Since the Detroit Red Wings cruised to their 11th Stanley Cup victory earlier in the summer, the landscape of the NHL has shifted. In some cases, the changes are subtle and will not much affect a team’s chances of securing the Ultimate Goal. In other cases, teams (and, in some cases, players) have made decisions that will affect the world for generations to come.
It is understandable, with the summer splendor that surrounds us, if fans cannot, by opportunity or decision, keep up with all of the changes that have taken place to shape the 2008-2009 NHL season. So, I will outline some of the most significant changes that have occurred since the beginning of the Free-Agent Season that started on July 1st.
Some teams are trying to get better. And while it may sound crazy, some teams are trying to get worse. Here is a look at two teams that have re-tooled their rosters and will deliver a noticeably different product on the ice. In one instance, the team should be less competitive. The other team completely turned around their fortunes in a matter of months.
Let’s start with the bad news:
Toronto Maple Leafs:
The suits on Bay Street have finally discovered what the average fan could have told you one season after 2004’s lockout: in order to win in The New NHL, you have to build internally. And with a new youth-based movement underfoot at the ACC, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. However, conventional wisdom tells us that the night is always darkest before the dawn.
There has been a changing of the guard and that is most evident by the conspicuous absence of Mats Sundin’s name on the Maple Leafs’ roster. Sure, he may return. But Toronto General Managers of yore would, by August 1st, have looked at the roster and realized that the latest edition of the Maple Leafs are going to score the fewest goals in the NHL by approximately 30. At this point, they would have panicked and made him an offer he can’t refuse. The difference between our-last-inept-general-manager-who-shall-remain-nameless (henceforth to be known by the abbreviation: OLIGMWSRN), and current GM Cliff Fletcher is this: OLIGMWSRN iced a bad hockey team that was trying to be good; Fletchy is going to ice a hockey team is simply too bad to compete. And this is very intentional. The only way that the Maple Leafs can be as hopeless as Fletcher needs them to be is if Mats Sundin is not their captain. He is too willful, too talented and he will strap the team on his back to almost make the playoffs yet again. Under Sundin’s watch, the Leafs cannot vie for last place in the NHL.
If you were to take a quick inventory of the staples of Leafs teams in the past few seasons, you would notice a common theme. They have been shipped out for players who are less expensive and less recognized than their predecessors.
Paul Maurice: Gone.
Andrew Raycroft: Gone.
Kyle Wellwood: Gone.
Darcy Tucker: Gone.
Mats Sundin: Probably gone.
Brian McCabe: Gone. (read the sports section on September 1st).
To have 6 of the most recognizable figures on one team not return for the next fall constitutes the largest remodeling project in recent memory that does not involve Ty Pennington (mercifully).
With Luke Schenn to be the face of the franchise in the near future, with another top prospect to be added in the 2009 Entry Draft, the Leafs are onto something that will be reminiscent of the formerly-hopeless, now-talent laden Chicago Blackhawks.
On the other side of the coin…
Tampa Bay Lightning:
I am terribly impressed with what has happened in Tampa Bay this summer. With a completely re-vamped roster and having Vinny Lecavalier locked up for the rest of his natural life with a new 39-year, $356 million contract* the Bolts are looking primed for a return to relevance in the Southeastern Division. They are easily the most improved team in the NHL and will look to make a run at things in the Eastern Conference this year.
Any time you solidify your veteran core with tested leaders like Mark Recchi (who still has not passed his ‘best-before date’) and Gary Roberts, you have done your team a service, regardless of the number of games they play. Roberts has a presence that teaches young players how to be a professional and his physical training is second to none (ok - second only to Rod Brind’amour). If the Lightning were smart, they would offer him a front-office job when his playing days are over, because few people understand hockey in the way that Roberts does.
They bolstered their goaltending with veteran Olaf Kolzig, who will be a good backup to the relatively green Mike Smith.
And as far as I’m concerned, they made off with one of the most underrated players in the entire NHL in Radim Vrbata. He is a solid two-way player who has a scorer’s touch and he isn’t afraid of physical hockey. And speaking of physical, they added Gary Roberts, Jr. - Ryan Malone. He really came into his own this past season in Pittsburgh, under Roberts’ tutelage. While the Lightning overpaid for Malone, it isn’t the end of the world, because if they didn’t someone else was going to.
And we cannot forget the addition of Steven Stamkos, who is definitely the real deal. Stamkos was the consensus #1 Draft Pick this past spring. The Lightning have learned from the debacle of making Lecavalier the youngest captain in the NHL by not putting Stamkos under too much pressure. He will thrive in a veteran-laden environment and will benefit from the experience of his teammates, who can teach him how to deal with the pressure.
However, there are several things that Tampa Bay may not have taken into consideration:
a. Barry Melrose has not coached in 13 seasons. When you take into consideration what the NHL looked like in 1995, it would be an understatement to say that the game has evolved dramatically. Some of you may not remember 1995. To jog your memory of what the world looked like, here are several significant events from the glorious perspective of hindsight:
i. Yahoo! and eBay were founded.
ii. Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment. You know… the one that abolishes slavery. (Note: It became part of the Constitution in 1865. This was more of a gesture to slaves everywhere.)**
iii. Braveheart wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
iv. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident.
v. O.J. Simpson’s gloves did not fit.
vi. The Toronto Maple Leafs were still in the Western Conference.
vii. Paul Kariya and Peter Forberg were rookies.
viii. Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
In an Austin Powers-esque video, I would love to help catch Mr. Melrose up on the events of the last 13 years***. This is a great idea for a reality TV show. While he has not been cryogenically frozen, I still imagine that he is wonderfully out of touch with 2008 – hilarity would ensue. Also, it might be helpful for Tampa’s new owners to mandate that Melrose re-grow his hockey-hair, as it is undoubtedly the source of his coaching powers.
b. They still play in the same division as Alexander Ovechkin, who will upgrade from Tropical Storm to a full-fledged Hurricane this season. This may have been a confusing reference, as he plays in the same division as the Carolina Hurricanes, you still understand the point – he is still getting better.
*The terms of this contract have been exaggerated. But it is a long time. And a lot of money.
** Poor taste? You decide!
***Austin Powers was not made until 1997. Barry Melrose probably will not understand the reference.
There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered in the next few weeks:
- Will NHL veterans Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin return to the teams that have been built around them for the past 13+ years? Or will they opt for permanent vacations in Burnaby and Bromma, respectively?
- Will Lauren Conrad and Audrina be able to overcome their Lo inflicted differences and fill the void left in their lives by the absence of Heidi?
- Did Rachel Hunter refuse to marry Jarret Stoll until he no longer lived in Edmonton? (We may never know the answer to this question, I am just painfully curious. And yes… I’m talking about THAT Rachel Hunter.)
- Will Martin Havlat make it out of the 1st period of his 1st game before he breaks a bone this season?
These are the questions that keep me awake at night. My counselor says I need to make real friends who aren’t on a TV show. Although, I do feel like I could be the winner on ‘Bromance’.
So, with the dust beginning to settle, the 2008-2009 NHL picture will begin to look clearer over the next few weeks. I will continue to break down who went where, why and what it all means!
Showing posts with label The Hills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hills. Show all posts
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Round 2, Baby!
The Promised Land Preview:
So, to clarify why I only picked the Eastern conference in the 1st round is because I had a deadline and couldn't get the blog up in time before the games started. Instead of knowing what happened in Game 1, which would sway my picks even if I didn't intend them to, I just decided to hold off until round 2. So, I did pretty well, going 3/4 and picking the Rangers in the correct number of games. Not bad for a first timer!
Here comes the Second Round. We’ve got some good stuff for you. Let’s do it.
Unrelated to anything: I don't know if any of you watch The Hills. Probably not. At any rate, I do. And I was enjoying The Hills last week and noticed Spencer’s awesome playoff beard. Later that evening, I saw Spencer skating down the ice but he was wearing a Phil Kessel jersey. As it turns out, Spence wasn’t a late-season addition to the Bruins, but it was, in fact, Phil Kessel.
While I'm predicting things, I'll predict that Audrina doesn't move in with LC and Lo, being alienated by their obnoxious friendship and evident hatred for Justin Bobby. Even if she does initially move into their house, it won't last. You heard it here first!
Eastern Conference Semifinals –
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal had a much tougher fight on their hands in the first round than anybody expected, including the Boston Bruins. Their lack of killer instinct will be corrected in the second round, so if they jump to a quick lead, they will be able to finish what they have started.
This series is a special-teams matchup, as it features the top two regular-season powerplays (Canadiens – 24.2%; Flyers – 21.8%); however, Montreal’s powerplay dried up (9%) in parts of their first series against the Bruins. The opposite happened with the Flyers, as Daniel Briere led the team with 6 goals and 5 assists, with much of his success coming on the P.P. against the Capitals. On the other hand, in the absence of their powerplay, Les Habitants tightened up their defensive zone coverage and killed 90% of their penalties.
As Jeff Carter has pointed out, Montreal and Washington are similar teams, with a lot of European players relying on skill and puck possession to give them an advantage. However, one main difference between the Habs and the Capitals are that Montreal plays much better as a team and has more veteran leadership. Not to mention that Washington’s starting goalie is the same man that Montreal decided was going to take a backseat role to the Goalie of the Future, Carey Price.
If this series becomes an offensive battle, much like the last series that the Flyers survived, Montreal will have an advantage because they are capable of shutting the door defensively and stifling their opponents’ offenses. Not to mention that while Cristobal Huet is a Hasek-style reaction goalie, Price is very cool under pressure and to make many of his best saves, he is positioned perfectly to be waiting for the puck by the time it gets to him. As he did struggle at times in the first round, the Canadiens will need their veterans to step up, as Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev both did against the Bruins. Like Price, Martin Biron looked very strong at times, while letting some weak goals past him. Unlike Price, Biron did not show the ability to take control and steal a game for his team.
Bottom Line: While both demonstrated an ability to put the puck in the net in the Quarter-Finals, only one of these teams was capable of shutting down an offense. Montreal’s defense and penalty kill will be the deal breaker in this series, and the Habs will squander fewer chances against the most penalized team in the playoffs (35 penalties). Montreal sneaks out the back door en route to their 1st conference finals since 1993.
Canadiens in 6.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers
I can’t wait for this series. Somehow, Pittsburgh is going to have to address Super Pest Sean Avery who single-handedly distracted future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur from his job of stopping pucks and forced him to focus on ways to kill Avery. It was like watching the Coyote and the Roadrunner, with Avery inventing new and creative ways to get an unfair advantage that aren’t technically outside the rules. The Penguins are going to have to out-pest The Pest this series. Jarkko Ruutu will be used as a tool to try to distract Avery – Ruutu will have extra assistance from Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts in deterring Avery from taking runs at more talented players. If those three can engage Avery and bother him enough to prevent him from getting to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this series will take a turn other than the one I’m anticipating.
Crosby and Malkin have the first real playoff test of their careers. I generally give players an exemption from blame the first time they experience post-season hockey, because it is such a different game than the regular season. That was last year. This year, The Young Guns went untested against the predictably weak Ottawa Senators. The fact that they simply did not need to try in the first round will work against them. The extra week may work against them, as they comfortably awaited their opponents, while the Rangers duked it out another couple games. The Penguins are going to run into a bit of a wall in the first two games against the Rangers, who survived a war against the Devils. As usual, expect big things from Gary Roberts. One can never underestimate Pittsburgh’s pure talent, but this is the playoffs. It’s where talent needs to meet grit to win a championship.
The Rangers won this season series 5-3, Henrik Lundqvist is playing well and the Rangers are flying. Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are going to keep rolling. Also, the Rangers know how to win. They have 6.5 Stanley Cups among them (Jason Strudwick is a cousin of Scott and Rob Neidermayer, so that association gives him at least a half-Stanley Cup), compared to Pittsburgh’s 3 (Gary Roberts – 1 – and Darryl Sydor – 2 – are the only two who have tasted victory from Stanley’s Mug). Pittsburgh is going to win one (two, three or four) in the upcoming seasons (read: starting next year), but they might be too green to get there this season.
Bottom Line: Remember that Karma I was talking about last round? It’s going to bite the Penguins here, who took the easy way out in the 1st round, but will be unprepared because of it. Also, Avery isn’t going anywhere. Crosby has a habit of letting players get under his skin, and few people are as obnoxious as Avery.
Rangers in 6.
Western Conference Semifinals –
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
These are two perennial Western Conferences powerhouse in a classic match-up. They know each other very well and there is not much love between them. At first glance, they are similarly built teams with longstanding histories of success. Both have prominent veterans (Colorado – Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg; Detroit – Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom) who have all won Stanley Cups. Both feature prominent young offensive talents; however this is where Detroit has the edge. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk are two of the best finesse players in the league who have silky hands and have hit their playoff pace after having trouble getting started early in their careers. Paul Stastny is in the midst of his own playoff-scoring slump and he needs to figure this out. If he doesn’t get his offensive output started, this is going to be a short series, as Colorado needs his added firepower to keep up with Detroit.
Colorado has the advantage in net, as Jose Theodore has returned to his 2001-02 form when he won the Vezina and Hart Trophies. Theodore shut down the Wild in the Quarter-Finals, and he did not waver. Detroit has long-standing goaltending issues, as they insist on pursuing the Stanley Cup with goaltending that is often the weakest part of their formidable teams. Dominik Hasek looked very weak for the entire First Round and he should back-up Osgood this series, who was much better than Hasek. However, both are a step down from Theodore.
As I have pointed out before, grit mixed with talent is the key to the playoffs. And Ryan Smyth is the right amount of that combination. However, the Avs are older and slightly less talented than the Red Wings. When you consider that Sakic missed 38 games this season, Ryan Smyth missed 27, Adam Foote missed 70, and Peter Forsberg only played in 9 games, you have to be concerned about their aging core’s health in a long and physical series.
Bottom Line: Despite the Avalanche’s strong defense and goaltending, they just don’t have the fire-power to keep up with the Red Wings. Lidstrom and Chelios should be deterrent enough to slow down Colorado’s occasionally fiery offense.
Red Wings in 6.
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
This series comes down to match-ups and depth. The winner of this series is going to be the eventual Western Conference representative in the finals. So, let’s just jump right in! The water is great. There aren’t any sharks in it. I promise.
The Sharks did well by dispatching Jarome Iginla in the 1st round, as that is never an easy task. Yes, I’m aware he has 19 other guys who infrequently show up on the ice along with him, but none that were worth mentioning. Joe Thornton proved that he does have a pulse in April and that he is aware there are more than 82 games to be played in the year. He played very well, getting 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 6 games; however, he did disappear for periods at a time and occasionally reminded the Bruins why they sent him to the West Coast in exchange for Marco Sturm (there were two other guys involved, but neither of them play for the Bruins anymore). He received help from Ryane Clowe (yes I spelled that right… I don’t know… ask his parents) who leads the team with 8 points and Patrick Marleau turned out some impressive performances. It took a few guys stepping up to beat the Flames. It’s going to take a heck of a lot more to beat the Stars.
Unlike San Jose, the Stars have players coming out of the woodwork for no apparent reason to lead the team to new heights. Stephane Robidas is a journeyman who jumped to life in the 1st round. He had 26 points in the regular season, but is averaging 1 point per game in the playoffs. Mike Ribeiro is following his break-out season by adding 8 points in 6 games – which is the same number of points he had in 24 playoff games prior to this season. Stu Barnes is playing like he’s Claude Lemieux. Then you get to Mike Modano and Brad Richards – Richards has a Conn Smythe trophy to add to his and Modano’s rings. Dallas seemed genuinely unconcerned about home ice advantage last round, winning the first two games in Anaheim. Throw the best goalie from the 1st round in net and you are sitting pretty.
Bottom Line: When you consider Thornton’s history of disappearing in the face of adversity and Brad Richards’ history of doing the exact opposite, smart money says Richards steps it up. Also, San Jose looked shaky the entire 1st round. They were inconsistent, while the Stars showed up each game and twice were beat by a good team.
Stars in 7.
So, to clarify why I only picked the Eastern conference in the 1st round is because I had a deadline and couldn't get the blog up in time before the games started. Instead of knowing what happened in Game 1, which would sway my picks even if I didn't intend them to, I just decided to hold off until round 2. So, I did pretty well, going 3/4 and picking the Rangers in the correct number of games. Not bad for a first timer!
Here comes the Second Round. We’ve got some good stuff for you. Let’s do it.
Unrelated to anything: I don't know if any of you watch The Hills. Probably not. At any rate, I do. And I was enjoying The Hills last week and noticed Spencer’s awesome playoff beard. Later that evening, I saw Spencer skating down the ice but he was wearing a Phil Kessel jersey. As it turns out, Spence wasn’t a late-season addition to the Bruins, but it was, in fact, Phil Kessel.
While I'm predicting things, I'll predict that Audrina doesn't move in with LC and Lo, being alienated by their obnoxious friendship and evident hatred for Justin Bobby. Even if she does initially move into their house, it won't last. You heard it here first!
Eastern Conference Semifinals –
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal had a much tougher fight on their hands in the first round than anybody expected, including the Boston Bruins. Their lack of killer instinct will be corrected in the second round, so if they jump to a quick lead, they will be able to finish what they have started.
This series is a special-teams matchup, as it features the top two regular-season powerplays (Canadiens – 24.2%; Flyers – 21.8%); however, Montreal’s powerplay dried up (9%) in parts of their first series against the Bruins. The opposite happened with the Flyers, as Daniel Briere led the team with 6 goals and 5 assists, with much of his success coming on the P.P. against the Capitals. On the other hand, in the absence of their powerplay, Les Habitants tightened up their defensive zone coverage and killed 90% of their penalties.
As Jeff Carter has pointed out, Montreal and Washington are similar teams, with a lot of European players relying on skill and puck possession to give them an advantage. However, one main difference between the Habs and the Capitals are that Montreal plays much better as a team and has more veteran leadership. Not to mention that Washington’s starting goalie is the same man that Montreal decided was going to take a backseat role to the Goalie of the Future, Carey Price.
If this series becomes an offensive battle, much like the last series that the Flyers survived, Montreal will have an advantage because they are capable of shutting the door defensively and stifling their opponents’ offenses. Not to mention that while Cristobal Huet is a Hasek-style reaction goalie, Price is very cool under pressure and to make many of his best saves, he is positioned perfectly to be waiting for the puck by the time it gets to him. As he did struggle at times in the first round, the Canadiens will need their veterans to step up, as Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev both did against the Bruins. Like Price, Martin Biron looked very strong at times, while letting some weak goals past him. Unlike Price, Biron did not show the ability to take control and steal a game for his team.
Bottom Line: While both demonstrated an ability to put the puck in the net in the Quarter-Finals, only one of these teams was capable of shutting down an offense. Montreal’s defense and penalty kill will be the deal breaker in this series, and the Habs will squander fewer chances against the most penalized team in the playoffs (35 penalties). Montreal sneaks out the back door en route to their 1st conference finals since 1993.
Canadiens in 6.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers
I can’t wait for this series. Somehow, Pittsburgh is going to have to address Super Pest Sean Avery who single-handedly distracted future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur from his job of stopping pucks and forced him to focus on ways to kill Avery. It was like watching the Coyote and the Roadrunner, with Avery inventing new and creative ways to get an unfair advantage that aren’t technically outside the rules. The Penguins are going to have to out-pest The Pest this series. Jarkko Ruutu will be used as a tool to try to distract Avery – Ruutu will have extra assistance from Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts in deterring Avery from taking runs at more talented players. If those three can engage Avery and bother him enough to prevent him from getting to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this series will take a turn other than the one I’m anticipating.
Crosby and Malkin have the first real playoff test of their careers. I generally give players an exemption from blame the first time they experience post-season hockey, because it is such a different game than the regular season. That was last year. This year, The Young Guns went untested against the predictably weak Ottawa Senators. The fact that they simply did not need to try in the first round will work against them. The extra week may work against them, as they comfortably awaited their opponents, while the Rangers duked it out another couple games. The Penguins are going to run into a bit of a wall in the first two games against the Rangers, who survived a war against the Devils. As usual, expect big things from Gary Roberts. One can never underestimate Pittsburgh’s pure talent, but this is the playoffs. It’s where talent needs to meet grit to win a championship.
The Rangers won this season series 5-3, Henrik Lundqvist is playing well and the Rangers are flying. Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are going to keep rolling. Also, the Rangers know how to win. They have 6.5 Stanley Cups among them (Jason Strudwick is a cousin of Scott and Rob Neidermayer, so that association gives him at least a half-Stanley Cup), compared to Pittsburgh’s 3 (Gary Roberts – 1 – and Darryl Sydor – 2 – are the only two who have tasted victory from Stanley’s Mug). Pittsburgh is going to win one (two, three or four) in the upcoming seasons (read: starting next year), but they might be too green to get there this season.
Bottom Line: Remember that Karma I was talking about last round? It’s going to bite the Penguins here, who took the easy way out in the 1st round, but will be unprepared because of it. Also, Avery isn’t going anywhere. Crosby has a habit of letting players get under his skin, and few people are as obnoxious as Avery.
Rangers in 6.
Western Conference Semifinals –
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
These are two perennial Western Conferences powerhouse in a classic match-up. They know each other very well and there is not much love between them. At first glance, they are similarly built teams with longstanding histories of success. Both have prominent veterans (Colorado – Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg; Detroit – Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom) who have all won Stanley Cups. Both feature prominent young offensive talents; however this is where Detroit has the edge. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk are two of the best finesse players in the league who have silky hands and have hit their playoff pace after having trouble getting started early in their careers. Paul Stastny is in the midst of his own playoff-scoring slump and he needs to figure this out. If he doesn’t get his offensive output started, this is going to be a short series, as Colorado needs his added firepower to keep up with Detroit.
Colorado has the advantage in net, as Jose Theodore has returned to his 2001-02 form when he won the Vezina and Hart Trophies. Theodore shut down the Wild in the Quarter-Finals, and he did not waver. Detroit has long-standing goaltending issues, as they insist on pursuing the Stanley Cup with goaltending that is often the weakest part of their formidable teams. Dominik Hasek looked very weak for the entire First Round and he should back-up Osgood this series, who was much better than Hasek. However, both are a step down from Theodore.
As I have pointed out before, grit mixed with talent is the key to the playoffs. And Ryan Smyth is the right amount of that combination. However, the Avs are older and slightly less talented than the Red Wings. When you consider that Sakic missed 38 games this season, Ryan Smyth missed 27, Adam Foote missed 70, and Peter Forsberg only played in 9 games, you have to be concerned about their aging core’s health in a long and physical series.
Bottom Line: Despite the Avalanche’s strong defense and goaltending, they just don’t have the fire-power to keep up with the Red Wings. Lidstrom and Chelios should be deterrent enough to slow down Colorado’s occasionally fiery offense.
Red Wings in 6.
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
This series comes down to match-ups and depth. The winner of this series is going to be the eventual Western Conference representative in the finals. So, let’s just jump right in! The water is great. There aren’t any sharks in it. I promise.
The Sharks did well by dispatching Jarome Iginla in the 1st round, as that is never an easy task. Yes, I’m aware he has 19 other guys who infrequently show up on the ice along with him, but none that were worth mentioning. Joe Thornton proved that he does have a pulse in April and that he is aware there are more than 82 games to be played in the year. He played very well, getting 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 6 games; however, he did disappear for periods at a time and occasionally reminded the Bruins why they sent him to the West Coast in exchange for Marco Sturm (there were two other guys involved, but neither of them play for the Bruins anymore). He received help from Ryane Clowe (yes I spelled that right… I don’t know… ask his parents) who leads the team with 8 points and Patrick Marleau turned out some impressive performances. It took a few guys stepping up to beat the Flames. It’s going to take a heck of a lot more to beat the Stars.
Unlike San Jose, the Stars have players coming out of the woodwork for no apparent reason to lead the team to new heights. Stephane Robidas is a journeyman who jumped to life in the 1st round. He had 26 points in the regular season, but is averaging 1 point per game in the playoffs. Mike Ribeiro is following his break-out season by adding 8 points in 6 games – which is the same number of points he had in 24 playoff games prior to this season. Stu Barnes is playing like he’s Claude Lemieux. Then you get to Mike Modano and Brad Richards – Richards has a Conn Smythe trophy to add to his and Modano’s rings. Dallas seemed genuinely unconcerned about home ice advantage last round, winning the first two games in Anaheim. Throw the best goalie from the 1st round in net and you are sitting pretty.
Bottom Line: When you consider Thornton’s history of disappearing in the face of adversity and Brad Richards’ history of doing the exact opposite, smart money says Richards steps it up. Also, San Jose looked shaky the entire 1st round. They were inconsistent, while the Stars showed up each game and twice were beat by a good team.
Stars in 7.
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