[Due to subject matter, I've moved this post to the top -- EMc.]
After what seemed like an endless layoff, the Stanley Cup Finals get underway this evening in Raleigh. I picked Carolina to win the Cup at the start of the playoffs, and I don't intend to back off that pick now (though Maggie the Monkey disagrees, click here for video). Then again, there are all sorts of factors that make me think this series is going to go the limit.
GOALTENDING: Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson has got to be the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe, as he's been the critical factor in every series the Oilers have played in the postseason. He's not only stopping pucks, he's not giving up rebounds, and his defensemen are giving him clear lanes to the shooter so he can see the puck. And he's seen a lot of rubber -- nearly 600 shots -- far more than Carolina's Cam Ward.
As for Ward, his play, while not as flawless as Roloson's, has been occassionally spectacular. But tell me this: What coach in the world would want to be riding a rookie goalie into the Stanley Cup Finals? And as we've seen, for all the talk that Laviolette is just as confident in Martin Gerber as he is in Ward, from what we've seen so far, the Hurricanes don't seem to be the same team when they play in front of him -- that one shutout against Buffalo notwithstanding.
DEFENSE AND PENALTY KILL: Let's face it, the best defenseman, and perhaps the best player left in the playoffs is Edmonton's Chris Pronger. He really has done it all, eating up the minutes, playing the penalty kill and the power play, all the while punishing the opposition without losing his head the way he used to early in his career.
But to end the discussion with Pronger wouldn't give the rest of the Oilers defense its due. Here's Pierre Maguire:
And while Pronger will be the player to watch for the Oilers in this series, because the Oilers give up so many shots, it's not just about Pronger, it's the way the Oilers clear the crease.Dwayne Roloson's big strength is that he doesn't give up a lot of rebounds. But when he does, the Oilers defencemen knock everyone down so that nobody wants to go near the crease.
No team has given up more shots in the playoffs than the Edmonton Oilers but they keep everything to the outside, force bad angle shots and allow Roloson to see the puck. If you try to get to those second chance opportunities, they pulverize you.
One other very simple thing the Oilers do is stick to the fundamentals on the penalty kill. Just watch them -- every player keeps his stick on the ice throughout the entire power play -- all the better to break up passes when the opposition passes up the shot from the point and tries to work a pass across the zone to get the goalie going side to side. Just watch, it's happened in every series, and it'll happen again in the Finals.
But the other X factor on the Edmonton penalty kill is Michael Peca, a man who is prone to spring himself or a teammate for a shorthanded goal at a moment's notice. Laviolette, who coached Peca for two seasons on Long Island knows this, but I can't see how he can help his team prepare for it other than to warn them to keep an eye out.
Check back here throughout the day as I compile links from around the Web before the puck drops. It's sure to be an interesting day.
UPDATE: Here's another piece on bad television ratings from the Washington Post.
UPDATE: James Mirtle, who has doubted Carolina before (the same way I've doubted Edmonton), likes Edmonton in five. Battle of Alberta has the Oilers in six. And of all people, Ron Francis failed to make a prediction.
Paul Kukla is holding his own Stanley Cup Challenge -- name the winner and who scores the series clinching goal. My pick: Carolina and Bret Hedican.
UPDATE: Here's Darren Eliot's take.
The NHL has posted video of the Media Day activities. Click here for Carolina, and here for Edmonton.
Here's Mike Commodore on the tradition of throwing a slab of Alberta beef on the ice in Edmonton following the Canadian National Anthem:
The raw meet sometimes sticks to the ice upon contact.That's okay with Commodore. "A little blood on the jersey never killed anybody," he added. "I just hope they unthaw it."
UPDATE: Ted Leonsis sounds off on this morning's Washington Post piece on the state of the league:
I am very happy with the decision made by the NHL to go to Outdoor Life Network (OLN). OLN is owned by Comcast, the nation's largest cable company. Comcast has shown great respect for the NHL and the fans, and I believe, they will make the investments necessary to engage our existing fans and to connect with new fans.
As I've written before, I'm pleased with the way the coverage on OLN has developed, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop in the 2006-07 season. In the meantime, I think Larry Brooks is correct, and that the network needs to inject some polite disagreement into the studio show next season. And I would hope that OLN would carry the NHL Network's On The Fly: Final, every night of the week.
CasonBlog is calling out an Edmonton Sun columnist. Neate Sager says Carolina in seven.
More later.
I see that even the Washington Post is drinking the Bettman KoolAid regarding the “new” NHL and small market teams making the finals. They certainly need a reminder that recent finalists (Tampa Bay, Calgary, Anaheim, Carolina, Florida, etc.) are from small and/or non-traditional hockey markets; even New Jersey, for all that it’s located in a large media market isn’t a stereotypical “big market” team. Who knew that the purpose of the lockout was to put Detroit in its place?
I see that even the Washington Post is drinking the Bettman KoolAid regarding the “new” NHL and small market teams making the finals. They certainly need a reminder that recent finalists (Tampa Bay, Calgary, Anaheim, Carolina, Florida, etc.) are from small and/or non-traditional hockey markets; even New Jersey, for all that it’s located in a large media market, isn’t a stereotypical “big market” team. Who knew that the purpose of the lockout was to put Detroit in its place?
A thought about OLN continuing NHL On The Fly: Final. OTF:F is a part of the NHL Network, like you said. With the NHL Network coming to American cable companies next season (as per the agreement between NHL and Comcast), maybe instead of just rehashing what would be on the NHL Network, they can work on their own, NHL 2Night style of evening show for OLN once that happens? Though I guess that could turn out being redundant, if showing what is on the NHL Network already works.
On the other hand, there’s still questions on if the US NHL Network will be different from the current format, since as it is the coverage tends to lean more towards Canada-based NHL teams (understandably).
NHL Network will probably only move to the US on Comcast cable systems at first. So, having the On the Fly show, or some other nightly highlights show, on OLN is a definite must.