Monday, April 11, 2016

The 2016 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1



The National Hockey League (NHL) is about to enter a most interesting time. Eastern and Western Conference teams have played 82 games for the chance to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The season saw teams make miraculous turnarounds in the second half of the season when most wrote them off based on their early win-loss record. Call-ups from the American Hockey League (AHL) to replace injured players made the difference in achieving this positive result. Another impetus for the reversal of fortunes could be that organizations made coaching changes.

There was a sense of suspense as two games that were postponed due to the January snowstorm were played on April 10th, 2016-the day after the season officially ended.  In the first game, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Washington Capitals to win the Pacific Division by one point. Through this victory, the Ducks pushed the Los Angeles Kings out of the top spot.  The second match-up that day featured the New York Islanders, whose loss to the Philadelphia Flyers decided the playoff destiny of not one, but two teams(The Islanders fly to Florida to begin Round 1 while their rival-the New York Rangers- are set to face the Pittsburgh Penguins).    

The alignment from the 2015 bracketing system remains the same as last years’ playoffs. Round 1 is a field of 16 total teams. In each conference, there are two brackets per division as the top three teams earn their way in and wild card entrants are selected based on their record and other factors to face the two division champions. The chance to get into the playoffs pushes the non-guaranteed playoff teams to make every point count.

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will not have any of the 7 Canadian teams in the National Hockey League. Just as the Canadian teams failed to qualify for the playoffs, the Boston Bruins are also missing from the brackets for the second consecutive year.  Here is an overview of the match-ups:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
#1 and Atlantic Division Champions-Florida Panthers
#4 and Metropolitan Division Wild Card 1 of 2- New York Islanders

-In a peculiar case, there are two wild card entrants from the Metropolitan Division. Inserted to this bracket through their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Islanders have a young team that is made up of strong players and AHL call-ups…The Florida Panthers have leadership in veteran presence Jaromir Jagr and a youthful squad of its own.

#2-Tampa Bay Lightning*
#3-Detroit Redwings*

-The Tampa Bay Lightning hold steady in their division slot from the 2014-2015 season and are hoping to capture the Stanley Cup that escaped their grasp last yearDetroit also maintains their playoff ranking from the 2014-2015 season, and are going to be strive to get Pavel Datsyuk one last championship before he retires. 

Metropolitan Division
#1, President’s Trophy winners, and Eastern Conference Champions- Washington Capitals
#4 and Metropolitan Division Wild Card 2 of 2-Philadelphia Flyers

-As the second of the Metropolitan Division Wild Card entrants, The Philadelphia Flyers re-enter the playoff picture and have a tall order ahead of them. They have to overcome the offensive power of a Washington Capitals team led by Alex Ovechkin...Washington has to face a Flyers squad that turned its season around to become a contender.

#2- Pittsburgh Penguins
#3-New York Rangers

-Though their playoff rankings shifted from the 2014-2015 season, these two rivals find themselves matched up in the Round 1 brackets once again…Pittsburgh Penguins are out for revenge as the New York Rangers bested them in the playoffs last year… New York needs to win to maintain their post-season mastery of the hockey team from “the Steel City”.

The Western Conference set-up is primed for a possible repeat as the 2015 champion Chicago Blackhawks are in the playoff picture. There are no Canadian teams in this conference to battle for the richest prize in the NHL, but the state of California is well represented.

Central Division
#1  and Western Conference Champions-Dallas Stars
#4 and Central Division Wild Card 1 of 2 Minnesota Wild*

-The Dallas Stars are now in the post-season conversation with the help of Stanley Cup champion-and former Chicago Blackhawk- Patrick Sharp and the emerging talent Jamie Benn… Minnesota Wild have retained their 2014-2015 ranking and are the first of two wild card teams from the Central Division.

#2-St Louis Blues
#3-Chicago Blackhawks*

 -Chicago’s dynasty was cemented last year when they won the 2015 Stanley Cup Championship.  The Blackhawks do not have Patrick Sharp, but have other key players like Patrick Kane…The St. Louis Blues are missing T.J Oshie, and will have to find others to rely on for offense against the strong Chicago Blackhawks.

Pacific Division
#1 and Pacific Division Champions-Anaheim Ducks*
# 4 and Central Division Wild Card 2 of 2-Nashville Predators

- The Anaheim Ducks maintain their 2014-2015 division standing, defeating the League-Leading Washington Capitals to attain this spot…Nashville challenges Anaheim’s hopes of a championship and could bust brackets with a series win.

#2-Los Angeles Kings
#3-San Jose Sharks

-It is a battle for California as two teams vie for a chance to advance. The Los Angeles Kings come back to the post-season after not qualifying in 2015…For San Jose, the drive to reach the finals has always been there. This team aims high only to fall short in the Western Conference Finals or earlier. 2016 could be their year if they have their offense, defense and goaltending clicking.

Final Thoughts: 1- New York Rangers will be focused on the Stanley Cup after coming so close last year; 2-New York Islanders youth will have to contend with the seemingly ageless hockey skill of Jaromir Jagr if they are to succeed; 3- Tampa Bay Lightning players are out to finish what they started last year.; 4. The denizens of California will have three teams to cheer for this post-season.; 5. The Central Division and Metropolitan Division are going to make an impact in Round 1. 

Round 1 commences Wednesday April 13th, 2016.

*Notates any team whose 2015-2016 standing did not differ from their 2014-2015 ranking.