It's been 10 years since anyone repeated as Stanley Cup winners, which tells you that either someone is due or that the odds are really stacked against it.
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| Joe Thornton was San Jose's top scorer for the third year in a row. (Getty Images) |
"You have to wear it for a long time," said Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock. "It's not just one team, not one area, it's just the cumulative effect of getting every team, every player's best game night in, night out. It's really wearing on you, so it's really a special group that can get back there again."
Are the Ducks a special team? They'll try to provide the answer over the next few weeks but in the meantime, here are the questions facing everyone heading into the first round.
East
No. 1 Montreal vs. No. 8 Boston
For the Canadiens: Can a young team without much collective playoff experience handle the pressure of massive expectations? The Canadiens had few when the season began, but winning the Eastern Conference title raised the bar sky high in hockey-crazed Montreal. Especially since the Canadiens owned the Bruins this season by winning all eight games. This is a mismatch on paper, but if the Bruins manage to steal one of the two first games on the road, they could make this a more interesting series than it is shaping up to be.
For the Bruins: How will they create enough offense to produce what would be a major upset? Boston doesn't score much at the best of times, and the uncertain status of their top producer, Marc Savard, won't help, but the Bruins have a tough defensive scheme that frustrates opponents and often leads to scoring chances. Aside from towering defenseman Zdeno Chara, Boston isn't a particularly physical team, but it has forwards who can get in opponents faces and sometimes wear them down.
No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 7 Ottawa
For the Penguins: Are they taking the Senators for granted? There's a widespread belief the Penguins mailed in their final game of the regular season to set up this first-round matchup, which would be understandable to anyone who has seen Ottawa play over the last few months. The Penguins are looking for revenge after being bounced by Ottawa last season, but for all their problems, the Senators still have enough explosive talent and experience to make them dangerous to anyone looking past them.
For the Senators: Can they win without their two best playoff performers? Captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are on the shelf to start, which doesn't bode well for a team that nearly engineered one of the worst collapses in NHL history this season before the duo got hurt. Ottawa obviously needs some top gunners like Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza to step up big-time, but the bigger issue will be finding a way for its defense to shut down the high-powered Penguins, especially with all the problems the Senators have in goal.
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 6 Philadelphia
For the Capitals: Have they peaked too soon? The Capitals finished the season on an amazing run, winning seven in a row and 11 of the last 12 to steal the Southeast crown on the final day. It's all Ovie, all the time in Washington, where Alexander Ovechkin might be the most popular man in town after a season for the ages. But these playoffs are a first for him and many of his teammates, and they could be in for a letdown after accomplishing a goal few thought they could.
For the Flyers: Can they intimidate their way to victory? The Flyers come into the playoffs a bit under the radar, but after an uneven season, they finished strong and have a lot of things working well right now. They're not quite the Broad Street Bullies anymore, maybe just a "lite" version that uses muscle, mayhem and decent play at both ends to wear down teams they play. No doubt they'll be targeting Ovechkin and everyone else in a Washington uniform, looking to take the Caps deep in the series and to grind them down.
No. 4 New Jersey vs. No. 6 N.Y. Rangers
For the Devils: Do the Rangers have their number? The Devils snapped a seven-game losing streak to their rivals from the other side of the tunnel on the final day of the season, but it took a shootout to do it. New Jersey forced three of the other games past regulation time, but ultimately the Rangers found a way to come out on top. The Devils can never be dismissed because of goalie Martin Brodeur, but over a seven-game series they'll need more to survive.
For the Rangers: How valuable is star power? The Rangers certainly have more marquee names in this series, particularly on offense, but the reality is that this team made the playoffs by playing a meat-and-potatoes style of game. That might suit New Jersey, which is arguably balanced over four lines, but when benches get shortened as they tend to in these kinds of series, being able to turn to the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and Scott Gomez doesn't hurt. Neither does having an X-factor named Chris Drury, otherwise known as Mr. Clutch in the playoffs.
West
No 1. Detroit vs. No. 8 Nashville
For the Red Wings: Is the goaltending good enough anymore? Seems like a funny thing to ask of a team that has future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek and All-Star Chris Osgood handling the chores, but neither one is a spring chicken and both have looked vulnerable down the stretch. That said, Detroit plays stingy defense and gives up fewer shots than anyone, but games tend to be tight in the playoffs and Nashville has shown this season that it can make the most of limited opportunities.
For the Predators: Will familiarity breed success? Forget about the Central Division standings that saw Nashville end up 24 points behind Detroit. Nashville overcame more adversity than anyone this season, dealing with a fire sale and a rumored franchise relocation, not to mention several key injuries. But the Predators also stuck to a system that coach Barry Trotz has preached through his decade behind the bench, and it worked well enough to get the team to a playoff spot and make life tough whenever it played Detroit. The Red Wings did win the series 5-3 this season, but two of the victories required more than regulation time, so Nashville knows how to keep things close.
No. 2 San Jose vs. No. 7 Calgary
For the Sharks: Is this the year for the San Jose? The Sharks have been a fashionable Stanley Cup pick in many circles for several years; they've just always managed a way to fall flat when it counts most. You could wonder if they're destined for the same after losing their final two games of the season, but San Jose had nothing to play for at that after a marvelous six-week run lifted them to the Pacific Division summit. Their top players Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and goalie Evgeni Nabokov are playing like their top players, and the deadline additions of puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell and tough guy Jody Shelley give them the kind of critical elements they've lacked in the past. Now there are no more excuses.
For the Flames: Does staggering into the playoffs matter? The Flames got here through the back door, but coach Mike Keenan says the method doesn't count. He might be right because with Jarome Iginla up front and Miikka Kiprusoff in goal, Calgary always has the potential to be a threat. The Flames had an inconsistent season, looking unbeatable at times and disoriented at others, but this is a veteran team with lots of size and a physical edge. Those are important elements at playoff time, but it all depends on which team shows up.
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Colorado
For the Wild: Do they need Marian Gaborik to go Wild? Gaborik was the first player ever drafted by Minnesota and he is still the only true superstar the team ever had. He had a strong finish to the season, which was as much responsible as anything for Minnesota winning the division for the first time. The Avalanche will obviously key on him, and how much they will be able to contain will go a long way toward determining this series. Minnesota has excellent goaltending from Niklas Backstrom and its special teams rank among the best, but in what is shaping up to be a tight series, their game-breaker might need to be the difference.
For the Avalanche: Can they go back to the future? Joe Sakic. Peter Forsberg. Adam Foote. They all have their names on the Stanley Cup courtesy of the Avs, but the last time was in 2001 and the NHL world has changed a lot in that time. Even so, you're talking about major talents and leaders who are surrounded by some explosive talent. Colorado is one of the better offensive teams in the league and balanced enough to have eight forwards with at least 30 points. The one thing the Avs don't have any more though is goalie Patrick Roy. Jose Theodore, who plays goal now, has a decent pedigree, but he'll have to at least resemble the team's former netminder for Colorado to have a chance.
No. 4 Anaheim vs. No. 5 Dallas
For the Ducks: Can they get by without any offense? Looking at the roster of the champs makes it hard to believe that Anaheim scored fewer goals this season than any other playoff team. The Ducks won last year with suffocating defense and great goaltending from Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and those areas remain major strengths heading into this postseason. But you have to score goals to win and Corey Perry, Anaheim's best in that department, won't be around to start the playoffs. And as Hitchcock said, the Ducks are in everyone's sights this spring.
For the Stars: Did they have a bad chemical reaction? The Stars made what everyone assumed was the best deadline deal by getting Brad Richards, but six weeks later it looks like it blew up in their faces. Richards is a former Conn Smythe winner who was supposed to provide big-time offense while being the missing piece for a long run. Instead, he has struggled and apparently brought down the rest of the team with him. What may be more troubling for Dallas is that he cost them Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen, who are far less flashy but play the kind of roles that are effective against big, aggressive teams like Anaheim.
