2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

Stanley Cup Playoff Preview by Joe Brackets:

And it’s not just playoff hockey.  Every Original Six team made the playoffs, including the Maple Leafs, who are back for the first time since before the last lockout.  And, four of the seven Canadian teams made it.  Fresh faces and intriguing matchups are going to make this a fun playoff year.

After a shortened regular season, I’d be willing to bet this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs will be as unpredictable as ever.  Pittsburgh and Chicago proved that they were clearly the class of the league during the regular season, but a Penguins-Blackhawks Final is by no means a guarantee.  Who saw the Kings coming last year?  And considering every team played only slighthly more than half a season, a good team that ended up with a lower seed (like the Rangers or the Sharks or the Red Wings) could easily get hot and go on a run.  Likewise, I think the quality of play is going to be higher than we normally see in the later rounds.  We’re not going to have guys playing in their 100th game of the season and running on fumes.

EASTERN CONFERENCE(1) Penguins vs. (8) Islanders-I’m still not entirely sure how the Islanders made the playoffs.  Was the Eastern Conference really that bad this year?  Anyway, the only real fight in the East was to avoid the Penguins.  Pittsburgh was going to beat whoever they played in the first round.  Everybody knew that.  They’re far-and-away the best team in the Eastern Conference.  And, remember, they’ve been without Sidney Crosby for the last month.  He’ll be back for the playoffs, which makes the Penguins that much better.  The only question with this series is whether or not the Islanders will manage to win a game.

(2) Canadiens vs. (7) Senators-Montreal sure rebounded nicely after not making the playoffs last season.  By beating Boston in the last game of the season, the Senators avoided the Penguins and gave the division to Montreal, setting up this all-Canadian matchup.  Montreal is one of the few teams that has a chance at beating Pittsburgh, but getting by Ottawa isn’t going to be as easy as everyone thinks.  Remember, this is essentially the same Senators team that took the Rangers to seven games last season.  I think this series will be just as competitive as that one.  However, Montreal’s the better team.  Seven games gives the better team the opportunity to prevail.

(3) Capitals vs. (6) Rangers-As per NHL rules, the Rangers and Capitals are playing a playoff series against each other.  This is the fourth time in five years that they’re meeting in the postseason.  Both teams played well down the stretch.  Washington held off Winnipeg to win the Southeast Division, while the Rangers worked their way past the Islanders and Senators into a much more favorable matchup.  These two teams are so familiar with each other that there aren’t going to be many surprises in this series, and I fully expect it to go at least six games (it went seven last year).  But the Rangers were an early Stanley Cup favorite, and they’re now finally starting to play like it.  Besides, Henrik Lundqvist is the best player in this series.  He’ll be the difference-maker, as the Rangers pull the slight upset.

(4) Bruins vs. (5) Maple Leafs-It’s always fun when Original Six teams meet in the playoffs.  I’ll admit it, I was pulling for Boston to win the Northeast so that we’d get a Montreal vs. Toronto series, but this is definitely a nice consolation.  It’s just so refreshing to finally see Toronto back in the playoffs.  It’s hard to believe that the team from the largest city in a hockey-mad country hadn’t been to the postseason since 2004.  I think this is the start of the Leafs’ return to prominence.  As for their playoff return, however, it might be a short stay.  The Bruins are the better team, and they’re playing for their city.  We all know how powerful that can be.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Blackhawks vs. (8)  Wild-I’m still in awe about what Chicago was able to do at the start of the regular season.  24 straight games with a point to begin the season.  Without a training camp!  Yeah, the Blackhawks are the best team in hockey.  I don’t care that Pittsburgh might be the better team right now.  Chicago’s got home ice throughout the playoffs, which could make a huge difference the deeper these playoffs go.  I love this Minnesota team, and I’m happy they found their way into the playoffs.  With the realignment next year, they’ll be a very dangerous team in that new Central/Midwest/Norris Divison.  As for this year, the Blackhawks will show the Wild how to win a very close playoff series.

(2) Ducks vs. (7) Red Wings-Detroit’s streak continues.  It was hairy for a little while, but the Red Wings managed to sneak into the playoffs for the 24th consecutive season.  And the final time as a Western Conference team.  They play a Ducks team that’s very, very dangerous.  Nobody’s talking about Anaheim as a Stanley Cup contender, but I think the Ducks have all the necessary pieces.  It’s almost shocking that this is the same team that finished towards the bottom of the Western Conference last season.  But the Ducks will have to worry about if the Red Wings are finally getting hot.  And you know Detroit’s got plenty of playoff experience.  I’m taking Anaheim, but a part of me wants to see the Red Wings win so that we can get one last Detroit-Chicago playoff series before that rivalry is ruined forever by next year’s stupid “Let’s make the Red Wings happy” realignment.

(3) Canucks vs. (6) Sharks-The two perennial playoff underachievers take on each other, which means one has to win.  Vancouver’s not as strong this season as they’ve been over the past couple years, mainly because the Northwest Division is very weak.  But that’s not an indictment of the Canucks.  Because they’re still a very balanced squad that’s two years removed from losing Game 7 of the Final at home.  I just have that feeling about the Sharks, though.  This might finally be the year they put it all together.  Nobody’s talking about them.  I think that’s what makes them dangerous.

(4) Blues vs. (5) Kings-A rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals in the first round.  I’m as clueless as to what’s going to happen in this series as I am about Anaheim-Detroit and Vancouver-San Jose.  I can see it going either way.  The Blues have home ice, which could end up making a difference.  But they had home ice last season, and that didn’t bother the Kings at all.  The Kings proved last season that they have no problem playing on the road in the playoffs.  And they’re the defending champs.  You know that’s important.  I’m taking St. Louis, but this series is definitely a coin flip.  I’m going with the Blues because I see it going seven, and they’re playing that last game at home.