The Stanley Cup Final is the ultimate series in sports. With respect to baseball, basketball and competitive sailing, there is no sport that can match the non-stop intensity and physicality for hockey’s holy grail.
Sixteen games must be won in the postseason and each win is exponentially harder to get than the one before it. Beards are grown, blood is spilled, emotions are high and the ice seems to shrink more with every round completed. Each shift is played with the urgency that it might be the last, and if a game gets to overtime, you better have some defibrillation paddles nearby in case your heart stops.
Almost every team in the NHL right now has a shot at making the playoffs…..except you Calgary and Colorado. Once you punch your ticket to the postseason dance, anything can happen. There are no easy matchups. Top seeds lose to the eighth seeds with startling frequency. The President’s Trophy might look nice on the mantle, but it means exactly jack once the playoffs begin.
With about two weeks left in the regular season, let’s power rank the top five teams favored to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
Stifle your laughter people. Leaf Nation is a world wide entity and could singularly win at least two games for Toronto during a sustained playoff run. The Toronto playoff drought has been long enough that the Leafs will be hungry enough to make the most of it. Toronto’s only real question marks have been in goal. James Reimer has been good, and even great at times. He’s obviously untested in the playoffs, but so is the rest of the roster. Nazem Kadri, James Van Riemsdyk and Dion Phaneuf lead the charge to what could be a potentially historic Toronto Maple Leaf run.
4. Los Angeles Kings
Ric Flair once said “If you want to be the man, you got to beat the man!” Then he followed that up with a hearty “WOOOOOOOOOO!!!”. That seems to be the attitude of the defending Stanley Cup champs down the stretch as they have been kicking butts and taking names. They seem to be playing their best hockey at the right time and are positioning themselves for a long playoff run. Jeff Carter is finally producing the goals he was brought in for. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards Drew Doughty and Justin Williams have plenty of playoff experience between them now. Last year’s Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick also seems to be playing the way we are used to seeing, which is bad news for everyone else.
3. Anaheim Ducks
The only reason more people aren’t talking about the Anaheim Ducks is because of how well Chicago started the season and how well Pittsburgh played in the month of March. Nestled between those two headlines have been head coach Bruce Boudreau’s resurgent waterfowl from Orange County. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are playing like (and were rewarded in kind) they are in a contract year. The supporting cast in Anaheim has been even more remarkable. What looked like a two line team has shown that they are as deep as any team in the NHL. Jonas Hiller and 30-year old “rookie” Viktor Fasth have been excellent in net for the Ducks, who are ready to assume the top spot out west if Chicago slips up.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
Without changing too much of their roster, Chicago came into the lockout shortened season hungry and embarrassed. After bowing out early to Phoenix last May, Chicago came back with a vengeance. A “record” streak to start the season and a renewed commitment from star winger Patrick Kane have the Hawks sitting pretty so far. Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa are showing no ill effects from concussions suffered last season and Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have built an unlikely and unexpected fortress around the Chicago goal. With a commitment to team defense and a loaded offense, Chicago is the favorite in the Western Conference to get to the Final.
1.Pittsburgh Penguins
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They probably have the most talented roster on the planet. General manager Ray Shero has made some sweet deals to build a team for the ages, but can they gel in time for the playoffs? Jarome Iginla is good enough and seasoned enough to get along with anyone, but Brenden Morrow has been a no-show so far. Sidney Crosby will be back for the playoffs, heavily wrapped in cotton candy and Evgeni Malkin will look to hit his stride just in time for the second season. The real question is in goal. Marc-Andre Fleury has been a world class net minder for Pittsburgh, but has looked awful in the last two post seasons. The Penguins have the weight of expectations firmly upon them, they’ll need to show that they have the mettle to reach their potential.