Stanley Cup Playoffs: First Round Preview And Winners
By Adam Savard
Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets
Jan 11, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) attempts to handle the puck after a save by Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen (31) during the third period at Honda Center. The Anaheim Ducks won 5-4 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Both the Anaheim Ducks and Winnipeg Jets are big, physical teams that like to grind opponents down. Sometimes they aren’t doing so legally: these are two of the top six most penalized teams in the NHL. The Ducks took an average of 10.82 penalty minutes per game, outdone by the Jets taking 13.02 minutes per game, only behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.
These minutes are going to put tremendous pressure on the defensemen and goaltenders in this series. Anaheim brought in James Wisniewski and Simon Despres to improve their back-end at the trade deadline. Add to that Hampus Lindholm and Francois Beauchemin and the top four are as good as any in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Winnipeg Jets also brought in a different type of defensemen, trading Zach Bogosian to the Buffalo Sabres for Tyler Myers. Myers is known more as a skilled puck mover and skater than being physical, which is something to keep an eye on in the series. Dustin Byfuglien may be the most physical player in the series, while Mark Stuart and Jacob Trouba have filled out the top four nicely while Toby Enstrom has battled injuries. Enstrom has only played sixty games this season and needs to stay healthy to give the Jets depth to compete in this series.
Behind the defense are goaltending questions on both sides. Ondrej Pavelec has been the hottest player in the league in the last two weeks and hasn’t been beaten in his last three starts. Meanwhile Fredrick Andersen has wrestled the starting job from John Gibson and is ready to prove his playoff ability. If he falters, will Bruce Boudreau have a quick trigger going to his backup? You don’t want to shake a young goaltenders confidence. At the same time, you need to win four games before your opponent does.
Winnipeg had the better power play and penalty killing units all season. If these teams wind up forming a parade to the penalty box, the advantage goes to Winnipeg. I expect the Ducks to stay the more disciplined team and find a way to come through this series. But the Jets will get their pound of feathers from the Ducks. The Anaheim Ducks will beat the Winnipeg Jets in six games.
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Jan 18, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) battle for position during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Talk about two teams with different confidence levels. The New York Rangers are the out-of-control freight train smashing everything they run in to. They have speed at forward let by Martin St. Louis and Chris Kreider, great depth on defense with Mark Staal, Dan Boyle and Ryan McDonagh. And if you get through all of those players, have fun with Henrik Lundqvist in the crease. The Presidents Trophy winners are ready to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Standing in their way are the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom limped to the finish line. The Penguins got into the Stanley Cup playoffs only after beating the Buffalo Sabres in the last game of the season. Any team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin should be competitive, but there are serious issues with the Penguins.
Beyond Crosby and Malkin, the teams next best scorer is Kris Letang whom will miss the playoffs with a concussion. Patric Hornqvist and Chris Kunitz are the only other Penguins with over 40 points this season. There are not enough forwards stepping up on offense, so Crosby and Malkin will see the very best of the Rangers defense.
If the Penguins want to be competitive in this series, Marc-Andre Fleury will need to play better than he has in his life. His .920 save percentage and 9 shutouts behind a team that took the most penalties in the league and fought injuries all the way back to the mumps shows how good a season he really had.
It will all go for nothing. I won’t be surprised if this series ends in a sweep, but I’ll give Crosby, Malkin and Fleury one win at home. There are big problems with the depth on this Penguins team and in a few weeks they will have all offseason to consider addressing it. The New York Rangers manhandle the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. And it isn’t that close.
Next: Time For Some Upsets!