CarterHud

 

  Today, the 2017 NHL playoffs will begin. So, I\’ll be previewing each and every series. Today, I\’ll preview the series between the number one team in the Pacific division, the Anaheim Ducks, play the first wild card team, the Calgary Flames. First, let\’s look at the teams.

     Anaheim Ducks
On offense, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler can still produce in the later years of their careers. Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano and deadline acquisition Patrick Eaves all provide scoring. The Ducks are strong on defense. A hit by Flames captain Mark Giordano in the regular season will cost defenseman Cam Fowler the series. But, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Shea Theodore are still good enough to hold down the fort. Goalie John Gibson is young, but can still get the job done.

    Calgary Flames
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are two young and talented forwards. The Flames have a very good second line of Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. On defense, Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Michael Stone create a strong top 4. Brian Elliott has very good playoff experience, leading the St. Louis Blues to the playoffs in recent years.

    My prediction: Anaheim Ducks
The main reason why I picked the Ducks is about something that isn\’t mentioned above. That is coaching. Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle is experienced, with a Cup win in 2007. For a head coach, 45 is very young. Panthers star Jaromir Jagr is 45, and still playing. Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan is 45, and hasn\’t coached an NHL team until this season. That will cost the Flames.

    

Weight in an interview with Pierre McGuire

One of the biggest jobs an NHL team offers is the head coaching job. If you are very good, you can be the coach for awhile. But, if your team is struggling, you can be fired before you can say the words \”you\’re fired\”. Today, there was some big news regarding head coaches in the NHL.

Hitchcock lifting the Cup in 1999

     On January 17, 2017, the New York Islanders had a record of 17-17-8 (42 points), and were last in the Eastern conference. Head coach Jack Capuano was fired, and assistant coach/assistant GM Doug Weight stepped in as interim head coach. The Isles went 24-12-4 (52 points) under Weight, and had the 2nd best record in the league since the firing. The Islanders finished just 1 point out of a playoff spot. But, GM Garth Snow was impressed, and today announced that Weight would be the permanent head coach. \”Doug has earned this opportunity from the tremendous work he has put in over the past five seasons in our front office and especially from the time he took over as interim head coach earlier this season,\” Snow said in a release. Weight was also overjoyed to return as head coach. \”I\’m honored to be named head coach of such an historic franchise with one of the most passionate fanbases in the NHL. There is a deep history of winning with the Islanders and I look forward to doing everything in my power to return to the playoffs and have success,\” Doug said in the same release. His contract wasn\’t released.
       In 1999, Ken Hitchcock was the head coach of the Stanley Cup winning Dallas Stars, with still stands as their only Cup in franchise history. In 2002, Hitchcock was fired. Entering the 2016-17 season, Hitchcock was the head coach of the St. Louis Blues. On February 1, Hitchcock was fired by the Blues, and assistant coach Mike Yeo stepped in as head coach. At the end of the season, the Stars announced that head coach Lindy Ruff, who\’s contract was ending, would not return. So, the Stars hired Hitchcock, in hopes he can bring the second cup. As with Weight, no contract was released.

  

The 2017 NHL playoffs are almost underway! So, I\’ll preview each series. Today, I\’ll be previewing the matchup of teams number 2 and 3 in the Central division. That is the Minnesota Wild (2) against the St. Louis Blues (3). First, let\’s look at the teams.

   Minnesota Wild
In their first year under head coach Bruce Boudreau, the Wild made the playoffs again, this time in a divisional spot. On defense, they have star Ryan Suter. Suter joins with Jonas Brodin, Matthew Dumba and Jared Spurgeon to form a strong defensive core. On offense, Zach Parise leads the charge. Eric Staal and Nino Niederreiter join him on the top line. Newly acquired Martin Hanzal and Charlie Coyle are 2nd liners being forced to play 3rd line minutes. Mikko Koivu is a solid captain. Devan Dubnyk is a Vezina caliber goalie.

   St. Louis Blues
They traded Kevin Shattenkirk. But, they still have good defensemen in captain Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Colton Parayko. On offense, they might be missing Robby Fabbri, but they can still score. Paul Stastny should return from injury. Jaden Schwartz and Vladimar Tarasenko are two good first line wingers. Don\’t forget about Alex Steen. Jake Allen is a little unexperienced for a goalie, but he should be fine.

    My prediction: St. Louis Blues
This is the third NHL team Bruce Boudreau has been the head coach of. The other two, the Washington Capitals and the Anaheim Ducks, were great in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs under Boudreau. the Blues made it to the Conference finals last year, taking down the then defending champs (the Chicago Blackhawks) and the Dallas Stars, who were the best team in the west that year.

   

The best part of the NHL season is playoff time, and that time is now! So, I\’ll be previewing each and every series. Here, I\’ll be previewing the best of the west, the Chicago Blackhawks, facing the wild card Nashville Predators. Both teams have stud defensemen, and weapons on front. First, let\’s look at the teams.

   Chicago Blackhawks
They\’ve won 3 Cups in the 2010s. Stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been the stars on all 3. They\’re joined by Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin to form 4 solid lines that can score, even though they don\’t have the greatest depth. Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Nicklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell will all factor. Goaltender Corey Crawford is underrated, and can control a game.

   Nashville Predators
When they traded captain Shea Weber, they got P.K. Subban. He joined with Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis to make a good core. Ryan Johansen is a star center. Filip Forseberg and Viktor Arvidsson join him to make a scoring first line James Neal is also a good winger. Pekka Rinne is getting older, but can still control a hockey game, with the ability to make 35 saves without allowing a goal.

   My prediction: Chicago Blackhawks
They have experience. A lot of their core have won multiple cups. But, when they won their last cup (2015), most of the team (players and coaches) said their toughest series that postseason was their first round matchup against Nashville. But, I think the Hawks overpower the Preds by a lot, expect on defense, but it\’s very close.

  

It\’s time for playoff hockey! So, I\’ll be previewing each and every NHL playoff series. The series I\’ll be previewing today is between the 2nd and 3rd team in the Atlantic division. That is the Ottawa Senators (2) facing the Boston Bruins (3). First, let\’s start with a look at the teams.

    Ottawa Senators
Their forward core, with Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Derrick Brassard and Bobby Ryan can score. On defense, they have the best defenseman in the NHL in Erik Karlsson. Mark Methot and Cody Ceci, if healthy, can help out. Craig Anderson will need to step up, after a solid regular season shortened by taking leave when his wife was diagnosed with cancer.
  
    Boston Bruins
Their strength is on offense. They have wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak scoring goals. Centers Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and David Backes can also score. There\’s a lot of firepower there. On defense, Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara lead. They\’ll get help from Charlie McAvoy, who\’s in his first season but doesn\’t qualify as a rookie. Tuuka Rask is a top goalie, and a Vezina winner. He\’s another strength.

  My prediction: Ottawa Senators
I picked the Sens because they have a way better defense. When I previewed each team, I stated the B\’s had the worst defensive core in the league, and I still think that. Both teams can score, so expect a high scoring series.