The final installment of my "State of the..." for all you football fans! I doubt this one is nearly as necessary for all of us Michiganders, but hey, it gives me a great excuse to talk some hockey in mid season. Let's light the lamp folks as I go glove side on the standings.
Chances on winning the cup this year:
Contenders: New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers.
On the Verge: Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Black Hawks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators.
Pretenders: Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings.
Under Achievers: Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals
Out: Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks.
When's the draft?: Buffalo Sabers, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets.
The (Potential) Top Seeds
To me, the Rangers and the Red Wings both look like the best teams in their respective divisions. I could easily see them lifting the cup against the other in June. The Rangers have great goal tending in Henrik Lundqvist and finally have the scoring they need with Marian Goborik. Though they are in the middle of the road in scoring, Henrik is just so good in front of the net. The Wings are almost unbeatable at home. They know every nook and bounce in that arena. I just don't see a team coming in and beating them in a 7 game series. Though they do show some troubles when on the road, I am confident they will be able to over come them with the great goal scoring ability they have. They are 5th in the league in both goals scored and goals allowed. If that doesn't spell championship, I don't know what does!
The Rest of the Field
Like always, you can never sleep on the rest of the playoff bound teams in the NHL. Both Boston and Vancouver (currently 2nd seeds) look primed for a Cup rematch, Philly is always dangerous, and you can't rule out the Penguins or the Blues. A team to really look out for is the Ottawa Senators. They will really be able to take it to whoever they face in the playoffs. If they gain any sort of momentum they could really start a whole lot of trouble for the big wigs in the East. Sadly, both three seeds look very weak to me. The Florida Panthers play in the worst division and hockey and quite frankly, they look the part. I also have bad vibes about the Sharks every year. They seem to do great in the regular season, but when you get to the playoffs, it's a different story. I won't ever take them as a legitimate contender until they can prove to me that they can take it to the next level.
No Stars? No Problem!
This season has really been played without the major influence of the game's two biggest stars. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin haven't been that good this season and have virtually been non factors. With that, the league is still thriving. New players have arisen on both squads and in other cities through out the league. I think we are close to getting to an NHL where there are more than just a couple of stars. We aren't quiet there yet, but trust me, when the league gets to that point, hockey will be light years better than it is today in popular American culture.
EARLY Finals Prediction
In the East: Rangers win in 6 over the Flyers. In the West: Red Wings win in 6 over the Canucks.
Rangers beat the Wings in a thrilling 7 game series that comes down to the wire in almost every game.
Thanks for reading!
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