The NHL Playoffs have arrived and where would NHL fans be without some well-researched guidance? In order to make these projections I have painstakingly broke down every series based on the following criteria (and presented the results with two simple, straight-forward images):
- Goaltending Match-up
- Playoff Experience
- Coaches
- Where is the Money? (Vegas odds)
- Historical Rivalry? (Past performances vs. opponent)
- Special Teams
- The X-Factor: More subjective things such as physicality, leadership, likelihood of injuries or momentum, and anything else I deemed qualitatively important.
2008 Stanley Cup Final: New York Rangers vs. Anaheim Ducks
4 comments:
Rangers in the finals.... not to sure about that one, but other than that i see your picks coming true.
You know what, I had the Rangers beating the Habs too and meeting Pittsburgh. I thought about putting the Rangers through because of their experience and better goaltending. Alas, I put Pittsburgh to the final against the Ducks with the quacks winning it all.
I have the same picks in the west. I suppose Calgary can surprise if they play out of their minds. Normally you look for an upset somewhere but the parity has made it so tight that talking upset is pointless. The Preds and Bruins are the closest thing and I don't think they are legit dark horses. The Wild? Sure. The Habs? Definitely. They've been playing really, really well. I know everyone is loving Price but the fact remains this is not a battle tested group (neither is Pittsburgh for that matter) and they lack size that makes their five on five tough. But they can be a handful. Who knows what to expect from the Sens at this point?
Oddly enough the Habs are pretty physical. There were top 5 this year in hits, but their inexperience and injuries make them pretty vulnerable. Pitt is solid too, but I don't think they can beat the Rangers in a Best of 7, although it will be one of the best series in this years playoffs, IMO, if it goes down.
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