Writer Forgets To Put Up Playoff Predictions.....Stupid Head

I know that it's a little late to be predicting playoff series, but here's what I thought was going to happen in the East, regardless of what's going on now:

Washington Capitals versus New York Rangers:

Capitals in seven

I figured that the Rangers shot blocking and solid team defense would allow them to hang tough with a team that they beat in the season series. Unfortunately, it's looking like the Caps may end them sooner than that, unless the Rangers can continue the momentum that they built in a controversial game three.

Philadelphia Flyers versus Buffalo Sabres:

Sabres in six

I thought that the Sabres would carry their hot streak right into the playoffs to make an easy end of the middling Flyers. So far, that's not really happening. The Flyers have stepped it up, and the Sabres have not.


Boston Bruins versus Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens in seven

I hate the intangibles on the Bruins. The roster is full of talented players who have bad habits of disappearing at crunch time. Plus, anyone who is smart enough to realize that Tim Thomas gives up more goals off rebounds than anyone else in the NHL would crash the net against the B's, just like the Habs have been doing. Add in the fact that this Canadiens team is essentially the same as last years (only with better defensemen, forwards, and arguably a better goaltender). Price has stepped up, and he's going to carry them through.


Pittsburgh Penguins versus Tampa Bay Lightning


Penguins in six


Team defense and secondary scoring trumps Martin St. Louis any day. The Penguins have been in playoff mode for months, have a deep and rugged roster, have been in the playoffs many times before, and have a better defensive corps. At the end of the day, the Lightning just have too many holes on the back end. If Fluery falters the Bolts may have a chance, but this isn't last year. Fleury now has an elite group of blue liners keeping him looking ahead to the second round.

Western Conference Playoff Predictions Reviewed

The final seeding in the west looked a little different than I had predicted, but overall teams finished in similar positions to those that I expected. However, there were two big differences, Nashville finished much higher in the race than I thought, ending up with the fifth seed, and the LA Kings finished lower than expected at the seventh seed. Regardless, the points were so tight that mistakes like that are to be expected. Still, there was one glaring omission from my predictions that deserves address, and that is the Anaheim Ducks. They deserved to be omitted at the time- they were six points out, had their Vezina caliber goalie out indefinitely, and had a seemingly soft defense. As it turns out, their defense turned out to be much stronger than expected, as Lubomir Visnovsky has carried out an absolutely Norris worthy campaign. Their goaltending situation also seemed to get shored up with the acquisitions of veteran Dan Ellis, and feel good story Ray Emery, who turned out to be incredibly clutch down the stretch. Add in the absolute scoring might of their top line, and the utter dominance of Corey Perry (who in my opinion is the MVP hands down this season), and it makes sense that they now sit at the fourth seed.

With that being said, here are my playoff predictions now that the seeding has been decided.

1. Blackhawks versus Canucks

Canucks in Six:

The Blackhawks don't have the same physical presence in front of the net that they had last season. Guys like Stalberg, Bickell, and Dowell could help turn up the physicality, but unless Chicago really gets in Luongo's face (and really learns how to play tighter defense quickly), they're going to fall to the juggernaut that is the Canucks. Still, a Blackhawks upset isn't out of the question- their core is full of Stanley Cup winners, and they may be able to get into the heads of the Canucks fairly easily. Nevertheless, I think that the newly revamped Vancouver blue line will hold off the Blackhawk onslaught to win the day.

2. San Jose Sharks versus Los Angeles Kings

Sharks in Five:

The sharks will win because they're on fire, they're tougher, and the Kings are missing their two leading scorers. If the Kings had Kopitar and Williams, I'd consider picking them as an upset. Nevertheless, I just don't think that the Kings can muster the kind of offensive punch that will be needed to counter the dominant Sharks.


3. Detroit Red Wings versus Phoenix Coyotes

Red Wings in Seven:

The Red Wings are experienced and balanced. Though the Coyotes are well coached and desperate for respect and recognition, the Red Wings' level headed approach to the game will carry them through the first round. The Coyotes will play stringent defense, but will lack the scoring punch to counter the productivity of Zetterberg, Franzen, and Datsyuk.

4. Anaheim Ducks versus Nashville Predators

Nashville in Six:

Nashville will win this series because Anaheim has their seeding due to swagger, scoring ability, and clutch goaltending. These seem like things that should help a team in the playoffs, however, I'm doubtful of how long it will last. This Nashville team knows how to play defense, has an excellent coach, and is dying to make it past the first round for once. They made a big move symbolically in acquiring Mike Fisher, Pekka Rinne is a monster who will steal at least one game in this series. At the end of the day, defense and goaltending beats scoring punch. Anaheim just doesn't have the base to go far. Don't be surprised if the swagger lasts, but I don't think it will.

Why Goal Differential Should Matter In Playoff Seeding

Right now there's a three way race for the bottom two seeds in the Eastern Conference between the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres hold the seventh seed with 90 points, 79 GP, and a +12 goal differential. Behind them are the Rangers, who hold the eighth seed with 89 points, 79 GP, and a +33 goal differential. Lastly, there are the Hurricans who stand in ninth with 87 points, 79 GP, and a -7 goal differential. Now you may be asking yourselves, why are the Rangers, who have clearly done a better job of, y'know...playing hockey, stuck in a fight for their playoff lives with a former eleventh seed, and the -7 Carolina Hurricanes. A better question is this: Why is there ever a reason that the Sabres should be ahead of the Rangers when the Rangers have won 2 more games.... Alas, you're probably questioning whether this article is wee bit biased. I'll be the first to tell you- it's biased. But with that being said, that doesn't change the validity of the argument. The Rangers have clearly been the best hockey team. They've won more games, but more importantly, they've clearly tried harder for every minute of play. Some may argue that goal differential isn't a good way of measuring quality because some teams either win by a goal or get blown out. Well guess what, if your team is having a season where that's happening consistently, then your team isn't good at hockey. It's not just about wins, it's about overall quality. Wins are a measurement of overall quality, the idea being that if a team is consistently good, it will win games. If a team wins 40 games, but gets thrashed for the other 42, that doesn't indicate skill. All it indicates is that your team has gotten lucky by winning some close ones.

Even look at a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning They have a +2 goal aggregate. You may remember that they were once leading the division with a negative goal differential. You may also remember how that lead didn't last. A team can't truly be good if it's getting pounded every time it loses, and if it only wins 6-5. That's unsustainable. That's why the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are no longer in the playoffs. That's why Tampa lost the division lead. Most importantly, that's why teams like the Sabres, Canes, and Lightning are more likely to crumble in the playoffs then a team like the Rangers, the Blackhawks, or the Kings. At the end of the day, you can tell if a team can play defense by its goal differential. It's all well and good if it can score plenty (like the Lightning), but if it can't keep the puck out of the net, then what's the use. Defense and depth win Stanely Cups. And if your team is winning while letting in more pucks than it's scoring, than your team is going to be in trouble. At a certain point, it becomes tough to tell how reflective goal differential is in demonstrating a team's ability. Phoenix is only +7, but everyone knows they can play defense and win games. At the end of the day, Goal Differential isn't an absolutely perfect stat with which to measure quality. Regardless, things like overall wins should be taken into account, even if goal differential can't be. If it really is about measuring who the best team is, give it to the team that has won the most games, even if you're going to ignore how many times they've been scored on.