May 28th: Playoffs? We're Talking About Playoffs?

May is the most intense month in professional sports, as both the NBA and NHL are in the thick of the playoffs. Between the two, there are 32 teams fighting for their championship lives, looking to hoist the trophy high, the result of 82 games each of fighting, clawing, and driving for the final goal.

The difference in playoff intensity this year, though, could not be more different. In the NBA, it has been a downright boring playoffs. Of the opening series, only three of eight went to six games, while there was only one Game 7 across the board. Since then, the Cavaliers and Warriors have each waltzed right into the Finals, with little more than a few token wins for their opponents. Games have, as a general rule, been blowouts, lacking anything that resembles the drama we all have come to love from the playoffs. Last year, we saw the eventual champion Spurs have to flex their muscles just to get to the Finals, getting the best play from Dallas, to Portland (ok, not really Portland, but still…) , and Oklahoma City en route to the Heat and the championship. This year, only the Bulls were able to put even the slightest of dents into the Cavaliers’ domination, and the Grizzlies were the closest to giving the Warriors even a hint of a hard time.

This could not be in greater contrast with the absolutely epic playoffs coming out of the NHL. Six of the first eight series went to a game 6, with no team earning multiple sweeps this post-season. For the first time in 15 years, both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals are going to a Game 7, and it is next to impossible to predict who will win either. The hard-hitting Ducks square off against the finesse game of the Blackhawks, while Ben Bishop’s Lightning try to find the net against King Henrik and the Rangers. Overall, there hasn’t been a dull game yet, and Friday and Saturday will be absolutely epic to set up next week’s finals.

The real difference comes from league parity, something that the NHL has in abundance, but is a fatal flaw for the NBA. When teams enter the playoffs with a losing record, it can be assumed that they won’t put up much of a fight against the best in the league. Nobody was very interested in a Celtics-Cavaliers matchup, nor Pelicans-Warriors. Meanwhile, any NHL team can match up against any other, depending on the night and the arena. Only ten points separated the best team in the Western playoffs from the lowest, leading to 4 simply epic matchups. The East is a little more diverse (15 points from top to bottom), yet the Wild Card team who was the 8 seed happened to be the very legitimate Cup threat Penguins.

Despite the lackluster NBA and the electric NHL, national attention is almost entirely on the hardwood. Yet this should be a huge opportunity for hockey’s coming out party. For anyone who has never seen the excitement, felt the passion, and felt to breathe for minutes at a time, the NHL playoffs are, by far, the cream of the crop when it comes to the post-season. There is no better feeling than the anxiety of driving your team forward in the playoffs. Overtime playoff hockey is the single greatest showing of sports drama, and has happened in abundance this season. When one city can talk about nothing but their boys on the ice, you know you have a playoffs worthy of your attention. The City of Chicago is painted red, and it isn’t for the Bulls.

I’m voting with my remote control, and you can bet that, next week, when both Finals are going on, I’m going to pick Lord Stanley over Larry O’Brien. (C’mon. Which is more illustrious sounding between THOSE two?)

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April 15th: NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

There is no better post-season in all of professional sports than the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. All 16 teams think they have a legitimate shot at the title, and momentum will be the key factor. A goalie gets hot for a series, and the championship favorite gets sent home early. A team’s offense starts to click, and the whole picture goes up in flames. This year will be no different.

What will transpire in the next two months? The ZP: Left Fielder can only guess!

Western Conference Round 1 -

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild

Winner: Wild

The central division has been monstrous this year, and these two have been the cream of the crop. The Wild are on a tear, while the Blues are, for the first time in a long time, the favorite. Watch out for a physical Wild team to surprise the Blues for their second straight exit at the hands of a rival.

Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Winner: Blackhawks

Both ended the regular season on sour notes, but both are put together for a big playoff run. The key to this series will be twofold: goalie play and experience. Pekka Renne is a beast when he’s hot, but Corey Crawford is a playoff machine. The Blackhawks take this series behind their experience and a fresh Patrick Kane.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets

Winner: Ducks

The Ducks haven’t had great luck at deep playoff runs. Meanwhile, the Jets are a big, physical team, that makes their opponent fight for every inch. This is going to be a surprisingly tough series, but the Ducks’ depth will see them through to the next round.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames

Winner: Canucks

Frankly, this is the least exciting series of the first round. The teams are fairly evenly matched, which means it will be fun to watch, but neither strike me as real threats in the West. That being said, Ryan Miller playing in Vancouver could be huge against a Flames team that may be a little burned out from the fight for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference Round 1 -

Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottowa Senators

Winner: Canadiens

The popular pick for first round upset is the Senators, who are on an absolute tear. That being said, Carey Price is one of the best goalies in the game (if not THE best), and the Canadiens have the experience to send the young Senators home early.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

Winner: Lightning

Detroit has sat Jimmy Howard to start the series, not a good start for a team fighting against the pre-season favorite to come out of the East. The Lightning look built for a big run, and Ben Bishop and Steven Stamkos will be fun to watch.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Winner: Rangers

The Penguins dodged a bullet by sneaking into the playoffs on the last day of the season. Meanwhile, the Rangers blew everyone else out of the water, despite missing Henrik Lundqvist for a good chunk of the season. Now that he’s back, the Rangers will treat the Penguins as a kickstart for their pursuit of a return to the Cup Finals.

New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals

Winner: Capitals

Many believed that the Capitals’ window for success had closed, yet here they are, looking like strong candidates in the East. The Islanders were fun to watch at the start of the season, although everyone was waiting for their inevitable (we thought) fall. Prediction: they will have their fall from grace this week, as the Capitals step up in a big way.

Western Conference Round 2 -

Wild vs. Blackhawks

Winner: Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have dispatched the Wild from the playoffs two years in a row, and are now looking to do it again. With a healthy Patrick Kane and a deep, deep offense, the Hawks will be a force to be reckoned with. The Wild thought they were one piece away from offing Chicago, but they’re not there yet.

Ducks vs. Canucks

Winner: Ducks

A western matchup that features two teams trying to take the Kings’ spot in the Western Conference finals, the Ducks and Canucks will have a lot to prove. This prediction depends on how the first round goes, but the Ducks look to be the favorite, assuming they can keep the momentum from having the most points in the West.

Eastern Conference Round 2 -

Canadiens vs. Lightning

Winner: Lightning

This is a goalie matchup for the ages. Carey Price is one of the finest in the world, while Ben Bishop’s size makes him a terrifying obstacle for opponents. This is going to be all about momentum, even more than most series, and the Lightning are poised to make their stab at the cup.

Rangers vs. Capitals

Winner: Rangers

The Rangers and Capitals have a long history together, and the sparks always fly when the two square off. This year, the Rangers are hungry and want to get back, while the Capitals will find themselves overwhelmed by a goalie that just can’t wait to be King.

Western Conference Finals -

Blackhawks vs. Ducks

Winner: Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are used to traveling to southern California to stake their claim on the Western Conference. This year, the Ducks will give Blackhawks a far easier challenge than the Kings last year. This will be a letdown of a series, compared with the fireworks of the earlier rounds. Owning all the momentum, the Blackhawks fly past the Ducks.

Eastern Conference Finals -

Lightning vs. Rangers

Winner: Rangers

This is going to be an absolutely epic series. The Lightning were the pre-season favorite to win it all, while the Rangers have turned themselves into post-season favorites. Who moves on? Once again, it comes down to Henrik, who is fresh, healthy, and ready to put together another champion-caliber performance.

Stanley Cup Finals:

Blackhawks vs. Rangers

Winner: Blackhawks

The West really is best. To get here, the Blackhawks will have to show an expert combination of grit, determination, and experience at handling the lime-light. If any team can do that, it’s this one. The Rangers will take it to six games, but the Hawks will hoist the Cup come June.

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March 3rd: Black-eyed Blackhawks

On February 25th, the day after Patrick Kane went down with an injury, many wanted to declare the Blackhawks out of Stanley Cup contention. Sure, the pre-season Western Conference favorite had probably built up enough steam to limp into the playoffs, but without their top goal scorer, it would be an early exit for sure.

That is, of course, until you look at the rest of the Chicago lineup. With Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marrian Hossa, Brad Richards, Brandon Saad, and so many more studs on this team, there is plenty of firepower to keep the Hawks competitive. Plus, the trade deadline left even more room to patch up the fill the hole left by “Showtime”.

Antoine Vermette was the big catch for the Blackhawks at
the Trade Deadline.

The acquisitions of Antoine Vermette from the Coyotes and Kimmo Timonen from the Flyers fill two of the biggest needs left on the Chicago roster: a center who has a high face-off percentage and a veteran defender who has fresh legs. This works to add depth to a team already known for wave upon wave of skilled players.

What, during the offseason had been a terrible void has turned into a dominant strength, as the Blackhawks have strong talent on all four lines at center. With Toews, Vermette, Richards, and Kruger, there is a good chance Chicago will start every faceoff with the puck.

While this by no means makes the Blackhawks the unwavering favorites to win the Cup, it does keep them in contention long enough to potentially get Kane back for the second or third round of the playoffs. A team that includes all that talent, PLUS a fresh Patrick Kane should most certainly catch everyone’s attention.

Rather than attempting to find a single player to score the points left by Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks would benefit most by seeing a slight uptick in performance from all of their stars. That smallball philosophy (to share a term from baseball) is absolutely possible for a team who hasn’t gotten their money’s worth from Patrick Sharp in recent weeks, and who have the opportunity to increase scoring opportunities for their centerpiece, captain Jonathan Toews.

In their first game after the trade deadline, the Blackhawks did just that. A five goal flurry, led by three points by The Captain showed just how badly the Blackhawks want to stay competitive. With goals from four different Hawks, the team shared the star power and contributed big, making a statement for all of those who thought their dominance was over for the year.

For the remainder of the season, the Blackhawks will play 10 of their 18 games against teams outside of the playoff picture. That bodes well for a team trying to fight their way into the second seed in their division. Lucky for them, the Blues have also seen a flurry of defensive challenges, most recently a streak in which opponents have scored four or more goals in four of the last seven games.

More than any other skill, though, the Blackhawks have been there before. After coming a single shot away from the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Hawks core remains from not one, but two championship runs since 2010. You just can’t bet against a team that has the track record of the Blackhawks the last half decade.

October 8th: Lord Stanley's Return

One of the greatest Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent history left a nation waiting for October. Now, the NHL is ready to drop puck once again, allowing hockey to get back on track as the country’s fastest growing sport.

This season, the Blackhawks look like the juggernaut to beat in the West, with the Stanley Cup winning Kings not far behind. The Bruins lead a weak East, while the Penguins and Canadiens refuse to be forgotten.

The Zoot Perspective: Left Fielder has been waiting for months for this. Here is the 2014-2015 forecast for just a few of the things you’re going to see this year.

Player to watch: Anze Kopitar, C, Kings

Kopitar had a coming out party in the Kings’ Stanley Cup run last year. He received some much due spotlight, and is about to make the jump into the upper echelon of the league. This prediction isn’t necessarily that his numbers will change much, but he will receive far more air-time as an elite level playmaker in the NHL.

Team ready to reach the next level: Minnesota Wild

The “State of Hockey” is ready to become something big. Last season’s success, coupled with off-season acquisition of Thomas Vanek vault this team into serious contention for the West. Come late April, it wouldn’t surprise me if we were talking about the Blackhawks, Kings, and Wild as the major threats to represent the Western Conference.

Team that will fall from grace: New York Rangers

The defending Eastern Conference Champs are about to sink like a stone. In hockey, making the playoffs isn’t nearly enough if you’re going to get ousted in the first round. That may be the fate for the Rangers this coming year. Having the greatest goalie in hockey helps seal some wins, but this team looked like they were riding more momentum than talent last season. Momentum doesn’t usually do too well across the off-season.

Western Conference Final prediction: Chicago Blackhawks over Los Angeles Kings

This is the best matchup in hockey going forward. At the end of last season’s clash, the entire hockey world was saying that these two teams squaring off is good for the sport. Well, each team is just as deep as they were a year ago, and the Blackhawks would love nothing more than revenge. I give the edge to a Blackhawks team that features two of the best young stars in the game, and a supporting cast who can make it all come together once again.

Eastern Conference Final prediction: Boston Bruins over Pittsburgh Penguins

This makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think these are the best two teams in the conference. Not even close. I think it is the best team and maybe the fourth or fifth best. But, with the playoff structure implemented last season, it looks like the far better Atlantic division will be forced to beat each other up, leaving the Metropolitan division with an opportunity to skate a little bit. That being said, I think the Bruins will edge the Lightning to go to the Conference finals where they will meet the far underqualified Penguins. The Bruins, who are the deepest team in the East, will make the Penguins look lame. Once again, Pittsburgh will have to answer to the question: what good does star power do if you can’t win championships?

Stanley Cup prediction: Chicago Blackhawks over Boston Bruins

The epic 2013 Stanley Cup Final rematch will happen this year, with the Madhouse on Madison rocking again. The Blackhawks will have their hands full with a tough goalie, but nothing they haven’t done before.

Hockey is one of the few sports where any team can beat anyone on any given night. Yet over the course of the playoffs, the cream rises to the top. The talent, depth, and experience of the Blackhawks will lead them to their third cup in six seasons, and official dynasty status.