Western Conference Finals Wrapup

For a 5 game series, this got nasty. Los Angeles continued their winning ways on the road by picking up games 1 and 2 in the desert, putting 8 goals behind Phoenix's staunch goaltender, Mike Smith. For the first time ever, most likely, the name "Cloutier" was trending on Twitter, following Jonathan Quick's half-ice folly when he allowed a goal from center ice in game 1. Any hockey historian, or frankly any long-time fan can tell you that in that moment, we saw a thousand scenarios that all resulted in the Kings season crumbling. Dustin Brown came out quickly and played some of his best hockey in this series, posting 2 points in game 1, including the game winning goal.

Game 2 was a 4-0 no-doubter which saw Jeff Carter potting his first career hat trick. (Even when I make jokes, my predictions are pretty solid. Go me.) Clear frustration began to break through for the Coyotes, taking 56 penalty minutes in the game. Mike Smith took a penalty after a vicious slash to the back of Dustin Brown's knee. The slash has raised some controversy as Brown was accused of embellishing, and even took the consequent penalty for it, but either way, the message was clear. Brown was getting under their skin. Earlier in the game, Phoenix Captain Shane Doan was sent off for a game misconduct for a hit from behind.

Game 3 found the Kings behind on the scoreboard for the first time in the month of May, as Phoenix took a 1-0 lead. It didn't last long as Anze Kopitar tied it on a breakaway goal less than 2 minutes later. Dwight King continued his scoring ways by potting the Game Winner early in the 3rd.

The Coyotes stayed alive in a comparatively uneventful game 4, captain Shane Doan potting both for the dogs.

Game 5 however, may have been one of the most entertaining hockey games of the playoff year. Heavy hitting abound, plenty of scoring, and OT. While many players on the Coyotes were unsatisfied with the officiating, they found themselves flat outplayed in an indescribably physical and hard fought game. Penner knocked the game winner past Mike Smith on a controversial play in which the Coyotes believed that Dustin Brown had gone knee-on-knee with Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival shortly after a whistle in the opposite zone.

Flavor of the series:

Caribou Lou.

Man that was fun, but what the heck happened?

Prospect Report: Nail Yakupov (RW)

Current team: Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2012 Stats: 42 GP, 31-38-69 30 PIM
Central Scouting Rank: 1
Likely Destination: Edmonton Oilers (1st Overall)

What is left unsaid about Nail Yakupov? The consensus best player in the 2012 draft class, Yakupov has put himself head and shoulders above the rest of this year's crop. He is often compared to 2010's first overall pick Taylor Hall, with scouts often noting that he has a stronger game along the boards and superior ability to physically dominate his opponents. He is also referred to as the most talented first overall pick since Sidney Crosby. His skills are often compared to those of a young Datsyuk, with his elusive skating ability and surprising physical upside, given his skill game and physical stature. Yakupov broke the Sarnia scoring record previously held by Steven Stamkos. Hall of fame coach Scotty Bowman compared him to one of the original great Russian players in the NHL, Pavel Bure.

Chris Edwards of Central Scouting also describes Yakupov's abilities in the other, more nuanced parts of the game.

"His first step and ability to control bouncing pucks, knock them down and make a play are the best of any of the guys in the draft."

Yakupov is a dominant player and an absolute game changer. There is an oft discussed "Russian Factor" when it comes to judging draft value of Russian born players, regarding the possibility that they may jump ship to the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, however it must be noted that after a short stint in Russian Yakupov chose to play in the Ontario Hockey league at a young age. Only one thing could keep Yakupov out of Edmonton, that being organizational need. Edmonton has already formed a solid prospect pool of forwards, and has a strong need for blueliners. However history has shown that elite defensemen are often found in later rounds/picks of the draft, and it is not at all unreasonable to believe that if Edmonton's scouts have taken long looks at potential 2nd round defensemen, they may have found what they need in those later spots.

Western Conference Finals Game 3 Preview

Tonight marks the ever important third game in the best of seven series between the Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes. Often considered a swing game in a series, tonight proves no different. The Kings have the opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series by going up 3-0 while the Coyotes could easily turn the momentum of the series if they can grab a win before getting center Martin Hanzal back from suspension for game 4.

The Kings have adopted a few different images during this playoff run as they are exceeding even the loftiest of pre-season predictions for them. They are seen as underdogs, unstoppable, technically sound and road warriors (not that they have been bad at home either, of course). Phoenix on the other hand suddenly looks frail and like they lucked their way into the Conference Finals which I would not say is the case. Perhaps going on the road will give Phoenix a chance to better focus and to start playing with a chip on their shoulder. The Coyotes will certainly need a complete team effort, key under any Dave Tippet coached team, to tip the series scales in their favor.

With Hanzal out, Phoenix will need their depth centers to provide extra support down the middle and they will look to Daymond Langkow, Gilbert Brule, and Kyle Chipchura, who are all only a -1 through the first two games, to do just that. The Coyotes have enough talent on the wings to score but they need their defensive side of the game to step up including goalie Mike Smith. If the Sean Burke reinforced netminder was ever thinking of stealing a game then tonight would be an excellent place to start. Finally, the LA defense has been rock solid all playoffs (Doughty and Mitchell arguably a cut above the rest of any defensemen playing these playoffs) and this series is no different. If the Desert Dogs hope to keep playing they will need Keith Yandle to remind the hockey world why his name was in the Norris Trophy discussion in 2011.

For what little it’s worth, Phoenix is 1-1-1 at Staples Center this regular season.

2012 Eastern Conference Final Preview

Let's just say it. Both of these teams had pretty easy paths to this round. New Jersey had Florida and Bryzgalov while New York had Ottawa and Washington. While both teams had to fight through a seven game series at some point, it remains true that both of these teams were helped by not facing the physically bruising Bruins. That said, it's hard to fathom that either of these teams are too worn down going into this, with the possible exception of the Rangers, who had to battle through two game sevens. While Lundqvist and Brodeur certainly have the accolades that come with elite goaltenders, neither of them have been living up to their talent level in this years playoffs, although both have made some fantastic saves. It's tough to deny that the Rangers are the better team in this series. The biggest question is whether or not the Rangers 14-game road to the conference finals will cost them against the significantly better rested Devils. Look for the young guns to make the difference. Kreider and Stepan for New York, Henrique and Larsson for the Devils. We are also looking at a matchup of shot-blocking teams (aka snoozefest.) So yeah, just wake me when this one's over.

Brian - Rangers in 5
Chair Force Logan - Rangers in 6
David - Devils in 6
Rusty - Devils in 6

Fun facts: Never before has a team taken the 14-game road to the conference finals and won the Stanley Cup.

However, Boston faced three Game 7's last season and won the Cup.

Henrik Lundqvist has never won anything meaningful.

2012 Western Conference Final Preview

It has been something of a trend over the past handful of years that the conference finals can be the toughest test for an "overperforming" goaltender. (Halak in '10, Khabibulin in '09, Niemi in '11, among others.) In essence, it seems that a goaltender can carry a team into the conference finals, but can have trouble moving them further than that. This is what makes this years Western Conference Final so intriguing. Here we find two teams who would likely not be where they are if not for spectacular goaltending performances. So you can almost guess if the goaltending threats are going to be neutralized equally. I would look for the first of the two goaltenders to show a crack in their armor. We find ourselves with an above average offense in LA going against a very good Phoenix defense standing before a goaltender who has done more than his fair share of game-changing. While Nashville's stagnant offense, as well as off the ice issues managed to produce very few goals, I would expect the likes of Kopitar, Brown and Williams to put up just enough offense to allow the defense of Johnson and Doughty, and Quick's phenomenal goaltending to be enough to withstand the Coyotes. Also, Jeff Carter will most likely have a massive impact on this series. (Yeah, I was kidding about that.)

Brian - LA in 6
David - Phoenix in 7
Josh - LA in 6
Fitz- LA in 6
Chair Force Ramza - LA in 4
Rusty - LA in 6


Fun Facts: While the AHL Western Conference finals is between the 1 and 2 seeds, both teams combining for 3 losses, the NHL Western Conference finals features the 3rd and 8th seeded teams, combining for 4 losses through the early rounds.

The team that has eliminated the Vancouver Canucks from the past 2 playoffs has won the Stanley Cup.

2011-2012 NHL PLAYOFFS: Round TWO

Yes, it's May 7th.  Yes, one of the four series is already over and two are close to it.  Yes, this post is a bit late.  Too bad.  If I was getting paid for this, then maybe it would have been on time.  Don't worry, I'll write out these predictions as if I really do have a Delorean and it's still April 27th.

#8 Los Angeles Kings vs #2 St. Louis Blues
Two teams that had commanding first round series victories meet up, with LA looking to take down the new top seed, and Hitchcock looking to show us again why he's a hall of fame coach.  As long as St Louis can stay healthy, especially their D line, (cough Pietrangelo cough), they should give Quick a truer test than Vancouver did.
Rusty - St Louis in 5
Brian - St Louis in 6

#4 Nashville Predators vs #3 Phoenix Coyotes
Fresh off of the example Shanahan made of Raffi Torres, the Coyotes look to put that behind them and continue their cup run that may keep hockey in Arizona for a little while longer.  Nashville, one of the top favorites out of the west, made easy work of Detroit and now sets their sights on crushing Shane Doan's playoff dreams.
Rusty - Nashville in 6
Brian - Nashville in 6

#7 Washington Capitals vs #1 New York Rangers
Shot blocking, shot blocking, shot blocking.  Whichever team can stay healthier will be taking this series.  Both teams look to their all-stars to pick it up after quiet first rounds.  Holtby continues to wow DC, but is he the real deal, or just a rookie who is getting lucky?  Niemi was able to stay strong, hopefully Holtby took some notes.
Rusty - New York in 7
Brian - New York in 5

#6 New Jersey Devils vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
A classic matchup of a team that dominated their first round opponent early on and had a week off versus a team that battled it out through game 7 and multiple overtimes.  The Flyers will definitely have some rust to shake off, but the Devils have to be nearly exhausted, especially without getting any extra rest since Game 7 in Florida.  It'll be interesting to see how the Flyers match up against a team that has a defense and goalie that actually know how to play 60 minutes of hockey.
Rusty - New Jersey in 7
Brian - New Jersey in 6

Some fun facts of the playoffs so far:
One of every seed (1-8) made it through to the second round.
[Through Game 4], the Flyers have not won a single game that they've scored first in.
Shane Doan has won his first playoff series, good for him.
Marty Brodeur is the only goaltender to play a playoff game as a teenager and a 40 year old.