NHL Eastern Conference Semi-Final Preview
3 series in the Eastern Conference went to Game 7, and just like the Western Conference, the 1,2,3 and 5 seeds advanced to the next round. The Eastern Conference looks like a toss up and you can make an argument that any of the 4 remaining teams have a legitimate shot coming out and representing the East in the Stanley Cup final…before we get to that, let’s look at the semi-final matchups…
1) Washington vs 5) Tampa BayThe Capitals won the season series against the Lightning 3-2, but the playoffs is a different beast. Washington handled the New York Rangers very handedly; but the Rangers are probably the worst overall team that made the playoffs. The Rangers don’t have anything upfront when compared to the Lightning. The Capitals seem to be succeeding in this new defensive mindset Bruce Budreau has installed and Michael Neuvirth played quite steady against the Rangers. The Lightning just came back from 1 3-1 deficit to come back and defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 7, on the road no less. The Tampa PK was outstanding against Pittsburgh, killing 34/35 penalties. The Pens really couldn’t do much on the man advantage without Sid the Kid and Malkin. Dwayne Roloson has made Steve Yzerman look like a genius, and Rolly has now won 6 straight elimination games. Steven Stamkos is going to need to step his game up of if they are going to get by the Caps.Prediction: The Tampa Bay Lightning seem to be peaking at the right time. They have solid veterans and we know Washington’s history; once again I think the series comes down to goaltending and personally I’d take Roloson over Neuvirth. It’s going to be back and forth but I believe the lightning take it in 7.
2) Philadelphia Flyers vs 3) Boston BruinsHere we go again. The Flyers last year defeated the Bruins in 7 after pulling a Boston Red Sock move, coming down from 3-0 and winning the series, eventually going to the Stanley Cup. The Flyers had some struggles against the Sabres and Ryan Miller. The Flyers, even though won their series, they were still in the top half of the playoff teams in goals allowed. In almost every game the Flyers had to pull their goalie, however Brian Boucher shut the door down against Buffalo in game 7. The Flyers are deep up front, and hopefully Chris Pronger can come back and play more than 4 minutes a game and solidify that bruising defence. The Bruins went 7 games with an average Montreal game, and were even down 2-0. They never scored a PP goal against the Canadiens and became the first team to win a series without scoring with the man advantage. They are going to have to play a lot better than that to defeat the Flyers. Tim Thomas was once again brilliant for most of the series and he is going to have to be on top of his game once again. These teams are incredibly even and the rivalry from last year is going to take a toll on every player in the series.Prediction: I think Philly has a mental edge over the Bruins. The Canadiens didn’t have 2 of their top defencemen, and are a lot less deep up front than Philadelphia, so I don’t see how I can predict Boston to win this series. Tim Thomas will keep the Bruins in the series, so I think once again the series goes 7, however I think Philly squeaks it out in what will be the most physical series of the playoffs.
NHL Western Conference Semi Final Preview
The Western Conference definitely looks to be the stronger of the 2 conferences after round one. Detroit handled Phoenix, San Jose and Nashville won in 6 and Van City pulled one out of their hat when they defeated Chicago in 7 last night. So the matchups right now are 1) Vancouver vs 5) Nashville and 2)San Jose vs 3) Detroit…soooo here we go…
Vancouver vs. NashvilleVancouver almost messed up a 3-0 lead against arch rival Chicago, however Roberto Luongo and Alex Burrows took over in game 7 and they are off to the second round. In their way is the “Smashville” Predators. The Preds had some struggles against the Anaheim; however Nashville relied on their strong goaltending and enjoyed significant contributions from Jordan Tootoo and Mike Fisher. The Preds scored 22 goals in 6 games, only tied for first before Wednesday night; this is a great stat for a team not known for their scoring. The Canucks looked dominant for most of their series versus Chicago but they could never step on the throats of the Hawks and allowed them to get back into the series. I don’t know how much we should be looking into this though because Chicago was only 2 points out of the 4th seed in the West and they are the defending champions. I think Chicago is a better team than Nashville and Corey Crawford played extremely well all series. The series is going to come down to the Sedins and Ryan Kesler against Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. The Sedins struggled once Dave Bolland started playing for Chicago and I hope for their sake they wake up. Roberto Luongo can also inhale and I think this series will be easier for him.Prediction: One stat that worries me is that Nashville allowed 8 PPG in the series, worst in the league before Wednesday night’s game 7’s. If the Canucks can keep up the pressure and not allow to Nashville too many opportunities to burn them, the Canucks should win this series. I think Van City wins in 6.
San Jose vs. DetroitDeja vu…this is a rematch from last year’s Western Conference semi-final which the Sharks won in 5, all 4 games they won were by 1 goal. These teams are evenly matched, both have depth upfront, but Detroit has better defence however San Jose has a more reliable goaltender. This series is very hard to predict. Detroit swept the Coyotes and were easily the best looking team in round 1. They had 13 different players score a goal, and Henrik Zetterberg didn’t even play. It seems that the Red Wings have something to prove; people are waiting for their age to catch up to them…however they have had plenty of rest, it seems like forever since they last played a game which can only benefit the Wings.San Jose looked good at times, however Los Angeles made them sweat, which is more impressive when you consider their best offensive player Anze Kopitar didn’t play. San Jose scored 16 goals on the road however they were only 2/23 on the PowerPlay…Detroit only killed off 40% of Coyote PP opportunities. So basically, it seems like a toss up. San Jose is going to have to play well at home against Detroit who have made a living winning on the road. Can Antti Niemi outplay Jimmy Howard? Can Joe Thornton take his game to the next level and outwork Pavel Datsyuk? Ugh, I just don’t see any of this happening for San Jose. Detroit dominated every game against Phoenix, and they only allowed goals after they were up 3-4 goals. Sorry Shane Doan, you are a warrior but you never did anything in the game when it was close. I think Detroit wins the series and San Jose chokes once again. Prediction: Detroit in 6
2011 NFL Mock Draft
1) Carolina-QB Cam Newton2) Denver- CB Patrick Peterson3) Buffalo- LB Von Miller4) Cincinatti- WR AJ Green5) Arizona- QB Blaine Gabbert6) Cleveland- DT Marcell Dareus7) San Francisco- DE Robert Quinn8) Tennessee- DT Nick Fairley9) Dallas- OT Tyron Smith10) Washington- WR Julio Jones11) Houston- CB Prince Amukamara12) Minnesota- DE Da’Quan Bowers13) Detroit- OT Anthony Castonzo14) St Louis- DE Aldon Smith15) Miami - RB Mark Ingram16) Jacksonville- DE JJ Watt17) New England- OG/C Mike Pouncey18) San Diego- DE Cameron Jordan19) New York Giants- DT Corey Liuget20) Tampa Bay- CB Jimmy Smith21) Kansas City- OT Gabe Carimi22) Indianapolis- QB Andy Dalton23) Philadelphia- OT Nate Solder24) New Orleans- DE/OLB Akeem Ayers25) Seattle- QB Ryan Mallett26) Baltimore- CB Brandon Harris27) Atlanta- DE Muhammad Wilkerson28) New England- CB Aaron Williams29) Chicago- OT Derek Sherrod30) New York Jets- DE Adrian Clayborn31) Pittsburgh Steelers- OT/G Ben Ijalana32) Green Bay- DE/OLB Brooks Reed
Just an outlet for my love of sports. Hope y'all enjoy!
