2012 Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings


Notes: Well, this playoffs has been the most unpredictable playoff yet. With the Devils facing the Los Angeles Kings it could be a series with a lot of back-end storylines. Remember in Summer 2010, Ilya Kovalchuk was choosing between the Kings and the Devils. He chose New Jersey and the Kings had to settle for Alexei Ponikarovsky, who now also plays for the Devils. Peter Harrold spent last year with the Kings organization back and forth between the NHL and the AHL in Manchester, New Hampshire. Zach Parise and Kings defenseman Matt Greene were college roommates at the University of North Dakota. And finally, there are 3 LA Kings who have huge history against the Devils and that is Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who used to play for the division rival Philadelphia Flyers. Gagne might not be expected to play in the Final as he is still recovering from a concussion, but he is cleared for contact. So, this could be a Devils vs Old Flyers series. Now back to the two teams in the series on the ice. It will be a match-up of two very different teams that play very aggressive. The question is after being able to solve Henrik Lundqvist, can the Devils solve Jonathan Quick? This series will be very hard for the Kings, much harder than Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix, but I still think the Kings are more aggressive and more physical and their Penalty Kill has been lethal in the playoffs and the Devils power play is very fragile at times.

Prediction: Kings in 6.  

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 3 Predictions

East:


(1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils:


Notes: Everyone in the NY/NJ area wanted to see this epic and that is exactly what they will get. This series will only be fitting if it has an overtime ending. This series will be a battle of wills, but I have to give the edge to the Rangers in defense and goaltending. Offensively, you can give the Devils the edge due to their aggressive fore-check. You can be assured that Girardi and McDonagh will be out against the Parise line of the Devils and sometimes against Kovalchuk. But this series will most definitely come down to Lundqvist and Brodeur. The big key for the Devils will be if they can get more than a one goal lead. They have struggled against the Rangers this season in Madison Square Garden. They simply cannot afford to let Lunqvist get into their head. I just have to err on the side of defense in this series.

Prediction: Rangers in 7


West:


(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings:


Notes: The :Los Angeles Kings have been relatively unbeaten in these playoffs knocking off the Presidents Trophy Winning Vancouver Canucks squad and then thumping the most consistent team in the NHL, the St. Louis Blues. But, who could have predicted that the Kings will meet the Coyotes for the Western Conference Crown. The Coyotes absolutely annihilated the Nashville Predators, who were picked by many to win the Stanley Cup. But as the Rangers and Devils, this will come down to the two goaltenders in Mike Smith and probably the best goaltender in the West in Jonathan Quick. I will have to go with the team of destiny and we could be looking at a coaching re-match of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, but with two different teams.

Prediction: Kings in 6

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Predictions

Eastern Conference:


(1) NY Rangers vs (7) Washington Capitals


Notes: The past two playoff meetings in this series, the Capitals had home ice advantage. However, this time is a role reversal where the Capitals are the lower seed having to go to New York for Games 1 and 2 and if necessary Game's 5 and 7. But home ice does not mean anything in this playoffs, hence Round 1. The 1st series is considered the toughest one to win in the playoffs, but it only gets harder even if the pressure might be slightly less. This series will be very tricky for both teams. The Capitals have finally figured out how to be strong defensively and play more of that grind out style of hockey and Braden Holtby is the real deal, but can he handle the pressure for another series. However, I think Lundqvist will have a strong series and I think the Rangers will score those timely goals and Kreider will be a secret weapon.

Prediction: Rangers in 7


(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs (6) New Jersey Devils


Notes: After a hard fought 7 game series against the Panthers, the Devils run into the best offensive team in the NHL in the Flyers. Two years ago, these two teams met in Round 1 and the Flyers humiliated the Devils in 5 games. This series will come down to special teams in my mind. The Devils penalty kill, which broke all sorts of records during the regular season has struggled in Round 1 against Florida, but can they fix it in 48 hours. However, unfortunately the Flyers are just too deep offensively for the Devils and Martin Brodeur to handle no matter how bad Bryzgalov is.

Prediction: Flyers in 5


Western Conference:


(2) St. Louis Blues vs (8) Los Angeles Kings


Notes: This series will come down to one thing and one thing only, goaltending. Both Elliott and Quick had stellar regular seasons. Both teams special teams have been very good in Round 1 and both offenses love to play and have that physical edge.

Prediction: Blues in 7


(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs (4) Nashville Predators


Notes: Not much to say on this series, but it is a match-up of two similar style teams. However, I think one team has a lot more riding in this series that the other.

Prediction: Predators in 6

What's next for Vancouver Canucks after so called upset loss to LA Kings?

Last June, the Vancouver Canucks came within one win of bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Canada. Instead, they brought a downtown Vancouver riot which cost the city Millions of Dollars in damages. While the riot could have been worse if the Vancouver Canucks ultimately won the cup, this year, they fell 3 rounds short, after being shocked in 5 games in the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. These Canucks were no where near the team they were last season and no where as passionate. It is clear that they were outplayed by goaltender Jonathan Quick, who can easily carry the 8th seeded Kings to the Cup Finals. Now, the Canucks must find a way to recover from 4 straight wasted opportunities to win the Stanley Cup going all the way back to 2009 playoffs.

Will Roberto Luongo remain with Canucks or is Cory Schneider the new #1?

Based on the fact that Cory Schneider started an elimination game for the Canucks seems to be an indication that Luongo if he stays with Canucks will have to win the #1 job back in training camp. Luongo has a 9 years left on his contract with Vancouver worth $5.34 million dollars in cap hit. There are teams looking for a #1 goaltender and with as not much pressure as there is in Vancouver. Most of the blame for the Canucks lack of playoff success falls on Luongo, who was the team captain until 2009. My guess is that he will be on a short leash going into next season and could be trade bait by the deadline.

Will Alain Vigneault be back as coach?

Alain Vigneault has done a great job by making the Canucks an elite team in the NHL, but the question is, has he done all he can do. The Canucks have a qualified NHL coach in Craig MacTavish, who is coaching their minor league affiliate in Chicago. He coached the 8th seed Edmonton Oilers in 2005-2006 playoffs all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He will also be on a short leash and might not be back next season.

What is the Canucks biggest off-season need?

The Canucks do not need any radical changes in the off-season. They just need to get their mental state straightened out and just play with more hunger and passion. It's evident they ran out of gas against LA and that the Kings were more hungry and more grittier and more passion. The Canucks will need to add more size and grit and maybe another scoring center to take the pressure of Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. They do have a gritty winger who will pan out very well next season or very shortly in Zack Kassian, who will also be able to score. He will become a fan favorite, but they might also want to add a size-able defenseman. So, we shall see.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Predictions

Western Conference:

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings:

Notes: The Vancouver Canucks have the edge in virtually every single category except for goaltending, where I give Jonathan Quick the nod over both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Coaching would be even, but I think if the Canucks can get 3-4 goals a game, they should be able to weather Quick and the storm. Darryl Sutter is usually good against Vancouver and pulled the 1st round upset in 2004 playoffs as coach of the Flames, but this is a different situation.

Prediction: Canucks in 6


(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks:

Notes: I give the Blues the edge in defense and goaltending. Offensively I think the Sharks are better, but no matter how good they are in the O column, either of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak will be able to stop them and the Blues D will be able to shut them down. I think the Blues will get timely scoring and be able to pull this one out.

Prediction: Blues in 5

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks:

Notes: This is a tough series to predict. The Coyotes are looking to win their first round playoffs series for the first time ever. They had the misfortune of running into the Red Wings the past two years, but Chicago is tough to figure out. The edge is even in every category, but on defense I give the Hawks a slight edge with Keith and Seabrook. However, I did pick them to win the Cup, but I just think they have been so up and down that it will hurt them in this series

Prediction: Coyotes in 7

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings:

Notes: This it the toughest series to predict with every category being even The Red Wings have the veteran experience edge over the Predators, but Nashville has the edge in the mentality. But I think the Veteran leadership might propel the Wings in this series.

Prediction: Red Wings in 7

Eastern Conference:

(1) New York Rangers vs (8) Ottawa Senators:

Notes: Forget the Regular Season series. It will have zero to no effect in this series. The Rangers have the edge in every category but offense. But this is similar to Sharks and Blues, but the Rangers have so much more riding in this series.

Prediction: Rangers in 6

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals:

Notes: This series is another tough one to predict. The Bruins are the defending champs and the road to June goes through them. I will say the Capitals have ended the season a high note. I think the momentum will carry into the playoffs. However, the Bruins have the edge in every category and are getting healthy. The Capitals however have been very tough to read this year. They have been amazing, awful, then dominant, awful. Basically Jekyll and Hyde altogether. However, I think this series will be my upset pick.

Prediction: Capitals in 7

(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils:

Notes: The Devils are back in the playoffs and are opening up on the road and I think it a good thing for them. They have not had much success in recent years with home ice advantage. And they probably got a sigh of relief in Round 1 by not playing either the Rangers, Bruins or Penguins and even the Flyers. For the Devils its simple, there best players have to be their best players and they cannot beat themselves. The Panthers are a very skilled and hard working team. However, I think the Devils have too much to lose and too much to prove in this years playoffs.

Devils in 6

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Notes: This series is much like the Red Wings and Predators. Its a shame one good team will be out in Round 1. But this series will be much nastier and much bloodier than the respective Western Conference series. However, I think the Penguins are on a route to win the East this year and I think the injuries in Philly will hurt them.

Prediction: Penguins in 6

Devils will open up playoffs on the Road against Southeast Winner

With the Flyers victory over the Buffalo Sabres last night, the Devils have officially been locked in as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference meaning they will avoid the NY Rangers and the Boston Bruins in Round 1 and will instead face the winner of the Southeast division. That will all be determined tomorrow night when either the Washington Capitals or the Florida Panthers could win the division. The Devils are 3-1 against Washington this season and 2-2 against Florida. Both teams would be tough opponents for Devils, but coach Peter DeBoer would love to face his former Florida Panthers team and win a playoff series against them. However, Washington might be more ideal with their goaltending uncertainty, but they could be very dangerous due to their expectations in the playoffs.

The Devils have not won a playoff series since 2007, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning coached by current Rangers coach John Tortorella in 6 games. They have also not advanced past Round 2 since 2003, when they won the Stanley Cup. So, the Devils expectations could for now be to at least go past Round 2, but this team obviously has bigger goals. The Devils will open up sometime next week in Florida or Washington on Wednesday or Thursday or maybe even as late as Friday.

Angry Devils beat up Rangers 4-1

The New Jersey Devils looked like a very angry team out for vengeance tonight after being shutout 1-0 on Sunday afternoon against the Islanders. Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the first minute of play and that basically set the tone for the game. Although the Rangers won the second period battle after tying the game a 1 on a goal by Derek Stepan, the Devils won the eventual war.

David Clarkson scored off his pads on a hard Petr Sykora shot and Ryan Carter sealed the deal minutes later. Patrik Elias added an empty netter for good measure. Shots were 29-26 Devils. In fact, the Devils had more shots than the two teams had combined in last Monday's game at the Garden, which favored the Rangers 15-13 for a total of 28. Martin Brodeur was stellar in net making 25 saves for the victory.

Usually, in past years when the Devils surrender a lead to the Rangers, they collapse and fall apart, but tonight was not the case. The Devils fought hard both in the fighting department and on the scoreboard. Ryan Carter fought Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers, even so knocked him out of the game. Cam Janssen fought John Scott. Both scraps were key to Devils momentum. All in all a very good effort from the Devils. In my opinion, Jacob Josefson, Ryan Carter and Marek Zidlicky had their best games as Devils.

Devils prepare to hopefully finally solve the Bruins, Tallinder likely out for the year.

Tomorrow's game between the Devils and Bruins will feature two teams coming off being shutout in their previous games. The Devils are yet to beat the Bruins this season and have been outscored 14-5 and 10-2 at home. It will be their final meeting of the season between each other and one more chance for the Devils to finally be able to solve them. Martin Brodeur will start tomorrow night, while Johan Hedberg will start Friday in Washington.

After three straight struggling offensive efforts, coach Peter DeBoer shook up his lines. He kept his top line of Parise, Henrique and Kovalchuk together, while putting Josefson on a line with Ponikarovsky and Clarkson. He moved Zubrus up to the Elias and Sykora line to get that line going. Steve Bernier is on the 4th line with Boulton and Carter.

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Devils Defenseman Henrik Tallinder was supposed to return to action in 2-3 weeks, but now it apparently looks like he will miss the rest of the regular season and early playoffs. In an interview with Rich Chere of the Newark Star Ledger, Tallinder said he feels good health wise, but it still feeling week in his lower left leg with the blood clot. He is yet to finish his mdeication cycle, so only then will he know whether he can play. The Devils might play it safe and shut him down for the rest of the year. However, his return this season is still a huge question mark.

Devils won't be aggressive at deadline, but might make a small move or two

The New Jersey Devils sit in 4th place currently in the very tight Eastern Conference race, but with the trade deadline a week away, the Devils might be sticking with their current roster. Lou Lamoriello is however looking to improve his team, a position he was not in last season. The Devils are currently battling a number of injuries, which could affect theor decision on which trades to make. Henrik Tallinder and Travis Zajac are battling long-term injuries and are not expected back until late-March at the earliest. Tallinder has a left leg blot clot and Zajac is recovering from a sore-Achilles which resulted from playing after suffering a torn-Achilles tendon in the summer.

Adam Larsson is still out with a lower back bruise and Ryan Carter has a fractured hand. Both are expected back shortly and it could result in the Devils trading a few players like a Eric Boulton, Nick Palmieri or even a Steve Zalewski up front. Jacob Josefson or Mattias Tedenby could also be involved in trade discussions. But Lamoriello might be looking for a puck moving defenseman and that could force Taormina, Foster or Salvador into trade discussion with Tallinder expected back this season. Word leaked out last week that Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky was on his way to the Devils, but that trade was made by Zidlicky himself, not Wild CM Chuck Fletcher.

With all that said, the trade dilemma will be huge for Devils, but one thing is certain, the Devils will not be in on Rick Nash or Jeff Carter or Ales Hemsky.

Devils fight off Flyers furious 3rd period rally for a 6-4 win.

Kurtis Foster had a redemption game for the Devils after two tough games this week scoring 2 power play goals to give the Devils a 6-4 win against the Flyers. The Devils led the Flyers 6-0 after 2 periods, but somehow an angry Philadelphia team scored 4 in the 3rd and out-shot the Devils 24-1 in that period. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dainius Zubrus had the other Devils goals. Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jaromir Jagr and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers.

Johan Hedberg made 37 saves for the Devils and Serge Bobrovsky was relieved by Ilya Bryzgalov. It was the Devils 3rd straight win coming out of the All-Star Break and 2 of them against teams they are chasing in the standing. Their next two are no different against Pittsburgh and the same NY Ranger team they beat this past Tuesday. Kovalchuk had a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick today, a goal, assist and a fight against Flyers forward Brayden Schenn.