We've reached the final four and many people have already been dreaming of a Penguins/Red Wings final in a re-match of last year's finish, but people need to accommodate their dreams to the fact that A. Cam Ward and Erik Staal are pure clutch players, and B. Khabibulin and his speedy comeback kids won't go down without a fight. But other than seeing the Canes battle it out with the Blackhawks, every other possible finish is a Stanley Cup Finals rematch from the last 20 years.
Detroit Vs. Pittsburgh
In a rematch from the 2007-08 Finals, this series features a few other mini-stories within. The first, and obvious, is Hossa now playing for the Red Wings instead of the Penguins. The second story to the rematch is having both teams being 1 more year older. That influences a lot considering most of the players on the Penguins are under the age of 30 and those on the Red Wings are not. The Pens have gone the distance and it is said in order to win the Stanley Cup you must first understand what it is to lose it. The Pens have done that, and this year they are now ready to take it by the horns and drive it home for the win. Needless to say, it will not be a quick series, nor will it be painless.
Carolina Vs. Detroit
Interestingly enough, the last three times the Hurricanes have made it to the playoffs, they've made it to the Conference Finals (2002, 2006, 2009) and both times, aside from this year, they've made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. If they meet the Red Wings in the Finals, the Hurricanes will faceoff against a familiar foe. In 2002, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in a 5 games against the Hurricanes. 2002 was a strange post-season for Carolina as both goaltender's were known to start strong and end weak. Artus Irbe was replaced by Weekes and Weekes was soon replaced by Irbe on almost a weekly basis, but the tactic worked as they stormed into the Stanley Cup Finals but could not maintain the fiery hot Red Wings as they lost the series 4-1. Now, with stronger goaltending and a crop of talented youth and great veteran leadership it is difficult to imagine this series ending in 5 games or less.
Chicago Vs. Detroit
This one is not a Stanley Cup Finals rematch, but the series itself should be discussed on a few interesting notes. The first is a series that features a former Blackhawk legend now apart of the Red Wings crop - Chris Chelios. The last time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was against, you guessed it, the Detroit Red Wings in 1961, and is the longest Stanley Cup drought than any other team in the NHL. In 1995, the two clubs faced off in the Conference Finals only to have Detroit go on to lose in the Finals against the New Jersey Devils. The third odd fact about this series is what has happened this season. The Winter Classic was hosted by Chicago at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings won the game 6-4. Who would have guessed on New Year's day those two teams would meet in the Conference Finals? Let's not forget that Scotty Bowman left the Red Wings organization to work with his son in Chicago. This will be the 15th time these two teams have met in the post-season, the Blackhawks winning 8 of the previous 14 series.
Chicago Vs. Pittsburgh
In 1992, the Blackhawks stormed through the gate with 11 straight playoff victories coming into the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blackhawks were winning 4-1 in Game 1 before the Penguins came back to win it with 13 seconds left with a goal by none other than Super Mario. The Pens would then post 1-0, and 6-5 wins before sweeping the Blackhawks and tie the 11 straight playoff victory records they broke on Chicago. Mario Lemieux became the 2nd player in league history to win the Conn Smythe two years in a row and the Penguins captured their 2nd Stanley Cup in as many years. Should the Penguins meet the Blackhawks in the Finals once again this season, it will be a battle of youth as both teams are certainly coming into their own on top of the league. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews vs. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Oh, to dream.
There's only 2 tickets to paradise.
Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Rematch - Every Which Way But One
Friday, May 15, 2009
Conference Final Predictions
What an ending to the second round. Three game sevens, one amazing overtime, and Chicago getting some needed rest while Anaheim and Detroit finish a war.
So now the Conference Finals are set, and both matchups look like they will continue the stretch of intense action. On the line: a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Will the upstart Chicago Blackhawks make it all the way and win their first Cup since 1961? Will Carolina make it back to the Finals for the first time since winning in 2006 (the last two times they qualified for the playoffs, they’ve made it to the Finals)? Are we destined for a Detroit-Pittsburgh rematch?
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes
The Penguins are coming off a highly charged series against the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby proved why he’s arguably the best player on the planet right now. Carolina had staked itself to a 3-1 series lead against the Boston Bruins, only to be forced to overtime in game seven when unlikely hero Scott Walker put the series away. Now Eric and Jordan Staal get to face each other.
The Penguins will need a lot more secondary scoring, especially from Kunitz, Satan and Staal. Crosby and Malkin can only do so much of the heavy lifting. Carolina needs bigger contributions from Brind’Amour and Cole. Sergei Samsonov showed up against his former team, but he needs to not disappear again.
Prediciton: Penguins in six.
Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks
The last time the Hawks were in the conference finals was 1994-95 where they lost to Detroit. This is the third straight trip for the Red Wings. Chicago comes in on a tear, winning the last three against the Vancouver Canucks to close them out in six games, while Detroit needed a weak goal given up by Jonas Hiller late in game seven to finish off the Anaheim Ducks.
Chicago needs to establish leads early in games, and not have to comeback against Detroit, as the Wings are one of the best at maintaining a lead. Nikolai Khabibulin is going to have to be stellar for the Hawks to have a chance. Detroit needs to stay out of penalty trouble as the Hawks have the best powerplay in the playoffs and the Wing’s biggest weakness has been on the penalty kill.
Prediction: Red Wings in six.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Beasts of the East
After what some consider an upset for the Penguins to take out the Flyers in six games, and an 80 second burst of pure skill and a hint of luck for the Hurricanes, the East is settled to 4 teams: Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington and Carolina. It's a dream come true for the people who live and breath the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry, while the other series has certain people thinking hard about what could very well happen.
Boston Vs. Carolina
There's no denying the Hurricanes are essentially the dark horse of the East. Going into the post-season, not too many people were really talking about them and, in a way, that's underestimating them. The Devils were one of the favorites to get to the Conference Finals, but after seeing what damage the Hurricanes can do, regardless of the series going to 7 games, one must not count them out against the Bruins.
The Bruins are a team that have many young players with a ton of talent and grit to push them through; however, the Hurricanes are a team that completely works as a single unit. There is no major powerhouse player on the team, other than Eric Staal, and they feed off each other in pursuit of the win. The Bruins have tremendous goaltending, a firm defensive stance and explosive speed. It will depend on how well all of their lines perform in the series to see if they can get past the Hurricanes in less than 6 games, for there is no denying that Carolina is a far more superior team compared to the Montreal Canadiens.
This series will depend on the level of intensity from both sides and how they use their forechecking. Needless to say, a simple shot on net is not going to fool Tim Thomas - the Hurricanes will have to focus legitimate chances on goal to get a win, and it won't be easy. The Bruins, on the other hand, must keep Cam Ward deep in his net, refuse to allow him to challenge the shooters and maintain pressure on Eric Staal and Erik Cole. If they can shut down the top duo and keep the pressure on by constantly sending the puck into the offensive zone, they will be able to take this series in as many as 5 games, but don't be surprised if the Hurricanes steal one or two. This is a team that thrives on unity and a bit of luck.
Pittsburgh Vs. Washington
Despite Washington finishing 2nd in the Standings, a lot of people believe the Penguins are far and away the better team. The whole debate on who the better player is between Crosby and Ovechkin will be put on the line in this one, but people are overlooking one simple fact: it isn't about who is better, it's about who can elevate their game and lead their team to a berth in the Conference Finals.
There's no doubt both sides have a ton of firepower, but will they have the necessary defensive skills to hold each other off? Let's face it, these are "defense-first"-minded teams we're talking about here. In the regular season, the Penguins were a collective +23, and only a +5 on the road. The Capitals were a collective +18 and only a +2 on the road. To put that into perspective, the Bruins were a +60, while the Jackets were a +18. Needless to say, this will be an explosively offensive series that will likely be home-and-home wins.
This series will be dependent on superb goaltending. The defense have a knack for making unnecessary mistakes or showing signs of sheer laziness on the back-check. In order for either of these teams to get the big W they will need to be supported significantly between the pipes and that will surely mean more of Varlamov's outstanding performance thus far and absolutely no sign of Theodore on the ice. If the Caps for some reason decide to go with the veteran, it will be a costly mistake.
Unless one of Fleury and Varlamov completely shine and shut the door throughout, neither team will go away quietly. Expect a long one for this one and plenty of frustration.
Get ready for the Beasts of the East!
Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@hotmail.com
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