Well, it’s playoff time again in the NHL. After a season I’d describe as freakin’ awesome, 16 teams now have to battle it out to go for the Cup. They already announced the schedule for the first round and pretty much every game will be on national TV.
Last year I predicted each series round-by-round and I was correct with 10 out of the 15 series. I thought it was pretty solid for my first time around. I got several upsets right and I got 7 out of 8 first round series correct. So here I go for the 2011-2012 Playoffs!!!!!
WEST
3. Phoenix Coyotes vs. 6. Chicago Blackhawks
Phoenix won regular season series 3 games to 1
This year was a statement year for Phoenix. After being ousted early in the playoffs two years in a row (thank you very much, Detroit) and after losing their starting goalie due to free agency, it seemed that Phoenix will at long last fold. As many of you know, Phoenix is in danger of losing their team and one of the main reasons they were still in Phoenix was because of their recent success. But most people assume this would be the year they would be done. But like their preseason pump up video showed, they were not quite ready to throw in the towel. They persevered all season long and, like what PuckDaddy famously wrote, they kind of complicated everything by winning so much. Phoenix finally hard enough to earn home ice advantage this year and perhaps avoid playing a tough team like Detroit which they had to do 2 consecutive years, but they got a tad bit unlucky and now have to face a tough 6-seeded Chicago Blackhawks team.
The Blackhawks' season has been up-and-down all year long. They had several cold streaks and were pretty mediocre on the road. Injuries did not help and they were without captain Jonathan Toews for the last 22 games of the season (he WILL start tonight though). Other offensive star Patrick Kane was also a little sour this season. However, the team was able to patch things up every now and then and finished with a very good 101 points. Their goalie Corey Crawford struggled for much of the season but finished strong and we know from last year's playoffs how good he could be.
OFFENSE:
Chicago has had great offense for the last few years and this season is no exception. They're very deep and could score in many different ways. Although Kane was a bit sluggish this year with his career-low total of 66 points, guys like Patrick Sharp (33G, 36A) and Marian Hossa (29G, 48A) picked up the slack. They have solid goal scorers on other lines who have playoff experience so they should definitely come in handy this year. I really like how Viktor Stalberg's game has developed and Andrew Shaw had a great rookie year for the Hawks scoring 23 points in 37 games. The real question is how does Jonathan Toews do in his return and whether he is 100% or not. Daniel Sedin did not play in game 1 for the Canucks due to headaches after practices so it'd be interesting to see how much they push Toews in his first game back.
The Coyotes offense is not known for it's power, but for their consistent timely scoring (see St. Louis and Nashville). They have 4 full lines of guys who can contribute to the scoring and they don't necessarily rely on one single person. Their best player this year has been Ray "the Wizard" Whitney. The 39 year old has 77 points on the year and has been getting the job done for the Yotes (and for my fantasy team!). Lining with forward Radim Vrbata (35G, 27A) has worked out well for both of them and have quietly put together a very good season. These guys are all solid offensively but they are also all great defensely (Am I right Boyd Gordon?)
EDGE: Chicago's forwards are too good, too experience, and too deep. Phoenix just doesn't have the star power to match.
DEFENSE:
Phoenix plays a very defensive minded game and they have the perfect defensemen for the job. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the best young defensemen in the whole league and he plays big minutes for the Coyotes. Kieth Yandle is also among the best in the game and he had a pretty good season as well. Shootout specialist Adrian Aucoin also adds to the talent of the defensive core and gets the job done lining with OEL.
Chicago's defense has struggled a bit this year but definitely has room for improvement. The Hawks have given up a ton of goals this season and their defense isn't exactly helping the cause. But I do like how Niklas Hjalmarsson has played this year. He's highly underrated and that may or may not be because nobody knows how to properly pronounce his name. Duncan Kieth and Brent Seabrook both had solid seasons again. I'm concerned about Chicago's backline though. Johnny Oduya is a decent player but is apt to making bad turnovers (am I right Winnipeg fans?) and Nick Leddy, although offensively promising, has some defensive lapses of his own.
EDGE: Pheonix has the advantage here. It's pretty close skill-wise with the top few Dmen, but the Coyotes clearly have more depth to get the job done.
GOALIES:
No goalie is hotter right now than Mike Smith. The Coyotes are entering the post-season on a 5 game winning streak and of those 5, Mike Smith has 3 shutouts. After being a backup in Tampa for a few seasons, he took the league by storm and now has his name in the race for the Vezina Trophy. He is highly qualified and, best of all, is a fantastic puck handler (and you know how much I love it when a goalie can do that). He's got his team to rally around him and I'm certain he'll supply Phoenix with the type of goaltending they need in the playoffs (goaltending they didn't receive from Ilya Bryzgalov). Numbers: 38 wins, GAA 2.21, SV% .930, 8 shutouts.
The Blackhawks have had some trouble with young goalie Corey Crawford. He was shaky just about all season long, and at a point almost lost his starting job to wandering-goalie Ray Emery. I believed in him all year last season and he was sensational against Vancouver last year in the first round and he was one of the reasons that the series went 7 games. He'll have to do how he did last year against Vancouver if Chicago wants a chance to advance. Down the stretch, Crawford's game has improved quite a bit. He won 8 of his last 11 starts and got the Blackhawks to over 100 points and helped make history by doing so. Numbers: 30 wins, GAA 2.72, SV% .903, 0 shutouts.
EDGE: Mike Smith gives the Coyotes a huge edge here. Crawford will most likely be okay but I doubt he'll be as good as Smith is for Phoenix. In a best of 7 series you can't have a goalie with numbers that Crawford has. Plus, Smith's numbers are about at the top of the league so it's not even a question here.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Chicago has had a pretty bad powerplay this season. They're ranked 26th in the league with the man advantage and that's just not acceptable for a team of their caliber. You'd figure with the cast that they have, they'd be at the top of the league in that department but it is not so. But I would not be surprised if they started clicking come playoff time. They have the weapons out there to do so. Chicago is also bottom of the league on the Kill also. Their special teams is one of the reasons they had some trouble this year and they are desperately in need of a fixing.
The Coyotes have one of the worst powerplays in the league. They've tried different things all year but nothing has really clicked for them. It's extremely frustrating for them but they have no other options but to just keep trying. On the kill however, Phoenix shines. They are top 10 in the league on the kill and Mike Smith has been great for them. Earlier I hyperlinked a video of Boyd Gordon blocking shots on the kill, and it's that mindset that makes Phoenix so great here.
EDGE: Although the Hawks have the ability to be better on the Powerplay, the fact that the Coyotes are great on the kill gives them the edge here.
SIDENOTE: Paul Bissonnette (aka BizNasty2point0) of the Phoenix Coyotes has been a great entertainer on twitter. He is about the healthiest guy on the team (being a healthy scratch about every night) and keeps everyone happy with his twitter account. Here are some gems of his over the years. He most likely won't see ice time this post season but he's been working hard in the offseason (in the BioSteel camp. Find videos on youtube like this) and even scored a goal this year (a gamewinning goal actually!)
CONCLUSION: The Coyotes have been beating teams all year in pretty much the same way. Their minimal goal scoring proves just to be enough and their suffocating defense and magical goaltending closes out games. Chicago did have a very good season but they do not match up very well against the opportunistic Coyotes. Their offense will be matched with great defense and their defense and goaltending will not be enough to fend off the offense of Phoenix
PREDICTION: COYOTES IN 6 GAMES
Note: stick tap to dailyfaceoff.com for supplying starting rosters and stuff. Pretty sick site.
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