This is one of the most exciting times of the year. The baseball season just started, the NBA is going to the stretch run for the playoffs, and the NHL playoffs are just starting. Yet some how the last one seems to be overlooked these days. Well not by Sports and Suds, avid hockey fans. (At least 50% are, the other half's position is not clearly defined, and avid might be pushing it.)
I know everyone claims to hate hockey. The only ones that seem to like it are the ones who grew up playing it. I have no idea why so many sports fans are against one of the most exciting and entertaining sports. However one thing that almost all sports fans will agree on, is that the NHL playoffs are something special. In no other sport does the intensity level pick up so much for post season play, with athletes sacrificing life, limb, and looks for a chance at a hoisting the Stanley Cup.
This year should be no different with some excellent first round match ups. Rather than go into all the match ups now, I will stick with the three local teams who all qualified for postseason play. Next round I will go over the remaining teams.
Lets start at the bottom, The New York Islanders. Two months ago they seemed poised for a playoff charge but then started to play erratically, soon followed by the concussion of their MVP, Ricky D. DiPietro was probably the second hottest goalie in the league behind Martin Brodeur at that point, and after he went down so did the Islanders confidence. They were never fully able to recover from that loss but persevered to win their last three games and have luck on their side to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, qualifying eighth means playing the Buffalo Sabres. Even with DiPietro fully healthy the Islanders have little to no chance at beating the Sabres over a seven game series. Without him they will be lucky to win a single game during what will be their short playoff life.
Next up is the New York Rangers. Out of the three teams they are playing the best by far coming into the playoffs, even though they are only a six seed. Two months ago it seemed like the Blue Shirts had no place or even chance to make the playoffs. Then came a few wins and the acquisition of Sean Avery and all of that changed. The stellar play of King Henrik Lundqvist. Is there a goalie playing better than him right now? I can think of two possibilities, but other than that, I do not think so. The Rangers have started to score more but what is most impressive is the addition of strong defensive play. The call up of Dan Girardi has had a huge impact. His steady blue line play has installed a calm demeanor that has permeated to the rest of the defensemen. He is not a flashy player but does everything necessary and does not make mistakes. The return of Fedor Tyutin should also help the defense stay strong. On the offensive side forwards like Matt Cullen, Petr Prucha, Jed Ortmyer, Blair Betts, and Ryan Callahan will shine in the playoffs with their incredibly high energy style of play. They will be able to fore check hard, yet are willing and back check even harder. They are good defensive forwards who are fast with offensive talent; Sean Avery should be added to that list as well. All of their fast hard playing forwards can put the puck in the net, but what about the names known for their snipers touch. The scoring will come from the big names like Shanahan, Straka, Nylander, and of course the ever deadly Jaromir Jagr. When healthy and playing with a passion, Jagr can not be stopped. He is too strong with too much talent and skill, which includes a rocket of a wrist shot that is released with such quickness and accuracy. He still is the best offensive force in the world. Their is no doubt that the opposing team, in this round the Thrashers, will shadow him with their best defender. It then becomes Jagr's job to pass the puck to the open man for quality scoring chances. I look for good things out of the Rangers this post season. It will be hard but I think they will advance to later rounds of the post season with the high intensity they have been showing for the last few months.
That leaves us with the New Jersey Devils. I think they peaked a few months ago playing the best defense in the league. They had trouble scoring goals but they did not often need more than one or two with Brodeur in net. I think it is safe to say that he is the best goalie of all time. Any team has a good chance at winning with him in net, the Devils also happen to be very good defensively; a combination that will give any team fits. This is a team built for post season play. However they have digressed as of late, culminating with the firing of their coach. It was most likely unwarranted but Lou Lamerillo, (the best GM in all of sports) did not want to take any chances. He demands winning, and was not willing to put up with inconsistent play. So he named himself the coach. For every other teams sake I hope it did not light too big a fire underneath the Devils. They will have some trouble scoring in the playoffs against high quality opponents, however, do not look for any team, even the Sabres to score much against them. There will be a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games played against the Devils this post season, and do not think that Brodeur will be giving up two goals very often. The Devils have a very good shot at making it to the Stanley Cup finals.
This years playoff should be a good one. The team talent is very close this year, which should result in some memorable match ups, both in the East and in the West. I hope everyone tunes in to check out the fast paced, hard hitting action of the next month or so.
