2016 Lord Stanley's Cup: Round 1
Round 1 picks!!!
PINM Crew
Life intervenes with PINM a lot, unfortunately. Since the beginning of this year, my daughter has started rolling, scooting, moving, being awake more, eating baby food, all that. I started a new job, got promoted in said job and now have to work later into the night (and I'm salaried with NO OT! WOOOO!!!). Oh and G O L F season! If you can't get hyped for golf season, I have no time for you. Get out of my life. But please keep coming to this site. I live for clicks.
What I am trying to say is, I just don't have the time for this site that I want to have. Priorities, I guess. So these picks are completely gut feelings this round. This is almost live. Detroit and Tampa are already playing, for gods sakes. The Blackhawks will probably be playing by the time I post this. Such is life. Ben and Kevin also made some picks, you'll find their picks and their reasoning after my mess. [Spoiler Alert: I wish my picks were a combo of their picks. They did a great job]
Florida Panthers (1 Seed) vs New York Islanders (Wild Card 1)
Brutal series to start this off, as I have no idea what to say about this. I love Jagr? I love Bobby Luo's twitter presence? I love Tavares and miss Nick Leddy? I just don't have anything to say about this one. That's not even laziness or the time crunch. This series just does nothing for me. I love Steve Syrup (who is a Panthers fan), I love Chuck Wang, the guitarist / vocalist in my punk band and he has ties to NY, so his wife loves the Islanders. I'm torn. I want to pick this upset so bad, but Halak is going to be out for the first round, it sounds like. One last ride for Jagr? Does Tavares explode? For fun:
Isles in 7! UPSET UPSET UPSET! It's gotta happen somewhere, right?
Tampa Bay Lightning (2 Seed) vs Detroit Red Wings (3 Seed)
Ugh. Again? Here's what I wrote last year:
“The Red Wings are the team that will not get out of my life. They've made the playoffs for 24 straight years. TWENTY FOUR. I was the 3 when this streak started. In an age with forced “parity”, that is absolutely incredible. But I still hate them from when they were in the Blackhawks division and the Lightning have Stamkos. I saw Steven Stamkos play in person and, sure, it was against the worst team in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres, but he's absolutely electric in person. Every time the puck even angled towards him, you think it's going in the net. He had 43 goals this year and he's one of the premier scorers in the league. Couple that with the fact that Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings goaltender, is having a mediocre stretch run and I'm thinking this one is over sooner than later.”
The streak is now at 25 straight years. I don't have any words to correctly discuss how incredible that is or how infuriating it WAS (they're in the East now, who cares?). Thanks a lot, Boston. Oh, and, kind of a big deal, STAMKOS is out. Drouin ain't filling them skates, folks. I still think the Lightning are the better team though, so...
Lightning in 6!
Washington Capitals (1 Seed) vs Philadelphia Flyers (Wild Card 2)
What the Flyers have done this year has been pretty remarkable. What the Caps did this year, even more so. Holtby is the best goalie in the league, Ovechkin the best goal scorer. I have no idea how the Flyers could possibly overcome this, but it'd be nice to see them at least make it a series. Keep an eye on Shane Gostisbhere. He's the only other legitimate candidate for Artemi Panarin's Calder crown (McDavid? Come on). He's an absolute animal, especially in OT. Is he “clutch”? Will he “rise to the occasion” and “put the team on his back”?
Nope. Caps in 4.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2 Seed) vs New York Rangers (3 Seed)
Hoooooo boy. If the Rangers were still clipping along, this would have been the best series in the East. I guess it still is, but it doesn't grab me like it should. The Pens are hot as hell, messing up a first round Rangers vs Islanders matchup that everyone on the planet should have wanted. So, for that, I'd love to see them lose. But I think something is fishy with King Lundqvist and Crosby, after being a pouty, coach killer, has regained his form. But BUT! Marc Andre Fleury is concussed and Jeff Zatkoff just led the Pens on to the ice for warm ups. You never want to bet on a shaky, already-bad-now-he's-in-the-playoffs back up goalie. I know I wouldn't. Hopefully, for the Pens' sake, it's just for Game 1.
Good thing we're not betting! Pens in 6!
Dallas Stars (1 Seed) vs Minnesota Wild (Wild Card 2)
Listen, I do not like the Wild. I make no bones about that. But, I've got to be real here, I think the Stars are beatable. I'm not sure the Wild are the team to do it, but they're beatable. How is Tyler Seguin, really? That goaltending? That defense? Lots of love for Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya, but I think the Wild have a chance. Of course, I'm really avoiding something pressing here. What is it? Oh, right. Zach Parise is out for the Wild. That is the nail in the coffin. The Wild haven't been good in the playoffs WITH Parise, without? Christ.
Stars in 5. Wild win game 3.
Anaheim Ducks (1 Seed) vs Nashville Predators (Wild Card 1)
I think people are underestimating this Preds team. I'm not saying they can bounce the Ducks, but I'm not NOT saying it either. Can Rinne regain some of that old time magic? No, but they're a better team than they probably get credit for. On the other side, I really like this Ducks team. Have from the get go. A rough start to the year, but they did something that they deserve a ton of credit for: they kept their coach. So many teams would have shit the bed there. (For the record, I am NOT talking about the Wild here. Yeo was cooked. Had to go.) Bruce deserved to turn it around. When the Ducks beat the Hawks in the Western Conference Final, I will curse his name, but he deserves it.
Ducks in … 6? Sure, 6. Feel like the Preds make a push, but the Ducks push harder.
Los Angeles Kings (2 Seed) vs San Jose Sharks (3 Seed)
Boy oh boy. This is going to be a good one. Too bad all the games will start at 9 pm and I am old and have to go to bed. Super stoked for the .gif highlights the next morning on Twitter though! Oh, right. The NHL banned .gifs because the NHL sucks. Classic. Anyway, what do you say about the Kings anymore? They sure fell apart a bit, but they're still the Kings. The Sharks look good, but they're still the Sharks. Is that a narrative we're still pushing? I should know more about this series, leading to more rambling here, but, frankly, I'm just really excited for it. No real insight here. Sorry, folks.
But if you came to me for insight, you're living life dangerously.
Kings in 7.
YOUR Chicago Blackhawks (3 Seed) vs St Louis BOOOOOOOOOOOOSssssssss (2 Seed)
You remember last year, when I was concerned about facing the Wild in round 2? I mean, that was totally ludicrous, looking back, but I was worried. Why? Losing to teams you hate is so much worse. That Western Conference Final , where the Kings beat the Hawks on a fluke shot in GAME 7 O V E R T I M E ?! Hurts. Hurts deep. Losing to the Blues or the Wild in that scenario? Ten thousand times worse. I'd probably starve myself to death. No joke. I don't want any part of this series. I feel like the Blues are loaded up for this year and if it doesn't happen this year, you see some changes. Are they going to be one of “those” teams? You know, “those” teams that are really good, but keep running into a god damned buzzsaw? Did I just get a huge smile on my face thinking of the Hawks being that buzzsaw?! Do I regret possibly jinxing this all?! Disregard the “buzzsaw” comment! Keep an eye on Tarasenko. Kid is a savage.
The Hawks are healthy and should be ready for a hard hitting series. Every year, a team brings the hammer and the Hawks slide away. I've heard it since 2010's Final. 'The other team is too tough, too big, too whatever'. Patrick Kane had a career year, coming off a terrible offseason. I'm not commenting on it any further than that. He is the MVP of the league and the first American to lead the league in scoring in a long time. Toews and Hossa never did quite get it going this year. But an “off” year for Toews was still worth 28 G – 30 A. Not bad for a down year, but he needs to be better. He has a reputation for stepping up, but we'll see. Panarin is a revelation, but was top 10 in scoring, triggering some bonuses that will destroy the Hawks next year. I love Andrew Ladd. Their defense is sketchy at best and I really don't want to talk about it. The penalty kill is a mess, too. I also don't want to talk about that.
Corey Crawford, brother, pal, friend of mine? I need you, buddy.
Hawks in 7.
* Huge GULP *
Kevin's Picks
Disclaimer- I like to think that I know a lot about hockey so prepare to have your minds blown….When Taylor asked on Facebook, I got super excited because I get to guess and look like a jackass and no one will judge me that much (Taylor, I know you will). With that being said here we go.
Washington (56-18-8) vs. Philadelphia (41-27-14)
I’ll start by saying that Washington is good…like really good. Their offense is outstanding. Their defense is outstanding. Their goalie is playing really good. They don’t have any injuries (Beagle is coming back for the series). The big question is if they are going to show up. Year after year they get to the playoffs and lay an egg when they get there. The Flyers on the other hand aren’t supposed to be here. Hak was given a bag of jock straps at the beginning of the year and told him good luck. They are now they are in the playoffs and pull the arguably the best team in the league as their opening round opponent.
Washington in 5
Pittsburgh (48-26-8) vs. New York Rangers (46-27-9)
This is going to be a great series. Pittsburgh’s offense is firing on all cylinders and the Rangers have the best goalie in the league. This series will go back and forth. I don’t have much to say about this series. It is going to be really good. And I am not a fan of Crosby, so go Rangers.
Rangers in 7
Florida (47-26-9) vs. New York Islanders (45-27-10)
This series could go either way since both teams match up pretty well with one another. Goaltending is a issue for both teams and whoever wins this series will win it based on goaltending play. Griess is unproven in the playoffs and Luoungo is, well, Luongo. I’d love to see the ageless wonder, Jaromir Jagr go deep into the playoffs. The guy is 44 and led this team in points. Unreal.
Panthers in 6
Tampa Bay Lightning (46-31-5) vs. Detroit Red Wings (41-30-11)
This series will be pretty good as well. I can see everyone saying that Tampa doesn’t have a chance with Stamkos, Johnson, Kucherov, Callahan, Hedman, and Stralman all going down late in the year. But this team is good. They still have many good weapons on offense. Detroit has been in the playoffs for the last 90 years straight. Do they have a goalie they can trust in the playoffs? Is Datsyuk really going to leave for Mother Russia? It will be an interesting series to say the least. Who knows, maybe that crybaby Drouin will show why he thinks he should be with the big club.
Tampa Bay in 7
Dallas Stars (50-23-9) vs. Minnesota Wild (38-33-11)
I am a Wild fan. On to Dallas…. They are bigger, stronger, and have more facial hair than the Wild so basically is going to be over in 4 games right? Hell, I’ll give the Wild one game at home.
Dallas in 5
St. Louis Blues (49-24-9) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (47-26-9)
St. Louis in 4. Only kidding. I like to do that cause I know I will get a rise out of Taylor. [Editor's Note: He's right!] I hate the Blackhawks in the playoffs. They can’t win a game against the Wild all year, but will be flawless when it counts. I hate that. Can’t they be shitty just one year and lose out in 4 games? I don’t think that will happen anytime soon since they will be adding Nick Schmaltz in the near future. Schmaltz + Kane = Lethal. St. Louis has some goalie issues but having Elliot as your backup isn’t a bad deal.
St. Louis in 7
Anaheim Ducks (46-25-11) vs. Nashville Predators (41-27-14)
I dislike the Ducks more than any other team in the NHL. When they had Kariya and Selanne, that was another story. Now they are just over-hyped and over-rated. Nashville pulled quite the trade to get Johansen and I’m guessing they want him to show up big in the playoffs.
Predators in 7
San Jose Sharks (46-30-6) vs. Los Angeles Kings (48-28-6)
Two West Coast teams that I really don’t pay attention to. Again, I am not a big fan of the Los Angeles of Anaheim Kings, so I have to go with Burn’s Beard on this one.
Sharks in 6
I have the Caps and Stars in the Cup Finals. Top teams from each league. I know it won’t happen but it would be fun if it did.
Nick's Picks
DAL vs MIN
Dallas is a team nobody wants to believe in. Any time things got rocky during the season, pundits were ready to pounce. But here they are, the number one seed in the Western Conference. I think St. Louis was the only team that could slow them down in the Central and Dallas completed the job to avoid them. They have the speed and offensive potency to upset the class of the division in the Blackhawks. And I feel that was the management's goal all along. I look for them to roll over the distinctly lower tiered Wild fairly easily as they go full speed towards their clash with Chicago...
Dallas in 5
STL vs CHI
There's no good reason to pick Chicago this year besides their experience. And it goes without saying, a big piece of their 2015-2016 puzzle didn't have much! Artemi Panarin is the latest head of the class of new wave tiny guys making huge splashes across the physically shrinking league. And lets be honest, hes a huge part of the Blackhawks OVERACHIEVING year. This was going to be the begining of the downswing. The hangover was due to finally arrive. But this little Russian fellow had different plans. On the flipside, the Blues missed their window. "You just gotta make it to the playoffs and you got a chance" doesn't apply to everybody. Just ask the Sharks' teams of the last decade. Blues have been and will be around every year, but their legitimate window of Cup opportunity came and went. Blackhawks will outlast the Blues. And don't bother getting excited about the rivalry.
Chicago in 7
ANA vs NSH
Remember when Anaheim started awful and Getzlaf and Perry looked old or out of shape or something? I remember. I remember those days fondly... But alas, they are no more. This team was always going to be in this spot on paper, it just took all 82 games and some help to get there. Make no mistake though, they are where they belong. This is a complete team with a somehow underated coach who knows what he wants and isn't just hungry for ice cream. The championship core never left, they've been supplemented with the scraps of what will always be Vancouver's best year, and the coach. This is the thoroughbred stallion of the Western Conference that has to be the favorite to represent it in the finals. Nashville much like St. Louis is here just because over half the NHL gets to go to the dance. I dunno if they ever had a real window but it too is closed firmly. They're just good enough not to get swept
Anahiem in 5
LAK vs SJS
I'm a Kings fan through and through but in my angry, armchair-coach, Debbie-downer opinion they screwed up. Bad. First I'll admit all their trades and aquisitions turned out to be the right moves. Lucic, Vinny/Schenn, and Versteeg? I was against each and every one. But all of them have proven me resoundly incorrect. So you might not want to put much stock in my predicting ability but THEY'RE DOOMED! And it isn't because of those trades. Two things; 1. They didn't beat Anaheim when it counted. 2. They let Quick play himself into a rut for the five-millionth time. I want go on a tirade about everything they did wrong in the Anaheim season series because, well, they aren't gonna make it to see Anaheim. But Quick rarely plays out of a rut. "But wait Nicholas, what do you mean 'Quick in a rut'? I see him making spectacular saves on ESPN, and NHL.com's facebook page every other day!"... You do yes. But you miss the 4+ goals he gives up on 20~ shots. You miss that it was in a losing effort. Enroth should've played at least 3 more games than he did in the final quarter of the season including the finale. I am fueled with rage so I will cut it as short as I can here: The Kings and Quick have been, and will continue to, give up too many goals on too few shots for supposedly how good defensively they are. Period. And a quick aside to the Ducks stuff, Perry brought the "get under Quick's skin" option back into the limelight. The Sharks, the team L.A. owns mentally, will get 100% under the Kings skin and shake them. And just like that the Kings will be out in the first round and the hockey world will be deprived of what would have been the best series in over a decade between Anaheim and L.A. I will cry a little everytime I think of it.
San Jose in 6
FLA vs NYI
Florida gon' keep Florida'n. Haters gon' hate. Get out the brooms, sweep up the rubber rats and the Islanders with them. This is gonna be short and painful for people on the island or in Brooklyn or whatever happened. Only hope the Islanders have is to pull Might Ducks and change jerseys between periods to the mighty "fishsticks" jerseys. Florida is built from the blue-line, something missing from the Eastern Conference for a long while. They were smart and let their eyes wander West and figured out how to build a winner. The hype is real.
Florida in 4
TBL vs DET
The perfect storm of injuries and controversy. Meets a perfect storm of veteran presence announcing and end of an era. Pavel is headed home to Russia but he won't be booking a flight just yet. I feel like this is gonna be a hot/cold series for both teams featuring some blowouts both ways. Plenty of sloppy, high scoring play that makes it seems like better hockey than it is in the highlights. The Swiss-cheese roster Tampa is working with will catch up with them. Pavel will lead the league in first round points by the end of the long series.
Detroit in 7
WSH vs PHI
Philadelphia had a fun finish to get in and I personally enjoyed watching Wayne Simmonds continue to succeed. But they're running into a frieght train. Washington walks around at just the right amount of cocky and with good reason. Veteran guys like Justin Williams know what a winner looks like and knows hes playing with one right now. And when a massively spectacular depth move like adding Oshie goes relatively untalked about you know all the right moves were made. Washington is all in and doing it all the right way. They are going to completely overwhelm the shallow goaltending situation wearing orange and absolutely coast to the second round. A playoff beast will be born.
Washington in 4
PIT vs NYR
The Rangers are tried and true with their current group of fellas. They never quite have it all, but they always believe they do. Where there's a will there's a way. I'll never forget watching Zuccarelo play the Kings in the Finals. Guys like that can singlehandedly will their entire team. I don't think this year is gonna be THE year or anything but I think they'll keep Pittsburgh fans whining about another early exit. I'm sure they'll decide to blame Fluery again too even though he hasn't had a legitimate defense in front of him since the Cup. I know its easy to hate teams built from the top up with superstars like the Penguins are but I honestly have a grudge with the fact they refuse to address the blueline. It boggles my mind year in and year out. I am the only one that I can ever find that seems to believe this though, so it might just be another crazy fantasy of mine. Regardless, Pittsburg is peaking at the right time and should be considered a legitmate threat in the East. Right time to be good. But. I think the Rangers win against these dangerously hot Penguins.
New York in 6