Third Round NHL Playoff Predictions

Rookie coach Guy Boucher has led the Tampa Bay Lightning into their first Eastern Conference Finals since they won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

           

          With the first two rounds in the books, we’re exactly halfway through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Since the first round was so close, I was expecting an even tighter second round. For half of the series, I was dead wrong. Boston and Tampa Bay both made quick work of their opponents. The Lightning’s victory was a huge shock, but the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap implemented by coach Guy Boucher simply wore down the Capitals forwards.  Philadelphia couldn’t decide who they wanted in net as Boston trumped them in four straight.  Vancouver survived the Nashville Carrie Underwood’s in six, and San Jose avoided the epic collapse, sneaking by Detroit in seven. My predictions were a respectable 2-2 in round two, so I hope to give better advice this time around.

Eastern Conference Finals

Boston (3) vs Tampa Bay (5)

Season Series: 3-1 Boston

            Heading into these playoffs, many predicted the Bruins to be in this spot. Tampa Bay, not so much. This team is led by 38 year old rookie coach Guy Boucher, whose stern approach has resulted in a very disciplined Lightning squad. Tampa Bay’s unsung heroes have been their go-to guys thus far, with unexpected scoring from Sean Bergenheim, Dominic Moore, Steve Downie and Teddy Purcell. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St.Louis have also had strong post seasons. Dwayne Roloson has been an absolute monster in net, battling through traffic to make some incredible saves. I’m sure most 41 year old men wished they could bend their bodies the way he can. If you looked up the term ‘battle’ in the dictionary, Roloson’s face would show up.

Tampa Bay’s X Factor: Steven Stamkos

The Lightning have made it through two rounds without much production from the 21 year old. Stamkos has only 6 points through 11 games. If Tampa Bay wants to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2004, he must be their best player.

            The Bruins are a team with a lot of depth scoring. Brad Marchand, Nathan Horton and David Krecji are all averaging about a point a game. But on the offensive side of things, Patrice Bergeron has led the way with 12 points. Unfortunately for Boston, he suffered a mild concussion and is out for at least game 1. Rookie Tyler Seguin will make his playoff debut, replacing him in the lineup. Tim Thomas has been Boston’s MVP all season and the playoffs have been no different.  Thus far, he has sported a 2.03 goals against average and a .937 save percentage during the post season. Zdeno Chara bolsters the Bruins blueline. He seems to have toned down his play since the Max Pacioretty incident, but he still is an incredibly dangerous player on the ice. If the chemistry can improve between Chara and Tomas Kaberle on Boston’s powerplay, they’ll be dangerous.

Boston’s X Factor: Milan Lucic

Lucic has the skill and tenacity to take over a game and a series by himself. He hasn’t needed to do that through two rounds, but against the Lightning, he’ll have to bring his A game if the Bruins want to play for the Stanley Cup.

Final Prediction: Lightning in 7

Western Conference Finals

Vancouver (1) vs San Jose (2)

Season Series: 3-0-1 Canucks

            The President Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks didn’t have as hard of a time eliminating the Nashville Predators than they did against the Chicago Blackhawks. However, Ryan Kesler was an integral reason why the Canucks beat Nashville in six games. The Michigan native put his team on his back with 11 points in the second round. He’s the team’s MVP thus far and they’ll need him to continue dominating the action. The Sedin twins combined for only seven points during the second round, but the stat that’s more worrisome is that together they had a -10 rating. Not only do they have return to regular season form in the offensive zone, they must do the same in the defensive zone. Also, the Canucks’ depth scoring has to improve. Players like Mason Raymond, Alex Burrows and Mikael Samuelsson have to step up their game for the Canucks to move on.

Vancouver’s X Factor: Roberto Luongo

The Sharks play a very ‘in your face’ style of hockey, so they’re going to have plenty of chances on Luongo. Vancouver’s only going as far as their netminder takes them. I really believe that he’s going to have to steal at least one game if the Canucks want to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994.

            San Jose is going as far as their powerplay takes them. In each of their victories against Detroit, they scored a goal on the man advantage. Coincidentally, in all of their losses, they failed to score on the powerplay. Guys like Ryane Clowe and Logan Couture will have to continue their strong offensive play. In their game 7 win over the Red Wings, Joe Thornton looked like a man on a mission. The Sharks will need that kind of effort from ‘Jumbo Joe’ if they want to succeed against the Canucks. Antti Niemi overcame his first round struggles by shutting the door in round two. The Vantaa, Finland native had a 2.36 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in the seven game victory over the Red Wings. He still has never lost a playoff series in his career. The Sharks were swept in last year’s Western Conference Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. They’re definitely looking for a better result this time around.

San Jose’s X Factor: Patrick Marleau

Marleau was basically useless for the first six games and two periods of the Sharks’ series against the Red Wings and that nearly cost them their season. He led the squad with 73 points during the regular season, but has faltered with just six points thus far during in the post season. If San Jose wants to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, Patrick Marleau will have to improve his play.

Final Prediction: Vancouver in 7

Player Profile Teaser: Matt Stinson

Matt Stinson has worked his way up the ranks to become one of Canada's top soccer prospects

      

       When looking towards the future of Canadian soccer, many don't think of it in a positive way. One of the best young Canadian prospects is Toronto native and personal friend Matt Stinson. He has been through a lot throughout his entire sporting career. He's had to make some very important decisions, which included his choice to quit competitive hockey and focus on soccer full time.

       Stinson has always been one of the most competitive people I have ever met. That competitiveness translated into rapid success on the playing field. After starring for the Clarkson Comets Soccer Club, he moved on to the Toronto FC Academy squad at the tender age of 16. He really began to get comfortable at that level, and eventually became the team captain.

     Throughout his three years with the TFC Academy, he attended Northview Heights Secondary School in the Academic Program for Gifted Athletes. Even with his extremely busy soccer workout plan, he performed marvelously in the class room. He was an honour roll student for two full years while taking business and science courses.

         Another important decision that he had to make was the university he was going to attend. Many schools had recruited him to join their squad and he visited several campuses. His final choice was an extremely tough one, but he elected to attend Winthrop University, one of the newest schools in South Carolina.

       After only half a season at Winthrop, he was faced with another life changing decision. He was very successful during those games, as he was named team MVP and earned a nAll-Big South Conference Second Team honour. At this point, teams at the professional level were courting his services. Will Stinson stay in school, or start pursuing his professional dreams at the young age of 18? Find out in the full version of this story, which will be released in a few weeks.

Second Round NHL Playoff Predictions

Roberto Luongo is one of the goalie's on the hot seat heading into the second round of the NHL Playoffs

           The first round of the NHL Playoffs were probably the most exciting set of games in recent memory. Four of the eight series went to game 7 and there were overtime games for nine consecutive nights. I’ve never seen so much hype for the Blackhawks and Canucks seventh and deciding game, and they definitely didn’t leave anyone disappointed. That series had about as much drama as Jersey Shore and there definitely was a situation when Cory Schneider was given the start in game 6 in favour of Roberto Luongo. With one game of the first round already in the books, I’m a little behind, but the following are my predictions for the second round.

Vancouver (1) vs Nashville (5)

Season Series: Tied 2-2

            The Canucks are coming off an emotional victory against the Chicago Blackhawks and I think they’re going to roll through this series. Vancouver has a lot more depth on both forward and defense. All of the games will be tight-checking games and the Predators’ strong defensive tandem of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will do their best to wear down the Canucks forwards. (On a side, Weber probably has the best playoff beard in recent memory, but he started growing it in February). The only way Nashville has a chance this series is if goaltender Pekka Rinne stands on his head. He had a .930 save percentage during the regular season and is a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Final Prediction: Vancouver in 5.

San Jose (2) vs Detroit (3)

Season Series: 3-1 San Jose

            The Red Wings steamrolled right through the Phoenix (potentially Winnipeg) Coyotes in four straight games all without top winger Henrik Zetterberg. Their game on Friday will be their first in ten games, so they’re definitely well rested. This could potentially mean the return of Zetterberg. The Red Wings have a lot of depth, including ageless wonder Nicklas Lidstrom, who has nominated for the Norris Trophy for the 10^th time in 12 seasons. Dany Heatley had one of his worst statistical campaigns with only 26 goals. The trio of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Heatley will be integral to the Sharks success. However, I think Detroit’s depth will prevail in this series.

Final Prediction: Detroit in 7.

Washington (1) vs Tampa Bay (5)

Season Series: 4-2 Washington

            This is a classic Southeast Division match up between two teams that save their best for each other. Tampa Bay beat a depleted Penguins team in 7 games in round one, but they’ll need better play from their superstars if they want to compete with Washington’s forwards. Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos combined for a single tally in the opening round. That won’t be good enough this time around. The Capitals seem like one of the most complete teams remaining. They’re led by Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin, who combined for 29 points in 6 games in their series win against the Rangers. In both of Washington’s losses to Tampa Bay this season, they were shut out by Dwayne Roloson. ‘Rollie the Goalie’ will need to continue his remarkable play if the Lightning want a chance to win this series.

Final Prediction: Washington in 6.

Philadelphia (2) vs Boston (3)

Season Series: 3-1 Boston

            These are two teams with such a rich history full of bad blood. We saw last year that anything can happen between these two squads. For those that don’t remember, the Flyers became the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last year against the Bruins. I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar happens in this series. Both teams were worn down in the opening round, but they both have a lot of depth. The Bruins went 0-16 on the powerplay against Montreal in the first round. The broad street bullies will take undisciplined penalties, and Boston will need to capitalize on their chances. Their prized acquisition this season was Tomas Kaberle, but he has done absolutely nothing to help their man advantage. If the Bruins want to win this series, they’ll need their powerplay to be much better. The Flyers have a goaltending dilemma. Surprise…Surprise… we’ve never seen that from Philadelphia! They used three goalies to eliminate Buffalo in round one, and they’ll need more consistent netminding to knock out Boston. Brian Boucher won all of the Flyers’ games, but he’s been a very streaky goalie. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sergei Bobrovsky makes an appearance at some point in this series.

Final Prediction: Boston in 7.

Report on Concussions

The video is only supposed to be 2 minutes, it is just repeated 5 times (not sure why). Enjoy!

The Future Looks Bright in Leafland

The emergence of James Reimer should leave Maple Leafs fans excited for the future

             The Toronto Maple Leafs have staged yet another one of their late season surges, where they’ve won a number of pressure-packed, must win games. It seems like this sort of thing happens every year. During past seasons, the common line out of Leaf fans was, “it’s our time next year.” They are one of two teams who haven’t made the playoffs since the lockout (Florida is the other team), so fans are definitely growing tired of not being able to see their beloved team playing post season hockey. I believe that this drought will end next year, only if certain things fall into place.

            They say defense wins championships. Brian Burke has built his squad around a strong defensive core. Heading into this past season, Dion Phaneuf and Tomas Kaberle were the pillars of the backend. When Kaberle departed before the trade deadline, Phaneuf, Schenn and young-gun Keith Aulie really stepped up in his absence. These three blueliners will be integral to Toronto’s success moving forward. (On a side note, looking back, it’s hard to believe that Calgary gave away both Aulie and Phaneuf to the Leafs for Matt Stajan, Ian White, Jamal Mayers and Niklas Hagman). Keith Aulie is kind of like a ‘poor man’s’ Chris Pronger in the sense that they’re basically the same size (around 6’5), and know how to play their position well. However, Aulie definitely isn’t as dirty as Pronger, but he certainly knows how to drop the gloves when called upon.

            For the first time since 2002-2003, the Maple Leafs have two players with at least 30 goals (Mikhail Grabovski just misses the cut with 29 tallies). For Toronto to have any chance next season, they need their big 4 (Phil Kessel, Clarke MacArthur, Nikolai Kulemin and Grabovski) to excel. In addition, a full season in blue and white for both Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul will only help Toronto positively.

            For any team to have success in any level of hockey, the goaltender has to be at the top of his game. Throughout the first half of the season, JS Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson weren’t cutting it. Enter James Reimer (Optimus Reime, Reime Minister, Busta Reime) or any of his latest and greatest nicknames. The 23 year old Winnipeg native has a 20-8-5 record with a 2.51 goals against average and a .923 save percentage so far this season. He’s given the Leafs a legitimate chance to win on a nightly basis. The big test for Reimer (I actually heard someone call him ‘God’ this morning on the radio…a tad farfetched, I’d say) will be the off season. One of two things could happen. He could easily work very hard and come back in September looking like the Terminator, or he could spend the summer slacking off, hanging out poolside with an adult beverage constantly at his grasp. Judging by his humble personality, I would expect Reimer to continue to excel next season. With Francois Allaire as the Leafs goalie coach, Reimer’s technical skills will only improve.

            This may be the first blog on this site that is positive towards the Maple Leafs. I firmly believe that this late season hot streak is legitimate. If Toronto shows a similar level of play next season, they will finally end their post-lockout playoff drought.

Taking Head Shots Seriously

Sidney Crosby is one of several players that has missed significant time this season with a concussion.

     

       Hockey is a dangerous, full contact game and the risk of injury is obviously a very big one. Throughout the past few seasons, concussions have become a focal injury in the League. During this time, an increasing number of players have been concussed and up until the GM meetings this week in Florida, the NHL has done nothing about it.

       A concussion is very different than other injuries suffered playing hockey. The recovery time can’t easily be standardized based on the diagnosis.   A concussion is trauma to the brain as a result of a violent hit. Doctors used to talk about the severity of concussions in terms of whether it was mild or severe based on the hit to the player and the resulting head impact.  But these descriptors are somewhat irrelevant as an individual’s brain and its subsequent recovery time is different.  The brain will take as long as it needs to recover. For example, when Sidney Crosby was injured in early January, the Penguins announced that he would miss 7-10 days with a mild concussion. 30 games and more than 2 months later, Crosby still hasn't suited up for a Pens game. In fact, on Monday he skated for the first time since being injured.

       The big trouble with Crosby was that he suffered two traumatic blows to his head within a four day span. When he was first hit by David Steckel at the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, he seemed very dazed and confused. He wasn't properly examined before going back to play in that game or before his next game.  This has proven to be a huge problem. During his next contest on January 4^th, he was hit awkwardly into the boards by Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman, which left Crosby fumbling over his memory.

       

       At this week’s meetings in Florida, Commissioner Gary Bettman and the League's General Managers have finally reached an agreement that will likely be implemented as soon as next week into regular season games. Any players who feel any sort of concussion-like symptoms experienced during a game will have to be properly examined by a doctor in a quiet, private room. They'll have to be medically cleared before being able to re-enter that game. Finally this is a step in the right direction for the League. If this rule had been in place when Crosby was initially injured, he would likely have made a faster recovery and would presently be in the hunt for yet another scoring title.

       Another factor that has to be reviewed to help reduce the risk of concussions is the equipment currently used by players. Various reports have indicated that if players used a softer shoulder pad, it would decrease the risk of a concussion occurring.  In addition, the type and quality of helmet is a huge consideration. A number of the helmets don't adequately protect the players from high impact collisions. Recently, Mark Messier has created a helmet which is intended to improve a player’s head protection. The M11 is proven to absorb more energy from high impact linear forces than other premium helmets to provide maximum protection. If the NHL were to explore making this kind of helmet mandatory, the amount of concussions could decrease.

       The NHL has finally taken a step in the right direction to reduce the amount of serious concussions. This type of injury will never be fully eliminated from the game, but hopefully the severity and frequency will be reduced.

Tiger’s Fall from Dominance Continues

Tiger Woods was eliminated in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship by Thomas Bjorn Wednesday afernoon.

           Heading into the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Arizona, much of the speculation was about former world number one Tiger Woods. Which Tiger would we see? The motivated, determined player who nearly won the Chevron World Challenge in December, or the dejected Woods who spat his way (literally) to a final round 75 at the Dubai Desert Classic.

            Woods was the number one seed in the Sam Snead bracket and was set to face off against tour veteran Thomas Bjorn. Everyone expected Woods to run away with this match, but the complete opposite happened. Tiger made a mess of the first playoff hole, making a double bogey and basically handing the match to the 65^th ranked player in the world.

            It is clear that Woods definitely doesn’t have his ‘A’ game going. He’ll show flashes of brilliance and then hit a very poor shot. That was very evident on Wednesday afternoon. There were several instances where he had an easy opportunity to get up and down or a chance to sink a putt, but unfortunately he couldn’t get it done. The ‘old’ Tiger Woods would have completed these tasks in his sleep. In the past, if Tiger was in a playoff, he would usually blast his drive down the fairway, hit an iron onto the green and drain a twisting putt for birdie. This time around, not so much. He sprayed his tee shot well right of the fairway into some cacti-filled mulch and hacked his ball around for a double bogey.

            The world knows that Woods is going through a swing change. Whenever he’s been interviewed, he talks about how his overall game is progressing heading into a tournament. This time around, new coach Sean Foley has radically changed his swing. Previously, when Butch Harmon and Hank Haney were in charge of Woods’ game, he seemed free to really go after shots. With Foley’s instruction in his head, Tiger seems very restricted over the ball.

            Those who golf often know the feeling – you’re on the driving range and you find a swing key that makes the ball soar farther than it ever has before. But once you step on the course, the usual slice or hook comes back into play. I think Tiger is going through a similar problem. He may be playing well at home, but practicing on the range at home and competing in tournament golf with millions of dollars on the line is very different.

            Golf is probably one of the most mentally driven sports in the world. Ben Crenshaw said it best, “I’m about five inches from being an outstanding golfer. That’s the distance from my left ear to my right.” In his glory days, Tiger could never be phased mentally. Nowadays, he seems to get flustered a lot quicker and that translates to the rest of his game.

            In the past, Tiger has played in far less events than his competitors. But since he won so many times, he would be able to get away with it. It doesn’t appear that his playing schedule is going to change any time soon and I think that’s going to hurt his overall game. The well known cliché ‘practice makes perfect’ applies here. If Woods plays more tournaments, I believe it’ll make him a more consistent player.

            If Tiger plays more on the PGA Tour, he can become more consistent, which will allow him to win more tournaments. If he doesn’t, we may not see his name in the winner's circle any time soon.