The NHL playoffs start Wednesday. Here's a look at some of the important storylines heading into the eight quarterfinal series.
1. Penguins vs. Flyers: The consensus around the NHL probably would be that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and the Philadelphia Flyers are the worst possible first-round opponent for them.
Anyone who saw the nationally televised game between the Flyers and Penguins on April 1 understands that putting these two together in the first round is begging for trouble. That meeting included a 10-minute melee in the third period featuring coaches from both teams screaming at each other. That was triggered by a cross-check to Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and a late-game hit by Joe Vitale on Danny Briere.
NBC analyst Mike Milbury fanned the flames a bit when he made derogatory comments about Crosby and his concussion history, adding that Penguins coach Dan Bylsma should have "taken off his skirt" and challenged Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette. Milbury apologized for the remarks, but his words are now wrapped up in the heated rivalry.
This has the potential to be the best series of the first round.
2. Vancouver goaltending: While Roberto Luongo is unquestionably the Canucks' No. 1 goaltender, his margin of error appears to be the smallest it has ever been in his career. The issue isn't about Luongo playing poorly, or how tough fans are on Luongo in Vancouver. It's about how sharp Cory Schneider has looked this season.
Don't look at Schneider as a backup goalie. View him as an option, a weapon, a potential series-changing athlete who posted a 1.98 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in 33 appearances this season.
In his last six appearances, Schneider has a 1.25 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage.
3. Concussions: The Canucks seem confident that Daniel Sedin will start the playoffs, but there have been enough false starts in concussion comebacks that nothing is for certain. He hasn't played since March 21.
Jonathan Toews' situation seems more uncertain because even though he's skating, he has said he doesn't feel right. Toews hasn't played since Feb. 12, and the Chicago Blackhawks are a different team without him.
With or without Toews, the Blackhawks have offensive firepower. But at 23, Toews is one of the league's more inspirational captains. Remember how well he played for the gold-medal winning Canadian team at the 2010 Olympics? He was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when the Blackhawks won the Cup two years ago. He has 46 points in 46 playoff games.
4. Beware of Ovi: Alex Ovechkin finished 37th in the NHL scoring race, and that makes him the most dangerous 37th-ranked scorer in league history. The question much of this season: What's wrong with Ovechkin? His numbers were down. He was a minus-player. He didn't display the nuclear-powered drive that had previously allowed him to compete for the unofficial title of the league's best player.
But Ovechkin was a force over the final month of the season, scoring 11 goals in his final 13 games. Which Ovechkin will we see in the postseason?
Although Washington's playoff history is unremarkable in recent years, Ovechkin has strong postseason numbers. In 37 career games, he has 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points. He can still drive to the net with the power of a Humvee, and his rocket-like shot gives him the potential to score from anywhere in the offensive zone.
The key to Ovechkin's performance might be Nicklas Backstrom, who is finally back in the lineup after missing almost three months with a concussion.
Even if Ovechkin is at his best, he won't have an easy time attacking the net. Boston's 6-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara is the one defenseman most capable of handling Ovechkin.
5. Erik Karlsson's impact: The New York Rangers' key for subduing the Ottawa Senators' offense is probably to stop their best defenseman, or at least prevent him from continuing his impersonation of Paul Coffey. Karlsson had 19 goals and 78 points, 25 more than the NHL's second-highest defenseman.
If you are looking for reasons why the Senators were better than expected, start with Karlsson's breakthrough season. He's also key to the team's defensive play because his puck skills help the team move the puck out of their zone. Although he takes chances, he has the speed to get back to his defensive position to prevent his team from being hurt by his penchant for risk-taking.
But the Rangers are a gritty, hard-nosed team and they are going to test Karlsson with greater purpose than any opponent has to date. They will undoubtedly punish him for carrying the puck. He is 21, and he weighs 180 pounds. Although Karlsson overall had a great season, he didn't have a goal in his final 11 games. He was a minus-player in five of his last 10 games. Maybe he was getting worn out. Or maybe, he just needed the playoffs to start to re-energize his game. Count on the Rangers finding out which of those statements are true.
6. Devils could be sleeper: By winning the Southeast Division for the first time in franchise, the No. 3 Florida Panthers earned the right to play the No. 6 New Jersey Devils.
The Devils, though, are the best team no one is talking about. They ended the season on a six-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition 22-9. This team is built to play playoff-style hockey.
Boasting three 30-plus goal scorers in Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and David Clarkson, the Devils seem to have better scoring depth than usual. They have eight forwards with 14 or more goals. Although Kovalchuk is always one stride from a breakaway, the Devils aren't the most dangerous team in the playoff pool. But they could be the kind of team that could build on momentum.
7. History against Coyotes: The Phoenix Coyotes should be among the league's most confident teams. They finished with five wins in a row, and 11 in their last 12, to win the Pacific Division. Mike Smith has been as sharp as any goalie in the league.
But the Coyotes also have one of the worst playoff histories in professional sports. The franchise hasn't won a playoff series since 1987, when the team was located in Winnipeg. The Coyotes have lost thirteen playoff series in a row.
This year does seem different for the Coyotes, because they won their division, and they beat Chicago in three out of four meeting this season.
8. Underdog Red Wings: The Red Wings have made the playoffs 21 consecutive seasons and they are always considered among the Stanley Cup contenders.
But they are probably the underdogs this year against the Nashville Predators. First, the Predators have added key players such as Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad down the stretch. Then, proven scorer Alexander Radulov came back from Russia.
The Red Wings are having difficulty scoring goals. Their power play is ranked 22nd.
The question is whether the Red Wings can flick the switch and be powerhouse they have been for two decades?
9. The power of Hitchcock: The St. Louis Blues became one of the NHL's most difficult teams to play against after hiring coach Ken Hitchcock.
He has empowered David Backes the way he empowered Keith Primeau when he was with Philadelphia. Backes was already established a force, but he now seems monstrous some nights in Hitchcock's system.
The arrival of former champions Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott was also important for a team that depends greatly on young talented players, such as T.J. Oshie, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrick Berglund.
10. Deciphering the Rangers' code: No one around the NHL has quite figured what has allowed the Rangers to be consistently good start to finish. Was it 40% Henrik Lundqvist's brilliance in net, 30% John Tortorella's coaching and 30% other factors?
Marian Gaborik is a 40-goal scorer, and he's dangerous. But he doesn't dominate like an Evgeni Malkin or a Steven Stamkos. The defense has played exceptionally, but there's no Chara or Karlsson or Shea Weber on their blue line.
Tortorella keeps them playing at their best all of the time. They block shots. They play prickly defense. . Meanwhile, players like Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan have combined for 18 game-winning goals. The team can't be successful unless most players step up every night. And mostly they have.
The question is whether they can continue to do that in the playoffs, when it becomes even more tiring to play with that level of intensity every game.
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