On the Way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Who is Hot and Who is Not

One of the things that keeps the National Hockey League in business in the United States, despite the fact that it has fallen off the face of the earth to most sports fans, is the fact that the playoffs are truly too crazy to miss. A few years ago, the lower seeds won every round in the Western Conference first round: the 8 seed beat the 1, the 7 beat the 2, the 6 beat the 3 and the 5 beat the 4. In the NBA, you get a Golden State beating Dallas type upset once every ten years, in the NHL, they happen all the time. Add to that the dazzling intensity always found on the ice during April, May and June and you have a good stretch of Must See TV. Who is headed into this year's contest riding a wave of success and who is looking in their rear view mirror? Let's take a look.

 

Eastern Conference

It is difficult to tell, sometimes, when the season stretches into late March if a consistently good team is exhausted and injured or if they are just too damn bored. Like in every other sport, save the NFL, the season here is just too long. Fans get bored, players get bored and losing streaks can come out of nowhere. Teams always think they can "just turn it on" but that is often wishful thinking.

The New Jersey Devils have had a lot to celebrate this season. Superstar goalie Martin Brodeur became the winningest goalie in history and his teammates have once again put together a magnificent season. At the time of this writing, the Devils sit as the #3 seed, just a point behind Washington, but they are 4-5-1 in their last ten. Typical late season fatigue or something more? It is hard to tell with a team that has this much veteran leadership. You would think that their season doesn't even begin until March, but doubts are beginning to creep in off exit 16W.

On the flip side, both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been surging as of late. The Penguins have been a curious case all season, suffering from a case of Stanley Cup Losers syndrome until very recently, while the Hurricanes have simply been plagued by inconsistent play. Assuming the Pens can continue to get big plays from their defence and goaltending, expect a first round upset here. The same can be said for Carolina who is being rewarded for keeping Eric Staal as a team leader.

 

Out West

Since the first of February, no one has been hotter than the Vancouver Canucks. Play from stellar goalie Roberto Luongo has been consistent all season, but it is the goal scoring that has increased. The accusation of former Leaf Mats Sundin has helped, but it has been the emergence of the young stars in the line up like Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Kesler that have propelled this club from also ran status to legitimate cup contender. The road to playoff success still goes through San Jose and Detroit, but don't be surprised to see Vancouver as the team standing when it is all said and done.

At the time of this writing, the St. Louis Blues are actually on the outside looking in, but few teams in hockey have been hotter over the past few weeks. Consistent goalie play and leadership from young stars like David Perron have really helped this team come into their own. However, with equally as hot teams like the Ducks still in front of them, it may be too little, too late for the Blues this season.

On the flip side, the Calgary Flames have watched their once huge lead over Vancouver in the Northwest Division completely disappear, and insider chatter has linked significant tension in the locker room over the coaching style of Mike Keenan. It shouldn't come as a surprise, really, Keenan may be thought to be an effective coach by some, but he has left a trail of broken teams, angry players and ruined relationships wherever he has gone. A late season trade for scorer Ollie Jokkinen has backfired and the team is in a complete tailspin. Calgary will still make the playoffs, but at this rate, it looks like they won't be around for very long.

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