After round 1 of these 2012 playoffs most "experts" were left scratching their heads. Like myself, Pittsburgh and Vancouver were the consensus pick to meet in the Stanley Cup Final. At the time it appeared to be a smart and safe pick, I mean with Vancouver being the best team in the NHL all year and the Penguins getting the best player in the world back a few games before the playoffs, who could argue. Well I guess Claude Giroux and Jonathan Quick strongly disagreed as they were instrumental in the upsets.
My overall predicting ability for round 1 proved that I am no "Rocket Scientist" , as I picked only 3 teams correctly. Nashville got by Detroit much easier than I expected as I figured that series would go the distance and on the flip side I thought New Jersey would finish up in 5 with Florida. Got the teams right but not the games. The closest to a perfect prediction I produced was New York, it took them 7 when I thought 6.
So if you are a person who likes to place wagers on sports (good thing I am not), maybe ignoring the rest of this article or picking the opposite of what I am about to share will be a great idea. However, here it goes.
St. Louis Blues vs. LA Kings:
Schedule: Sat April 28, Mon April 30, Thurs May 3, Sun May 6, Tues May 8, Thurs May 10, Sat May 12.
Head to Head: St. Louis 1-2-1 L.A. 3-1-0
Top Scorers Round 1: St. Louis was led by Andy MacDonald (4-4-8) and Patrik Berglund (3-4-7)
Dustan Brown (4-1-5) led the Kings and J. Williams and A. Kopitar each had 4 points.
Goaltenders: St. Louis: Brian Elliott 3-0, 1.37 GAA and a .949 Save Percentage
L.A.: Jonathan Quick 4-1, 1.59 GAA and a .953 Save Percentage
Special Teams: St. Louis Power Play 33.3% (6/18) and Penalty Kill 88.2% (15/17)
L.A. Power Play 11.5% (3/26) and Penalty Kill 85.7% (18/21)
Notes: This should be a goaltenders duel, as both teams are very defensive minded. With Jaroslav Halak missing at least the first 2 games, Brian Elliott has the reigns for the Blues. Both teams have a stud on the blue line as Drew Doughty leads all Kings players in ice time at 26:32 and St. Louis counters with Alex Pietrangelo and his 26:15 of ice time.
Prediction: St. Louis Blues in 6
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators
Schedule: Fri April 27 (Phx won 4-3 in OT), Sun April 29, Wed May 2, Fri May 4, Mon May 7, Wed May 9, Fri May 11.
Head to Head: Phoenix 2-1-1 Nashville 2-2-0
Top Scorers (thru game 1): Phoenix: Rostislav Klesla (2-4-6) and Antoine Vermette (4-2-6)
Nashville: Alexander Radulaov (1-4-5), Legwand and Bourque have 4 points each.
Goaltenders: Phoenix: Mike Smith 5-2, 1.91 GAA and a .947 Save Percentage
Nashville: Pekka Rinne 4-2, 2.09 GAA and a .929 Save Percentage.
Special Teams: Phoenix Power Play 22.7% (5/22) and Penalty Kill 91.7% (22/24)
Nashville Power Play 11.1% (3/27) and Penalty Kill 80.8% (21/26)
Notes: This should be another goaltenders battle as Mike Smith and Pekka Rinne have been front and center in their teams success. Nashville has the bigger names, (Weber, Suter, Radulov) but Phoenix has been getting contributions from everyone all year, led by Ray Whitney, who happened to score the OT winner in game 1. Nashville's top power play from the regular season needs to get on track as the Coyotes penalty kill is tops in the playoffs.
Prediction: Nashville in 7
New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
Schedule: Sat April 28, Mon April 30, Wed May 2, Sat May 5, Mon May 7, Wed May 9, Sat May 12.
Head to Head: 2-2-0 Split
Top Scorers Round 1: New York: Brad Richards (2-3-5) 4 others with 4 points
Washington: Alex Ovechkin (2-3-5) B. Laich and N. Backstrom have 4 points each.
Goaltenders: New York: Henrik Lundqvist 4-3, 1.70 GAA and .945 Save Percentage
Washington: Braden Holtby 4-3, 2.00 GAA and a .940 Save Percentage
Special Teams: New York Power Play 15.6% (5/32) and Penalty Kill 84.6% (22/26)
Washington Power Play 15.8% (3/19) and Penalty Kill 91.3% (21/23)
Notes: Holtby put up Lundqvist like numbers in round 1and will need to continue to do so for the Caps to have a chance. New York has a stronger defense led by Girardi (28:03 TOI) and McDonagh (26:21 TOI). This will be a tight series as both teams went the distance in tightly contested series. Washington played 7 one goal games against last years champs.
Prediction: Rangers in 7
Philadelphia Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils
Schedule: Sun April 29, Tues May 1, Thurs May 3, Sun May 6, Tues May 8, Thurs May 10, Sat May 12.
Head to Head: Philadelphia 3-2-1 and New Jersey 3-3-0
Top Scorers Round 1: Flyers: Claude Giroux (6-8-14) and Daniel Briere (5-3-8)
New Jersey: Travis Zajac (3-3-6) Kovalchuk and Clarkson each have 5 points.
Goaltenders: Flyers: Ilya Bryzgalov 4-2, 3.89 GAA and .871 Save Percentage
New Jersey: Martin Brodeur 4-2, 2.06 GAA and .922 Save Percentage
Special Teams: Flyers Power Play 52.2% (12/23) and Penalty Kill 69% (20/29)
New Jersey Power Play 20% (5/25) and Penalty Kill 66.7% (18/27)
Notes: Currently the Devils have the advantage in goal, if Bryzgalov can get his act together and not lose games for Philadelphia this will be an entertaining series. The winner could be decided by who stays out of the penalty box. The Flyers PP shredded Pittsburgh for 12 goals and the Devils clipped along at 20%. Both teams were lousy on the PK in round 1. Philly scored 30 goals in round 1 and Claude Giroux emerged as a great leader as he willed the Flyers the second round.
Prediction: Philadelphia in 6
Showing posts with label St. Louis Blues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis Blues. Show all posts
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
West Playoffs: Preview and Picks
#1 Vancouver Canucks vs #8 Los Angeles Kings
Schedule: Game 1: Wednesday April 11, Game 2: Friday April 13, Game 3: Sunday April 15, Game 4: Wednesday April 18, Game 5: Sunday April 22, Game 6: Tuesday April 24, Game 7: Thursday April 26.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Vancouver 2-1-1 L.A. 2-2-0
Vancouver Canucks: Special Teams, Power Play 4th (19.8%) and Penalty Kill 6th (86.0%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (5th) and Goals Against per Game 2.4 (4th)
Los Angeles Kings: Special Teams, Power Play 17th (17.0%) and Penalty Kill 4th (87.0%)
Goals For per Game 2.4 (29th) and Goals Against per Game 2.2 (2nd)
Players to Watch
Vancouver: Henrik Sedin (14G-67A-81P) and Daniel Sedin (30G-37A-67P) Looks like Daniel will be ready for Game 1. Still waiting for the Sedin's to dominate the playoffs. Alex Burrows (28G-24A-52P) Third member of Sedin line, Sedin's take the majority of the defensive coverage allowing Burrows room to work. Ryan Kesler (22G-27A-49P) Dominated round 2 last year then took on a defensive role in rounds 3 and 4. Could be the difference if he plays all 4 rounds this year like the Nashville series last year. Roberto Luongo (31-14-8) and Cory Schneider (20-8-1) Luongo will start game 1 but we will see Schneider at some point in the playoffs. This could be the make or break point for Luongo's future with Canucks, Schneider is ready to be #1.
Los Angeles: Jonathan Quick (35-21-13) The only reason L.A. is in the playoffs. Will be in the running for the Vezina. Needs to be spectacular for the Kings to have a chance. Anze Kopitar (25G-51A-76P) The offensive leader on an offensively challenged team. Mike Richards (18G-26A-44P) Been through the battles with Philadelphia, plays in all situations. Needs to produce points.
Notes
~ Jeff Carter (LA) and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) should be ready for game 1.
~ Vancouver's defence is better than last years with a healthy Dan Hamhuis and an improved Alex Edler
Prediction
Vancouver Canucks in 5. L.A. can't score. Vancouver can. Yes Jonathan Quick could steal a few games but so could the 2 goalies at the other end. Vancouver is to deep at all positions.
#2 St. Louis Blues vs #7 San Jose Sharks
Schedule: Game 1: Thursday April 12, Game 2: Saturday April 14, Game 3: Monday April 16, Game 4: Thursday April 19, Game 5: Saturday April 21, Game 6: Monday April 23, Game 7: Wednesday April 25.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: St. Louis 4-0-0 San Jose 0-4-0
St. Louis: Special Teams, Power Play 19th (16.7%) and Penalty Kill 7th (85.8%)
Goals For per Game 2.6 (21st) and Goals Against per Game 2.0 (1st)
San Jose: Special Teams, Power Play 2nd (21.1%) and Penalty Kill 29th (76.9%)
Goals For per Game 2.8 (13th) and Goals Against per Game 2.6 (8th)
Players To Watch
St. Louis: Jaroslav Halak (26-12-7) and Brian Elliot (23-10-4) Goalies shared the load all year, will be interesting to see what Hitchcock does for the Playoffs. Suspect it will be status quo. David Backes (24G-30A-54P) Led team in scoring and is a defensive leader as well. Name is mentioned in the Selke discussions. Alex Pietrangelo (12G-39A-51P) Thriving under Hitchcock's system, strong in his own end and can put up points as well.
San Jose: Logan Couture (31G-34A-65P) Coming out party was last season, needs to continue to produce at crucial times. Joe Thornton (18G-59A-77P) Still puts up numbers but not so much in playoffs. Doesn't need to be the go to guy anymore. Patrick Marleau (30G-34A-64P) Consistency tends to be Marleau's problem in the playoffs, can be amazing one night and disappear the next. Joe Pavelski (31G-30A-61P) Needs to be a factor to take a little heat off of Thornton and Marleau. Antti Niemi (34-22-9) Won a Cup with Chicago the came to San Jose, has been inconsistent at times.
Notes
~ San Jose had to scratch and claw to get into the post season up until the last weekend.
~ Maybe as an under dog they can achieve what they couldn't as a contender.
Prediction
San Jose Sharks in 7. St. Louis has had a remarkable year under the guidance of Ken Hitchcock. This series is a coin flip but I believe with the less pressure San Jose will come out on top in the end.
#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Schedule: Game 1: Thursday April 12, Game 2: Saturday April 14, Game 3: Tuesday April 17, Game 4: Thursday April 19, Game 5: Saturday April 21, Game 6: Monday April 23, Game 7: Wednesday April 25.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Phoenix 3-1-0 Chicago 1-2-1
Phoenix Coyotes: Special Teams, Power Play 29th (13.6%) and Penalty Kill 8th (85.5%)
Goals For per Game 2.6 (18th) and Goals Against per Game 2.5 (5th)
Chicago Blackhawks: Special Teams, Power Play 26th (15.2%) and Penalty Kill 27th (78.1%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (6th) and Goals Against per Game 2.9 (22nd)
Players To Watch
Phoenix: Mike Smith (33-18-10) Had a fantastic season and crept into the Vezina discussion. Will need to continue strong play. Ray Whitney (24G-53A-77P) Turns 40 in May and led the Coyotes in scoring. The Wizard will have to work his magic for the Yotes to have a chance. Radim Vrbata (35G-27A-62P) Mediocre player before he came to Phoenix, has turned into a real scoring threat. Shane Doan (22G-28A-50P) Been in the Desert for every year the Coyotes existed. Leading Phoenix to second round would be a feel good story.
Chicago: Jonathan Toews (29G-28A-57P) Blackhawks leader looks to be ready to return, how effective will he be. Marion Hossa (29G-48A-77P) Do everything guy like Toews, Hossa can score and play in his own end. Patrick Kane (23G-43A-66P) Has game breaking skill, will need to provide it until Toews gets back up to speed. Corey Crawford (30-17-7) Young goaltender who experienced a tough series with Vancouver last year. Has a Cup finalist in Emery backing him up.
Notes
~ Phoenix won first Division Title in franchise history.
~ Kieth and Seabrook pairing for Chicago will be key to defence as goalies are just OK.
Prediction
Chicago Blackhawks in 6. The Hawks have to much experience and outclass Phoenix in high end talent and difference makers. Mike Smith will keep games close.
#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Schedule: Game 1: Wednesday April 11, Game 2: Friday April 13, Game 3: Sunday April 15, Game 4: Tuesday April 17, Game 5: Friday April 20, Game 6: Sunday April 22 Game 7: Tuesday April 24.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Tied 3-3-0
Nashville: Special Teams, Power Play 1st (21.6%) and Penalty Kill 10th (83.6%)
Goals For per Game 2.9 (8th) and Goals Against per Game 2.6 (9th)
Detroit: Special Teams, Power Play 22nd (16.1%) and Penalty Kill 18th (81.8%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (7th) and Goals Against per Game 2.5 (7th)
Players To Watch
Nashville: Pekka Rinne (43-18-8) One of the league's top goalies the last few years, Always in the Vezina discussion. Alexander Radulov (3G-4A-7P) Played last 9 games for the Preds after coming back from Russia. Could be a game breaker. Martin Erat (19G-39A-58P) Preds leading scorer, needs to stay healthy and be a contributor every night. Shea Weber (19G-30A-49P) Cannon from the blue line, big reason Preds PP is #1 league wide, IF Detroit over commits to his side others will be open.
Detroit: Henrik Zetterberg (22G-47A-69P) Conn Smythe winner in 08. Pavel Datsyuk (19G-48A-67P) One of the best 2 way players of all time. Nicklas Lidstrom (11G-23A-34P) Turns 42 at the end of the month and still leads Detroit in ice time. Jimmy Howard (35-17-4) Has the ability to be a show stopper, may need it.
Notes
~ Nashville added pieces this year to contend for the Stanley Cup. Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad add some depth but Radulov may be the guy that puts them over the top.
~ Detroit is one of the oldest teams in the league. Could be last chance at a run.
Prediction
Flip a coin, but I will take Nashville in 7. I believe Radulov was the key, if he doesn't score he will open up room for others. Weber and Suter will outplay Lidstrom and Kronwall.
Stanley Cup Prediction
Like any other playoff year, a number of things will factor into who lifts Lord Stanley's mug. Who can stay healthy longer, will guys coming back from injury be effective, and the ever popular which goalie will get hot at the right time. That being said, I am like most pundits and see Pittsburgh and Vancouver in the finals. It will be another 7 game series and both teams are deep with elite level players at all positions. Vancouver comes up short again and Pittsburgh claims the Cup for a 4th time. Sidney Crosby earns the Conn Smythe.
Schedule: Game 1: Wednesday April 11, Game 2: Friday April 13, Game 3: Sunday April 15, Game 4: Wednesday April 18, Game 5: Sunday April 22, Game 6: Tuesday April 24, Game 7: Thursday April 26.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Vancouver 2-1-1 L.A. 2-2-0
Vancouver Canucks: Special Teams, Power Play 4th (19.8%) and Penalty Kill 6th (86.0%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (5th) and Goals Against per Game 2.4 (4th)
Los Angeles Kings: Special Teams, Power Play 17th (17.0%) and Penalty Kill 4th (87.0%)
Goals For per Game 2.4 (29th) and Goals Against per Game 2.2 (2nd)
Players to Watch
Vancouver: Henrik Sedin (14G-67A-81P) and Daniel Sedin (30G-37A-67P) Looks like Daniel will be ready for Game 1. Still waiting for the Sedin's to dominate the playoffs. Alex Burrows (28G-24A-52P) Third member of Sedin line, Sedin's take the majority of the defensive coverage allowing Burrows room to work. Ryan Kesler (22G-27A-49P) Dominated round 2 last year then took on a defensive role in rounds 3 and 4. Could be the difference if he plays all 4 rounds this year like the Nashville series last year. Roberto Luongo (31-14-8) and Cory Schneider (20-8-1) Luongo will start game 1 but we will see Schneider at some point in the playoffs. This could be the make or break point for Luongo's future with Canucks, Schneider is ready to be #1.
Los Angeles: Jonathan Quick (35-21-13) The only reason L.A. is in the playoffs. Will be in the running for the Vezina. Needs to be spectacular for the Kings to have a chance. Anze Kopitar (25G-51A-76P) The offensive leader on an offensively challenged team. Mike Richards (18G-26A-44P) Been through the battles with Philadelphia, plays in all situations. Needs to produce points.
Notes
~ Jeff Carter (LA) and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) should be ready for game 1.
~ Vancouver's defence is better than last years with a healthy Dan Hamhuis and an improved Alex Edler
Prediction
Vancouver Canucks in 5. L.A. can't score. Vancouver can. Yes Jonathan Quick could steal a few games but so could the 2 goalies at the other end. Vancouver is to deep at all positions.
#2 St. Louis Blues vs #7 San Jose Sharks
Schedule: Game 1: Thursday April 12, Game 2: Saturday April 14, Game 3: Monday April 16, Game 4: Thursday April 19, Game 5: Saturday April 21, Game 6: Monday April 23, Game 7: Wednesday April 25.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: St. Louis 4-0-0 San Jose 0-4-0
St. Louis: Special Teams, Power Play 19th (16.7%) and Penalty Kill 7th (85.8%)
Goals For per Game 2.6 (21st) and Goals Against per Game 2.0 (1st)
San Jose: Special Teams, Power Play 2nd (21.1%) and Penalty Kill 29th (76.9%)
Goals For per Game 2.8 (13th) and Goals Against per Game 2.6 (8th)
Players To Watch
St. Louis: Jaroslav Halak (26-12-7) and Brian Elliot (23-10-4) Goalies shared the load all year, will be interesting to see what Hitchcock does for the Playoffs. Suspect it will be status quo. David Backes (24G-30A-54P) Led team in scoring and is a defensive leader as well. Name is mentioned in the Selke discussions. Alex Pietrangelo (12G-39A-51P) Thriving under Hitchcock's system, strong in his own end and can put up points as well.
San Jose: Logan Couture (31G-34A-65P) Coming out party was last season, needs to continue to produce at crucial times. Joe Thornton (18G-59A-77P) Still puts up numbers but not so much in playoffs. Doesn't need to be the go to guy anymore. Patrick Marleau (30G-34A-64P) Consistency tends to be Marleau's problem in the playoffs, can be amazing one night and disappear the next. Joe Pavelski (31G-30A-61P) Needs to be a factor to take a little heat off of Thornton and Marleau. Antti Niemi (34-22-9) Won a Cup with Chicago the came to San Jose, has been inconsistent at times.
Notes
~ San Jose had to scratch and claw to get into the post season up until the last weekend.
~ Maybe as an under dog they can achieve what they couldn't as a contender.
Prediction
San Jose Sharks in 7. St. Louis has had a remarkable year under the guidance of Ken Hitchcock. This series is a coin flip but I believe with the less pressure San Jose will come out on top in the end.
#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Schedule: Game 1: Thursday April 12, Game 2: Saturday April 14, Game 3: Tuesday April 17, Game 4: Thursday April 19, Game 5: Saturday April 21, Game 6: Monday April 23, Game 7: Wednesday April 25.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Phoenix 3-1-0 Chicago 1-2-1
Phoenix Coyotes: Special Teams, Power Play 29th (13.6%) and Penalty Kill 8th (85.5%)
Goals For per Game 2.6 (18th) and Goals Against per Game 2.5 (5th)
Chicago Blackhawks: Special Teams, Power Play 26th (15.2%) and Penalty Kill 27th (78.1%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (6th) and Goals Against per Game 2.9 (22nd)
Players To Watch
Phoenix: Mike Smith (33-18-10) Had a fantastic season and crept into the Vezina discussion. Will need to continue strong play. Ray Whitney (24G-53A-77P) Turns 40 in May and led the Coyotes in scoring. The Wizard will have to work his magic for the Yotes to have a chance. Radim Vrbata (35G-27A-62P) Mediocre player before he came to Phoenix, has turned into a real scoring threat. Shane Doan (22G-28A-50P) Been in the Desert for every year the Coyotes existed. Leading Phoenix to second round would be a feel good story.
Chicago: Jonathan Toews (29G-28A-57P) Blackhawks leader looks to be ready to return, how effective will he be. Marion Hossa (29G-48A-77P) Do everything guy like Toews, Hossa can score and play in his own end. Patrick Kane (23G-43A-66P) Has game breaking skill, will need to provide it until Toews gets back up to speed. Corey Crawford (30-17-7) Young goaltender who experienced a tough series with Vancouver last year. Has a Cup finalist in Emery backing him up.
Notes
~ Phoenix won first Division Title in franchise history.
~ Kieth and Seabrook pairing for Chicago will be key to defence as goalies are just OK.
Prediction
Chicago Blackhawks in 6. The Hawks have to much experience and outclass Phoenix in high end talent and difference makers. Mike Smith will keep games close.
#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Schedule: Game 1: Wednesday April 11, Game 2: Friday April 13, Game 3: Sunday April 15, Game 4: Tuesday April 17, Game 5: Friday April 20, Game 6: Sunday April 22 Game 7: Tuesday April 24.
By The Numbers
Head To Head: Tied 3-3-0
Nashville: Special Teams, Power Play 1st (21.6%) and Penalty Kill 10th (83.6%)
Goals For per Game 2.9 (8th) and Goals Against per Game 2.6 (9th)
Detroit: Special Teams, Power Play 22nd (16.1%) and Penalty Kill 18th (81.8%)
Goals For per Game 3.0 (7th) and Goals Against per Game 2.5 (7th)
Players To Watch
Nashville: Pekka Rinne (43-18-8) One of the league's top goalies the last few years, Always in the Vezina discussion. Alexander Radulov (3G-4A-7P) Played last 9 games for the Preds after coming back from Russia. Could be a game breaker. Martin Erat (19G-39A-58P) Preds leading scorer, needs to stay healthy and be a contributor every night. Shea Weber (19G-30A-49P) Cannon from the blue line, big reason Preds PP is #1 league wide, IF Detroit over commits to his side others will be open.
Detroit: Henrik Zetterberg (22G-47A-69P) Conn Smythe winner in 08. Pavel Datsyuk (19G-48A-67P) One of the best 2 way players of all time. Nicklas Lidstrom (11G-23A-34P) Turns 42 at the end of the month and still leads Detroit in ice time. Jimmy Howard (35-17-4) Has the ability to be a show stopper, may need it.
Notes
~ Nashville added pieces this year to contend for the Stanley Cup. Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad add some depth but Radulov may be the guy that puts them over the top.
~ Detroit is one of the oldest teams in the league. Could be last chance at a run.
Prediction
Flip a coin, but I will take Nashville in 7. I believe Radulov was the key, if he doesn't score he will open up room for others. Weber and Suter will outplay Lidstrom and Kronwall.
Stanley Cup Prediction
Like any other playoff year, a number of things will factor into who lifts Lord Stanley's mug. Who can stay healthy longer, will guys coming back from injury be effective, and the ever popular which goalie will get hot at the right time. That being said, I am like most pundits and see Pittsburgh and Vancouver in the finals. It will be another 7 game series and both teams are deep with elite level players at all positions. Vancouver comes up short again and Pittsburgh claims the Cup for a 4th time. Sidney Crosby earns the Conn Smythe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)