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NHL Quick Picks!

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It’s that time of year again…1. VAN v. 8. LA For the second year in a row, the Canucks are rewarded with the President’s Trophy by getting a much liver than unusual 8 seed.  As someone whose only rooting interest in these playoffs is -(Vancouver), I was certainly happy when San Jose snuck into the seventh spot.   And I can see why LA has become a hot upset pick; the Kings have more talent that their record, and since Sutter (a very good coach although as with most defensive hard-ass types the diminishing returns set in quickly) came aboard they’ve played well.  And one can see some parallels with the series Sutter won with a hard-working but thin team against a more gifted Vancouver team in ’04 — Quick is at least the equal of Kiprusoff, and while Kopitar is no 26-year-old Jarome Iginla LA’s supporting cast is significantly better.    And yet, the analogy also helps us to understand why I still think Vancouver will prevail — the Canucks have star forwards backed up by excellent defensive forwards, and more importantly aren’t dividing their goaltending between Dan Cloutier and Alex Auld.  I don’t think it’s easy to grind it out against Vancouver (cf. Nashville last year,) and Boston beating them had less to do with their physicality and more to do with underrated skill up front and the league’s best defenseman, two things the Kings conspicuously lack.  Even with Sedin out for game 1 they’ll be OK.  CANUCKS IN 6.

2. STL v. 7. SJ Subjectively, I see the Blues as more a decent team with an elite (short-term) coach than an elite team, although you can’t argue with the results; their goal differential was the same as Deroit’s and not much worse than Vancouver’s.   Had they been playing LA, I would see an upset.   However, I think a tight defensive, well-coached team should be able to carve up the Sharks, who are becoming not so much “underachievers” as “just not all that impressive.”  BLUES IN 5.

3. PHO v. 6. CHI You have to admire Tippett, and it will never be easy to beat the ‘yotes.   I worry about Toews’s status.   Still, I think Chicago has more talent, and in the playoffs as opposed to the 82-game season I think that talent will win out over tactics. HAWKS IN 7.

4. NSH v. 5. DET A terrific series, of course, with Nashville trying to fortify themselves and not content being the little team that could until hitting a wall in the second round.   It’s easy to take the Wings for granted, but they remain an extremely good team, better than their seed would indicate and with a goal differential twice as good as Nashville’s.   Any well-coached team with a defensive top 2 as good as Nashville’s could get to the Stanley Cup finals.   The key to this series may be the officiating: Nashville needs to get their devastating power play out there.  I’m not sure a smart veteran team like the Red Wings will give them enough chances, so in a virtual coin flip I’ll say RED WINGS IN 7.

Dunno if Berube will be doing the East this year, but my picks — Rangers, Penguins, Bruins, and…figuring they’ll emulate the Seahawks in ’10 and win a round despite being one of the worst playoff teams under the modern format, the Panthers.

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