First, a question: did anyone actually miss the 34 games per team that were lopped off the schedule as a result of Owners’ Lockout III?
And a follow-up: Exactly how much did the absence of training camp, the paucity of practice time and the small sample size produced by the compressed 48-game schedule contribute to the widespread mediocrity that marked the season?
Ok, there’s Chicago in the west, simply an outstanding team from wire to wire. There’s Pittsburgh in the east, clearly a notch above the conference competition even without Sidney Crosby.
And then, well, who exactly? Anaheim? The defending champions from LA who go at it again without home-ice advantage, seeking to repeat the feat they pulled off last year in becoming the first team to win the Cup as a bottom-half seed since the 1995 Devils?
Nine of last year’s 15 series were won by teams that did not have home ice, so it clearly would be a mistake to expect form to hold, especially after a season in which so few teams distinguished themselves.
Still, the Cup does seem Chicago’s to lose.
Doesn’t, however, mean that the Blackhawks won’t.
EAST
(1) Penguins over (8) Islanders in 5: Islanders won’t go meekly into the night in their first trip to the party, and it will be fascinating to watch John Tavares duel Sidney Crosby if and when No. 87 is cleared to play. But Pittsburgh, which hasn’t gotten by the first round in two years and has won only one series since winning the 2009 Cup, has too many weapons for the Islanders, whose 2.83 GAA is worst among playoff teams.
(2) Senators over (7) Canadiens in 7: Ottawa not only owns the skill and speed to match up with Montreal’s brigade, but has the toughness as evidenced in last year’s knock-down, drag-out, seven-game first round loss to the Rangers. Brandon Prust vs. Chris Neil; when first and how often? Carey Price has nothing on Craig Anderson. Should be a terrific series.
(6) Rangers over (3) Caps in 6: If coach John Tortorella can resist the temptation to shorten an already depleted bench by the second period of Game 1 and if the Blueshirts can stay out of the box, Henrik Lundqvist should carry his team to victory. Rangers had the third-best 5-on-5 goal ratio in the NHL at 1.30, trailing only Chicago (1.53) and Pittsburgh (1.35). Caps’ 2.71 GAA is second-worst among playoff qualifiers.
(5) Maple Leafs over (4) Bruins in 6: And they won’t even need Pat Quinn to go low on Bobby Orr in order to do it. The Bully B’s have been treading water since the league stopped being bullied by them.
WEST
(1) Blackhawks over (8) Wild in 5: Two home playoff gates will be the first year return on Minnesota’s investment in Zach Parise and Ryan Suter after the tournament’s biggest Round 1 mismatch.
(7) Red Wings over (2) Ducks in 7: Two best players in the series, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, wear the Winged Wing. Beyond that, Jimmy Howard has developed into a goaltender who wins games for the Detroit franchise rather than simply not losing them.
(6) Sharks over (3) Canucks in 6: Vancouver hasn’t appeared to be in a settled situation since Roberto Luongo morphed into a sieve in Boston in Game 3 of the 2011 Cup Final while Antti Niemi has evolved into a stopper for San Jose.
(5) Kings over (4) Blues in 6: LA’s edge in net behind reigning Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick will make the difference in a matchup between two of the three best teams in the west, regardless of seeding.
Conference Semis:
East:
(7) Senators over (1) Penguins in 7
(6) Rangers over (5) Maple Leafs in 6
West:
(1) Blackhawks over (7) Red Wings in 5
(5) Kings over (6) Sharks in 5
Conference Finals:
East: (7) Senators over (6) Rangers in 6
West: (1) Blackhawks over (5) Kings in 7
Stanley Cup Final: Blackhawks over Senators in 6