Conference Finals Begin Today; Our Predictions

Only four teams remain.  These two series will determine who reaches the Stanley Cup Finals.  Here are mine and Adam's Predictions.


THE WEST:

                 (#1 Seed Canucks)                  (#2 Seed Sharks)


Evan's Prediction: Sharks win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Sharks win in 6
Our Take: We both figure that the Sharks are simply a stronger team. Carried by the momentum of their series with Detroit, the Sharks are simply better prepared for a tough series with a capable team like Vancouver.

THE EAST:

                  (#3 Seed Bruins)                      (#5 Seed Lightning)

Evan's Prediction: Lightning win in 6.

Adam's Prediction: Bruins win in 6

Our Take:This series could prove to be a battle of the elderly goaltenders. Adam thinks that the Bruins Tim Thomas has the stamina to outlast Tampa's Dwayne Roloson.  The Lightning have offense on their side, but Boston has experience and a grittier defensive core. This will be a great series.

Canucks Advance; Detroit Faces Elimination

After last nights game, the Vancouver Canucks join the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins in the Conference Final round.  They defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 2-1 last night and take the series 4-2.

There is no doubt that Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne kept them in this series.  He had an unbelievable series for the offensively challenged Preds.  Without him, Nashville could have easily been swept.

Two More NHL Award's Finalists Annoucned

This week the NHL announced the finalists for two more of its prestigious awards, the Jack Adams Trophy for the best coach in the league, and the Hart Trophy for the league MVP.


Jack Adams Trophy (Best Coach)

Dan Bylsma, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators

Ducks2Nucks take: Coaching awards are always hard to call because you can go any way you want with the analysis. Bylsma managed to keep a winning team through an injury plagued season. Vigneault led a powerhouse squad to the President's Trophy for best record in the regular season. Barry Trotz... Barry Trotz has to coach the Predators and that's pretty hard I'd imagine. Evan and I had a hard time picking for this one, but Evan picked Bylsma because of his adaptability, and I'm going with Trotz because the guy doesn't get the recognition he deserves I feel. Vigneault will probably win just because we didn't pick him. Whatever.


Hart Trophy (MVP)

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Martin St.Loius, Tampa Bay Lightning
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

Ducks2Nucks take: This is a close race. All three players had fantastic seasons, but the real question is which player had the most impact to his team's success. St.Loius pumped out really impressive numbers at an age where he should be wrapping up his career, but Tampa also had Stamkos putting up a lot of points and Lecavalier producing another solid season. Sedin scored a lot of goals and was a huge offensive force alone this season, but he also had his brother Henrik and players like Ryan Kesler on the Canucks roster to help lead their season. Corey Perry really stands out to us from these nominees. Perry had a phenomenal season, leading the Ducks in points and goals with 50 goals and 48 assists for a total of 98 points. Perry's play really stood out this season as a stable superstar talent.

An Unbelievable Finish; Vancouver Advances

It came down to one final game for the Canucks and Blackhawks.  One game to decide who moves on.  Vancouver won the first three followed by Chicago winning the next three.  Game 7 proved to be no disappointment.

All eyes were on goalie Roberto Luongo as he has proved year after year to be a no-show come playoff.  This year looks to be the same as he had a horrific game 4 and got pulled once again in game 5.  For game 6, Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault turned to backup Cory Schneider.  After losing game 6 as well coach Vigneault went back with Luongo for game 7.  He responded with 31 saves and only 1 goal allowed. 

Some NHL Awards Finalists Announced

In recent weeks, the NHL has announced the nominees for several of the awards given out at the NHL Awards such as best defenseman, best defensive forward, rookie of the year, and best goaltender.


The nominees and our picks, after the jump.

Avoiding the Sweep

There were only two games last night, but neither of them disappointed.  The Canucks were going for the sweep in Chicago, and the Sharks took on the Kings in a thrilling game 3.

Chicago 7 vs. Vancouver 2

(VAN leads series 3-1)

-The Canucks were unable to take game 4 as the Blackhawks proved that they wouldn't go down without a fight.  Chicago got goals from Bryan Bickell, Duncan Keith, Michael Frolik, Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland, and Patrick Sharp in this scrappy game.  

Jake's Take: NHL Playoffs and Predictions

Well folks it’s that time of year. Time for beards to be growing and blood to start flowing. (yes I know it rhymed and I’m damn proud of it.)

Now I know this post is coming a tad bit late, but I plan on giving my insight into the future of the 2010-2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Opening Night of the NHL Playoffs: Goalies Stand Tall

Day one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are in the books.  5 of the 8 series have begun and things are already shaping up to be interesting.  Two goalies, Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo, recorded shutouts for their teams. One game ended in with a thrilling overtime finish, and one lower seed defeated the higher seed.

The Playoff Picture Part II: THE WEST

Will you be seeing your team in the playoffs in just under a month when the NHL concludes its regular season April 10th?

This concludes our two part series looking at the playoff picture.  Part I featured the Eastern Conference and Part II will look at the Western Conference. 

View the Eastern Conference playoff race here.

At a glance, spots 4-11 are likely to switch, but the real battles are going to be between the 7-11 seeds.