re: Stanley Cup Playoff Thread!

Thought this was pretty cool

Rangers are completely fricked. It's not just that Mack is out, it's that Staal and Girardi are Jordan Jefferson levels of regression, and that Eric Staal has done zero. Hank has no help, and AV rewards underachieving veterans over rookies that are performing better. Only chance is if Hank outs this team on his back and Zuke / stepan get some help.

Preds Anaheim will be an awesome series. Obviously I'm a homer for Nashville but I think the Preds are slightly better and have had tougher competition.

Wild / stars will be really intriguing as well. Stars play such a fast paced game, wild are more controlled but have a higher percent of high danger scoring chances. It won't be an easy series by any means. Goaltending could be the Achilles heel for both teams

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Said this in the other thread but, Pens wearing Pittsburgh Gold alternate sweaters at home throughout playoffs as well as gold shirts for the crowd.

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Not liking the Penguins classic look is like saying you preferred the Islanders fishsticks uniform.

OK, picks for the first round...

FLORIDA v NY ISLANDERS
The Panthers aren't that great, but they have a clear path to the ECF. The Isles, when healthy, are almost certainly a better team, but that's a big caveat. They say they are getting healthy, but I'll believe it when I see it. Neither team is a positive possession team, but the Panthers at least play a style designed for a mediocre team: they slow the pace to ugly, ugly crawl. If they can keep the scores low, they should be in good shape. Just because I find their style of play about as enjoyable as pouring lemon juice into paper cuts, I'll pick the Isles in a minor upset. ISLES in 7.

TAMPA v DETROIT
The poster child for returning to conference seeding. If we seeded by conference, this would be the #6 team vs. the #8, and the winner plays the winner of #3 v. #5. The Bolts are missing Stralman and Stamkos, which sucks, but they should be able to outlast a pretty ordinary Detroit team because Ben Bishop is pretty f'n great. Mrazek steals a game or two, but the Bolts are simply a better team, even missing their two best players. LIGHTNING in 6.

WASHINGTON v PHILLY
The Caps are simply better than the Flyers at, well, everything. The Caps have a better top line, better forward depth, better blueline, a better goalie, better possession stats, and they are even tougher. If the Caps lose this series, it will be the biggest choke in franchise history, and that's a pretty high bar to clear. CAPS in 5.

PITTSBURGH v NY RANGERS
The Pens are the hottest team in the NHL, but I will remind you that the Sens came in to the playoffs last year on a 21-3-3 tear, and lost in the 1st round. The Pens aren't the Sens. They've got the best top 6 in the league and yeah, their defense is held together with duct tape behind Letang, but can the Rangers really exploit that? Dan Girardi seems to have forgotten how to play hockey, and Nash and Staal have played abysmally down the stretch. Hank covers up a lot of deficiencies, but not this many. PENGUINS in 6.

DALLAS v MINNESOTA
Did you know that Dallas allows less attempted shots/60 than the Wild? So, the one thing you'd expect to be a disadvantage for the Stars, their porous defense, is STILL an advantage. This is the biggest mismatch of the playoffs, and our best chance at seeing a sweep. STARS in 4.

ST LOUIS v CHICAGO
It sucks this is a first round matchup. The Blackhawks have tortured the Blues over the years, and again, the Blues come into this matchup with an edge on paper. Yeah, they don't play them on paper, but this Chicago team is not as good as previous editions. The player defections have made them a little thinner up front and maybe, just maybe, that's enough for the Blues to finally defeat their demons. BLUES in 7.

ANAHEIM v NASHVILLE
I think this is the best first round series. I've avoided too many fancy stats, but here's one: both of these teams rank top 5 in score-adjusted Corsi at 52.9% and 52.7%. Both also allow less shots than anyone and both have a questionable goalie situation that could right itself in a hurry. Boudreau made his rep on firewagon hockey, but the Ducks are the best defensive team in the NHL, while the Preds have an amazing blueline themselves. There's a difference between Florida's boring pace and these two teams just being awesome at defense. Also, these guys hit. Someone might die. I like Boudreau, but I love upsets more. PREDATORS in 7.

LOS ANGELES v SAN JOSE
Another awesome series. The Pacific is gonna be a war. Here's how good the Kings defense is. See those Corsi's just shy of 53% ranking top 5? Yeah, the Kings are 56.8%. The Kings DESTROY you on possession. Oh and they have the best defenseman on earth and the ultimate playoff goalie. The Sharks are a great team with plenty of depth and the ability to score and shut you down. But the Kings are the Kings, and in addition, they own the Sharks' souls right now. KINGS in 7.

NBCSports in Playoff form already

Hopefully we can fire Ken Holland after we lose in the first round yet again.

I thought Kenny was very well-respected, but yeah, maybe he is wearing out his welcome a bit after all these years. Now that I think about it, those Cups were easy to win without a cap, and they have one since it was implemented.

This makes me realize I need to watch more hockey outside the panthers. This years team seems like the showtime lakers to me and you hit them with the lemon juice in a paper cut.

Ozzie is on the Blues Crazy Train, LGB!