NHL Playoffs 2019 Round 2: April Madness Cometh

One for eight. 

One out of eight. 

12.5%.

Hours upon hours of (thoroughly enjoyable, but still) time and effort put into the round one preview and picks...only to embarrass myself in front of dozens and dozens of readers. 

The first round of the hockey playoffs made college basketball's March Madness look like March Meh. The highest point total (Tampa) of a generation? Gone. The remaining three division winners (Washington, Calgary, Nashville)? Vamoose. The only result that could have been "expected" were the Bruins dispatching the Maple Leafs...and of course even that one took seven games.

What's left in all of the rubble are eight teams. Tell me if this sounds familiar, but the Boston sports team has emerged as the heavy favorite. Flanking the Bruins in the is the land of misfit toys... the three C's of Columbus, Carolina, and (Con's) Islanders. A stunning development that is equally matched in the Western Conference. The quartet of Dallas, St. Louis, Colorado, and San Jose has not won a championship in 18 years. 

Long story short, save for the 2010-11 Bruins triumph and the sneaky 2005-06 Hurricanes title... there is guaranteed to be a new sheriff in town to rule the hockey universe. So how did we get here? What made the picks so horribly pitiful? Many theories are in play...but in watching the games and acquiring more background info on the teams, it appeared I put too much stock into "entire body of work" rather than "who is sizzling at the best time." Let's zoom through the eight prior matchups real quick:

Entire Season:

Tampa Bay: 128 points

Columbus: 98 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Tampa Bay: 8-2

Columbus: 7-3

Entire Season:

Boston: 107 points

Toronto: 100 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Boston: 6-4

Toronto: 3-7

Entire Season:

Washington: 104 points

Carolina: 99 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Washington: 6-4

Carolina: 6-4

Entire Season:

NY Islanders: 103 points

Pittsburgh: 100 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

NY Islanders: 6-4

Pittsburgh: 6-4

So, hmmmm. Besides the Maple Leafs being a foreseeable clunker, what we see here are essentially coinflips if we went by end-of-season production. How about out west?

Entire Season:

Nashville: 100 points

Dallas: 93 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Nashville: 7-3

Dallas: 6-4

Entire Season:

Winnipeg: 99 points

St. Louis: 99 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Winnipeg: 4-6

St. Louis: 8-2

Entire Season:

Calgary: 107 points

Colorado: 90 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

Calgary: 6-4

Colorado: 7-3

Entire Season:

San Jose: 101 points

Vegas: 93 points

Final 10 Regular Season Games:

San Jose: 3-7

Vegas: 3-7

Again, seems to be a case of the final 10 games drawing the teams much closer than the original body of work. Of course, it was the "struggling-down-the-stretch" Sharks and Golden Knights that gave us a series for the ages. In any case, the April Madness that has occurred had a couple of writings on the wall that can serve a purpose for later rounds of the tournament. Which, speaking of...

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Boston Bruins (107 points) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (98 points)

Last Round: Bruins def. Maple Leafs in 7; Blue Jackets def. Lightning in 4

Stanley Cup Odds: Bos 3:1 ; CBJ 7:1

Avengers Parallel: Captain America vs. Captain Marvel

As we will soon find out, this is probably the only Avengers "battle" that won't be laughed at. Such is life when you disrespect the underdogs a little too much. Nevertheless, this is going to be a doozie. It seems like forever ago when the Blue Jackets finished off the most shocking sweep in NHL history. They are "rewarded" with the new favorite to win it all-- and they cede home ice to Boston while doing so. 

Not unlike the college basketball tourney, there is a fine line to draw here while sizing up the series. Has Columbus already staked its legacy in knocking off the Lightning? Have they been (understandably) read too much of their own headlines the past couple weeks and will now be complacent? It's hard to believe that is the case. If the Tampa Series had been an unimaginable walk in the park (we'll get to that first-round series in a sec), I'd be dubious about the Jackets. But falling behind 3-0 on the road in game one and completing that comeback? It was their statement that this wasn't a too little, too late scenario with their pieced-together supersquad. 

For Boston, it's been there done that. Tampa revealed itself to be soft and non-resilient when things got tough. The Bruins will make no such mistakes with their playoff experience and pedigree. Even so, will it be enough? Columbus came into the tournament having the desperation of a team full of upcoming free agents, but lacking the solidarity that they could perform as a full squad. Now they have both. And though I may squirm later on looking back at it, I don't think their all-in train is done quite yet.

The Pick: Blue Jackets in 6 games 

New York Islanders (103 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (99 points)

Last Round: Islanders def. Penguins in 4; Hurricanes def. Capitals in 7

Stanley Cup Odds: NYI 7:1 ; CAR 7:1

Avengers Parallel: Ant Man vs. Rocket Raccoon

Well here's where the chaos ensues. The thought of Ant Man fighting Rocket Raccoon may break box office records in its own right, as it would be a trainwreck you couldn't avert your eyes from. But unreal as it may seem, one of these teams is going to the Eastern Conference final. These are the two teams that had opponents saying "man I hope we draw them at some point." No star power, no real success the last decade, hell...one doesn't even have a real home arena.

But now? The Islanders trailed less that five total minutes in their four-game evisceration of the Penguins while the Hurricanes went on the road in a game seven to dispatch the defending champions. Similar to Columbus, the Islanders have had the blessing and curse of kicking their feet up for a full week while Carolina and Washington beat the hell out of each other. But playing their best hockey, did they really want all that time off to lose their mojo? In what will be a much different feeling this round, the Islanders will have no excuses early in the series. They have exponentially more rest and home ice advantage.

They better use it to their advantage. As we saw in round one, Carolina's home fans and atmosphere are nothing to be trifled with. The defending champs looked downright shook as the Hurricanes outscored Washington 12-3 in the Raleigh matchups. The Islanders marched into Pittsburgh and pounded what looked like an uninterested, demoralized Penguin team. No matter the scenario going in, they will enjoy no such luxury in Carolina.

Count me as one that thinks that rest will prevail and that Carolina won't have quite enough in the tank for another grueling series. Additionally, when in doubt you go with the goaltending. Robin Lehner held the Penguins to six total goals in four games. The Islanders will take their first few gut punches and moments of adversity, and the Barclays Center won't quite measure up to Nassau Coliseum. If the Columbus train isn't quite finished, neither is this Long Island little engine that could.

The Pick: Islanders in 7 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

St. Louis Blues (99 points) vs. Dallas Stars (93 points)

Last Round: Blues def. Jets in 6; Stars def. Predators in 6

Stanley Cup Odds: STL 4:1 ; DAL: 9:1

Avengers Parallel: Vision vs. Hawkeye

With the Blue Jackets being so utterly scary in their potential, this series seems to have the "safest" favorite in St. Louis. So if the first round were any indication, the Blues should just start packing their golf clubs now. I can't speak enough of how impressive these teams were in round one, flipping the bird to "home ice advantage" and taking out two of the top contenders entering the tournament.

Now that they're facing off, keep an eye on the goaltending. Dallas' Ben Bishop and St. Louis' Jordan Binnington each give their teams belief they can win any game. With a matchup like that, give me the veteran that has more playoff scars to dwell on. With a west full of upstart teams, I might as well shoot for the moon...because even if you fall short, you still have a place in the Stars.

The Pick: Stars in 6 games

San Jose Sharks (101 points) vs. Colorado Avalanche (90 points)

Last Round: Sharks def. Golden Knights in 7; Avalanche def. Flames in 5

Stanley Cup Odds: SJ 5:1 ; COL 8:1

Avengers Parallel: Drax vs. Winter Soldier

Much like the Islanders/Hurricanes series above, do you prefer the team that's had the rest or the team that's been locked in? The Sharks' game 7 against Vegas will be remembered forever, but at what price? (Warning more disrespect coming:) but surveying the Western teams remaining, the forever-knocking-on-the-door Sharks may finally see their path opening up.

Standing in the way first are the young, "why not us?" Avalanche. Their youth and pep will have to serve them well early in the series, as stealing a game in San Jose will be key to springing the upset. I expect this one to be fun, fast, and probably treat us to multiple overtime games. But in the end, the grizzled vets of the Sharks find enough in their (hehe...) tank.

The Pick: Sharks in 5 games

Enjoy the games!

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019... "We're in the Endgame now."

Three long years since the Islanders qualified for the playoffs.
Two long years since the blog revved its engines.
One long year since Infinity War.

Call it a coincidence; Call it timing poetry; Call it abject laziness. But for better or for worse, the blog is back in business for the greatest playoffs in all of sports. Sixteen teams are back in the show to run the marathon as long as they can. After round one, half of them will be turned to ash and disappear. (fair warning: the puns will get intolerable quickly.) From there, the teams will continue in best-of-seven series all the way to the StanLee (okay, I'll stop) Cup.

The eight first round matchups are tantalizing. In breaking down the series, we'll stay on theme with an Avengers parallel to each team involved. As always, rely on these picks at your own deep, deep risk.

All set? Crank it up to 11, cause I'm ready to Ragnarok.


EASTERN CONFERENCE: 
Tampa Bay Lightning (128 points) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (98 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: TB 2:1 ;  CBJ 40:1
Avengers Parallel: Thanos vs. Captain Marvel
That is not a typo and this is not just over-excitement about the first matchup. There is indeed an undisputed Thanos in this tournament, and of course it's a team in the hockey "hot"bed of Florida. The Stanley Cup odds listed above are utterly unheard of for the NHL playoffs, but the Tamps season has been that ridiculous. Just as Thanos stands alone to take on all comers, the Lightning will be doing the same and are favored against the entire field. Thanos of course needs his Infinity Stones...in this sense they would be goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point (92 points), Steven Stamkos (98) and walking supernova Nikita Kucherov (128!!!!!!!!) They lapped the field in losing just 16 out of 82 games in regulation. When you lose 16 out of 82, can a team really like their chances beating them 4 out of 7? Oy...

Columbus counters with one of the more fascinating storylines in the playoffs. They've had a season as batty as their head coach John Tortorella. Long story short, their two best players (Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovski) are pending free agents that have been...brutally honest that Columbus isn't their cup of tea. As tough as it is to white-flag a season, certainly they would trade these guys for future valuable assets to avoid an Islanders/Tavares situation right?

Much like Nick Fury calling (paging? beeping?) on our girl to save the day at the last second, Columbus went full maniac at the deadline and traded their assets for more upcoming free agents. It's an all-in approach that is sure to be catastrophic for their foreseeable future. 

But in the now? They've clawed their way into the playoffs and are coming plasma-beams-first into...likely a complete slaughter. Even with their new additions Matt Duchene and Alex Dzingel, things haven't come together as planned. But if everything dropped into place for a few-game stretch, the Jackets' frontline talent is drastically atypical for a "last team in" seed. 

The Pick: Lightning in 6 games

Boston Bruins (107 points) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (100 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: BOS 9:1 ;  TOR 16:1
Avengers Parallel: Captain America vs. Thor
This battle would be insane and therefore fitting for this first round bloodbath. With Tampa as the runaway first-place alphateam, the NHL playoff structure has plotted these two on a crash course for several months. Boston's Captain America connection goes back to the "Original Six" of the NHL. With traditional stalwarts Detroit, Chicago, and NY Rangers all not qualifying for the playoffs, Boston is the lone American Original Six squad. Much like Cap got frozen in ice for a few generations, it's a sneaky surprise that the Bruins don't have more than their one championship in the past 30 years. Perhaps it's just so out of ratio with their fellow Boston teams. But with their well-rounded attack of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, and never-going-away Brad Marchand, the Bruins are a nightmare to deal with over a long series.

Admittedly, the Maple Leafs almost got the Winter Soldier label due to the John Tavares bad-guy vibe. But there's far more to the story than that. As an often-bellyaching Jets fan, the idea of the Maple Leafs not having a championship (nor appearance) since 1967 resonates quite deeply. Not that I feel bad. Quite the opposite, actually. But there's a particular scene in Infinity War when Thor recaps to Rocket Raccoon some deep scars he's endured in his long long life and-- WHY-AM-I-TRYING-TO-SUMMARIZE-WHEN-TECHNOLOGYYYYYYYY:

Not to put hockey in the same plane as...well, all that Thor's got going on there. But Toronto wears the failures and losses over the last 50+ years much the same way. With Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and you-know-who operating in front of a ridiculous year from goalie Freddy Anderson, Toronto fans are once again sucked right back in. This series is going to be a classic.

The Pick: Maple Leafs in 6 games  

Washington Capitals (104 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (99 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: WAS 9:1 ;  CAR 28:1
Avengers Parallel: Ultron vs. Rocket Raccoon
Well as far as flying in under the radar, things couldn't have gone much better for the defending champion Capitals. The Lightning have all the attention, while Washington has ho-hummed their way to another division title and a playoff path far more manageable than Tampa's. It's with that in mind that they are Ultron, the once-most-feared enemy of the Avengers that has since...I, I dunno. Is Ultron dead? Is the book closed? Who knows. But in any case, he's fallen out of the spotlight and would reclaim it in a big way if he were able to return. The Caps have several of the same cast of characters that raised a banner to the rafters in the first game this season. A don't-mind-if-I-do-it-again 51 goal campaign from Alex Ovechkin has paced the squad, and Braden Holtby has the playoff pedigree you want in goal. If there ever was such a thing, this may be a defending-champion-sleeping-giant.

The Carolina Hurricanes? Well, much like Rocket, let's just say they like to have fun. I know a 10-minute embedded video is an insult this day and age, but you'll get the gist for however long you choose to enjoy it:

A professional team. Not picked to do a whole lot of anything this year. Recreating the concept of celebration and fan interaction. The season was already a victory getting to this point. And they'll get one victory celebration in their building. They'll need to make that one count...

The Pick: Capitals in 5 games

New York Islanders (103 points) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (100 points)

Stanley Cup Odds: NYI 28:1 ;  PIT 14:1
Avengers Parallel: Ant Man vs. Iron Man
My, my, my. What a long, strange trip it's been. The last 12 months for the Islanders have seen them revitalize the franchise with a new coach and team president; have the wonderful dream come reality with the Belmont arena announcement; have their innards ripped out and splattered in the John Tavares saga; and then take a season that many expected to tank for a draft pick and instead have home ice advantage in the playoffs for the first time in 30 years. It's a plot too ridiculous for even the Marvel universe. And yet, here we are.

The Islanders are Ant Man. They're a hoot. they'll give you a good time. But if you're taking on Ant Man in a fight, let's be honest...nobody is shaking in their boots. Maybe that's just what the Isles want. Ant Man looks like a guy who can be destroyed in 2-3 seconds...only to then have him shrink down and fly up your nose and start internally sabotaging you. And I'm sorry...in Endgame, there is more than meets the eye with this dude. Look at this clip from one of the trailers:

What's goin on?? Widow and Captain America are reacting like the long-awaited savior of the whole universe is at their door! There's more going on than meets the eye. As we left Ant Man, he was caught in something called the quantum realm, where presumably a lot of stuff is going to go down in Endgame. The quantum realm may has well be Nassau Coliseum, as the fans who thought hockey was done in that building are now unimaginably going back for a Game One. Don't take Any Man as a slight. Despite home advantage, the orange and blue are betting underdogs in the series. Just like they're used to. And likely, just like they want to be.

The Penguins come in having won two out of the past three Stanley Cups. Much like Iron Man has the pedigree of so many Marvel Universe movies under his belt, the Penguins roster is littered with playoff savvy and experience. The Penguins are still standing as a contender as some fellow powerhouses over the last decade (Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, etc.) all had down seasons. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Jake Guentzel, etc. completely blow away the Islanders in terms of offensive talent. Matt Murray has overcome some early season disasters and has already proven he can win in the playoffs. 

These two combatants have already "met" once. Despite some early shots, things didn't go well for Ant Man:

The bettors and public alike this series will be much of the same.

The Pick: Islanders in 7 games



WESTERN CONFERENCE: 
(Nick Fury Editor's Note: As always, West previews will be shorter and less insightful that the East. I do not like to pretend I have the familiarity with these teams as much as the East. We have matchups, we'll have fun, with more insight coming in the following rounds as I see the teams play)

Calgary Flames (107 points) vs. Colorado Avalanche (90 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: CAL 10:1 ;  COL 40:1
Avengers Parallel: Scarlet Witch vs. Winter Soldier
Much respect to the Flames. The Lightning have deservedly gotten all the attention, Calgary's +62 goal differential blows away anybody besides Tampa across the whole league. The Islanders played them twice in about a week span this season, and they looked like a complete terror to play against. Fast, pressure the puck, and a balanced attack that includes three 30-goal scorers (Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk.). They may not have sizzle, but they have plenty of steak. It's like in Infinity War where the plan was "hey stay up here and stand watch..." and then when the time comes, oh-by-the-way she can do this:

The Avalanche are an understandably hefty underdog. Their 90 points was lowest across all the playoff teams, and they're alarmingly top-heavy with MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, leading an otherwise bucket of pucks. But hey...Colorado?....Winter Soldier? Total layup. Unfortunately, so will this series.

The Pick: Flames in 5 games

San Jose Sharks (101 points) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (93 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: SJ 10:1 ;  VGK 12:1
Avengers Parallel: Drax vs. Spider-Man
Drax and the Sharks kind of share that teal color scheme, which is an added boost. But there are other parallels as well. I'm not sure if they every talked about it amongst each other, the San Jose's hockey philosophy seems to be right on par with Drax's fighting philosophy. Ask very little questions, dedicate all energy to offense with little regard to defense, and let the cards fall as they may. The offense can score with anyone, but it was a down year for goalie Martin Jones as well as (Elsa and Anna's favorite) backup Aaron Dell. Even still, with those 10:1 Stanley Cup odds, people believe in the team core's pedigree and ability to get over the hump.

Standing in their way are the darlings of last season. Much like how a young kid Spider-Man flew into Captain America Civil War and injected more life and fun into the franchise, the expansion Golden Knights captured the hockey world's imagination with a Cup final run last year. Much of that same roster returns, though they will not be sneaking up on anybody this year. Much like the Islanders, Vegas (still so fun to write that) has a balanced attack without superstar. Perhaps it's fitting they don't have an alpha dog...after all, they may not even bu sure if they're using their real or made-up names.

The Pick: Golden Knights in 7 games

Nashville Predators (100 points) vs. Dallas Stars (93 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: NAS 12:1 ;  DAL 40:1
Avengers Parallel: Star-Lord vs. Hawkeye
Despite hockey being the king of professional sports playoffs, you're going to get a clunker every now and again. Star-Lord vs. Hawkeye (despite Hawkeye having some Ant-Man more-than-meets-the-eye potential based on trailers) is not a battle the masses will particularly care for. And as the odds show, it's one of the lopsided mismatches the first round has to offer. Nashville seemed to have its best chance at the Cup two years ago, bowing out to the Penguins in the final. Many of the same crew returns, anchored by Pekka Rinne. They get the Star-Lord label due to their goofy (yet certainly) passionate home ice advantage. They earned their way to a division title. And, if Rinne decides to wreak havoc, can beat anyone in this tournament.

Dallas, nice to meet ya. If the Stars are going to have a chance in this series, it will begin and end with goalie Ben Bishop. When healthy, his stats have been eye-popping. I'm not sure what's going to happen with Hawkeye in Endgame, but he looks like something drastic has happened to him as a whole. Here's to him having more than a couple arrows to fight with this time around. And here's to  maybe Bishop as the key to taking the supremely underdog Stars on a run.

The Pick: Predators in 6 games


Winnipeg Jets (99 points) vs. St. Louis Blues (99 points)
Stanley Cup Odds: WIN 14:1 ;  STL 14:1
Avengers Parallel: Hulk vs. Vision
Our final first-round matchup brings some serious cheddar of destruction. Those are not typos written above... these two teams have an identical amount of points and identical (quite strong) Stanley Cup odds. Besides the cross-sport color scheme of the football Jets, Winnipeg and the Hulk have plenty of moxy behind them. Any franchise would love to build their team around young talents such as Laine and Scheifele, and beautifully named Connor Hellebuyck is as good as it gets when he is on. The Jets were heavy favorites coming into the season, but maybe some bloom has come off the rose as they failed to win their division. A hot start before a downfall...sound familiar?

The Blues lack the enraged firepower of their Winnipeg counterparts, but should not be taken lightly. Vision is a kind enough, well-spoken fellow once you get to know him. But he's also someone you certainly do not want to cross. He has (er,... had) an infinity stone lodged in his head. Consider that to be the "Defensive Integrity" stone, as their commitment to the backside (no Sir Mix a Lot jokes, please) keeps them afloat in each game they play. Make no mistake about it, the winner of this series is sure to make a serious dent in the playoffs as a whole.

The Pick: Jets in 6 games

Enjoy the first round!

Conor will return in Playoffs, Part II...