2014 Playoff Preview 1st Round: Eastern Conference

(1) Florida Panthers vs. (8) Tampa Bay Lightning

Season Series: Florida Panthers 4-2

Offense:

It’s hard to question the ability of the Panthers forward core going in to this series. They possess four 30 goal scorers, including two that managed to even hit 40 goals (Toews and Crosby). The offense had massive gains once Toews and Kane joined the roster, but it is still concerning that after Benn (26 goals), only Grabovski and Clowe hit double digits with 10 goals each. Even with that, they still led the league in goals scored and should be a force to be reckoned with.  

While Tampa doesn’t have the flashiness of the Panthers, Radim Vrbata had a very impressive campaign putting up 40 goals and 56 assists. One thing going for the Lightning is their ability to spread out the scoring through three lines. They have a very good 3^rd line that can make life a living hell, starring All-Star and 18 goal scorer Rob Klinkhammer.

Advantage: Florida

Defence and Goaltending:

With Kronwall and Del Zotto on the top pairing for Tampa, they’ve shown they can be deadly with the puck……on both sides of the ice.  With 55 points this year, Kronwall was impressive once again but with his partner they combined for an ugly -48. Luckily for the Lightning the pairing of Wisniewski and Martinez offers a lot more stability and will have to be counted on to stop the big guns in Florida. Craig Anderson picked up the bulk of the starts in Tampa, and will be counted on heavily in this series.

 It’s hard to doubt the star power of the Panthers D core, with almost seven top 4 D. It’s now a question of who will match up where, but don’t be surprised to see Pietrangelo get the majority of the minutes against Vrbata. While holding some impressive stats, it should be noted that Mason played 55 games this year without picking up a shutout.

Advantage: Florida

Verdict: Florida in 5

 A battle of the past two MRFHL champions and Florida state rivals should create an exciting series. But the strength of the Panthers roster just seems like too much to match up against for Tampa and it could be a short series.

(2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (7) Washington Capitals

Season Series: Washington Capitals 2-1

Offense:

I think we can almost begin and end this review with Roy and Hossa for the Maple Leafs. This instant chemistry brings back the days of McDonald and Gionta on San Jose. Hossa’s 56 goals this year has nabbed him the Maurice Richard trophy this season, while Derek Roy sat amongst the top 10 in assists. Add in Curtis Glencross to this line, and it becomes one of the most deadly in the MRFHL.  OH! And we forgot to mention that this team has Corey Perry on the 2^nd line. This team manages to get offense from every line, including from guys like Daniel Paille and Keith Aucoin on the bottom two lines.

While in Washington, they may not have the star power of other teams in the playoffs, it’s hard not to see that they do have four lines deep of good players. Johan Franzen and Jiri Tlusty carried the bulk of the offense up front, while Berglund and Simmons each had good years. One player that needs to step up in this series is Olli Jokinen, who while getting the big bucks from Washington managed to only put up 16 points in a full campaign, even while centering the 3^rd line.

Advantage: Toronto

Defence and Goaltending:

While there may not be many stars up front, Brian Campbell was among the elite on the backend. Campbell’s 101 points blew away any competition he had, charging in with an insane 29 goals. Add in a very veteran savvy core that includes Scuderi and Michalek, this team can cause headaches for opposing teams at both ends of the ice.  While Tomas Vokoun wasn’t stellar in net, he was solid enough to win games that ultimately got them in to the playoffs, which should count for something.

 The Maple Leafs went fully old school on their defense, with loads of experience all the way from Eric Brewer to Chris Pronger. While it’s not as offensively dominant as some other teams in the post-season, they get the job done with little to no mistakes. This kind of thing is needed with a young net minder in Braden Holtby expected to get this team far in to the playoffs. Holtby was excellent in net for the Leafs this year, but it will be interesting to see how he holds up in the pressures of the MRFHL playoffs. 

Advantage: Slight edge to Washington (Brian Campbell’s electrifying play adds another element to a good D in Washington)

Verdict: Toronto in 6

The Maple Leafs are back in the playoffs and have the depth to go far. The first step is DC and it should be a good building block going forward. Though don’t expect Washington to go down easy, and they will make this a series.

(3) New York Islanders vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes

Season Series: New York Islanders 3-2

Offense:

New Islanders GM Ben Gallant didn’t make too many changes to his roster after taking charge, and for good reason. The Islanders continue to build as one of the more successful and stable franchises in the MRFHL. The 2011 MRFHL Champions weren’t the most popular team on paper, but they came away with the wins more often than not.  With Kesler, Fisher and Briere down the middle, the Islanders have been able to operate without the deepest set of wingers in the East. Kesler and Michalek were the go to guys for the Islanders all year but they do possess some depth, especially a guy like Maxime Lapierre, who with his pest like play, also added 19 goals this year and should be a key piece going forward in the playoffs.

 The Hurricanes had built a team they thought would be in place for another top pick. The underdogs though went about proving everyone wrong, including Alexander Semin who put up a nice even 100 points, leading the Canes. Tyler Ennis centres that line with Dan Cleary, which gives it a few elements you rarely see on a top line. That’s not all they have in Raleigh either. Marcel Goc put up an impressive 58 points centring the 2^nd line, while Dany Heatley and Alex Burmistrov had surprisingly solid years as well.

Advantage: New York

Defence and Goaltending:

There is a dynamic of veterans on the Canes backend, led by the always steady Christian Ehrhoff who will be expected to eat up big minutes on the D. But the big story in Carolina is definitely goaltender Corey Crawford. His play was a catalyst that helped the Hurricanes secure an unlikely playoff spot. His .922 save percentage sat 4^th in the MRFHL, giving him a good case for a Vezina nomination. But unfortunately…….

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, Henrik Lundqvist was just that much better this season. While Crawford hopes for a nomination, Lundqvist is the early favourite for the Vezina this year.  With a goals against average just above 2, and a save percentage at .930, Lundqvist stole many games this year for the Islanders. And while not the youngest in the league, the Islanders are definitely a more inexperienced D. Though Dennis Wideman had an excellent year on the Powerplay and Mark Streit was a pillar of defensive success this season.

Advantage: Islanders

Verdict: Islanders in 6

Hurricanes have really already pulled off the impossible by making the playoffs. The problem here is they now have to go up against a very deep Islanders team that will be hard to beat. I expect them to put up a challenge and steal a few wins, but not enough to take the series.

(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

Season Series: New Jersey Devils 2-1

Offense:

Last year it was Steve Ott that came out of nowhere and put up absurd numbers for the Devils. His numbers were almost cut in half, going from 117 points to 60 (while still putting up a respectable 31 goals). Though make no mistake, others picked up that mantle. Mainly Jarrett Stoll and Mikkel Boedker, with 112 and 92 points respectively and scoring 40 goals each, shouldering the load for the Devils offense.  Even though there are some surprises up front, there are others that carry their share as well. Guillaume Latendresse and Eric Nystrom had solid seasons, while new addition Todd Bertuzzi and Matt D’Agostini add some size and secondary scoring to the bottom lines.

In Ottawa, it’s a station of success. While the Sedin’s were shopped all season, they both put up good seasons with 30+ goals. Anze Kopitar, Nicklas Backstrom, Tyler Bozak and new addition Ryan O’Reilly give this team plenty of depth down the middle. The key here is the amazing 3^rd line of Backstrom, Johansson and Silfverberg which gave the team a lot of punch from the lower lines. Only problem is thy don’t have many guys that can keep up with a physical series, an energy line that you can count on defensively  or to give you a big hit to get the team back in the game. Other than that, this forward core is as deadly as anyone in this league.

Advantage: Ottawa

Defence and Goaltending:

PK Subban and Dion Phaneuf can be deadly on the offensive side of the puck, but they can make some questionable plays on the other side of the puck. With the rest of the D, the big worry for the Senators and coach Todd McLellan has to be inexperience. Thankfully Carey Price is in net, and that should help cover up most mistakes. But in the world of playoff hockey, one mistake too many and you may be golfing sooner than you’d want to.

In New Jersey it’s the exact opposite, the team has more experience probably than anyone in the league. Even with that, the skill hasn’t dried up either. Andrei Markov put up an astonishing 28 goals on defense, while Regehr, Salvador and Visnovsky can eat up big minutes with limited mistakes. The X-factor here is definitely Cam Ward, who even with 47 wins, had a sub-standard year compared to some of the other goalies here.

Advantage: New Jersey

Verdict: New Jersey in 7

There is no denying the talent on Ottawa, but depth could be the killer there. The Devils have the ability to grind out a 7 game series and have the personnel to do it. Also it shouldn’t go by that the Devils were 3 seconds from the finals last year, and they want to correct that this year. 

Darren Males

very nice

2014 Playoff Preview 1st Round: Eastern Conference
Florida try to hold on to their title as 1st round begins tonight

• 0 teams Like this  10 years

Jeff Betts

always love reading your playoff previews, keep it up

2014 Playoff Preview 1st Round: Eastern Conference
Florida try to hold on to their title as 1st round begins tonight

• 0 teams Like this  10 years