Series Wrapup: Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Vancouver Canucks

I'm gonna do my best here to remain as objective and impartial as possible in describing this series, but being that I'm a Kings fan and my team just beat the Vancouver fucking Canucks in five games, that's gonna prove a little difficult. 


Aside from a few brave predictors, most everyone had the Canucks taking this series in at most six games. For the Kings, the matchup was ominous: the Western Conference Stanley Cup finalists coming off their second straight President's-Trophy-winning season. But there was a glimmer of hope that came in the form of Roberto Luongo.


When I found out that my Kings, by virtue of losing the last two games of the regular season to the Sharks, were going to face off against the Canucks instead of the Blues, I was a happy motherfucker. That's not to say that the Canucks aren't a great hockey team, but they are and were an incomplete one. Missing one Sedin and with perpetual choker Luongo in net, the Canucks looked human. And they were. 


Not only did the Kings steal the home ice advantage, they won all three games they played in Vancouver. Were it not for the momentum boost brought on by Daniel Sedin's return in Game 4 in Los Angeles, the Kings would have almost surely swept the series. The Canucks made the right call in switching to Cory Schneider for Game 3 and onwards, but it was too late. The Kings had all the momentum going back to Los Angeles and there was really no point where winning the series was ever in doubt thanks to the outstanding performance of Jonathan Quick. Cue goaltending controversy, Luongo trade request, and Canuck fan excuses ("That was totally a penalty by Lewis on Hamhuis!").


Noticeably absent from the series were Jeff Carter (big surprise) [5GP - 0G - 2A] and Ryan Kesler [5GP - 0G - 3A]. The latter's absence was crucial for Vancouver, who were lacking Daniel's offense already. The former's absence was not debilitating but he'll need to show up for the rest of the playoffs for the Kings to make any noise.


Looking at the flip side of the coin, a talented Sharks team lost in five games to the Blues. Do I think the Kings would have suffered the same fate? Most definitely. This Blues playoff group has not had a lot of time to form playoff cohesion, but it's a deep and well-rounded group that plays Ken Hitchcock hockey. There are no easy wins against the Blues. That said, the Kings now enter the semifinal with plenty of momentum from their first-round upset. They're also not as bad of a team as their seeding indicates. It's going to be one hell of a (low-scoring and probably boring) series. Doesn't matter. That the Kings made it this far (and created all kinds of issues for Vancouver going forward) is a successful season in itself. Anything else is gravy.

Flavor of the Series:

Brouwerij 't IJ Columbus. Why?

You don't expect that kind of quality from a little Dutch brewery.

Series Wrapup: Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 Chicago Blackhawks

You have to hand it to the Phoenix Coyotes after winning their first division title in team history they follow it up with their first playoff series victory in team history as well. Many Hawk fans will be shaking their heads, wondering what their team did wrong considering how good the team looked at times. What happened then? They were out coached and out disciplined. Phoenix came into this series knowing what they wanted to do, play a tight game with tough checking, allow as few chances (and weak ones to the outside when they did) and to capitalize on their opportunities when they came. They, largely, dictated the flow of the game and slowed it down, killing the transition game of the Hawks.

Mike Smith’s performance cannot be understated, he was fantastic all series whereas Corey Crawford struggled mightily with consistency and gave up very soft goals in the overtimes of both games 3 and 4. The top 6 talent that Chicago possesses was largely silent and their woes on the power play with so many of the games being air tight killed them; they finish with a playoff worst 5.3% power play. 

Looking ahead the Phoenix Coyotes will have the Nashville Predators, my pick to come out of the West. They’re beaten up and without forward Raffi Torres (as you probably know, Torres was suspended 25 games for an illegal charge to the head of Marian Hossa that sent him to the hospital) and I have a hard time seeing them doing any real damage against a Predators team that plays a similar style but possesses a much better team and talent. For the Hawks they have a long off-season with my questions that need to be answered. What to do with the gaping hole at 2C? How to fix the special teams? How can the D be fixed? And, most importantly in my opinion, will Joel Quenneville be given a chance to turn this around? 

So congrats to the Coyotes on their first win and best of luck next year to the Hawks.

Flavor of the Series:

Founders Dirty Bastard. Why?

Raffi Torres.

How To Survive: New Jersey Devils

Although the West is all ready for the Conference Semifinals, the East still has a lot to figure out.  There's several teams on the verge of elimination, looking for someone to step up and lead their team into the next round.

The New Jersey Devils have the most work to do, needing to win two games straight, something they haven't done yet in the post season since 2007.  The series was predicted to be either a quick sweep or a long, grueling fight, which it's turning out to be.  The Devils have taken too many periods off, and now they find themselves looking for an answer to all of those plastic rats.

Here's what they need to do to survive:

• Play a full game.  Playing 20 minutes a game isn't going to get you to the next round, even if you're up by three goals.  Florida is playing the underdog card better than anyone since, well, the Devils.  
• David Clarkson and Ilya Kovalchuk need to leave their concrete shoes at home for the next two games.
• Keep up the pressure on Florida's young defense.  
• Get in Clemmenson's head Tuesday night.  Theodore looks like he's out for at least the night, so if they can repeat last Thursday's matchup against Clemmenson, who was a huge thorn in the Devils side all regular season, they can grab the momentum swing into Game 7.
• Stop being so fancy and play some hockey.  They seem determined with forcing cute passes and dangles and are turning the puck over too much.  Do what you came here to do, play hockey and win.
• Don't complain about plastic rats falling from the sky or bad calls (incidental contact with the goaltender).  You shouldn't be looking at the refs to win the game for you; stay out of the box and keep the pressure on.

And if all else fails, win the round to have a better chance at keeping Parise long term.  The further you go, the more confidence he'll have in the core.

Series Wrapup: Nashville Predators 4-1 Detroit Red Wings

Well we're here, first round matchups are drawing to a close, many have already wrapped up. Nashville vs. Detroit was the first one to end on Friday, and end in decisive fashion. It's tough to win when you can't score, and Pekka Rinne did to the Red Wings exactly what he has done to everyone all season long. Prevent scoring. In a year in which he would get my vote for the Vezina trophy if not for the unreal performance by Jonathan Quick, Rinne has been an absolute stud. Although Nashville pretty soundly outplayed Detroit for a majority of the series, Detroit's major problem of the past few years of not shooting enough has been addressed by Babcock and the coaching staff as Rinne was kept uncomfortable with Detroit's bombardment that was launched his way.

Now it's time for Ken Holland and the management to address their concerns. 40 shots in a game is nice, but when they're from 45 feet out by a mediocre at best shooter on a goaltender like Pekka Rinne, it will probably be absorbed and contribute very little to the actual offensive output by the team.

Counter that with a team that's capable of putting 3 or 4 goals up game in and game out with Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber protecting their quick starts and you're looking at a team that has a shot to go all the way. This was a no doubter from the beginning, and we got what we expected.

Flavor of the series:

A can of  Pabst Blue Ribbon. It was alright, you kinda knew what you were gonna get, and it was gone before we even noticed.

Draft-Eligible Swedes Pt. 2 - Hampus Lindholm

Ängelholm is notable as the home of Kenny and Jörgen Jonsson, Christian von Koenigsegg (and his namesake luxury automobile company), and Rögle BK. Much of the 23,240 residents revolve their lives around their hometown club, packing the 5,150 seat arena and overfilling the ståplats (standing) section with drunk, chanting bodies that far outcry their Malmö rivals who regularly outdraw them by the thousands. A mishmash of mostly Swedish journeymen, a few former draft picks that never cracked the NHL, and homegrown talent, Rögle outperformed all clubs in the Allsvenskan, many of which had higher payrolls and more established stars, en route to their recent promotion to the Elitserien.

One of the young players key to their success this season is Hampus Lindholm, who skated in just 20 regular season games but posted five points in 10 Kvalserien (relegation/promotion) contests, good for fifth amongst the 54 defensemen who suited up during the mini-tournament. Having watched him play a handful of times since coming to Sweden in January, it's been interesting to see Lindholm evolve. I wrote this report on January 31st, 2012 after seeing the young blueliner for the first time. This game was actually his worst and he's improved on a consistent basis since.

I'm not ready to call him a sure thing but he plays the now protoypically Swedish Erik-Karlsson-style defensive game that gives opposing teams fits in the new NHL and he's not totally useless in his own end, a rarity in a league that's mostly a loosely-checked danglefest. He's definitely an outside shot to sneak into the first round if a team likes his upside and undoubtedly improved his draft stock during the postseason.

#5 HAMPUS LINDHOLM

DEFENSEMAN (Right), Rögle BK, Hockeyallsvenskan

SEASON TO DATE: 12GP - 0G - 1A - 1P - -3 - 24 SOG - 8 PIM

STATS ON THE NIGHT: 0G - 0A - 0P - +/- EVEN - 3 SOG - 0 PIM

Rögle BK @ Malmö Redhawks (Malmö Arena, Malmö, Sweden)

31/1/2012 (19:00)

FINAL SCORE: MAL 3-2 (SO) RÖG

BY PERIOD: 1-1, 1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0 (SO)

USA vs. Canada U18 Thoughts

1. Team USA showing a lot of great speed getting to the early 1-0 lead.

2. Apparently the US has been watching a lot of the Penguins/Flyers first round playoff series, terrible goal to have Canada tie on.

3. I love battles for the puck as much as the next hockey fan, but seeing no touch icing in this game has me hoping some form of that is introduced at the NHL level sooner than later. Kurtis Foster likely still agrees.

4. Jones (USA) with an excellent stretch pass setting up a scoring opportunity, denied by Canada.

5. Getting very reminiscent of the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center observing the awfully sparse crowd here.

6. After controlling the play in the final minute of period 1 Canada coughs the puck up leading to a USA one on one opportunity that they do nothing with.

7. Apologize for the vague descriptions for players, don't know many of them yet and the announcers are speaking some magical language I do not understand.

8. Fittingly, Smells Like Teen Spirit is playing during the intermission...

9. USA goalie swimming in net as shot goes way wide.

10. I know they're our neighbors to the North but this game could not have less passion. USA with a good set up from behind the goal line but it's shot wide. Seems to be the theme of the game.

11. Tournament renamed to "Alex Semin Invitational U18s"

Five Questions for Game 3 of Hawks-Yotes

1.  With the series coming back to Chicago, how will the Hawks respond on home ice?  It’s no secret the Hawks didn’t play their best hockey in Phoenix but they were able, in dramatic overtime fashion, to steal a game from the Yotes.  Now they come home for a two game stretch where hopefully they’re able to pick up two games and a commanding lead of the series.  It’s not a reach to say the Hawks could win these next two games, they’ve played much better at home (27-8-6) this year than on the road (18-18-5).  Phoenix is a good road team though; they’ve won almost as many games at home as on the road.  If the Hawks want to win this series they’re going to have to translate their regular season success on home ice to the playoffs.

2.  What will the lineup and lines look like tonight?  After heading into the first game with, in my opinion, disastrous lines (Kane at left wing, Kruger at 2C) Quenneville seemed to adjust to more natural lines.  On the back end will we see young Dylan Olsen get a game since Sean O’Donnell has been unremarkable?  Speaking of youngsters, I would love to see Jimmy Hayes get some playing time although I am not sure who Quenneville will scratch.  My choice would be Andrew Brunette who has been just as slow and bad as he was in the regular season but Quenneville seems to love the guy.  A final last note is Andrew Shaw who is waiting (still) to hear about his possible suspension.  Shanahan made it clear by not deciding yesterday that the suspension will depend on the health of Mike Smith, who skated in warm-ups today.  However, Phoenix said he wouldn’t be speaking to the media due to “extreme circumstances,” Dave Tippet said Smith will be a game time decision.  Seems a little fishy to me.

3.  Has Brent Seabrook finally taken the reigns as the team’s #1 D man?  He has had an absolutely fantastic series after having what was, arguably, the best season of any Hawk defensemen this year.  Duncan Keith, while still playing solid hockey and being a critical part of the team, has not returned to Norris form (makes you wonder if he ever will).  Seabrook has been a force on the blueline for the Hawks playing solid, consistent defense while still chipping in on the score sheet, not to mention his massive contributions in the dying seconds of regulation in the last two games. 

4.  Will the power play ever get any better?  This has been a sore spot all season due to its inability to put pucks in the net (26^th in the league this year).  What confuses a lot of people is how can a team with all this talent be unable to have a dynamic power play.  My argument is the system.  A nugget from Sharp’s post-game interview, when he was jokingly asked if they practice 6 on 5, was his reply of no and that they’re just reacting out there, playing the game.  Maybe that’s what their power play needs, a system change that allows the players to be more creative and go for anything other than the back door pass to Sharp.

5.  Will Brandon Saad be called up and play in this series?  After being selected 43^rd overall in the draft last year Saad came into camp and exploded there, even earning himself a few NHL games at the start of the year.  He returned to Saginaw though and had a stellar year putting up the highest point per game average in the entire OHL.  He put up 8 goals and 9 assists in 12 games before Saginaw was eliminated by the London Knights.  I’ve watched as much of Saad’s game as I could, he is going to be a dynamite NHLer he has a solid shot and a big body which he uses well along the boards but his best asset is his IQ and positioning.  He simply knows where to be all the time.  I am excited about him but not sure it’s the right move to bring him up for this series, if the Hawks advance and he gets some time in with the team, then maybe play him in the second series.  Keep in mind if he is called up a year on his ELC is burned.  

Should be a fun game tonight, if I had to guess I'd say 3-1 Hawks.

Playoff Observations 4/16/12

1. Don Cherry absolutely hit the nail on the head tonight. Best Coach's Corner in a good long time.

2. How come the St. Louis Blues have this magical gift for scoring pretty goals in the 2012 playoffs when no one else can?

3. The Shark tank exploding in cheers when their team climbs within 2 with 3 minutes left made me make this face: =/

4. I'd like to point out how miffed I am about the fact that the best goaltending matchup in the CQF round of these playoffs is Braden Holtby (22 year old rookie) vs. Tim Thomas (Defending Vezina/Conn Smythe/Stanley Cup Winner)

5. Matchup two is Henrik Lundqvist (Vezina frontrunner) vs. Craig Anderson (Who?)

6. And the other good matchup has been Jon Quick (Horrendously underrated goaltender the past few years) vs. Roberto Luongo (Horrendously overrated goaltender the past few years) or Cory Schneider (Horrendously underrated goaltender the past few years)

7. The New York Rangers from '06 to '10 have graduated 3 of their 5 NCAA draft picks to the NHL with the Kreider contract, compared to 1 of their 18 Major Junior picks.

8. Tim Thomas was the only Bruin to have his bags searched by government officials upon arrival in DC. Truly not sure how I feel about it. Part of me just finds it hilarious, the other part of me wonders if that's going a bit too far to mess with the opposing goalie.

9. That said, the layer of Obama pictures behind Thomas' net in this game was absolutely hilarious, regardless of loyalty, that's just quality chirping.

10. After Tortorella flipped out about Peter DeBoer playing games about his game time roster, he had John Scott out for the warmup chirping Zenon Konopka, and then had him out in the press box watching the game.

An Open Letter to the Vancouver Canucks

Enough is enough.

At what point will you take responsibility for the damage you have done to our proud sport? How is it that one team can be so insufferable in every way, that someone who prides himself on his grasp of the English language and his ability to coherently express his thoughts through his writing was rendered speechless by two and a half playoff hockey games?

There is absolutely nothing about your organization that you have a right to be proud of. Your fanbase is quick to call the Kings a team who has accomplished nothing while a grand total of zero Stanley Cup banners hang from your rafters, replaced instead by Roberto Luongo’s jock, which has yet to be retrieved from the ceiling following his hilarious performance in game 7 of last year’s Cup finals.

In a sport which is touted by its proud fans as the toughest sport to play, a sport characterized by such pride that any injury which lacks blood, broken bones, concussions or a torn anything wouldn’t even faze even the most pedestrian of participants, your team has become synonymous with countless acting performances worthy of Academy Awards for best supporting actor (only Alexandre Burrows and the Sedins could be considered lead actors, and it would be the only time Henrik Sedin has been able to be a leader in any category.)

And it isn’t even simply the diving, embellishing and absolutely disgraceful faking of injuries that has turned every other Canadian against you.

It’s the combination of the fact that any contact of an opponent’s stick to your shins becomes a trip, yet your elbows fly faster than Tony Jaa, and your fanbase finds no fault in your ridiculous interpretation of how hockey should work.

It’s that you believe that Burrows (finally) being called for a diving call is a conspiracy against your team.

It’s that when Brad Marchand goes low on your guy, he ought to be booted from the league, but when Sami Salo commits an identical offense less than two minutes previous, it was a clean hit.

It’s that Jim Hughson pumps up tires more than my local mechanic.

It’s that your city looked like New Orleans circa 2006 after your team lost a hockey game.

It’s that 40 years of futility somehow granted you some sense of entitlement that makes fans of the other 29 NHL teams just laugh at you.

It’s the fact that your incredulous fans shout “Luuuu!” after a shot goes ten feet wide.

It’s because of everything that @LOLVancouver has retweeted.

It’s because after you lost game one because of multiple delay of game, over the glass penalties, your team thinks that a deflection over the glass ought to grant you a powerplay.

It’s that even Mike Milbury cannot vilify the same Dustin Brown that your entire city wants suspended.

I feel that your list of offenses is long, even if the one presented to you here now is nowhere near exhaustive.

You are a joke. You are the worst.

Enough is enough.

Playoff Observations 4/14/12

1. Those who say goons and tough guys have no place in hockey might want to watch highlights from OTT/NYR game 2

2. I really hope that the Washington Capitals have a party in Braden Holtby’s honor after every game.

3. I would love to see a Spike Lee/Zenon Konopka rivalry kind of like his rivalry with Reggie Miller.

4. It looks like Brian Boyle took fighting lessons from Sean Avery.

5. If the NHL wants to get rid of diving, it needs to start punishing players who dive by fining them.

6. Brandon Dubinsky couldn’t handle fighting the Sens but the Gatorade barrel is a whole different story.

7. If WSH/BOS ends within 5 or 6 games, it very well may be the lowest scoring playoff series in recent memory.

8. Shades of 2010 versus Colorado, San Jose in a pickle as Vlasic mimics Dan Boyle by just scoring on his own net.

9. The greatest hockey related Twitter feed may have been discovered this morning.

10. For a man who had plenty to say about the legitimacy of the NHL, John Tortorella’s team spent quite a bit of game 2 disgracing our great sport

11. Rangers displaying in period 2 of game 2 that shot blocking does in fact lead to goals. Karlsson on the board.

12. NBC/CNBC/NBCSN seem to have some sort of conspiracy to force us to listen to the most insufferable announcers all night during the playoffs. (I mean, really, that's not a headshot to you? Bugger off.)

13. Mike Smith had his head hit on a play that I don’t think was dirty by Shaw but could have been avoided.

14. The league is in a weird spot when fans honestly cannot tell if a player is legitimately hurt or selling an injury. Better enforcement of embellishment and stricter regulations for injury evaluation need to be implemented.

15. Brent Seabrook.

16. Yes, that’s nice Coyotes fans, it’s nice to see Jobing.com Arena sold out for a playoff series. Again. But where were you all during the regular season?

2011-2012 NHL PLAYOFFS: Round 1

Yep, this post is a few days late, get over it. The long awaited playoffs are here, and here's a quick prediction of each series by me, and all of the writers guesses at the results:

Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs. 8. Ottawa Senators - Should be a good matchup, considering the Sens manhandled the Rangers in the regular season, but the Rangers are hoping golden free agent Richards will finally shine alongside surprising all-star Dan Girardi.
Rusty - Ott in 6

Brian - Ott in 6

David - Ott in 7
Fitz - Rangers in 7
Josh - Rangers in 5
Celebrity Josh - Rangers in 5

2. Boston Bruins vs. 7. Washington Capitals - Reigning Stanley Cup champs looking to defend the title versus a finally healthy Washington squad. Ovechkin finally started looking like the Ovechkin everyone knows near the end of the season, and Boston is missing a few big pieces, namely Nathan Horton.
Rusty - Boston in 5
Brian - Boston in 6
David - Boston in 6
Fitz - Boston in 6
Josh - Boston in 6
Celebrity Josh - Boston in 6

3. Florida Panthers vs. 6. New Jersey Devils - Two teams glad to be back in the playoffs, whether its been 1 or 12 years since their last appearance. Pete DeBoer is facing his old team, even though their high flyers aren't familiar to him. See: Versteeg, Fleishmann, Campbell. Kovalchuk looks as hungry as ever, and the Devils are rolling into the playoffs with a 6 game win streak.
Rusty - NJ in 4
Brian - Florida in 7
David - Florida in 7
Fitz - Florida in 7
Josh - NJ in 7
Celebrity Josh - NJ in 4

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers - The matchup everyone has been waiting for, which is being advertised on TSN.ca as a potential bloodbath. I keep saying that Philly is probably the only team in the NHL that can beat the Pens this year, so you don't want to miss this series.
Rusty - Pittsburgh in 7
Brian - Pittsburgh in 6
David - Pittsburgh in 7
Fitz - Pittsburgh in 6
Josh - Pittsburgh in 6
Celebrity Josh - Pittsburgh in 6

Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks vs. 8. Los Angeles Kings - Without Daniel Sedin, and having to face Jonathon Quick and Drew Doughty is going to be trouble. Sometimes I wonder if the collective will of every hockey fan outside British Columbia will have any effect on the series. Watch for some depth guys for LA to chip in more than the Canucks, and that will be the key.
Rusty - LA in 6
Brian - LA in 7
David - Vancouver in 7
Fitz - LA in 6
Josh - LA in 7
Celebrity Josh - Vancouver in 4

2. St Louis Blues vs. 7. San Jose Sharks - Is there much more to say than Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak will be responsible for the same crease? St. Louis has been this good for years, but it took until 2011-12 for all of their key elements to stay healthy together. This team is scary. After allowing 168 goals in 82 games this year, hard to imagine what's going to change in this series.
Rusty - STL in 6
Brian - STL in 5
David - STL in 5
Fitz - STL in 6
Josh - STL in 6
Celebrity Josh - STL in 6

3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks - Toews is back, but Mike Smith never left. Under-appreciated Phoenix goaltender should be able to survive the onslaught, but Phoenix still needs to score more. That lack of remarkable scoring will extend the series, but unless Toews can come in after missing so much time and be in prime playoff form, it's hard to call this one for the boys in bright red. (Edit @ 10:19pm 4/12/12: Well, don't I look like an idiot.)
Rusty - Phoenix in 7
Brian - Phoenix in 6
David - Phoenix in 7
Fitz - Chicago in 7
Josh - Chicago in 6
Celebrity Josh - Chicago in 6

4. Nashville Predators vs. 5. Detroit Red Wings - The flailing Red Wings will be forced to go into Smashville for 4 of the 7 games in this series. Vezina contender Pekka Rinne has scarcely let a game get away from him over the last several years. While Detroit's firepower could threaten, the addition of prodigal son Alexander Radulov should give Nashville just enough firepower to keep the Red Wings down, even when healthy.

Rusty - Nashville in 6
Brian - Nashville in 6
David - Nashville in 7
Fitz - Nashville in 6
Josh - Nashville in 7
Celebrity Josh - Nashville in 7

Draft-Eligible Swedes Pt. 1 - Pontus Åberg

I've been posted in Sweden for about three months now while going to school, and as a result have had a chance to see some of the better prospects for the 2012 NHL Draft play in person. It's difficult to find consistent online video or comprehensive highlights of any of the players over here, so it's nice to get a chance to watch them for a whole game.

This past weekend I had a chance to catch winger Pontus Åberg of Djurgårdens IF face off against Rögle in the last game of the 2012 Kvalserien, which pits the tier-two Allsvenskan's three regular-season leaders and playoff champion against the two teams that finished at the bottom of the top-tier Elitserien. It's round-robin format with two games vs. each opponent. Six teams enter, two teams leave.

One of the better collections of young talent in Sweden, Rögle defied the odds to become the first Allsvenskan team to not only survive the league's playoffs but also secure promotion. Guess who they'll be replacing next year? With everything settled before the puck drop, the game lacked intensity, but the celebrating crowd provided an unbelievable atmosphere.

This is part one of a three-part series.

#46 PONTUS ÅBERG
Left Wing, Djurgårdens IF, Elitserien

SEASON STATS: 47GP – 8G – 7A – 15P – 6 PIM
KVALSERIEN STATS: 7GP – 1G – 0A – 0 PIM
STATS ON THE NIGHT: 0G - 0A - 0P - +/- EVEN - 5 SOG - 0 PIM

Djurgårdens IF @ Rögle BK (Lindab Arena, Ängelholm, Sweden)
6/4/2012 (16:00)
FINAL SCORE: DIF 2-1 RÖG
BY PERIOD: 0-1, 0-0, 1-1

The Final Week of The Season (Part II)

The last week, for some of us it begins the forming of a true brotherhood where fans, players, and cities alike come together under the banner of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's also a time for all of us to reflect on some of the highlights from the 2011-2012 Regular Season, like the Ducks's re-enactment of the '10-'11 Devils, Stamkos still pushing for 60, Florida a point away from making it back into the playoffs after a 12 year drought, and the Maple Leafs, with another joke of a season. While the West still has a lot of seeding to sort out, the East is just about ready to get the playoffs started, even with 4 more days of the regular season to go.

Eastern Conference
Even though teams are a lot more settled than the west, there's a lot needed to be done in the rest of the week to get teams ready and fired up for the first round.

- New York Rangers = Locked in the first seed in the East, they have their eyes on the President's Trophy. With games against Pit and Washington, those 4 points may not be as easy as Vancouver's. Saturday's game vs Washington could possibly decide the Ranger's first round opponent if the all of the right cards fall for Buffalo.

- Boston Bruins = Locked in second, the Bruins have a game against their probably first round opponent Senators and Buffalo, which again has the slim chance to be a do or die game for Buffalo. Thursday's game will set the stage for next week, though, and with Boychuk still up in the air and a question mark for Thomas's backup in the playoffs, Boston needs to make sure they can bring their A+ game next week.

- Florida Panthers = They can't seem to put the lock on the 3rd seed just yet, but Thursday will be the true test, against the team fighting for that seed, the Caps. A finale vs the Hurricanes rounds out their regular season, and then the biggest surprise of this year's playoffs will most likely take on the Devils and Pete DeBoer.

- Pittsburgh Penguins = Concussions are not the Penguins' biggest worry anymore! They've taken a back seat to the Philadelphia Flyers, who seem to be in the Penguins' heads these days. Division matchups against the Rangers and Flyers will be sure to keep the Pens on their toes through the playoffs, where we may see one of the best 1st round series this year.

- Philadelphia Flyers = Can drive the nail in nail in the coffin for Buffalo, then start a possible 8 game series versus Pittsburgh on Saturday. A continuously hurt defense will cause them problems, but if Bryz can stay on top of his game, it'll be one hell of a series. There's always that slim chance that Philly and New Jersey switch seeds, but who doesn't want to see whats going to happen between Rinaldo and Asham?

- New Jersey Devils = It hasn't been a 12 year drought, but the Devils sure are glad to be back in the playoffs. Detroit and Ottawa means it won't be as big of a week for the Devils as some other teams, but they want to keep hot to take on the DeBoer's old team. Injuries to Josefson and Tallinder may stretch them a bit, and who remembers DeBoer vocalizing his want for a victory the first matchup of the year vs the Panthers, followed by the Devils blowing a 3-0 lead in the 3rd period? No one, probably, because who watches either team?

- Ottawa Senators = Not as big of a surprise as Florida, but definitely a big one. Spezza is on top of his game, and Karlsson has really become the superstar he was drafted to be. They have an "exhibition" match vs the Bruins on Thursday, followed by the Devils.

- Washington Captials = Here's where it gets fun... the Caps have a good lead over the Sabres for 8th, but can't seem to find much consistency. They have two big matchups vs the Panthers and their possible first round opponent Rangers, and really need to figure things out in net. They're finally healthy, so let's see if they can turn it on.

Outsider: The Buffalo Sabres had an amazing comeback against the Leafs on Tuesday night, and hope their luck continues this week. They have the Flyers and Bruins, two playoff bound teams, so there's a chance those teams may rest some starters (see: Tim Thomas). Washington has the tiebreaker, so in their 2 remaining games they need to edge Washington out with at least 1 more point.

The Final Week of The Season

The last week, for some of us it begins the forming of a true brotherhood where fans, players, and cities alike come together under the banner of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After having a team eliminated from contention some fans walk away until the Draft comes up in June while others look for a hot team to follow in the playoffs to try and rally behind as an undergod..of course your their happiness and not our own. The final group lies in those just wanting to watch excellent hockey played over two months while ripping on any mishaps they stumble up along the way. Hey if our regular seasons gave us drinking problems then it is only fair we include you in our misery. Before this begins next week April 11th we still have a mess of standings, teams, and matchups to analyze.

Western Conference
As of right not getting into specific matchups is a bit premature because they change rapidly overnight. Rather, it would be more beneficial to see what the remaining teams must do to afford themselves a playoff fate.

-Vancouver Canucks = locked down in the 1 or 2 seeds and fighting for the Presidents Trophy with New York (and maybe the Blues). The Canucks must gain a higher point total as they cannot catch the ROW stat category as a tie breaker. Ending the year on a back to back with Calgary/Edmonton is not a difficult schedule but both teams will want to hurt their divisional foe in any way they can, possibly costing them the first seeding.

-St. Louis Blues = The Blues have a busy rest of the week with games against Detroit, possible first round opponent Phoenix, and scuffling Dallas. Those are all winnable and it will be interesting to see what their compete level is during the week and more importantly how their play affects the standings of the lower seeds.

-LA Kings = These guys are in trouble but control their own destiny. Carter is out with an apparent deep bone bruise on his ankle and they will need him sooner than well, later might be training camp. Home and home against San Jose to end the year and likely decide who takes 3rd overall in the West. LA wins out and they are golden, they lose out and either miss the playoffs entirely or get a dangerously low seed.

-Nashville Predators = Nice position for them, overtook 4th place tonight and have an easy schedule this week with DAL/COL. Both teams are fighting for their lives but neither poses much of a threat to Nashville on their game.

-Detroit Red Wings = Wings are 1 point back on Nashville but have one game in hand. They also have a tougher final schedule of the Blues, Devils, and Blackhawks which leads me to think they finish 5th

-Chicago Blackhawks = Could sneak into a higher seed than 6th with a favorable matchup with the Wild and an always tough game against Detroit. Their fate may already be set however, merely awaiting that 3rd seed opponent.

-Phoenix Coyotes= They could climb all the way up to third if they and San Jose sweep their games this week, they could still fall shy of the playoffs

-San Jose Sharks = Speaking of SJ, if they lose out to LA and remain at 92 points, Colorado winning out would have them jump them in the standings (max 92 points, but higher ROW for Avs.)

Outsiders: For Dallas and similar to the Avs, winning out (despite giving points away to the Sharks tonight) puts them at 93 points, this allows for SJ to get 1 point out of 4 possible and the Avs can knock them (SJ) out. Phoenix is a little safer from Dallas, only needing 1 point to make the playoffs. The Avs can only catch the 8 seed at 92 points and that itself looks slim.