Originally Written by our Basement Blogger AJ
Immortality. Everyone dreams of it, and each year, 20 men achieve it. 20 men give all they have, fighting through mental and physical fatigue, immense pain, and all those who oppose them.
This is the time of year that heroes are made, that careers are defined, that separates the men from the boys. This is the time when heart means more than skill, when the most unlikely of sources, can make (or break) an entire years worth of work. It’s the time of year that makes Mike Rupp, Stephane Matteau and Martin Gelinas household names. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While the hunt for hockeys holy grail starts, it wouldn’t be a sporting moment without the 2 cents of the Basement, so here they are, the Gary’s Basement (really just me) first round predictions.
Buffalo Sabres (1) vs. New York Islanders (8) Overview: Last season, the Sabres fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals. Back then, they were hurt. Without some of their top players out, the Hurricanes took advantage and went on to win the Cup. This year, the Sabres are arguably stronger than ever before. The Isles on the other hand are without their energy man (Chris Simon), and starting goalie (Rick DiPietro). It was reported today that DiPietro has begun skating again, but he can’t be anywhere near 100%.
Keys to the Series: For the Islanders to have any shot, DiPietro has to be in net, and defenseman Brendan Witt must play the best hockey of his life. The Isles have a great offense, and are one of the deepest teams in the playoffs, but without solid goal tending, they can be in a lot of trouble. If New York finds themselves with Wade Dubielewicz in net, Witt will become the most important man in Uniondale. The Sabres will constantly be on the attack this series. They can only loose if they implode.
Prediction: Sabres in 4
New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (7) Overview: Each playoff season, no team can put fear into an opponent quite like the New Jersey Devils. Any team that can boast Martin Brodeur in goal has a leg up on any opposition. With a new NHL record for regular season wins (49), Brodeur is coming into the playoffs with one of his best seasons, while having one of the weakest Devils defenses in front of him. The Lightning on the other hand, haven’t changed their style since their 2004 Stanley Cup victory. Linemates Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier each ended in the top five in the NHL in scoring, and combine with Brad Richards to form one of the leagues deadliest offenses.
Keys to the Series: If the Devils are to pull off a victory, major production must continue to come from the line of Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner. Parise had his first taste of post season last year, and has been an offensive force for New Jersey this year, and while Langenbrunner is a proven playoff performer, the pressure will be on the rookie pivot, Zajac. But the biggest question mark will lie on Tampa’s side. While Lecavalier, Richards, and St. Louis can play with the best of them, the Lightning don’t have the defense or goaltending that they had in 2004. A lot of pressure will be put on Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, neither of whom have seen playoff action before.
Prediction: Devils in 5
Atlanta Thrashers (3) vs. New York Rangers (6) Overview: The Rangers may have been the 6 seed, but they finished just 3 points behind the Thrashers. One of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, the Rangers are fortunate to have to play Atlanta. With a healthy Henrik Lundqvist and Jaromir Jagr, New York now has the 2 critical pieces to their playoff puzzle that were missing last year. On the other side of the ice, the Thrashers will enter the post season for the first time in their history. While management hopes Keith Tkachuk and Alexi Zithnik can be just like Doug Weight and Mark Recchi last season for the Hurricanes, Atlanta will have to overcome a serious lack of depth and playoff experience. Although when you have both Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk going up against a suspect Rangers defense, you can overcome a lot of things.
Keys to the Series: When they traded Aaron Ward for Paul Mara, the Rangers gave up everything they needed at this moment. Ward, a Stanley Cup winner last season, would have been the only defenseman with a ring, and his defense will be missed. Now a severely lacking Rangers defense will go up against a severely lacking Thrashers defense. This series will come down to two of the games best young goalies, Lundqvist and Kari Lethonen. While Lundqvist has the edge in playoff experience (albeit not much), Lethonen has been more than solid, making spectacular saves, especially in the latter part of the year. These two teams are so evenly matched, either team can take the series.
Prediction: Rangers in 7
Ottawa Senators (4) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (5) Overview: In what will no doubt be the most entertaining series in the playoffs, Sidney Crosby gets his first taste of post season play. Normally, such lack of experience would be damaging to a team like Pittsburgh. But we aren’t talking about normal youth, we’re talking about some of the games most talented players. Crosby’s reinforcements include Calder trophy front runner Evgeni Malkin, 30 goal scorer Jordan Staal, and one of the games most underrated players, Colby Armstrong. The Sens, on the other hand, are perennial losers. Each year, the Senators have one of the best teams, and each year they fall short of a championship. Dany Heatly, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson will continue to be a dangerous line, while Ray Emery will handle the role between the pipes and try to keep the fans off of his back.
Keys to the Series: The ability to get fired up shouldn’t be a problem for the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin give it their all game in and game out, while any one who doesn’t play hard will have to answer to Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts. Ottawa however, will have to prove to every hockey fan that they can step up their game. The closest the Sens got was game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2003, and it was the only season they may have actually upped their game. This series will be tough as it is, and if they don't get fired up, the Sens will be joining the Canadiens and Maple Leafs at home really soon.
Prediction: Penguins in 6
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs.Calgary Flames (8) Overview: If there is one time to beat up on the Red Wings, it’s the first round. Unfortunately for the Wings, this year's Flames may be better than last year's Oilers. The scariest team in the west may be Calgary, who can boast one of 4 talented lines, an extremely solid defense, and one of the league's best goalies. Don’t be fooled by the 8th seed, the Flames are only so low because they had to be in the leagues toughest division, where everyone beat up on everyone else. Time ran out on Wings goalie Dominik Hasek a few seasons ago, along with defenseman Chris Chelios. The only reason the Wings stay in contention every year is because they get to play the Blackhawks, Blues and Blue Jackets so many times.
Keys to the Series: For the Wings to stay alive, they have to force the play all series long. If the Flames can play their game, and stay physical, Detroit won’t stand a chance. The Wings will rely heavily on their flashy forwards, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. If the Flames zero in on those two defensively, the Red Wings will have a tough time scoring. On Calgary’s side, it will come down to the play of former Wing Darren McCarty. If McCarty can cause enough damage in front of the net, even Hasek’s best beached whale impersonation won’t help.
Prediction: Flames in 6
Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (7) Overview: If there is any team the Ducks didn’t want to see in the first round, it’s the Wild. While Anaheim may be one of the best teams in recent NHL history, the Wild have been giant killers in the past. With the great coaching of Jaques Lemaire, Minny will continue to boast a great defense, and has the speed to beat even the best of squads. As Anaheim will try to rough up the Wild, Minnesota will answer back with 6 foot 7 Derek Boogaard. But no matter what happens, the Ducks will always have Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer, which is more than enough to tilt any match in Anaheim’s favor.
Keys to the Series: Niklas Backstrom has emerged as more than solid goalie for the Minnesota system, and if he can play strong, it will really power the Wild throughout the series. Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik have clicked, and Brain Rolston will bring the cannon. This can get dangerous for the Ducks, as they may not be fast enough to keep up with Minny. Either Jean-Sebastian Gigure or Ilya Bryzgolov will have to emerge and emerge fast as a top playoff goalie, or the Ducks may be going home early.
Prediction: Wild in 7
Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Dallas Stars (6) Overview: This may be the most mediocre playoff series ever. The good news for Roberto Luongo is that his first ever playoff match is against the Dallas Stars. The bad news is that there may have been more talent in front of him if he stayed in Florida. At least Olli Jokinen hasn’t stopped scoring, unlike Marcus Naslund. Naslund, who is usually one of the games most dangerous players, has spent time with the Canuck's third line at points in the season. Center Brendan Morrison has returned to normal after spending time as one of the leagues most over rated players. On the flip side, the Stars (or Ottawa west) will need to wake up. Someone really needs to tell Marty Turco that he has to play better come playoff time. It goes without saying that Mike Modano will show up, but who else can carry the Stars deep into the playoffs?
Keys to the Series: This series comes down to 2 match ups, Modano vs Luongo and Naslund vs Turco. Modano, a proven player, gets to go up against one of the game's top goalies in his first playoff game, while both Naslund and Turco try to shake off the cobwebs. As much fun as Brendan Morrow can be, this series will be hard to watch.
Prediction: Canucks in 5
Nashville Predators (4) vs. San Jose Sharks (5) Overview: Just one thing will be necessary to explain the greatness of this series, Peter Forsberg vs Joe Thornton. Two of the game's all time best centermen get to go up against each other in a winner take all series. Thornton is fighting to bring home a cup to a team that came so close last season, while Forsberg will be fighting to bring a cup to a team that needs help just staying in its city. Both teams are matched up well across the board, which will lead to an extremely entertaining match up. While the Sharks boast Thornton and Patrick Marleau down the middle, the Preds can answer back with Forsberg and Jason Arnott. Every Jonathan Cheechoo has a Steve Sullivan. The only real difference between the teams may be in goal, where Nashville knows it will be starting Tomas Vokoun. The Sharks will have to decide exactly what they want to do with Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov.
Keys to the Series: While the Bill Guerin deal will prove to be huge for the Sharks, this is exactly the type of series that will make them regret trading Ville Niminen. Because of the even match up, this series will be all about the energy guys, the Jordan Tootoo’s and the Scot Nichol’s. Without Ville, the Sharks will be missing a major part of the game. It just puts more pressure on Thornton and Guerin. Fortunately, they can handle it.
Prediction: Sharks in 7
Much as I appreciate the read, could I respectfully ask you to go through it and put in apostrophes where needed, and take them out where they are not?
One small example:
Should be "heroes" and "careers"
You put all that work into the article. Might as well make it as good as it can be, right?
Doneee, Done. Thank you, I appreciate it.
Basic High School grammar for ya. hah