The Sports Corner

TSC NHL Playoff Preview - Western Conference

With under two days left until the start of the NHL 2009 playoffs, the fans are getting ready and the predictions are getting made as to who advances to the second round, and who goes home.

So here’s our part 2 of 2 on the playoff preview, as the TSC writers give their thoughts and predictions on the Western Conference matchups. Agree or disagree? Let us know.

San Jose Sharks (1) vs  Anaheim Ducks (8)

Team records: San Jose 53-18-11, Anaheim 42-33-7

Season series: Sharks won 4-2

Predictions:

Hosea C - San Jose in 5. Anaheim has a strong team no doubt, but San Jose has the best team in the NHL. The Sharks are looking to lose the playoff choke label, and what a better team to do it against then the Ducks. Thornton and crew will be looking to make a statement early. Simple as that.

Cam T - San Jose in 6. The San Jose Sharks are this year’s favourite to win the Stanley Cup, but they will have one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now to deal with in the opening round. The Sharks and Anaheim Ducks played six times this year, with the NHL’s best regular season team winning the season series 4-2. Two big teams with imposing defencemen on either side is going to make this series a tough, physical battle that will leave its mark on whoever wins this round. But the edge goes to the Sharks between the pipes, as Evgeni Nabokov has returned from injury and will bring his team to the next round. 

Jamie U - San Jose in 5. Whoever plays the Sharks needs someone to match up against Joe Thornton. The guy who would have done it for the Ducks, Travis Moen, was traded to San Jose at the deadline.

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7)

Team records: Detroit 51-21-10, Columbus 41-31-10

Season series: Red Wings won 3-2-1

Predictions:

Hosea C - Detroit in 4. Red Wings, get those brooms ready. Give Columbus credit for making it to the playoffs but there’s only so much Rick Nash and Steve Mason can do. Detroit will pick up their game in the postseason and they won’t be giving up their Stanley Cup championship that easily, at least not to Columbus. The Blue Jackets won’t be able to handle that much firepower. 

Cam T - Detroit in 6. Consider this series to be one of the tougher ones to really pick in the Western Conference. The Wings, fresh off their Stanley Cup win last year, have been plagued by doubts about their goaltending duo of Ty Conklin and Chris Osgood all season. Do they have what it takes to carry the Wings back the finals? On the other hand, the main reason the Blue Jackets are even in the playoffs is the play of rookie goalie Steve Mason. The key word there being rookie.  Mason has no experience in the NHL playoffs and he’s going up against Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and, well, the rest of the Wings.

Jamie U - Detroit in 5. Congratulations Blue Jackets, you’ve finally made the playoffs! As a reward you get to play the Red Wings in round one. (Womp wah.) Steven Mason will steal one game, maybe two. 

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs  St. Louis Blues (6)

Team records: Vancouver 45-27-10, St. Louis 41-31-10

Season series: Tied 2-2

Predictions:

Hosea C - Vancouver in 6. Expectations are higher in Vancouver then St. Louis, but so is the hunger. The Canucks have players like Sundin, Demitra, Luongo, and so on, who are determined to bring their A-game for a ring. Not saying that the Blues don’t want that, but the youthfulness will show in this first round. Vancouver’s size will grind St. Louis’ speed to a halt, and it’ll be a miracle for Chris Mason to out-duel Luongo.

Cam T - Vancouver in 7. It’s a tale of the two hottest teams in the NHL West since February, and they’ll go head to head in the opening round of the playoffs. The scary thing about St. Louis is that they play tremendous hockey when there is no pressure, and there will be no pressure on them in this series because it is all Roberto Luongo, Mats Sundin and the rest of the Vancouver Canucks. On paper, the Canucks are a better team all the way through their line-up, but there is the potential for upset considering Vancouver went 2-2-0 against the Blues this year. What helps the Canucks is health, as only Taylor Pyatt remains away from the team for personal reasons.

Jamie U - Vancouver in 6. When you’re best players (T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes) have never played a playoff game, that’s usually not a good sign. I keep hearing people mention how good Chris Mason has been for the Blues to get them in, but would you take him in a match up vs Roberto Luongo? Chris Mason’s parents might not make that bet.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs  Calgary Flames (5)

Team records: Chicago 46-24-12, Calgary 46-30-6

Season series: Blackhawks won 4-0

Predictions:

Hosea C - Chicago in 7. Don’t let Calgary’s injuries fool you. Everyone knows that they always show up to compete hard in the playoffs, but this time, they won’t be able to grind it out past the Blackhawks. It’s Chicago’s turn to make some noise in the postseason after a long-absence, and their sharp-shooters will lead the way. Watch Brian Campbell become a force on the blueline, while the duo of Khabibulin and Huet will be enough for Chicago.

Cam T - Chicago in 6. The Calgary Flames are a mess, from everything to health issues with their top two defencemen Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf to a blundering power play that has gone 0-for-43 to end the season to the lack of success Olli Jokinen has had since being traded from Phoenix on Mar. 4. Meanwhile, Chicago is heating up at the right time. Age and lack of playoff experience doesn’t seem to be an issue for the fourth best team in the West, and the Hawks went 4-0-0 against the Flames this season.

Jamie U - Chicago in 6. The Flames aren’t healthy and struggled down the stretch. Miikka Kiprusoff played so well the year they went to the finals, but hasn’t been great in the playoffs every year since then. The Blackhawks quietly played great hockey after losing fourth seed to the Canucks very briefly. A young team can only do damage in the playoffs if they have a goalie they can rely on to keep their confidence. Khabibulin is the perfect guy for them to have because of that and the fact that he is in a contract year.