2013 NHL Playoff Predictions

So here we are. A miracle deal to save the 2013 NHL season, and my childhood dream comes true: the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs!!! Not only that, but so did Montreal and Ottawa; I couldn't be more excited to lounge at home every evening for the next two months, watching playoff hockey.

So without further ado, here is my 2013 playoff bracket.

I know right off the bat that you’re going to judge this one (I guess I've unexpectedly predicted all three California teams to make the second round, which would be a first). "Chicago not winning the cup? Blasphemy!" More or less, I’ve seen two kinds of NHL brackets throughout the past couple seasons. 

1) Brackets that simply predict the top seeded teams to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, with the #1 seed most likely winning it all.

2) Brackets that have a surprise team, or a less-expected one, going all the way and ousting someone important (and trying to be overly skeptical, especially after several President’s Trophy flops since the last lockout).

So in my case, I guess I tried to do both in one bracket. In this case, Washington and Los Angeles are those teams who would be more of a surprise, but more so for the Caps.

For a while this season, Washington sat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference,  partly due to a dismal 2-8-1 start which Ovechkin only scored three goals in. But the rebound has been incredible; Ovie has won his third Maurice Richard trophy, and since March 21, the Capitals are 15-2-2, better than both the Penguins and Blackhawks in that time period. Quite a turnaround!

Although Chicago and Pittsburgh have both been incredible, you know that one of them, or both, is going to burn out eventually. There’s a lot that needs to continue to go well for a team to last an extra two months in the playoffs, and I’m simply not optimistic enough to think either one will survive.

I’d love to be optimistic for Toronto as well, but Boston is just one of those teams that Toronto has a real problem playing. The real question will be how Kessel fares against his old team; will he choke like many times before? If that’s the case then there’s no hope for the Leafs, not even Kadri. Hopefully, Colton Orr gets a chance to clothesline Brad Marchand or some other pest, and remove them from the Bruins lineup. Yay!

I actually put this bracket together immediately following Sunday’s game between Ottawa and Pittsburgh. Looking back two days later, I’m content with my choices and stand by them. If I could chance a series, I may predict Ottawa to win over Montreal in the opening round, and maybe even have Detroit beating the Ducks. Regarding the Capitals defeating the Blackhawks in the finals (a bold prediction), who knows? Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. But of course, it’s all for fun anyway.
PS
1) Sorry Vancouver, you've choked too many times. San Jose's got this.
2) Hey Islanders, you should bust my bracket and have a long playoff run, I'd actually love to watch that!

Classic Ovechkin is back

Alex Ovechkin has 48 points in 43 games this season. (Photo by  Greg Fiume)

After Tuesday night’s game in Washington D.C., Alex Ovechkin is definitely back.

Yes, this has been obvious for around a month now, as the 27-year-old left-winger has surged in scoring – 19 goals in his last 18 games – and is setting himself up for a third Rocket Richard Trophy. Ovechkin leads the league with 28 goals this season, one ahead of Steven Stamkos’ 27.

Lockout aside, “The Great 8” has returned to his point totals of previous years. Hypothetically, if this had been a full season, Ovie’s 48 points in 43 games would average to 91 points in 82 games, also assuming he made the lineup every night. It’s quite exciting to know that Ovechkin is slowly returning to his old self, after a 2011-12 campaign where he led the entire Caps team with a measly 65 points, much unlike his three-straight 100-point seasons between 2007 and 2010.

Now, I don’t see as many games involving Washington as I used to, so I don’t see everything Ovechkin does night in and night out. On a general basis, I believed Ovechkin had toned down his game and become much less physical, ever since he boarded Chicago Blackhawks’ Brian Campbell in March 2010 and was ejected. It seemed like a moment where Ovie realized how reckless his play had become, and he backed off a little.

My stance changed last night against the Maple Leafs.

As the video shows, Jay McClement of the Leafs throws a pretty nasty hit on Nicklas Backstrom, which Ovechkin will have none of. He attacks McClement without a second thought, and stands up for his teammate. Often times you won’t see an immediate response from players following a dirty hit, but Ovie, already headed in that direction, goes straight for McClement. I don’t blame him at all; in fact I commend him for not letting McClement get away with a cheap shot.

A Leafs fan I most certainly am, but I have no problem watching my favourite players get bowled over when they do something cruel, like boarding. Daniel Alfredsson got major brownie points last month when he stood up to Zac Rinaldo for a similar incident. Retaliation? Yes, but a good way to keep players in check. Ovechkin should have no shame for sitting in the box for 2 minutes, after “charging” McClement. It thankfully shows that Ovechkin has not turned into the submissive veteran I thought he might have.

Needless to say, the classic Alexander Ovechkin we once knew (and possibly despised) is back! Get ready for a strong playoff run by the Capitals…

Ovechkin celebrating his goal against the Leafs, April 16, 2013. (Photo by Alex Brandon)