The Quest For The Cup

Stephen Emery
Staff Writer


The Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight, and sixteen teams are eagerly vying for the chance to hoist one of the most recognizable trophies in the world. So with the matches set and all of the games scheduled, here are my predictions for the first round of competition.

Eastern Conference

1. Buffalo Sabres vs. 8. New York Islanders

The 2007 Islanders are a strong team, but they are not the dynasty they once were in the early 1980’s. With superstars like Jason Blake, Rick DiPietro, newly acquired Ryan Smyth and a supporting cast of seasoned veterans, you’d think they have a good shot at making strides during the playoffs. Coming out against the top team in the league, I think they will fall short. The Sabres just have too much fire power. With four 30+ goal scorers on the roster, and a hot Ryan Miller between the pipes, the Sabres should easily take this first round match up. Captain and former Boston University star Chris Drury, who is a free agent next year, hopes to lead Buffalo to their first ever Stanley Cup win. The only thing that could get to this all star team is the pressure. After starting off the season with 10 wins in a row, and ending with the best record in the NHL, the expectations from the fans are extremely high. Right now in Buffalo, the Sabres are nearing the status of the Red Sox in Boston, and that can be dangerous.

2. New Jersey Devils vs. 7. Tampa Bay Lightning

In my eyes, this is the stage for the biggest upset in the East. After falling short of defending their title last year, the 2004 Cup champions are back with a vengeance. Scoring goals will not be a problem at all for the Bolts, considering they have the 1st and 5th leading goal scorers in the league in Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St.Louis respectively. If Tampa Bay can break the strong, conservative defense of the Devils and get the puck to their slew of big guns then their only obstacle will be the stonewall that is Martin Brodeur. It won’t be easy beating a man who won 48 games this season, setting a new NHL record, but if anyone can do it, I have faith in the boys from the Bay.

On the other end of the ice, defensive force Dan Boyle and the rest of his squad will have to play a tight game and help out goalie Marc Denis, who has yet to prove himself in the playoffs. If the Devil’s sophomore phenom Zach Parise and captain Patrick Elias get too many scoring opportunities, then the Lightning will be going home early.


3. Atlanta Thrashers vs. 6 New York Rangers

What happens when you have two teams with young, hotshot goalies, veteran goal scorers’ and a brood of enforcers? You get a toss up. This will be a series to watch. Both of these teams have come to a knife fight packing some serious fire power. On one hand you have the Thrashers’ Marian Hossa who has racked up an impressive 100 points this season along with teammate Ilya Kovulchuck who has light the lamp 42 times. If anyone tries to touch these gifted scorers, they are faced with the wraith of one Bobby Holik. The Rangers are a mirror image. With snipers like Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr, goals will be a plenty. If anyone gets a bit too physical with them, send in bad boy Sean Avery (former boyfriend of the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert of 24 and The Girl Next Store) recently acquired from the L.A. Kings to cause a ruckus. If he can’t get the job done, the list of tough guys goes on with Colton Orr and Ryan Hollweg, the Rangers are definitely not a team you want to mess with. This will be a very physical match up.

Goalies, Keri Lehtonen and Henrik Lundqvist both have the ability to steal the show, and when you throw players like Brendan Shannahan and Keith Tkachuk into the mix; it just gets better and better. When the coin lands, I predict the Rangers to be on top, but its going to be a long series that comes down to the last game.

4. Ottawa Senators vs. 5. Pittsburgh Penguins

This is the series that everyone is talking about. It is the NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby’s first playoff appearance, against Ottawa, the only Canadian team from the East to make it to the post season. With all the focus on Sid the Kid, many other great players on the Penguins are being overlooked. Twenty-year old Evgeni Malkin and Eighteen-year old Jordan Staal are playing way past their years. The Penguins were not supposed to be this good this fast. Marc-Andre Fleury, another youngster for the Pens, at age twenty two, has been a rock between the pipes. With seasoned players like Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts to help guide them, this young team has a chance of becoming even better than the Penguins of 91-92 who won two consecutive cups. With the recent acquisition of brawler Georges Laraque, no one will be giving the kids a hard time. When Crosby is on the ice, he can turn anyone into a goal scorer. A Stanley Cup win at his age, will solidify all the talk of him becoming the next “great one.”

The Senators are not too shabby themselves. Their main man, Dany Heatley is coming off of a 105 point season. Goalie Ray Emery(no relation) plays with fire and emotion, and players like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson help round out this team. They are lacking a little on the blue line with the loss of Zdeno Chara, although the way he played this year, it wouldn’t have made that much of a difference.
That is all I can really say about the Senators. I am far too excited to see the Penguins win this series. After seeing them live at the Garden, when they made a fool out of the Bruins, it is easy to say they are one of the most, if not the most exciting team to watch in hockey. This battle begins tonight on Versus at 7 P.M.

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Calgary Flames

The Bruins and the Flames swapped players at the trade deadline. They both were trying to make the playoffs. The Bruins didn’t, the Flames did, but they aren’t getting out of the first round, not against Detroit. It seems like year in and year out Detroit has a good team. Granted they are from Michigan, where playing hockey is a way of life, but sooner or later you’d expect them to have a bad year. Surely, it was not this year as they finished at the top of their Conference. This goalie duel is one made in heaven. Dominic Hasek at one end, Mikka Kiprusoff at the other, if they both play to their full potential, we are sure to see lots of overtime play and low scoring games. The past few years the Red Wings have had trouble in the playoffs and are due for a good showing. Last year they fell to the eight seed Edmonton Oilers, who then went on to play in the championship finals.

With Forty-five-year old defenseman Chris Chelios looking at retirement, and Hasek not getting any younger, now is the time for them to step up to the plate. They have the skill in players like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nick Lindstrom, but it will all depend if they come out to play.

The Flames are also a great team. With scorers Jarome Iginlia and Daymond Langkow and have a very hard hitting defense led by Dion Phaneuf, they will be tough competition. Still, with new editions Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart still looking to fit in, Calgary needs more time to mature and learn to play with better chemistry.
Beating Hasek when he is in “dominator” mode is next to impossible, and that is why I believe that the Red Wings will be victorious at the end of this series.

2. Anaheim Ducks vs. 7. Minnesota Wild

They may have dropped the “mighty” from their name, but not from their play. It’s still hard to see a team named after a Disney movie as one of the best in the NHL, but that is exactly what they are. As much as I would like to see Brian Rolston and the Wild win this round, I am afraid it is not going to happen. Anaheim just has too much going on for them. Other than the Sharks, no team in the NHL has been able to get their number.

Teemu Selanne goes out every night and impresses the fans with his amazing play. He is backed up by Andy McDonald, a guy who most people don’t even know. He was an alternate who fell into an All Star Game position, and then went on to win the fastest skater award, and prove he is the real deal. McDonald ended this season with 78 points and is a key asset to the Ducks, be sure to watch for him in these upcoming weeks.

Enforcement will be handled by big guy Chris Pronger on the blue line, who will be feeding off of the motivation from last years Stanley Cup loss during his time with the Oilers. The Niedermeyer brothers and the toughness from Sean O’Donnell seal up this team and show that there are just no holes to be found. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere is coming off a great season, and rookies all over this club are popping up and making names for themselves like Ryan Getzlaf(50+point season) and Corey Perry (40+point season). This is truly a no brainer, Anahiem will be moving on to the second round of the playoffs.

3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6. Dallas Stars

The Vancouver Canucks are not a team many hockey fans in New England know much about. They are in the Western conference, and in Canada, but they are a force to be reckoned with. Led by the Sedin twins, Daniel with 36 goals and Henrik with 71 assists, the Canucks hope to bring the Cup back to Canada. Like almost every team that has made it to the playoffs, they are backed by a top goaltender, Roberto Luongo. Luongo who was stuck with the losing Florida Panthers for a few years, now has a chance to prove himself in the playoffs as one of the NHL’s top tenders, if not the best.
The Stars have been plagued with injuries this season, missing top forwards like Brendan Morrow and Mike Modano for more than just a few games. Despite that, they still put together a decent season and secured a nice playoff position. Will All Star goalie Marty Turco and emotional forward Mike Ribeiro be able to help the Stars upset the Canucks? They might, but I wouldn’t put money on it.

4. Nashville Predators vs. 5. San Jose Sharks

Playoff hockey does not get much better than this. The Preds edged out the Sharks for the 4th seed by a mere 3 points. Last year, these two met in the 1st round of the playoffs, as the 4th and 5th seed and San Jose easily took the series in a five game upset. Based around Joe Thornton with his 114 points this season, the Sharks are extremely dangerous on the power play. Boasting the best power play percentage in the league for most of the season, Thornton racked up assist after assist as he fed goal scorers Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, and that’s just the first line. The Sharks also have Patrick Marleau and Bill Guerin. Guerin, coming over from St. Louis was the biggest trade on deadline day. Guerin has won the cup twice before with New Jersey and knows what it takes to get to the top again. The goaltending duty is pretty much split 50/50 between Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala, who are both of the “starting goalie” status.

Nashville will be kicking off the series missing one of their top goal scorers, Steve Sullivan, and key defenseman Martin Erat. Late season acquisition and two time Stanley Cup winner, Peter Forseberg adds a great spark to the team, but in his injury prone state, his health is always in question. Starting goalie Tomas Vokoun, who was injured and did not play in last years series, is on top of his game. Speedy Paul Kariya is always a threat in the offensive zone, as long as he can avoid the bone crushing checks delivered by the Sharks big d-man, Kyle McLaren.

If the Sharks can work their coveted power play, and their cast of young stars such as Joe Pavelski and Steve Bernier handle the pressure of the playoffs, I see them coming out on top. Marleau has a reputation of really turning up his play in the post season and last years leading goal scorer, Cheechoo has been on a roll lately with a recent hat trick. If they all can come together around the great Joe Thornton then I predict the Sharks skating on to the next round, but in a close game 7 win.

Games will be televised on Versus and NBC. Check your local listings.

Also available streaming online at yahoosports.com