Nashville joins the usual suspects in Round 2 where the Predators face the tired but tested Canucks.
And then there were eight: After a wild Round 1, eight teams were tossed aside in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup playoffs. Ahead of Thursday night's opener between Nashville and Vancouver, sportsnet.ca columnists Mark Spector & Mike Brophy ask the 'Burning Questions' surrounding each series and outline players to watch before putting it on the line with their predictions.
Will the Chicago series become Vancouver’s epiphany? Or has it tired the Canucks out for Nashville?
Talk to any of the Chicago Blackhawks, and they’ll tell you that getting past Nashville in a hotly contested Round 1 series last spring was their most difficult task in the playoffs. Not that Vancouver, San Jose or Philadelphia were not as good or better than the Predators, but overcoming a major challenge in Rd. 1 had galvanized the Blackhawks to the point where they felt able to handle anything.
Well, the Canucks were one shot away from seeing their season end versus Chicago. But it didn’t. Roberto Luongo made the save, Alex Burrows buried the shot, and the Canucks overcame themselves and the Blackhawks, living to fight another day.
Can anything or anyone else possibly pose a more desperate situation for Vancouver, than the test they’ve already passed?
Will Ryan Kesler the 41-goal man ever bring that offence to the post-season?
One of the elements that made the Canucks such a dangerous regular season team was having a second-line centre who could score 41 times. The problem? In 30 career playoff games, Kesler has just three goals — and one was an empty-netter.
We’re not devaluing Kesler’s work against Jonathan Toews in the opening round, nor his charge to the net that created the first Burrows goal in Game 7. That was an epic battle between he and Toews, and limiting Toews to just one goal in the series was a major contribution by Kesler.
But Nashville doesn’t have an opposing centre like Toews. In fact, the Preds have just two players who scored more than 20 goals this season.
It won’t be enough for Kesler to simply concentrate on defence in Round 2. Especially with the possibility the Sedins may struggle against Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.
Which Nashville offence shows up? Regular season? Or Round 1?
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Who will win the best-of-seven series?
The Predators ranked 21st in scoring during the regular season (Vancouver was No. 1), yet in the first round Nashville ranked second over all with 3.67 goals per game, while Vancouver was the lowest among teams that advanced (2.29).
A lot of that had to with a Preds’ opponent in Anaheim whose goaltending was shaky and unsettled, and a Ducks blue-line that is nowhere near as strong as Vancouver’s. If the Predators are going to win this series, the tandem of Weber and Suter will have to shut down the Sedins line, and the depth scoring from players like Mike Fisher (3-3-6), Joel Ward (3-2-5), and Jordin Tootoo (1-4-5) will have to continue.
And, the three top goal getters from the regular season — Sergei Kostitsyn, Patric Hornqvist and Martin Erat — will have to do better than a combined three goals in Round 1.
Canucks in six.
Are these the same old choking-dog Sharks? Or will a lackluster first-round turn into a launching pad for the Conference semi’s?
Anyone who watched San Jose get past Los Angeles in six games knows, it easily could have gone the other way. There is no way San Jose can get away with an 8.7% powerplay in Rd. 1, or falling behind 4-0 in game 3 and hoping for a comeback against the Red Wings, the way the Sharks did against the Kings.
San Jose’s best players are seldom their best players in the playoffs, and this Detroit team is far more rested than the one the Sharks defeated in Rd. 2 last season, in five games. That Detroit team had played eight playoff rounds in the previous two springs, which means it will take far more compete this time around from Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, two guys with major payoff baggage.
In goal, Antti Niemi brings the worst goals against average (3.99) into Rd. 2, and an .863 saves percentage that edges out only Philly sieve Michael Leighton. Average goaltending won’t beat the Red Wings — ask Phoenix — and that’s what Niemi has been giving the Sharks.
If Detroit couldn’t beat San Jose last year, why will it happen this time around?
Because a year ago this Wings team was beat, coming off of back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup final. Today it’s fresh off a sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes, and as healthy as could be.
Henrik Zetterberg is ready after missing the first round. Johan Franzen rested his ankle in Game 4 against Phoenix, and has had a week to prepare. The week off will strengthen 41-year-old Nicklas Lidstrom as well, and we all know how he can control a hockey game when he’s right.
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Who will win the best-of-seven series?
As a team, the Wings got goals from 13 different players in just four games of Rd. 1, compared to Vancouver (seven games, nine players). Their biggest weapon now is Pavel Datsyuk, who at age 32 is playing the best hockey of his career. Is he the best player left in these playoffs, with six points and a plus-6 in a first-round sweep? We’d say so.
Detroit is also better in goal, with a confident Jimmy Howard up against the flagging Niemi. Howard’s 2.50 GAA and .915 saves percentage defines his career. Good enough to win with.
Detroit in six.
Remember to watch Canucks Connected before every Vancouver playoff game both on Rogers Sportsnet and streamed live on sportsnet.ca.
