matchup armchair
April 8th, 2008 by IanMontreal (1) vs Boston (8) - i fully maintain that i do not like the Montreal Canadiens but i have to give them props this year, they kicked ass and took some names. there is little chance for the Bruins in this matchup, unless the Habs miss Komisarek too much and Chara breaks Plekanec in half or something. the return of Marc Savard affects the Bruins a lot but i still don’t see it being enough. Habs in 5 (maybe 6).
Pittsburgh (2) vs. Ottawa (7) - the Sens have been utterly lost for a couple months now but they put up a brave face. it sure was nice of them to take the first shot, perhaps they figure it’s the only shot they’ll get. i don’t see the Sens sans Alffy and Fisher doing much of anything. if you’re in my playoff pool then you better take your Sens right off the bat ’cause i see this ending in 5. the Pens can send Sid and Gene out there separately and there’s no way you can stop them both. i suspect they’ll concentrate on stopping one of them (Malkin if they believe Sid’s still hurt) and take their chances with the other. nevertheless, i see the Pens in the Final this year, the weak D and goalie that plagued them before is a thing of the past and MAF is playing as good or better than any goalie in the league right now.
Washington (3) vs. Philadelphia (6) - take a look at points in the standing ever since the date that Washington fired their coach at the quarter pole. only the Pens got their hands on more points since that date. it’s just a shame that the Pens and Caps are on a collision course for the 2nd round because i think it’d make for a HUGE Eastern Final. in fact in my playoff league i may just load up on Sid, Gene and AO in the 2nd round since i expect that matchup to be a barn-burner. i guess you can tell that i figure that Washington will run away with this series, and they may, but Philly will stay with them … for a bit. i say the Caps in 6. Mike Richards will have a big series and i expect some good stats out of Braydon Coburn but in the end it won’t be enough. when AO doesn’t kill them they’ll be neuteured by Semin (smirk).
New Jersey (4) vs. New York Rangers (5) - this is where i’m calling my upset for the first round. i think the Rangers have been laying in the weeds and they’re about to explode offensively all over poor Marty Brodeur. i think that King Hank has the talent to stay with Marty but i don’t see the Devils offense matching up with the Rangers well. it’ll be a hard fought series that the Rangers will win on the road in 7. look for a big series out of Scott Gomez, Zach Parise, Jaromir Jagr, and Michal “cracklin’ Rosie” Rozsival. now if the Devils can turn this into a pure defensive series then John Madden will be the difference maker, but i still say the Rangers will outlast.
Detroit (1) vs. Nashville (8) - some are saying that this is going to be the upset series of the first round but … well, it ain’t happening. Detroit will walk all over the Preds. history does indicate that the Wings have some 1st round issues but there are just too many issues for the Preds to pull this off. they’ll rely on Jason Arnott as a first option too much when he should be a 3rd option on any “great” team; the main part of their team is still too young and unproven, and i just don’t trust their goaltending. if the Preds win a game then i think they’ll have to consider that a victory overall and if they win 2 games then at least they get an extra gate out of the deal in game 6. Wings in 5.
San Jose (2) vs. Calgary (7) - nobody in the West is playing better than the Sharks to end the season. as much as the Canadian in me wants Canadian cities to succeed in the playoffs i just can’t blindly cheer for a Canadian based team if i think the American based team has more talent. i’ll be a Sharks fan for the next couple months, i pick them to lose to the Pens in the Final. there has been some debate about who the better goalie is in this matchup so let me just tell you now, it’s Gene Nabokov … hands down. i like Iggy, i like “PIMy D”ion but Big Joe can dominate a game too and Brian Campbell doesn’t get nearly enough print for what he brings to this table. this should be a very nice matchup to watch and i’m happy that CBC should be running it out there for me to see every second night. Sharks in 6.
Minnesota (3) vs. Colorado (6) - the Wild is the closest geographical NHL team to me, and despite that i’ve only seen them play on tv a handful of times this year. i like them, a lot. they play inspired defensive hockey and they run a counterattack out there featuring Gaborik and Rolston that few in the NHL can rival. they still won’t win. Peter Forsberg is back, he’s healthy and he’s been on fire. Forsberg has made a supreme talent like Joe Sakic blend into the background. Joe FREAKING Sakic is on the ice and the other team has to worry about what Forsberg and Stastny are going to do to them. the Wild can’t stop all of them so i predict they’ll check Forsberg (probably still won’t be able to stop him) and then Sakic will apply the coup de grace. i’m taking Gaborik in my playoff pool in the first round (we only get to roster a guy for one round) because i don’t see him being available beyond that round. Avs in 6.
Anaheim (4) vs. Dallas (5) - neither of these teams wanted the other in the first round. this matchup is going to be a war and it’ll be a main reason why the winner won’t have the jam to beat either Detroit or San Jose in the next round (it’ll be San Jose if Colorado goes ahead and kicks Minny’s ass like i say they will). this’ll be a really fun series to watch too, if you like old time hockey. remember the goaltending wars tween Luongo and Turco in the first round last year? Turco had 3 shutties in regulation (if i remember right) and he lost the series. people underestimate his value to that team in that system and he’ll remind them again just why it is that he’s drafted so highly in fantasy leagues, dude’s got exceptional skill. now Giggy is no slouch either but he’s also got Chris Pronger playing in front of him, the Stars don’t have anyone to match up to what Prongs gives. on an unrelated note Niedermayer, Schneider and Beauchemin should all take on the nicknames of Mooney, Padfoot and Wormtail so that they could fill out the grouping effectively (if you don’t get that then you should read more). anywho, the Ducks D will hurt you everyway and the Stars won’t be able to respond effectively. Ducks in 6.
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