Old Stuff

[TheRuckus]

The Flyers have a sick top line, even if Nash is overrated. Beyond that? I don't see them being all that scary. First of all, Pronger is almost definitely done playing hockey; I'm not sure how they got away with penciling him in as their #1 defenseman. So their top pairing is a guy coming off a serious concussion...and a rookie. Then you've got Luke Schenn, who was so bad he got benched on the reg in Toronto. Nick Grossmann was last seen hobbling around on two busted knees. And the last line of defense behind this blue line full of question marks is...Bryzgalov? Ruh roh, Raggy.

Meanwhile, I've got the best defenseman, best goaltender, and arguably best overall goal prevention in the league, and enough talent up front to get the job done.

[boilerguy2412]

Panthers Have better depth, much better defesne better goaltending. Leafs did a fine job building up there team, but my socring depth, defensive forwards and goal tending are all better.

[blujaysrock]

Honestly I'm shocked I didn't make the playoffs...

I had you as the 8th seed. Only really spot I had to debate for the West was between you and the Wild. Reason I gave you the edge was because the Wild had a pretty young D (I think). Can't totally remember...

[OneManIsNoMan]

Wow I can't believe I didn't even make the 8 seed. I was better off keeping Rick Nash instead of trading for young depth.

Win the Mock - Failed
Best Future - Failed
Best GM - Failed

Past month - Fail

[GrkGawdofWalkz]

As a whole from top line to bottom line my forwards have skill, grit and balance. Adding Tavares, Parenteau, Glencross, Jokinen, Dubinsky increased the skill, balance and ability to take things on both ends. I marginally upgraded the defense depending on your preference between Carlo Colaiacovo and Lydman with a solid bottom pairing defensemen in Chris Campoli. With the goal tending tandem who led the league in shut outs and other categories I have top to bottom depth, talent and ability.

[RedWings13]

Congrats to the Hawks first of all. I was expecting this matchup after the Blues took the division.

I'll break down why I think the Wings would take the Hawks in a best of 7 series.

Offense

First Line: Hall - Toews - Sharp vs. Franzen - Datsyuk - Ryder

First of all, Chicago can't really use the argument that Hall will have a better year playing with Toews here because Hall mostly played with Eberle and Hopkins. I don't really think Toews and Sharp are much of an improvement offensively over those two. The same can't be said for Franzen and Ryder on my line though. Ryder put up 35 goals last year playing with Ribeiro as his center. Datsyuk is much, much better than Ribeiro. I could really see Ryder being a goal every other game guy easily playing with Datsyuk. Franzen played with Datsyuk last year and did put up 30 goals (29, but on pace for over 30) but defenders could easily single him out last year. Datsyuk likes to pass before shooting and Bertuzzi doesn't/can't shoot so Franzen was the guy to shoot. Now there's Ryder who loves to shoot and does so very well. There's two options for Datsyuk now. Ryder is exactly what he needed, a selfish player when it comes to shooting, and one that has a great shot.

Second Line: MacArthur - Roy - Marchand vs. Nyquist - Zetterberg - Pominville

This isn't even close imo. Zetterberg is way better than Roy, don't need to explain that. Pominville up 70 points last year playing with Roy as his center. Zetterberg is significantly better than Roy. I wouldn't be surprised if Pominville was a ppg player playing with Zetterberg, especially with teams' defense worried about the Datsyuk line. Then we have Nyquist on the left wing. He's put up over a ppg at every level below the NHL. Like I've said before he put up almost a ppg playing in the top six last year. He's ready for a spot in the top six. I don't think Chicago's second line even comes close to ours here.

Third Line: Chimera - Burmistrov - Samuelsson vs. Bourque - Helm - Gerbe

I really don't see either team having a significant advantage here. In terms of point production last year they're extremely similar. My line is more speed and grit. His is more skill. Babcock said a couple of weeks ago that Helm is the best third line center in the league. I honestly believe that he's up there with Stoll and a few others, especially with Jordan Staal not being a third line center anymore. Helm doesn't have a ton of skill, but he brings a ton of energy and his speed on the pk literally gets him a breakaway or very good scoring chance every couple games.

Fourth Line: Condra - Steckel - Bickell vs. Miller - Abdelkader - Hall

They're just fourth lines, but I would take mine here. My line brings skill, toughness, grit, and some size. Miller has some scoring ability; he put up 14 goals last year. Abdelkader is a good fourth line center. He can score and he isn't afraid to drop the gloves. Hall is a great penalty killer.

Defense

First Pairing: Keith - Seabrook vs Suter - Kronwall

Suter is a top 5 defenseman in the league. Keith and Seabrook are probably both top 10. Kronwall is about top 20. It's really close. These two pairings along with the Weber pairing in New York are probably the best three in the league. I don't think either team has an advantage here.

Second Pairing: Oduya - Boychuk vs. Beauchemin - White

My pairing takes his pretty easily here, both offensively and defensively. Beauchemin is excellent defensively and can play a ton of minutes on the pk. White is great both ways. Boychuk and Oduya are solid, I would just take my guys over them though.

Third Pairing: Olsen - Gill vs. Quincey - Butler

Quincey and Butler are much better than Olsen and Gill. Gill is great on the pk, but that's about it. Olsen is another big guy. If his third pairing goes up against my third line of Bourque - Helm - Gerbe that line alone could put up a couple goals a game. They're both big and slow. Helm and Gerbe are two of the fastest players in the league. Quincey and Butler are basically a second pairing on a lot of teams. They give our defense a ton of depth and options. They would be okay against any of Chicago's lines except for maybe his first line. The same can't be said at all for Chicago's bottom pairing.

Goalie

Miller/Scrivens vs. Howard/MacDonald

Miller is incredibly overrated. All of his seasons have been extremely average except for his vezina winning season in 09-10. Howard was great his rookie season, just barely lost to Myers for the Calder. He definitely hit the sophomore slump. Then he was great last year. He was an All-Star and was getting Vezina consideration before going out with multiple injuries in the second half of the season. He's going to be healthy now. I can honestly say that I would take Howard over Miller. The stuff about Howard being helped out by the team is completely incorrect. The way the Wings play is controlling the puck for a long time then giving up a good scoring chance. That's incredibly difficult for goaltenders. Yet Howard has still put up great stats. The back-ups don't really matter in the playoffs, but MacDonald is much better than Scrivens, a guy who has only played 12 nhl games in his career.

Also we have home ice advantage. The wings set the record for consecutive home wins last year and were right up there with St. Louis last year for the best home team in the league.

[Celts22]

Here is how I see the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets matching up for our quarterfinal series...

Tuukka Rask actually had a better year than Tim Thomas last year until he was sidelined late in the year and actually took over the starting job from Thomas in 2010. Now that Rinne doesnt have the likes of Weber and Suter playing in front of him 25-28 minutes a night, how will he perform without a strong shutdown pairing?

Bruins have home ice advantage which lets me decide the matchups with the Jets for 4 of the games. The best shutdown pairing in the past 3 playoffs of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg will be used for 25-28 minutes per game against the Jets top line of Krejci, Kane & Hudler. This is probably the weakest line this defensive pairing has faced in the playoffs since the 1st round against Montreal in 2011. These 2 have completely shutdown the likes of Ovechkin, Backstrom, Giroux, Richards, the Sedin twins, Stamkos, & St. Louis in previous playoffs and shouldnt have any trouble with Winnipegs top line.

For the playoffs the line of 2012 Selke winner, Patrice Bergeron, Marion Hossa and Bryan Little will be getting top line minutes as they provide defensive coverage on Kane, Krejci and Hudler and probably outplaying them offensively. What Krejci will show up for the playoffs? He's known for his inconsistent play and shouldnt really be relied on as a top line C. The question of how Hossa will perform without Kane and Toews was raised yet he's been an all-star caliber player for years even before going to Chicago.

Which leads us to the matchup of Seguin, Lucic & Horton vs. Peverley, Ladd and Wheeler. Winnipeg professes that they are this super physical & gritty team but hasnt that been a staple of the Bruins for the past 5 years and play to their strength? I just dont see enough offensive punch throughout the Jets lineup that the Bruins have. The defensive pairings are similar with Bogosian and Carle providing offense and Ference and Murray being more defensively responsible.

Looking at 3rd lines, the issue of depth comes up again for the Jets as the Bruins have a 20 goal scorer in Chris Kelly, Lee Stempniak; who is now filling the role Rich Peverley did and is now playing on a better team than he was in Calgary but where he still put up 14-14-28 numbers and Jordan Caron who is a former 1st round pick who had an NHL-ready defensive game from day 1 and now gets to show his offensive capabilities for a full season in the lineup.

Most 4th lines see little action in the playoffs but the Bruins consistently roll 4 lines deep as there is no drop off in defensive play when Paille, Campbell & Thornton jump over the boards and have been the best 4th line in hockey for the past 3 years. They have Claude Julien's trust and provide a huge spark in energy for the B's...

Just so everyone can see the matchups...

Kane-Krejci-Hudler vs. Little-Bergeron-Hossa
Enstrom-Byfuglien vs. Chara-Seidenberg

Ladd-Peverley-Wheeler vs. Lucic-Seguin-Horton
Bogosian-Murray vs. Carle-Ference

Blake-Moore-Antropov vs. Stempniak-Kelly-Caron
Aucoin-Hannan vs. McQuaid-Hamilton

Glass-Slater-Moss vs. Paille-Campbell-Thornton

Good luck to Branwingss who's done a great job assembling a strong team up in the Peg.

[RedWings13]

Honestly I'm shocked I didn't make the playoffs...

I had you in the playoffs pretty easily

[TO Rapz]

Leafs with the 6 seed vs Florida??? I think its a good matchup actually!

[tomsa592]

Good luck to Grk and St. Louis. Helluva team built there.

I'll break down why I think the Sharks would take the Blues in a best of 7 series.

Offense

First Line: Martin Havlat-Joe Thornton-Steve Downie

This is a prototypical 1st line. Thorton and Havlat are a great combination looking to get a full season together after Havlat went through some odd injuries. Downie is now slouch either. He had a 20 goal seaon playing alongside Stamkos and St. Lousi while providing more than enough grit and tenacity. He caught fire and played very well in Colorado showing that he has no problems getting comforable to a new team.

Second Line: Logan Couture-Joe Pavelski-Rene Bourque

This is an excellent 2nd line imo. Both Bourque and Couture, hell even Pavelski are capable of playing on a good team's first line (Borque played on Calgary's 1st line as recent as last seasson). Borque is an excellent goal scorer, Couture is excellent offensively and Pavelski is a great two-way presence and can bring it offensively as well.

Third Line: Filip Forsberg-Brian Rolston-Cal Clutterbuck

This is probably where a lot of questionmarks about my team arose. However, as Bruins fans can attest, Brian Rolston can still be an exceptional 3rd liner who can still bring it offensively if he's on a team that has a shot at the cup. Forsberg is a guy who like Landeskogmwas physically and mentally ready for the NHL game both offensively and defensively so I see no problems with him being able to come in and possibly even bumping borque from his spot nid-season. Clutterbuck is a guy who just hits everything (Something SJ has been missing irl) and has the ability to pop in 15-20 goals and 30-40 points.

Fourth Line: Daniel Winnik-Torrey Mitchell-TJ Galiardi

I know fourth lines don't really matter in these, but I still feel like mine is better than average. Galiardi will terrorize teams with his speed and offensive ability on the forecheck. Mitchell is great defensively and has shown enough offensive ability for Minnesota to give him 1.9M annually. Winnik took some time to get used to San Jose, but he played really well down the stretch and should continue the excellent play.

Defense

First Pairing: Dan Boyle-Brent Burns

This is a really good and probably underated first pairing. Boyle has been the staple #1 D for SJ since he was traded, and the year before Burns was traded, he proved that he could handle being a #1 TWD in Minny as well. Both these guys will be asked to log and easily handle 23-25 minutes a game while being able to contribute 40+ ponits.

Second Pairing: Marc-Edouward Vlasic-Brad Stuart

Both these guys acan handle their own offensively and are stalwarts defensively. Stuart is here to provide Vlasic the oppurtunity to open up more offensively which could see him return to his 08-09 production of 36 points. A great 2nd pairing on any team that will be asked and easily be able to log 20-23 minutes a game and can provide 25-30 points/

Third Pairing: Mark Stuart-Jan Hejda

This is a good defensive pairing. Both are good on the PK while Hejda can provide some offense (20 points or so) Stuey is a semi-mobile defensive D who excels in positioning and shuting down opponents forwards. Both can be top-4 D on any contending team and I have them as my 3rd pair which shows my defensive depth Both will be asked to and are way more than capable of 17-20 minutes and 15-20 ponts per season

Goalie

Niemi/Greiss

Niemi has proven that he is a Stanley Cup winner having won a cup in Chicago. Greiss is still a young guy that will push for a starting job soon and is more than ready to provide Niemi with the necessary rest to keep him fresh for the post season.

All in all, seeding aside, I think this Sharks team provides some match up problems for the Blues. Plus my team has way more playoff experience than his does. His two top offensive options (Tavares and Parenteau) have never even sniffed the postseason so no one really knows how well theyll play. I honestly think my Sharks have much more than a fighters chance to take down the Blues in a 7 game series

[RedWings13]

I'm shocked the Devils didn't make it..

I just realized that they didn't. I don't understand that at all. I almost had them winning the division and had them as the #4.

[Killerjug]

I had them in as well

[blujaysrock]

People probably saw Dainius Zubrus in his top 6 and freaked out

[joeyc77]

First of all, I’d like to congratulate the Blues, Kings and Canucks for winning their divisions. I also want to congratulate the Red Wings and the rest of the teams in the west that made the playoffs. I have all the respect in the world for the Red Wings organization and their front office. That being said, one of these teams has to win this matchup. Obviously, I believe it should be the Blackhawks and I’d like to take a minute to explain why:

1st lines

Taylor Hall is primed for a breakout year. Had he played a full season last year, he would he scored 35 goals easily. Playing alongside the proven success of Sharp and Toews, he could improve on that total as well. Toews and Sharp have been playing together for a few years and won the cup together in 2010. Detroit added Ryder, who had a good season playing in Dallas last year when it wasn’t prime time. He was very inconsistent, however, during his stint in Boston. I guess it’s up to the voters to decide which player will show up. Franzen does not match up well against teams with bigger dmen. Playing against Keith, Seabrook and Gill (on the PP) it’s going to be difficult for him to hang out in front of the net. In fact, it’s possible he gets injured in this series at some point as he often does given his style of play.

2nd lines

Zetterberg is the best player on either line, that can’t be argued. However, he is in somewhat of a decline and is probably a little less than a point per game player at this point. Theirs is no telling what Nyquist will bring at this point. He is a major question mark in my opinion. Roy , Marchand, and MacArthur are all capable of 25 goals in a season. One unique fact about them is that they are all playing for new deals. Marchand is a RFA and both Roy and MacArthur are UFAs and there is no better time to prove your value then during the playoffs against a bitter rival.

3rd lines

The Blackhawks just have more skill and goal scoring ability on this line while still being a pretty good two way line. Burmistrov has been at his best when he plays center. Samuelsson could easily play on a team’s 1st line. In fact, during trade discussions the Red Wings FO suggested Marchand or Stalberg could be dealt because Samuelsson could replace them. Chimera may be the fastest player on either team. The Red Wings do have more grit on their 3rd line, but I’ll take skill, ability, and veteran leadership come playoff time.

4th Lines

Our 4th line provides defense and grit. Steckel and Condra would be one of our PK units and Bickell can provide scoring punch. He scored 17 goals in 2010.

1st D pairing

Seabrook and Keith are proven success. They have played together while winning a Stanley Cup as well as Olympic Gold. Suter and Krowell on the other hand have never played together. Suter has never played alongside anyone but Weber, who is one of the best in the game. I question whether he is ready (or even capable) of being the #1 guy. His agent stated in the media that he really did not want to play in a city with a very intense media. Not only does Detroit have an intense media, he also has to replace a legend in Lindstrom while being the #1 guy for the first time in his career. During this series, the media scrutiny will have never been more tough.

2nd D pairing

The 2nd pairings are fairly close. I think White and Beauchemin have a little more skill but are much more inconsistent. Again, all 3 players on the Blackhawks 2nd line are playing for new contracts. I’m not sure if the Red Wings 2nd pairing is capable of handling our 2nd line given that fact. On the other hand, in all honesty, Zetterberg will be a handful for Boychuck and Oduya, but he would for most 2nd pairings. However, Nyquist is a big question mark, which could slow down Zetterberg some as well.

3rd D pairing

I like my 3rd D pairing. His 3rd line may be quick, but they are not very skillful. They rely on rebounds and scrums in front to get many of their goals. Well, Gill and Olsen will not allow many rebounds or scrums in front. I also like how our 3rd line matches up with the Red Wings 3rd pairing. Quincey and Butler are not physical and inconsistent as well.

Goaltending

First of all, Scrivens verses MacDonald-Detroit wins. If the voter believes this is a battle between two backup goalies, the Blackhawks will not win the series, so please vote against us. Ryan Miller is a top 5-10 goalie in the league. He is one of the only goalies in the league with the proven capability to go on dominant runs that can almost single handedly win a team the Stanley Cup, such as Tim Thomas did. Jimmy Howard, however, has been very inconsistent throughout his career , including the playoffs. He may have been an all star last season but lucky for him that’s based on the first half. This is the best team that has ever played in front of Ryan Miller and I think he wins this matchup quite easily.

Special Teams

The Blackhawks PK would be very effective against the Red Wings PP. The Wings rely heavily on Franzen creating havoc in front. Keith, Seabrook and Gill will neutralize that however. Toews, Hall and Sharp would be difficult for any teams 1st unit.

Overview

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup just two years ago, injuries and bad goaltending are what stopped them from repeating. Well, now we are healthy and the goaltending is no longer an issue. Our top line has 3 players capable of 30-40 goals. The 2nd line is playing for huge raises, which is a great motivator. Our top paring has been successful at many levels playing together. Detroit has question marks. Will Suter handle the pressure of replacing Lindstrom despite not wanting to play for a media crazy team? Will Franzen hold up against Keith, Seabrook and Gill? Are Datsuyk and Zetterberg starting to decline and can they stay healthy? What will Nyquist, Gerbe and Bourque actually provide in the playoffs? Can their bottom two pairings stay consistent? Which Jimmy Howard show up, the first half stud of the 2nd half dud? The answers are up or the voter to decide.

PS Good Luck to the Red Wings!

[IAmARanger18]

Yessss finished last!!