The push for the playoffs is not coincidentally the slogan for the NHL over the past two weeks. It can take almost everything out of a team just to make the cut for the postseason. Every night for the last five or six games has been a playoff game. By the time the playoffs actually start, some teams feel the wear and tear of already being through a round of the playoff grind.
Conversely, other teams have cruised into the postseason picture after a strong start gave them a commanding lead. The past few weeks have been more about ironing out chemistry and possibly resting key players for a deep playoff run. In either case, conventional wisdom goes out the window.
Playoff hockey is like no other postseason tournament in professional sports. Home ice? Doesn’t matter. Higher seed? Doesn’t matter. Better roster on paper? Doesn’t matter.
The playoffs in the NHL bring out the most primal and fundamental desires in men. The intangibles that cannot be measured by any statistic are the keys to every Stanley Cup run in history. There are no off nights, and there are no easy games. Focus must be on point for every shift, in every game.
Regular season success is nice, and makes the fans feel good about their team, but it will mean absolutely zero on April 30th when the first playoff puck is dropped. Here are five teams that better bring their “A” game to the first round, or they will be going home early.
5. Chicago Blackhawks
They were the darlings of the regular season with their point streak to start the season. They could finish with the top overall record in the NHL. Ask Vancouver how that worked out last season. The Blackhawks are looking down the barrel of a first round matchup with either Columbus or Detroit. Neither team will be fun for Chicago to play, and both offer different matchup issues. There will be a huge bulls eye on the Blackhawks, and it’s up to their coach Joel Quenneville and captain Jonathan Toews to keep them focused.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
Tuesday night the Penguins welcomed back one of the top players in the world to their lineup, Evgeni Malkin, and promptly ended their seven game winning streak. The Penguins have an embarrassment of riches in the talent department, but need a healthy lineup to get their chemistry right. If the playoffs ended today the Penguins would be matched up against a very talented (but underachieving) New York Rangers team with a goalie in Henrik Lundqvist that can steal a series, not just a game or two.
3. Los Angeles Kings
The NHL has not had back to back champions since the 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings pulled the trick over 15 years ago. There are several reasons for this, the least of which is the parity in the league. There is a certain aura that comes from knocking off the defending champs. The last defending cup champ to even make it past the conference semifinals was the 2009 Red Wings. The Kings have laid low this season after a slow start, but a first round matchup against rival San Jose could be troublesome.
2. Montreal Canadiens
I’ve had a hard time getting on board with Montreal as a legitimate contender. Sure, Carey Price and P.K Subban have been sensational, but the rest of the team has been pretty ordinary. Quick! Name the top five scorers on Montreal's roster, yeah, I didn’t think so. Playoff hockey is more defense oriented, which favors a team like the Habs, but where will they get the clutch scoring from? They have proven me wrong all season so far, but a first round collision with either Toronto (as the 4th seed) or the Ottawa Senators (as the 2nd seed) is a coin flip.
1.Washington Capitals
No team has played better down the stretch, and shown more heart and grit than Adam Oates and his Caps. Alexander Ovechkin reminded us that he is not a washed up night club creeper, but the elite player he used to be. The Capitals have left it all out on the ice over the past two weeks culminating in a division clinching win on Tuesday night. This is the classic, “how much do they have left in the tank” scenario. Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom have been unstoppable lately, but can they keep it going into the playoffs? The Capitals would be lining up against John Tavares and the feel-good New York Islanders in the first round. It will be interesting to see if Washington is just happy to have gotten there, or if they can keep their stellar play going into the playoffs.