NHL Playoff Blog

Making Enemies

Mike Ribeiro is no stranger to embellishing hits. Mike Ribeiro is no stranger to making enemies. The one-time hometown boy of the Canadiens was traded for Janne Niinimaa two years ago, after it was decided that his poor work ethic and attitude, despite his talents, were not welcome in the locker room. Fortunately for him, playing in the Western Conference means he doesn’t show up at the Bell Centre much, otherwise the Montreal crowd would have plenty to say to him.

Whether or not Chris Osgood’s headbutt to the face was intentional or not (I don’t think it was - many goalies give opponents a little shove when they go around the net), I thought Ribeiro’s slash across the chest was worse (although I’m sure Osgood embellished a lot of it). As a result, Ribeiro, Osgood, and Steve Ott were fined undisclosed amounts by the NHL discipline office (which everyone knows is a joke).

Personally, I think the NHL did not suspend anybody (I think any intentional, two-handed slash should deserve a suspension, regardless of the severity of the injury) because by taking away Osgood and Ribeiro they are taking away two key players from each team. I don’t think the NHL wants to shoulder any blame about the possibility of “changing” or “altering” the potential outcome of the series.

M-V-P!

There’s already talk about who’s going to be the MVP of this year’s playoffs. If anything, the talk is premature. There are still a ton of games to play, and even in the press conferences the players know that. You can hear in their tones that they know the journey is still very long. By the end of the next two weeks we just might be signing a different tune as to who the MVPs are. Guys like Johan Franzen and RJ Umberger tore it up in Round 2, but can they get the job done against tougher opponents? It remains to be seen, but it’s always fun to speculate. So here are my MVPs for each team:

Dallas: Marty Turco. While Brenden Morrow has been outstanding, including scoring the game-winner against San Jose in 4 OTs, Turco has been the man. He’s made the highlight reel in every game he’s played and is the biggest reason Dallas is in the Conference Finals.

Detroit: Henrik Zetterberg. I’ve said this before and I can’t say this enough - this guy is the best left-winger in the game. He leads all players in the playoffs in shots on goal, +/-, and has 13 points in 10 games. Despite his natural position as a left winger he has taken more face-offs than any other Red Wing and plays in all situations of the game with amazing consistency and talent.

Pittsburgh: Marc-Andre Fleury. It could go just as easily to Evgeni Malkin, but everyone knew he wasn’t going to have any trouble putting pucks in the net. The biggest question mark for the Pens going into the playoffs was in net, where Fleury has been inconsistent and threatened to start on the bench with a hot Ty Conklin. Instead, he has been one of the best goalies in this year’s playoffs, and has finally stopped giving Michel Therrien headaches.

Philadelphia: Martin Biron. Daniel Briere and Mike Richards would come close, but like Fleury in Pittsburgh, Biron has really turned up his game another notch and is relishing his role as a number one goalie at age 30. He has yet to disappoint and pulled off two straight upsets and will be looking to pull off another against the Pens.

Conference Finals Preview

You’ve been bombarded by previews from every single sports network for the Western and Eastern Conference finals. This post is going to be no different.

EAST - 2 Pittsburgh vs. 6 Philadelphia
Offense: Pittsburgh has a huge edge here, because the combination of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is the best in the league. I don’t think there’s any contest here, although that’s not to say the Flyers are offensively challenged. I’ve said so before, this Penguins team might be the most offensively dangerous team I’ve ever seen. Philadelphia holds the physical edge, but the Pens aren’t a team to be pushed around, although you’ll see plenty of Scott Hartnell and Steve Downie attempting to put Crosby and Malkin off their game, but that may be too big of a task. Edge: Pittsburgh

Defense: Here’s a tougher one. The two teams actually match up quite evenly, with both teams having physical pylons in Hal Gill and Derian Hatcher, but also excellent puck movers in Sergei Gonchar and Kimmo Timonen. However, with the Penguins’ offense relying on more skill than the Flyers, who prefer to play a more physical game, the outlet pass and the ability to generate offense from their defensemen is much more important to the Pens than Flyers. Pittsburgh has the edge here because Gonchar, who I think was totally snubbed by a Norris nomination (Dion Phaneuf and Zdeno Chara should not be there), is the biggest difference maker on the blueline in this series. Edge: Pittsburgh

Goaltending: Martin Biron and Marc-Andre Fleury both faced uncertainty mid-way through the season when they were going through dry spells, and Antero Niittymaki and Ty Conklin were threatening to take over the number one job. Now that the issue has been settled, both Biron and Fleury have been outstanding in the playoffs. I think both goalies are playing their best hockey right now, when it matters most, but Fleury has posted the better stats in the playoffs, and he’s finished off the defending Eastern Conference champs in a sweep and a tough Rangers squad in 5. Edge: Pittsburgh

Prediction: Penguins in 6.

WEST - 1 Detroit vs. 5 Dallas

Offense: It’s hard to compare teams when they’re using different styles of play. The Stars are deeper offensively, with three scoring options down the middle, but even combined they’re not as dangerous as a Pavel Datsyuk-Henrik Zetterberg combo. With a red hot Johan Franzen, the Detroit offense is something to be feared. The Wings have got a good mixture of talent and grit, led by Tomas Holmstrom, and if the Stars want to compete they need Niklas Hagman and Antti Mietinen to start contributing more offensively. Edge: Detroit.

Defense: Niklas Lidstrom and Sergei Zubov. That’s what this series really boils down to, these two players who can single handedly carry the offensive and defensive load on a team. Both teams are very disciplined on the blueline, but the Wings have the bigger names in Brian Rafalski and Chris Chelios, but Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley have been outstanding in this year’s playoffs but will be counted on to further step up their play. However, there’s no denying that Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the game, and well on his way to winning another Norris. Edge: Detroit.

Goaltending: Everyone knows that good goaltending is key in the playoffs, and Marty Turco has been the best goalie in this year’s playoffs. He would’ve been last here too had they not lost to Vancouver. Chris Osgood will be Detroit’s starter, and no other goalie has more wins against the Stars than Osgood. This bodes well for Detroit, seeing as how they will be frustrated by Turco night after night. Neither goalie will have an easy time stopping the opponents’ forwards, but I can’t say this enough - Turco has been pure amazing. Edge: Dallas

Prediction: Detroit in 7.

Taking Heat

Jennifer Hedger was starting off tonight’s edition of Sportscentre with an interview of Ron Wilson by Jermain Franklin that was unfortunately cut very short.

“No.”

That was Wilson’s response to Franklin’s question, and then proceeded to mutter “…it’s always negative…” before disappearing into the Sharks locker room. Two things bothered me about that interview. One, Wilson’s refusal to answer the question, and two, his lamenting the fact that the questions he’s been asked throughout the playoffs were “negative.”

While the fact that some interviews have been cut short by athletes and coaches and general managers who refuse to answer the questions isn’t rare, I think Wilson really deserves to let the people know what he thinks. His Sharks are down 2-0 heading to Dallas, and were clearly outplayed by a much more hungry Stars squad. It is a great opportunity for him to public criticize or challenge his best players, namely Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, to step up their game. His refusal to address the issue speaks so much about the Sharks’ status quo. They’ve steadfastly refused to address the problems, and that is turnovers and a lack of effort from the go-to guys, and as a result they’re down 2-0 in the series.

I also find that Wilson’s refusal to answer the question, because it was somehow “negative,” a little bothersome. Wilson has to realize there was nothing positive about the game. Thornton and Marleau failed to step up their game and Evgeni Nabokov was pulled late into the third. When you get outplayed this bad, of course there’s not a lot of positives to talk about. I think it shows that Wilson is really feeling the pressure and is somehow looking for an answer, and the media’s “negative” attitude isn’t exactly helping him. The Sharks are absolutely helpless, flailing around like a fish out of the tank.

Penguins, Stars Take 2-0 Lead

Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding in Game 2, shutting out the Rangers 2-0. Jordan Staal got the game-winner as the Pens took a 2-0 series lead and head to New York tomorrow. What struck me most about the game was the Rangers’ lack of urgency. Even before the commentators noted the Rangers’ slow and deliberate pace, it was very easy to sense that the Rangers were no hurry to even up the series or score the first goal. Jaromir Jagr was invisible for most of the night, and their two stalwart centres, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, were also invisible for the most part. The Rangers’ average defense cannot contain the Pens’ firepower, although they did a decent job tonight, and even if they can neutralize Sidney Crosby they still have Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa to worry about. If the Pens can’t use skill, they can use their big guys in Ryan Malone and Staal to pick up the garbage. This is one of the most dangerous offensive teams I’ve ever seen.

The Sharks-Stars game isn’t over yet, there’s about 5 minutes left, but I’m going to make my bold, bold prediction right now. The Stars are going to be your 2008 Stanley Cup Champions. The Sharks were absolutely atrocious tonight, but as much as the loss was their own undoing, the Stars were excellent. The Sharks tried to stage a comeback late in the third, but the Stars take the ice away so effectively that the Sharks were unable to set anything up or generate anything substantial. Brian Campbell, the Sharks’ big acquisition at the deadline, was again dreadful, giving the puck away numerous times. As a puck-moving defenseman that is expected, but he hasn’t made up for his giveaways by creating any offense. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were also invisible tonight, and Milan Michalek’s resurgence over the past two games is probably too little, too late. Sergei Zubov, who played his first game of the playoffs, was a huge difference maker, and his no-look, spinerama back-hand pass to Mike Modano was probably the highlight of the night. Brad Richards, the Stars’ big deadline-day acquisition, played an outstanding game, and if the Stars go deep into the playoffs, Brett Hull and Les Jackson will no doubt be highly praised. The Stars, although not as talented as Anaheim or San Jose, play a team game, in which all players chip in. Their best players play in all situations of the game and their three lines are very balanced. They play a tough forechecking game that has caused turnover after turnover, and it’s simply because they do the little things right. What they lack in talent and skill they make up for in effort and discipline. Niklas Hagman, who put in a 20+ goal campaign, was pointless in the Calgary series and Game 1, but came back with 2 goals tonight and never faltered. Even though he wasn’t scoring he was still forechecking hard and did not lose sight of the fact that the goal of the game was to win. That of course, is what the playoffs are ultimately about, isn’t it?

Sharks, Rangers Look to Even Up Series

The Sharks were upset in overtime in Game 1 by Brenden Morrow, and look to even up the series at home before the series heads to Texas. This is a big game for the Sharks, who do not want to head to Dallas in a 2-0 hole. The Stars, despite having a less talented and deep roster, have managed to really gel as a team and play a team game, much like Montreal has. Marty Turco has been absolutely stellar thus far, even dating back to last year’s first round exit against Vancouver, and perhaps it is time we stopped blaming Turco for Dallas’ playoff woes. This could very well be his year, and he is undoubtedly the Stars’ MVP of the playoffs thus far. Not having Sergei Zubov on the blueline really hurts but Turco’s strong play has overcome that.

The Rangers will be sure to keep the Penguins offense in check once they have to lead to avoid blowing another lead. Sean Avery’s over-the-top goal celebration was a motivator for the Pens to keep fighting. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marian Hossa caused havoc all night long. Their puck possession in the offensive zone was outstanding, although they failed to get some shots on net. The Rangers do not collapse on Henrik Lundqvist, which means less deflections and the goalie can see the shot better. Marc-Andre Fleury did not crack under the pressure of being down 3-0 and Michel Therrien was smart enough to realize that by not replacing him with Ty Conklin in the game. Perhaps the outcome of the Sharks-Flames series would’ve been different had Mike Keenan kept Miikka Kiprusoff in the game.

Round 2 Matchups

EAST
1 Montreal vs. 6 Philadelphia
- An intriguing match-up, as both teams just came off grueling 7-game series. The key to this match-up for the Habs of course is still Carey Price. He bounced back with a shutout in Game 7 to eliminate the Bruins, and with the exception of Games 5 and 6 he has been outstanding. This match-up pits the league’s two best regular season powerplays against each other, and special teams will be a major factor in deciding the winner. The Habs swept the season series 4-0, but the Flyers had been plagued with injuries all season long and the Bruins showed everybody that Price and the Habs aren’t invincible.
Key player: Carey Price, Montreal; Dan Briere, Philadelphia. Prediction: Habs in 7.

2 Pittsburgh vs. 5 NY Rangers
- The most dangerous offense will try to solve Henrik Lundqvist in the second round, who was recently nominated for the Vezina Trophy. Both teams are well-rested, as the Pens swept the Sens and the Rangers beating the Devils in 5. The Rangers must be disciplined against this offensive team. The Rangers boasted the league’s sixth best PK, but it would be worthwhile for them to stay out of the penalty box, as the Pens’ offense should not be given a chance to explode. Michal Rozsival and Marek Malik must hold the Pens’ forwards in check, although that is ultimately easier said than done. Chris Drury and Scott Gomez must continue to provide timely scoring while Brandon Dubinsky and Jaromir Jagr look to continue their solid play. The season series was split evenly down the middle, 3-3-2, so it looks like it’ll be a tight series. Sean Avery must continue to do what he does best, as Marc-Andre Fleury has thus far been one of the major reasons to the Pens’ success. Key player: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh; Sean Avery, NY Rangers. Prediction: Penguins in 6.

WEST
1 Detroit vs. 6 Colorado
- The rivalry continues as the Avs and Wings face familiar foes. With Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Adam Foote in the lineup, it’s once again shades of the 1990s when the two teams were bitter rivals. The Wings had some trouble disposing of the eighth seed Predators, but that was mostly due to the excellent work of Dan Ellis. If Jose Theodore continues to play at the same level he did against Minnesota, the Wings might be looking at a lengthy series again. The two teams are evenly matched, with great depth up front and key veterans on defense. The only worry that Joel Quenneville and Mike Babcock have will be in net. Theodore is obviously Quenneville’s go-to guy, while after Dominik Hasek floundered in the Games 3 and 4 Chris Osgood has taken over and will start the next round. The key to winning for the Wings is firing enough shots on Theodore and hoping that he’s off his game. The Wings led the league in shots for and they would want to test Theodore early. The key to winning for the Avs is taking advantage of Detroit mistakes, and there aren’t many. The Wings have allowed the least shots against per game this season and they’re anchored by one Niklas Lidstrom, who rarely makes any mistakes. Key players: Chris Osgood, Detroit; Jose Theodore, Colorado. Wings in 7.

2 San Jose vs. 5 Dallas
- Another interesting match-up, pitting the two Pacific Division rivals against one another. San Jose comes off a tiring series against Calgary, while the Stars are well-rested after finishing off the defending champs Ducks in 6. Yet another goalie duel, Marty Turco has been outstanding in the playoffs dating back to last season and Evgeni Nabokov has been recently announced as a Vezina finalist. The Stars held the edge during the season with a 4-2-2 record, but the two teams are evenly matched regardless. The Stars may have more balanced scoring, but the Sharks have Joe Thornton who’s 67 assists in the season led the league. The two teams are the two best PK teams in the league, and the Sharks have to watch out for Dallas’ excellent powerplay so far. They have to keep out of the box, unlike the Ducks, and the Stars’ defense will have to make sure Thornton doesn’t have any room to make any plays. They’re still missing Sergei Zubov, but the team did a nice job of shutting down Anaheim’s offense and it shouldn’t be too hard to stump this one either, considering Milan Michalek, who was second in Sharks scoring this season, has yet to register a point. The Sharks however, are more talented and having Brian Campbell to make outlet passes to pierce through the Dallas defense is key. Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi are coming off strong Game 7 performances and will be counted on to score timely goals once again. Key players: Steve Ott, Dallas; Milan Michalek, Sharks. Sharks in 6.

Ducks, Preds Out

Kudos to the Preds for putting up a hell of a fight, but the much more talented Wings were too much to handle, not to mention a couple lucky bounces went their way, in particular Niklas Lidstrom’s short-handed marker that proved to be the eventual game-winner. Missing captain Jason Arnott and playing an injured David Legwand doesn’t help either, but you can’t not feel good about this organization. After the Jim Balsillie debacle in which captain Kimmo Timonen, Scottie Upshall, Scott Hartnell, and Paul Kariya were lost, David Poile still somehow managed to ice a competitive team and Barry Trotz remains one of the league’s most underrated coaches. Losing Steve Sullivan for the season also hurt, but JP Dumont and Alexander Radulov have become dependable scoring wingers in their own right. The Wings will face either the Avs or Flames in the next round, both teams a much more talented and physical bunch than the Preds. Once again whichever team with the strongest goaltending will win the series, as the Preds would’ve been eliminated had it not been for Dan Ellis‘ excellent play.

Corey Perry’s soft shot was Marty Turco’s only mistake of the night as the Stars finally advanced past the first round for the first time in their last three playoff appearances. It marks the end of Anaheim’s defense of the Cup, and perhaps also the careers of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne. Brett Hull and Les Jackson will be commended for their deal to land Brad Richards, who has 5 points in 6 games and is +2. He hasn’t been exactly dominating, but having Mike Modano, Mike Ribeiro, and Richards down the middle now gives them arguably the deepest pool of centres in the West, comparable only to Colorado’s Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Paul Stastny.

Bruins Force Game 7, Avs Advance

If you haven’t been following the Bruins-Habs series, you should. The Habs were heavy favourites to win the series, considering their depth on forward and defense and one Carey Price in net, but the Bruins have been battling hard despite not having Patrice Bergeron in the lineup and an injured Zdeno Chara on the blueline. Francois Bouillon gave the Habs a 3-2 lead but Milan Lucic got the better of Mike Komisarek (in what could be a rivalry to come) to tie the game at 3 apiece. Phil Kessel, who had been benched earlier in the series, then scored the go-ahead goal with just 4:15 left to go in the third by wiring a low wrist shot past a sprawling price but only to have the lead replaced just 11 seconds later by Chris Higgins. Marco Sturm potted the eventual winner in a wild third period with just 2:37 to go in the game to force Game 7. The Habs late rally in the third was stifled by Tim Thomas and failed to generate any good scoring chances. The Bruins won because they outworked the Habs, despite them having captain Saku Koivu back. Price had allowed just five goals in the previous four games, but has allowed 8 third-period goals the last two games. He needs to be much sharper for Game 7.

Jose Theodore was outstanding as the Avs stifled a talented Wild squad to win the game 2-1 and series 4-2 to advance into the next round. Ryan Smyth’s second period goal was enough to take the game and Theodore turned aside 24 shots in the second and third periods. Marian Gaborik mustered only one assist last night, his only point of the series, after a career season. The normally dependable forward was shut down the entire series by Adam Foote, while Ruslan Salei kept most of the other Wild forwards in check. Both were deadline acquisitions made by Francois Giguere. Theodore was the difference maker in the series, and will most likely play Detroit in the next round, while goaltending will also be a major factor in determining the winner. Chris Osgood recently replaced Dominik Hasek as the starter and if Mike Babcock cannot rely on one goalie the Avs and Theodore may very well take advantage of that.

Rangers Advance, Ducks Survive

Sean Avery is the most hated player in the game, but you can’t help but accept the fact that he is really good at what he does. Martin Brodeur was not sharp for the series and as a result the Devils cleaned out their locker rooms today. While Avery’s antics are frustrating for sure, highlighted by his “unique” way to screen goalies, he was one of the Rangers‘ best players, and I would be surprised if they don’t re-sign him. Personally, I don’t think he did anything wrong waving his arms and stick in front of Brodeur, and I don’t see anything illegal or unsportsmanlike about it. He is an agitator, and that’s his game. Whether you can still perform with a guy like that in your face is a determinant in how distracted you can be as a player. Brodeur was a victim of that. The Rangers are now the second team to advance, needing only 5 games, and are most likely to face the Pens in the next round.

The Ducks survived elimination in Anaheim with a convincing 5-2 win over the Stars, but still trail the series 3-2. The Stars have failed to advance to the second round three straight years and this year could be the end of that woeful streak. Scott Niedermayer played the best game of the entire series, and while he remains one of the league’s best skaters, it isn’t hard to notice that he looked tired at times out there. It’s a consequence of coming back into the season in December when most players are already hitting their stride, but any team would have a 75% Niedermayer than no Niedermayer. The Ducks will have to win in Dallas to force Game 7, and the numbers do work for them - the Stars’ 16 home losses during the season are the most out of any playoff team. JS Giguere was phenomenal in net, turning aside 14 powerplay shots from the most dangerous powerplay in the postseason. Niklas Hagman, who had 27 goals during the season, has yet to record a point.