The first-round series between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings features two teams with decidedly different seasons. Beyond the seeding that have placed the two traditional powers against one another, it is a brutal test for both clubs to see if they are ready for the grind of the playoffs.
The Original Six matchup will showcase the brute force and determination of a veteran Bruins club and the finesse and puck possession of a Detroit team that has been carried by youngsters down the stretch. While Detroit has already welcomed back one of their absentee stars, Pavel Datsyuk, another, Henrik Zetterberg could make an appearance in the later stages of this series.
Boston enters the series relatively healthy, missing only Dennis Seidenberg who was lost for the season months ago to a knee injury. They are the prohibitive favorite to win not only the series, but also the Eastern Conference and possibly the Stanley Cup. Standing in their way first are the curious Detroit franchise, entering the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive year. While the Red Wings have spent much of the past two seasons looking like anything but a playoff team, they showed last season that they are a handful once they get into the second season.
Offense
Patrice Bergeron and the ageless Jarome Iginla pace the Bruins with 30 goals apiece. David Krejci leads all scorers in the series with 69 points, 50 of those coming in the assist department. The lineup doesn’t blow you away on paper, but Boston has five players with over 20 goals and finished third in the league in overall scoring. Depth across the lines has been the key for coach Claude Julien all year.
With all the games lost, the Detroit stats will look a little unbalanced. The leading goal scorer was Calder Trophy candidate Gustav Nyquist with 28, who is also the only Red Wing with over 20 goals. The roster is loaded with veteran scoring talent in Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Daniel Alfredsson and eventually Zetterberg. However, the key to Detroit’s offensive success will be if the youngsters (Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, Tomas Jurco), led by Nyquist, can continue their regular season success.
Defense
This is an area that Boston holds the most obvious advantage. Zdeno Chara is the most dominant defenseman on either roster and his 100-mph shot will be a factor from the point. Torey Krug had a breakout season, while Johnny Boychuk, Dougie Hamilton, Andrej Meszaros keep the B’s deep on the blue line while the sixth spot is up to the whim of Julien.
In Detroit, the rearguards have hardly been immune from the injury bug. Jonathan Ericsson has been ruled out of the series with a broken finger, leaving countryman Niklas Kronwall to contend with the likes of Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl, Danny DeKeyser and Brian Lashoff. While their have been flashed of brilliance from each, outside of Kronwall, none of the Red Wing defensemen have shown much consistency all season.
Goaltending
Tuukka Rask answered any questions regarding his ability to step into Tim Thomas’ shoes. He followed up a remarkable campaign in 2013 with a Vezina caliber 2013-14. He has been arguably the best, most consistent goaltender all year and seems to be getting better.
Jimmy Howard has struggled all year to find his game. At one point Howard looked to be the second best goaltender on the roster. He’ll get the nod as Detroit’s number one, but coach Mike Babcock will have a quick hook if Howard isn’t sharp. Jonas Gustavsson could be a key figure in this series, which ultimately is bad news for the Red Wings.
Special Teams
As dominant as the Bruins have been on offense and defense, their special teams certainly don’t miss a beat. The depth on offense gives Julien plenty of options on the power play while Chara provides the requisite Howitzer from the point. The penalty kill is also solid led by Bergeron, one of the best defensive centers in all of hockey.
The Detroit special teams have been remarkably average. They have had to adjust on the fly all year with revolving personnel, so it should be no surprise that there is inconsistency with the extra man or shorthanded. There is talent on each unit for the Red Wings, and the ability to move the puck is a talent that is shared by the rookies and veterans.
……So how does it end?
This series has the potential to be the best in the first round. Like the Red Wings from a year ago, Detroit snuck into the playoffs under the radar and took out the heavily favored and second-seeded Anaheim Ducks. In the second round, Detroit pushed eventual champion Chicago to the brink of elimination before losing the final three games of their seven game series.
A veteran club like Boston will be ready for a similar team and are well prepared to handle almost everything Detroit can throw at them. This is a better and more balanced series with Datsyuk and Zetterberg closer to 100%, but Boston is more than capable of exposing Detroit’s weakness on defense and in goal. Boston wins in five close games.