Stanley Cup Playoffs: Look for upsets
The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin next week with 16 teams hoping to raise Lord Stanley in June. It is always a crazy ride for these charges, who have to fight through ttriple overtimes and bruises the size of Texas to keep advancing. Truly, the NHL postseason is about survival more than any other sport, including the National Football League.
Hockey brings a different brand of play in the postseason. There is much less room to operate with the best defensive squads looking to shut down some of the greatest forwards in the world, ranging from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
This could spell trouble for a team like Dallas, which has not been in many tough positions in the past with this group. The Stars have a high-octane offense led by Patrick Sharp, James Neal and Tyler Seguin, but the defense has been something of a huge issue. Dallas has allowed 228 goals in 81 games, a number bested by every other Western Conference playoff team.
The Stars are going to be facing a brutal draw because of the Central Division’s strength. Dallas is likely going to run headlong into the Minnesota Wild should it hold onto the division. Minnesota only has 87 points and on paper is the weak sister of the group. However, the Wild are a defense-first team with a penchant for bottling up the middle of the ice. The Wild have lost four of five matchups against Dallas this season, but three of the contests have gone to overtime.
Should Dallas lose the division, it would be going against the Chicago Blackhawks. This would be the absolute worst-case scenario for the Stars. Chicago is not only the reigning Stanley Cup champs, but it boasts the blue line tandem of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook with Corey Crawford looming in between the pipes. This would be a one-and-done trip to the postseason for Dallas.
On the Eastern Conference side of things, there is not a more snakebitten team over time than the Washington Capitals. Washington easily won the President’s Trophy with 55 wins and 118 points (with one game left to play) but it has been top dog before, only to be beaten early.
Currently, Washington is matched up with the Boston Bruins, but could very well draw the Philadelphia Flyers. If there is one thing about the Flyers, it is their physicality. Philadelphia will seek to slow down the high-flying Capitals and draw them into fights and penalties, making the game resemble a backyard brawl. If Washington can avoid those traps, it will crush the Flyers. Otherwise, we could see one of the great upsets of all-time.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost here. Brace yourselves.
