NHL Playoff Predictions

The board has been set. With the conclusion of the NHL regular season yesterday, the match-ups for the first round are finalized and boy are there some exciting ones.

I filled out a bracket on NHL.com, which has a fun and easy tool to use. Here's a screenshot of it:

As you can see, I have the Bruins winning it all (big surprise.) I do have a few interesting upsets, though, and the first round will be fascinating to watch.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Avalanche vs Wild

What a story for Colorado this season, going from a basement dweller to the top team in the West. On the other hand, Minnesota is a team that just squeaked by. This is an easy one. Avalanche in 5.

Blues vs Blackhawks

Wow. The Blues were a top 3 team all season long, but a major collapse in the final 6 games (and .500 hockey since the Olympics) have brought to light some major issues. They're dealing with some major injuries (as are the Blackhawks) but I'm going to go with the proven entity here. Blackhawks in 7.

How the West Will be Won

All season long, there has been a lot of dialogue and discourse about how the Western Conference is a lot stronger than the East. Analysts heralded that the teams in the West were better, the game was faster, and the stats guys backed it up.

As it stands now, seven of the top ten teams in the standings are from the West, and five of the bottom six teams are from the East. This makes the West, statistically speaking, much deeper and more competitive. Indeed, most NHL experts will tell you that they favor a team from the West to win it all, such as the Ducks or the Blues.

Fret not, Bruins fans. I've been digging up some research and reading reports, and I'm here to tell you right now that not only should you not fear the West, you shouldn't fear any team in hockey. I''m going to take a systematic look at the six powerhouse teams in the West and tell you why the Black and Gold could and indeed should beat them.

Seidenberg Skates, McQuaid done as a Bruin?

Seidenberg Eyeing Playoff Return

Great news out of Boston earlier this week as Claude Julien confirmed that Dennis Seidenberg skated on Tuesday for the first time since December 27. He suffered an ACL and MCL injury against Ottowa and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the season.

It was a stunning blow to the Bruins "D" corps, who were  tried and tested to fill the gap he left. The bottom line was this: they weren't going to be able to get a defenseman at the trade deadline who can do what he does night in and night out for that cap hit. Instead, Julien stressed that the group as a whole would have to step up in his absence, and it's worked out nicely. Johnny Boychuk has especially taken a bigger role with 44 gone and his great play hasn't gone unnoticed by B's fans.

It's a pleasant surprise that Seidenberg has resumed skating and is ahead of schedule, but people shouldn't put the horse before the carriage here. He suffered a serious injury and Julien has said he still has no timetable for his return. At best, it would be the Eastern Conference Finals, assuming the Bruins even make it there (of course they will.)

Zac Rinaldo to Face Hearing After (Another) Illegal Hit

Another despicable hit from a despicable player. I have no patience for players like this. There are players that love to toe the line and agitate opponents, but still are great hockey players: Marchand, Hartnell, even PK Subban. But Rinaldo, not unlike John Scott he offers little else.

His most productive season of hockey is when he posted 32 points in the OPJHL (what?) with 193 PIMs. So yeah, he sucks. He's a dangerous player and an insult to the league as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully Shanahan makes a statement here.

**UPDATE**

Four games for Rinaldo. Will he learn his lesson? Probably (definitely) not.

Bruins Clinch the East, Silence the Doubts

The Bruins clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia in today's matinee matchup. Loui Eriksson, who's really been looking great lately, led his team with 4 points and shut down a flailing Flyers team.

This victory pushed away a few (small) seeds of doubt in the back of my mind. The Bruins have had some trouble against desperate teams lately, and a loss to the Flyers would have created a real honest-to-God problem.

It started last weekend in Philly, when the Bruins let up an uncharacteristic come-back agaionst the Broad Street Bullies. With under a minute to go, Bergeron failed to chip the puck out of the zone and Boychuk whiffed on it, giving Lecavalier a chance to tie it with just 25 seconds remaining. The Bruins were able to win with a Reilly Smith shootout goal, but it was still a scary game.

Throwback Thursday: My Favorite Bruins Game

Excluding the obvious playoff games and Stanley Cup win, this is my favorite Bruins game of all time. It's a classic example of the Big Bad Bruins not only as a dominant offensive team, but a bruising force to be reckoned with.

Seriously, I've never seen such a clear-cut case of good and bad like this game. When you got villains like Sean Avery and Steve Ott on a team together, it's a recipe for disaster.

0:03 Ott comes across the ice to elbow Nokelainen. Refuses to answer Mark Stuart's challenge.
0:28 Ott throw a low hipcheck that flips Yelle. Refuses to answer Thornton's challenge.
1:38 Ott throws a hard hit on Mark Stuart. Refuses to answer Shane Hnidy's challenge.
2:15 Ott mouths off to Chara, then skates away. Refuses to answer Lucic's challenge.
2:45 Ference pummels Ott with an open ice it. Avery challenges, Ference answers.
4:50 Turco elbows Kessel behind the play. Scrum ensues. Ott ignores Stuart's challenge.
5:10 Fight. Shawn Thornton vs Kris Barch
7:20 Sean Avery throws a TERRIBLE hit from behind into the boards on Lucic. Marc Savard, of all people, is the first to respond. Five on five brawl here; even Kessel pairs up with Brunnstrom. Shane Hnidy demolishes Matt Niskanen in a one-way fight. Tim Thomas skates to the blue line, letting Turco know what's waiting for him if he tries to join. Ott's finally tossed.

It's really unbelievable. I remember Mike Modano, who was still involved with the team, saying after the game how embarrassed he was for the Stars organization and how much he hated what Ott and Avery did that night.

And man, do I miss Marc Savard.

This is what a puck to the face looks like

Red Wings prospect Mitch Callahan

I don't even want to know what's going on in there. This is what I imagine would happen after the final scene in Goon, where Sean William Scott saves 5 shots in a row at point-blank range with his face. Anyone else would be miserable. But not a hockey player. He's probably pumped to show off his new battle scar to the ladies.