worn down, but the recent schedule can do that. Still, they need to find a way to keep themselves going once the second period starts, instead of retreating into a shell and just trying to hang on.
- Clearing the zone. In the first period, the Wild didn't have a lot of problems in their own end. Once the second period started, it became a different story, as they couldn't get a handle on the puck, and ended up icing it more than is comfortable just to give themselves a breather. If it hadn't been for Backstrom's amazing performance, the Wild would have easily been toppled.
Next up: One more game on the road before a little stretch of time at home, which should help put some energy back into a team that's criss-crossed the continent while maintaining an amazing streak. The Wild stays in the Eastern Conference, and in Canada, as they take on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
Still, even though they're obviously fatigued, and even though they obviously haven't been playing their best hockey of the season, the Wild keep finding ways to win, and they did it again by knocking around the Montreal Canadiens. The boos that filled the arena at the start of the game were directed at Guillaume Latendresse, playing in his first game since being traded from Montreal to Minnesota. By the end of the game, the boos were directed at the Canadiens themselves, for trailing 3-1. Not that Montreal should be faulted for effort. They just couldn't put the puck into the net, even though they spent the majority of the final forty minutes in the Wild's zone. Thankfully for Minnesota, physical play and some timely saves helped propel the team to yet another win, keeping them as the hottest team in the west (10-1-2 in their last thirteen games).
Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck played exactly the kind of game you expect, and he appears to be one of the few Wild players with a lot of energy left in their legs. Not only did he notch ten hits against the Canadiens, but he also put in the back-breaking third goal for Minnesota.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom practically had to stand on his head to make some of the saves that he did, but he just went about his business shutting Montreal down. The one goal that snuck past him was from such a sharp angle that it certainly seemed like there was no chance for the puck to even get in front of the net, let alone into it.
- Robbie Earl. All Earl does is score goals. Well, that's not entirely true, but he came through with a huge goal in the first period. Not only did he score by threading the puck through an incredibly small opening, but he created the chance with some strong play at the Montreal blue line.
Game minuses:
- James Sheppard. Sheppard was once again a liability in the face-off circle, and he put extra life into Montreal with a foolish delay of game penalty, after the Canadiens had already pulled their goaltender.
- Fatigue. It's clear that the Wild are worn down, but the recent schedule can do that. Still, they need to find a way to keep themselves going once the second period starts, instead of retreating into a shell and just trying to hang on.
- Clearing the zone. In the first period, the Wild didn't have a lot of problems in their own end. Once the second period started, it became a different story, as they couldn't get a handle on the puck, and ended up icing it more than is comfortable just to give themselves a breather. If it hadn't been for Backstrom's amazing performance, the Wild would have easily been toppled.
Next up: One more game on the road before a little stretch of time at home, which should help put some energy back into a team that's criss-crossed the continent while maintaining an amazing streak. The Wild stays in the Eastern Conference, and in Canada, as they take on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
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