Hopping Hockey Happenings

The Easter Bunny isn’t the only one hopping around this time of year. Hockey teams are either leaping into the playoffs or skirmishing and skipping their way to a spot.
Every year, I find myself entrenched and engrossed in playoff hockey and 2009 is no different. While several teams already locked up a chance to skate in the league’s extra session, there are teams vying for a final spot. Here are each conference’s bubble teams trying to back into the post-season and the ones who already have a spring in their skates.
The snazzy, snappy San Jose Sharks lead the Western conference and continue to pull out one-goal wins. A tripping and tight Shark defense has strengthened the team’s chances of success in the playoffs. Look for San Jose to barrel through the competition and unleash their clashing command in the next month.
The central division is dominated by Detroit. The Red Wings are as good as advertised but only second best overall in the conference. They locked up a trip to the post-season with two net minders. Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin aren’t a guaranteed good combination however. The Detroit goalies are allowing too many goals to pass through their protective pads. The fact is their hopes of repeating as champions rests on an .887 save percentage at the goal position.
The Vancouver Canucks are hot at the present moment but are struggling to achieve the title of NW division champions. They will probably wind up third in the West come season’s end. The Flames are battling with Vancouver for that position, but have exhibited a recent slide in progress toward the goal. Calgary’s woes are felt at home and the team is not quite the road warrior type.
The 2007 Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks unloaded some veteran players and stumbled right before the trade deadline. Now they are a team in contention. The Ducks areled by Scott Niedermeyer, Chris Pronger, and Ryan Getzlaf and are a talented skating team. Anaheim glows and gels on ice with the best record of the Western contenders down the stretch.
Chicago has been under performing but the Blackhawks are back in the playoffs for the first time in years. They will not have a long-lived stay in their return if they can’t find a quick solution for an inadequate defense. Chicago looks like a team that just doesn’t belong to me.
For the first time in franchise history, Columbus fans can watch their Bluejackets skate into the post-season. Rookie goalie, Steve Mason, has made all the difference and the team will need an extraordinary effort from the front line if they hope to surge forward. The team has Rick Nash and are in good with their relatively easy schedule on hand.
The surprise playoff hopeful Predators managed to legitimize their franchise by clawing back into contention late. Solid play has given them an opportunity to snare a spot over teams like the Sabres, Oilers and Wild. The offense in Nashville is merely mediocre but Pekka Rinne has been precise. Nashville is poised for a 7th or 8th seed with their unstable but grind-it-out team. The Predators can goal-tend but penalty killing is the foremost flaw.
The Blues have an outstanding head coach, Andy Murray, who has adapted to an injured lineup. Throw into the mix three road games in Phoenix, Dallas and Colorado to end the year, and things aren’t looking optimistic. All the games are winnable but St. Louis has little margin for error. St Louis has come on strong, even without Manny Legace in net and Keith Tkachuk and Erik Johnson sidelined so they have a half-chance making a run.
The Oilers are in deep danger of being the odd-team out because they are bordering on an 11th overall finish. The Minnesota Wild and Oilers probably have to win out in order to obtain a playoff berth. Niklas Backstrom ignites the Oilers but without solid net play they are likely to miss the playoffs. The Wild will have three home games but cannot seem to close out the opposition and are playing sub-par hockey as of late.

In the East, the first place Boston Bruins are ready to romp. The B’s defensive struggles should be a concern but all indications are the team will be pumped for the playoffs. New Jersey, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Carolina are already in and the Canadiens, Rangers, Panthers and Sabres are eastern bubble teams.
The Devils cooled off substantially after Martin Brodeur’s record setting night last month. New Jersey is third best overall but fans should be disturbed by the recent slump. It is appropriate to question the Devils’ preparedness for the post-season based on how they have handled hockey intensity in recent chances.
The Washington Capitals have perhaps the game’s best player and the greatest offense. The SE division winners are second in the East but prone to sloppy play on defense. Defense wins championships so the Capitals have to re-focus on being more well-balanced. The one-sided approach only takes teams so far.
Carolina added Erik Cole and Eric Staal to an already charged club. They are stiff competitors and will go head-to-head with anybody in the East.
Just as scorching are the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team is loaded with talent. Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin are throwback players brought to Pittsburgh to improve and rework the team. Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby are the games’ shining youngsters who add depth, and with Kunitz and Guerin, will have a little help shooting and defending.
The Flyers downfall will be goaltending inconsistency. The team spirit took a hit as the team went into a funk down the stretch. It was as if the team needed a box spring to go along with their lazy play. Don’t sleep on Philadelphia though. Their coach is tough and will have them awake in time for their first post-season match up.
Blueshirt backers believe the link to their success is Henrik Lundqvist, but cannot rely only on the gifted goaltender. Nick Antropov, Sean Avery, Chris Drury, Markus Naslund and Scott Gomez haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard, especially in the third period. The Rangers are slowly sinking despite the effort from Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Marc Staal. Coach John Tortorella’s team has three games left to earn a playoff spot. The Rangers are tied with Florida but hold the tiebreaker for the 8th and final Eastern conference spot. New York could take a blow that hope tonight against a Montreal team that is a lively one. Working for the Rangers is the fact the Canadiens are coming off consecutive back-to-back contests. Working against them is their tough schedule. It features playing Philly at home Thursday for the home finale and away at Boston Saturday and Philly Sunday. The team is collectively limping to the finish after a slight revival with the Avery and Antropov acquisitions. New York’s poor power play could cause a collapse for a team that had such promise earlier in the year.
The Canadiens dropped five straight games a week ago and were failing to clinch a playoffs spot. The turnaround came quickly though, and now the team is more productive with top forwards Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev leading the charge.
The Buffalo Sabres would be content just to reach the next round. They are out a goalie in Ryan Miller and play some grueling road games, including in Detroit and Toronto, to end the year. They also have to host Boston one more time in Buffalo.
Florida hasn’t been in post-season in 9 years. The Panthers’ goaltending has carried the team all year and their chances of reaching the playoffs is not as good as New York’s but better than Buffalo’s. The Panthers square off against Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, three playoff teams, to their finish 2009 campaign.

Parting Points: A new baseball book I am looking forward to delving into hit’s the shelves. It’s called “Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles” by Michael D’Antonio
I can tell the bullpen for the Mets is going to be an integral part of their success this season. And, what a debacle the NCAA title game was last night.