Flyers, Avalanche trying to hold No. 8 slots
A few teams in each conference, led by the Capitals in the East, have established themselves as leading contenders for Lord Stanley's hardware this season. A few more squads are still desperately trying to force their way into the playoffs. Philadelphia currently holds the No. 8 seed in the East, with the Rangers and Thrashers in pursuit. Colorado is slipping out West, opening the door for Calgary and St. Louis.
Who’s going to win the Stanley Cup? Who knows? There are three or four legitimate contenders in each conference, none of which will get an easy ride in the opening round. That’s hockey in the age of the salary cap.
All we do know is that the Washington Capitals (52-15-12, 15.31 units) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack by clinching the best record in the league. They’re the 4-1 favorites and deservedly so.
Who will face the Capitals in the Eastern quarterfinals? Five teams are in the running for the last three playoff spots in the East, and one of the five is running out of goaltenders.
Bring Back Backlund
The Philadelphia Flyers (39-34-6, -17.21 units) currently hold down that No. 8 seed in the East with three games left to go. It’s a tenuous hold at best. They’re 3-6-1 in their last 10 games since losing starting goaltender Michael Leighton (.918 save percentage) for the rest of the season to a high ankle sprain.
Brian Boucher (.896 SV%) played in all but one of those games, but Philadelphia fans are clamoring for a change, and Johan Backlund is the man they want.
Backlund is a 28-year-old rookie from the Swedish leagues who started the year with the Flyers’ farm team in Adirondack. He made his NHL debut last week against the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving up two goals on 24 shots before leaving the game at the end of the second period with a groin injury. Boucher played the third and allowed two more goals in a 4-1 victory for the Penguins (-175).
If Backlund is healthy, he’ll likely be called upon this week. If not, Swiss League veteran and former NHLer Sebastien Caron could get a start. He’s the seventh goalie to dress for the Flyers this year after signing for the remainder of the season.
Semi-Connolly
The Buffalo Sabres (43-25-10, -5.37 units) have already clinched a spot in the postseason, and they’re on the verge of locking up the Northeast Division title and the Top-3 seed that goes along with it. But they might have to go the rest of the way without two of their top players. Thomas Vanek (23 goals in 69 games) and Tim Connolly (65 points in 73 games) have already missed the past week with “lower-body” injuries – we know it’s his foot in Connolly’s case – and coach Lindy Ruff says he’s uncertain whether either man will see game action before the playoffs.
Buffalo is 2-2 since losing both Vanek and Connolly, dropping the last two games on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs (-104) and the Montreal Canadiens (-111). Next up are the New York Rangers (36-32-10, 22.01 units) on Tuesday night at the HSBC Arena. The first betting odds had the Sabres at -140 with a total of five goals. The road team has won each of their three meetings this season by one goal, and all three games went 'under' 5½ goals.
Predatorial
It’s been a quiet but successful season on the ice for the Nashville Predators (46-28-6, 11.68 units), and they’ll have almost a full complement of players once center Jason Arnott (concussion) returns to duty. That day is expected to be this Wednesday against the Phoenix Coyotes (48-25-6, 9.14 units), who are four points ahead of Nashville for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round.
Arnott (44 points in 61 games) is finally showing signs of slowing down in his 16th NHL season, scoring on just 8.6 percent of his shots, down from 16.8 percent last year. But he’s still one of Nashville’s best players and a former Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.
“I expect him to be pretty good in Phoenix,” coach Barry Trotz told reporters, citing the adrenaline Arnott would feel playing his first game since March 20. The Coyotes have taken two of three from the Predators this season.
A few teams in each conference, led by the Capitals in the East, have established themselves as leading contenders for Lord Stanley's hardware this season. A few more squads are still desperately trying to force their way into the playoffs. Philadelphia currently holds the No. 8 seed in the East, with the Rangers and Thrashers in pursuit. Colorado is slipping out West, opening the door for Calgary and St. Louis.
Who’s going to win the Stanley Cup? Who knows? There are three or four legitimate contenders in each conference, none of which will get an easy ride in the opening round. That’s hockey in the age of the salary cap.
All we do know is that the Washington Capitals (52-15-12, 15.31 units) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack by clinching the best record in the league. They’re the 4-1 favorites and deservedly so.
Who will face the Capitals in the Eastern quarterfinals? Five teams are in the running for the last three playoff spots in the East, and one of the five is running out of goaltenders.
Bring Back Backlund
The Philadelphia Flyers (39-34-6, -17.21 units) currently hold down that No. 8 seed in the East with three games left to go. It’s a tenuous hold at best. They’re 3-6-1 in their last 10 games since losing starting goaltender Michael Leighton (.918 save percentage) for the rest of the season to a high ankle sprain.
Brian Boucher (.896 SV%) played in all but one of those games, but Philadelphia fans are clamoring for a change, and Johan Backlund is the man they want.
Backlund is a 28-year-old rookie from the Swedish leagues who started the year with the Flyers’ farm team in Adirondack. He made his NHL debut last week against the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving up two goals on 24 shots before leaving the game at the end of the second period with a groin injury. Boucher played the third and allowed two more goals in a 4-1 victory for the Penguins (-175).
If Backlund is healthy, he’ll likely be called upon this week. If not, Swiss League veteran and former NHLer Sebastien Caron could get a start. He’s the seventh goalie to dress for the Flyers this year after signing for the remainder of the season.
Semi-Connolly
The Buffalo Sabres (43-25-10, -5.37 units) have already clinched a spot in the postseason, and they’re on the verge of locking up the Northeast Division title and the Top-3 seed that goes along with it. But they might have to go the rest of the way without two of their top players. Thomas Vanek (23 goals in 69 games) and Tim Connolly (65 points in 73 games) have already missed the past week with “lower-body” injuries – we know it’s his foot in Connolly’s case – and coach Lindy Ruff says he’s uncertain whether either man will see game action before the playoffs.
Buffalo is 2-2 since losing both Vanek and Connolly, dropping the last two games on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs (-104) and the Montreal Canadiens (-111). Next up are the New York Rangers (36-32-10, 22.01 units) on Tuesday night at the HSBC Arena. The first betting odds had the Sabres at -140 with a total of five goals. The road team has won each of their three meetings this season by one goal, and all three games went 'under' 5½ goals.
Predatorial
It’s been a quiet but successful season on the ice for the Nashville Predators (46-28-6, 11.68 units), and they’ll have almost a full complement of players once center Jason Arnott (concussion) returns to duty. That day is expected to be this Wednesday against the Phoenix Coyotes (48-25-6, 9.14 units), who are four points ahead of Nashville for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round.
Arnott (44 points in 61 games) is finally showing signs of slowing down in his 16th NHL season, scoring on just 8.6 percent of his shots, down from 16.8 percent last year. But he’s still one of Nashville’s best players and a former Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.
“I expect him to be pretty good in Phoenix,” coach Barry Trotz told reporters, citing the adrenaline Arnott would feel playing his first game since March 20. The Coyotes have taken two of three from the Predators this season.
