NHL Conference Finals
Posted by Obiora, May 6, 2008 - 12:12 pm
If you didn’t think that the Stanley Cup playoffs were a grind before the conference semi-finals, surely you must now be convinced. The Penguins needed overtime to eliminate the Rangers and Dallas endured a 4-OT marathon against San Jose. The eighth longest game in NHL history finally saw the Stars eliminate the Sharks after losing games 4 and 5.
Your humble narrator only missed on the Flyers-Canadiens series, going 3-1 overall. Once again, Joe Thornton disappeared like a frightened kitten when the Sharks needed him the most. Possibly the most talented team in the NHL, the Sharks have effectively taken over the role of master choker from the very team that vanquished them this year, the Dallas Stars, whose goalie Marty Turco made a record 61 saves to push his team in to the western conference finals. Detroit easily dispatched the geriatric Avalanche who would’ve been hard pressed to compete even with a healthy Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg but who also saw rising youngster Paul Stastny go down to injury.
In the east, the Habs’ goalie situation was ultimately their undoing as phenom Carey Price ran into a Broad Street-sized wall. By now, you know that the Flyers finished in last place in the NHL last season and that they barely made the playoffs this year. None of that matters now. Philadelphia is hitting on all cylinders and made short work of the Canadiens behind goalie Marty Biron and forward RJ Umberger, who will face his hometown team in the eastern conference finals. The Penguins may have dispatched the Rangers in just 5 games but this was as competitive and feisty as a short series can get. Capitals fans have to be wondering if the Jaromir Jagr who played liked a man possessed against his old club was the same Jagr who loitered around in DC for a few uninspired years.
Moving on, here are your conference finals predictions.
Eastern Conference Finals - Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers won the season series 5-3 but several of those games came with injuries to stars Marc-Andre Fleury and Sidney Crosby. In other major sports, these Keystone state cities don’t have real rivalries but that isn’t the case in hockey. These teams really do hate each other. Witness a game in December which featured a fight a mere 20 seconds from the start or the Flyers’ charge that the Penguins threw their regular season finale against the Flyers in order to avoid them in the first round of the playoffs.
This series will not be devoid of star power on either side of the ice. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marian Hossa will be going against the Daniel Briere, Pittsburgh-native RJ Umberger and Mike Richards, who have combined for 21 goals in 12 games this spring. Goalies Marty Biron and Marc Andre-Fleury have both been excellent between the pipes this spring. This series will come down to which team has more edge, more attitude and more physicality.
Prediction: Penguins in seven
Western Conference Finals - Detroit Red Wings vs Dallas Stars
Though this series won’t be as heated as the eastern conference finals, expect it to last just as long and take as much energy. The Stars are riding high after dispatching the defending Stanley Cup champions and then dismantling one of the most talented teams in the NHL. The Red Wings stumbled a little in the first round then found their groove, destroying the Colorado Avalanche in a series that was a shadow its former exciting incarnations.
The Red Wings, as it their usual modus operandi, have excellent depth in Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and the smokin’ hot Johan Franzen who leads all playoff scorers. Add perpetual Norris Trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom and the steadying play of veteran Chris Osgood and it’s easy to see why the Octopi are on cruise control. Dallas can’t match the depth of Detroit but has excellent skill players in veteran defenseman Sergei Zubov (one of my favorite and most frustraing players throughout the years) and leading scorer Mike Ribeiro along with the clutch play of captain Brendan Morrow who is starting to emerge from the shadow of Mike Modano. I’m not a huge fan of Detroit’s rotating goaltender situation but Marty Turco hasn’t always been a rock in the playoffs either (Game 6 against San Jose notwithstanding).
Detroit’s depth vs Dallas’ momentum. The Red Wings are the easy pick.
Prediction: Stars in seven
Photo Credits: Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review, Jeff Vinick/Getty Images
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