2017 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

16 teams entered the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and just 2 remain with the Eastern Conference Champion (and defending Stanley Cup) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Western Conference Champion Nashville Predators. Here's a look at how the two teams got here:

Playoff Matchups to Date:

Eastern Conference:
#1 Washington Capitals defeat WC #2 Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2)
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #3 Columbus Blue Jackets (4-1)
WC #1 New York Rangers defeat #1 Montreal Canadiens (4-2)
#2 Ottawa Senators defeat #3 Boston Bruins (4-2)

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #1 Washington Capitals (4-3)
#2 Ottawa Senators defeat WC #1 New York Rangers (4-2)

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #2 Ottawa Senators (4-3)

Western Conference:
WC #2 Nashville Predators defeat #1 Chicago Blackhawks (4-0)
#3 St. Louis Blues defeat #2 Minnesota Wild (4-1)
#1 Anaheim Ducks defeat WC #1 Calgary Flames (4-0)
#2 Edmonton Oilers defeat #3 San Jose Sharks (4-2)

#1 Anaheim Ducks defeat #2 Edmonton Oilers (4-3)
WC #2 Nashville Predators defeat #3 St. Louis Blues (4-2)

WC #2 Nashville Predators defeat #1 Anaheim Ducks (4-2)

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. WC #2 Nashville Predators

Season Series: Season series tied 1-1-0

Saturday October 22, 2016: Nashville Predators 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 1

January 31, 2017: Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Nashville Predators 2

Players to Watch:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Matt Murray, Phil Kessel, Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson

Nashville: PK Subban, Filip Forsberg, Pekka Rinne, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, James Neal

X-Factor:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

Playoff Leaders:

Goals: Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 9, Filip Forsberg (NSH) - 8
Assists: Evgeni Malkin (PIT) - 17, Ryan Johansen (NSH) - 10
Points: Evgeni Malkin (PIT) - 24, Filip Forsberg (NSH) - 15
Wins: Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 12, Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) - 9
Goals Against Average: Matt Murray (PIT) - 1.35, Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 1.70
Save Percentage: Matt Murray (PIT) - .946%, Pekka Rinne (NSH) - .941%

OT Goals: Jake Guentzel/Chris Kunitz (PIT) - 1, Kevin Fiala/James Neal (NSH)

Prediction: This series has the hype to be one of the best Stanley Cup Finals in recent years, with the high-powered offense of the Penguins going up against the Predators stifling defense. While it seems this series is extremely close and has the potential to go either way, I think the Penguins are going to become the first team since the Red Wings (1997/1997) to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

(PENGUINS IN 7)

Enjoy the Stanley Cup Finals!

Joel Forman

2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview - Conference Finals

And then there were 4! After an exciting second round the Stanley Cup Playoffs is down to just 4 teams, with the Pittsburgh Penguins facing the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Anaheim Ducks squaring off with the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference Finals. Here's a look at the Conference Finals and who I think will be competing for Lord Stanley in 2017:

Playoff Matchups to Date:

Eastern Conference:
#1 Washington Capitals defeat WC #2 Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2)
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #3 Columbus Blue Jackets (4-1)
WC #1 New York Rangers defeat #1 Montreal Canadiens (4-2)
#2 Ottawa Senators defeat #3 Boston Bruins (4-2)

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #1 Washington Capitals (4-3)
#2 Ottawa Senators defeat WC #1 New York Rangers (4-2)

Western Conference:
WC #2 Nashville Predators defeat #1 Chicago Blackhawks (4-0)
#3 St. Louis Blues defeat #2 Minnesota Wild (4-1)
#1 Anaheim Ducks defeat WC #1 Calgary Flames (4-0)
#2 Edmonton Oilers defeat #3 San Jose Sharks (4-2)

#1 Anaheim Ducks defeat #2 Edmonton Oilers (4-3)
WC #2 Nashville Predators defeat #3 St. Louis Blues (4-2)

Prince of Wales Trophy awarded to the Eastern Conference Champion

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #2 Ottawa Senators

Season Series: Ottawa won the season series 2-1-0

December 5, 2016: Pittsburgh Penguins 8, Ottawa Senators 5
January 12, 2017: Ottawa Senators 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
March 23, 2017: Ottawa Senators 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (SO)

Players to Watch:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Jake Guentzel, Justin Schultz

Ottawa: Erik Karlsson, Craig Anderson, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Bobby Ryan

X-Factor:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

Ottawa: Erik Karlsson

Playoff Leaders:

Goals: Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 9, Jean-Gabriel Pageau (OTT) - 7
Assists: Evgeni Malkin (PIT) - 13, Erik Karlsson (OTT) - 11
Points: Evgeni Malkin (PIT) - 18, Erik Karlsson (OTT) - 13
Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) - 8, Craig Anderson (OTT) - 8
Goals Against Average: Craig Anderson (OTT) - 2.49, Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) - 2.55
Save Percentage: Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) - .927%, Craig Anderson (OTT) - .914%

OT Goals: Jake Guentzel (PIT) - 1, Dion Phaneuf/Bobby Ryan/Clarke MacArthur/Jean-Gabriel Pageau/Kyle Turris (OTT)

Prediction: The Senators have been the biggest surprise in the NHL playoffs so far, don't think many people (including myself) gave them a chance to get this far. With that being said, the way the defending champs are playing right now it's hard to see them losing. The Penguins will set out to be the 1st back-to-back Champions since Detroit in 1997/98.

(PENGUINS IN 6)

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl awarded to the Western Conference Champion

#1 Anaheim Ducks vs. WC #2 Nashville Predators

Season Series: Anaheim won the season series 2-1-0

October 26, 2016: Anaheim Ducks 6, Nashville Predators 1
November 12, 2016: Nashville Predators 5, Anaheim Ducks 0
March 7 2017: Anaheim Ducks 4, Nashville Predators 3 (SO)

Players to Watch:

Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, John Gibson, Jakob Silfverberg

Nashville: Pekka Rinne, PK Subban, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi

X-Factor:

Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

Playoff Leaders:

Goals: Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) - 8, Ryan Ellis/Roman Josi (NSH) - 4
Assists: Ryan Getzlaf/Corey Perry  (ANA) - 7, Ryan Johansen (NSH) - 7
Points: Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) - 15, Ryan Ellis/Ryan Johansen (NSH) - 9
Wins: Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 8, John Gibson (ANA) - 7
Goals Against Average: Pekka Rinne (NSH) - 1.37, John Gibson (ANA) - 2.80
Save Percentage: Pekka Rinne (NSH) - .951%, John Gibson (ANA) - .908%

OT Goals: Corey Perry - 2, Jakob Silfvergberg - 1 (ANA), Kevin Fiala - 1 (NSH)

Prediction: This has the making of a fantastic Western Conference Finals, the Ducks haven't been to the Stanley Cup since 2007 and the Predators have never been before. While I think this series could go either way, I like the way Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks are playing right now and have them just edging out the Predators and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

(DUCKS IN 7)

This would have the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals as:

#1 Anaheim Ducks (Western Conference Champion) vs. #2 Pittsburgh Penguins (Eastern Conference Champion)

Conn Smythe Trophy Watch:

1. Erik Karlsson - 2 goals/13 points

2. Marc-Andre Fleury - 8 wins/1 shutout/2.55 GAA/927 Save %/3 Assists

3. Pekka Rinne - 8 wins/2 shutouts/1.37 GAA/951 Save % 

4. Ryan Getzlaf - 8 goals/15 points

5. Evgeni Malkin - 5 goals/18 points

6. Jakob Silfverberg - 7 goals/11 points/OT Goal

7. Sidney Crosby - 4 goals/14 points

8. Craig Anderson - 8 wins/1 shutout/2.49 GAA/914 Save %/1 Assist

9. Jake Guentzel - 9 goals/14 points/OT Goal

10. Ryan Ellis - 4 goals/9 points 

Joel Forman

Stanley Cup Playoff Notes - The Dominance of Ryan Getzlaf

With the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Plays well underway, there's been several big storylines across the NHL making headlines. We all know about Sidney Crosby's concussion (http://formanfaceoffnhl.blogspot.ca/2017/05/my-two-cents-on-sidney-crosby-injury.html), the rise of the Predators and the return of relevant hockey in Edmonton, but if you're looking for the guy playing the best hockey in the NHL right now look no further than Ducks Captain Ryan Getzlaf. For those that know me, I've been a massive Ryan Getzlaf fan since he got to the NHL, in fact I consider him my favourite non-Avalanche player. Fresh off his monstrous 4-point game last night in Edmonton, this post will take a look at Getzlaf's 2016/17 season including a dominant 2nd-half resurgence.

Career Stats:

2016/17 Season:

After winning Gold with Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey in September (3rd gold since 2010, Olympics 2010/2014), Getzlaf came into the season ready to prove people wrong after another year of playoff failure. Four straight years the Ducks lost on home ice in game 7 in the playoffs, which inevitably lead to the firing of Bruce Boudreau and re-hiring of Randy Carlyle last summer. It's been well noted Getzlaf's close relationship with Carlyle and many felt that he had a big role in Randy returning to Anaheim, the place both won the Stanley Cup back in 2007.

While many people questioned the firing of Boudreau, Getzlaf was ready to prove people wrong and he started the season on a roll with 8 points in his first 6 games and 10 points in his first 12 games. The Ducks however were finding it hard to string together wins and scoring was a big issue, with Getzlaf scoring just 5 goals over his first 35 games (29 points over that stretch). While he's never been much of a goal-scorer, Getzlaf faced a lot of scrutiny over the first half of the season (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/getzlaf) and many people felt he was past his prime.

As soon as the calendar switched to 2017, something changed in both Getzlaf and the Ducks game and the player that people were starting to write off began to show flashes of brilliance again. He started January on a 5-game point streak, with 2 goals and 9 points in 10 games in the month. Things really took off for Getzlaf following the NHL Trade Deadline, and a big part of that was the Ducks acquiring Patrick Eaves from the Stars.

Eaves was paired with Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell upon arriving in Anaheim and the line has been one of the best in the NHL since, with Getzlaf driving the production. Post trade-deadline Getzlaf had 4 goals and 27 points over his final 18 games, leading the Ducks to their 5th-straight Pacific Divsion title. After just 5 goals and 29 points over his first 35 games, Getzlaf finished the season with 15 goals and 74 points in 73 games.

2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Getzlaf has always been a playoff performer in his 11-year NHL career, with 99 points in 104 career playoff games coming in. The Ducks demolished the Flames in 4-games in round one, with Getzlaf scoring in 3 of 4 games and putting up 5 points in the series. The Flames seemed to have no match for Getzlaf at center, but perhaps what was so impressive was the shot-first mentality the regularly pass-first Getzlaf showed in the series.

He has shown no signs of slowing down in the 2nd round, with the Ducks currently tied 2-2 against the Oilers in a back-and-forth thrilling series. In 4 games in the series, Getzlaf has 4 goals and 8 points, bringing his playoff total to 7 goals/13 points in 8 games. He sits 2nd in the playoffs in goals (Silfverberg/Guentzel 8) and points (Malkin 16), including notching 5 multi-point games and goals in 6 of 8 games.

With his spectacular 4-point performance, Getzlaf passed Ducks legend Teemu Selanne for the most playoff goals (36) in franchise history. His 112 points are also a Ducks playoff record, and he's matched his single-playoff high with 7 goals. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the 31-year old Getlzaf is the minutes he is logging, leading all current forwards with 23:06 per-game including leading all skaters in that Ducks/Oilers game last night with 25:56 icetime (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, +4, 3 shots, 2 hits, 1 block)

If you haven't seen much of the Ducks/Oilers series, I highly recommended tuning in to the remainder of the series which is basically a best two-of-three at this point tied 2-2. The momentum swings in this series have been thrilling to watch, and it's been the best series of the 2nd round so far. Connor McDavid is worth watching this series by himself, but it's been the play of Ryan Getzlaf that's been turning heads. While there are many suitable (early) candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy, the way Getzlaf is playing he leading the pack currently. Here are my current Conn Smythe Trophy favourites:


Early Conn Smyth Trophy Favourites:

1. Ryan Getzlaf - 7 goals/13 points
2. Pekka Rinne - 7 wins/2 shutouts/1.33 GAA/.953 Save %/2 assists
3. Marc-Andre Fleury - 7 wins/2.39 GAA/.935 Save %
4. Evgeni Malkin - 4 goals/16 points
5. Erik Karlsson - 1 goal/8 points
6. Henrik Lundqvist - 5 wins/1 shutout/2.04 GAA/.935 Save %
7. Jake Allen - 5 wins/2.05 GAA/.936 Save %
8. Jake Guentzel - 8 goals/12 points/OT Goal
9. Cam Talbot - 6 wins/2 shutouts/2.62 GAA/.916 Save %
10. Jakob Silfverberg - 8 goals/9 points/OT Goal

Honourable Mention: Ryan Ellis - 4 goals/9 points


The Ducks Captain has come a long way since winning the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2007, 10 years later he's playing some of the best hockey of his career. On last night's broadcast Craig Simpson called Getzlaf very "Mark Messier-like," in his willingness to lay everything on the line come playoff time. I highly suggest you watch #15 if you haven't had the chance, he seems unstoppable every time he takes the ice!

Joel Forman

My Two Cents on the Sidney Crosby Injury

After a thrilling opening few weeks of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the hockey world took a dark turn last night in the Washington/Pittsburgh series with the injury of Sidney Crosby. From Penguins to Capitals to general hockey fans, the hockey world is fuming right now and it's become the biggest story of the playoffs. If you have been living under a rock for the past 24 hours and somehow haven't seen it, here is the injury:

After taking a good amount of time to study the video, I've broken this down into three sections that have a big impact on this play and the resulting concussion for Sidney Crosby:


1) Sid's Concussion History

Before I talk about the hit itself, I think it's important to talk about the result of the hit first with Crosby getting his 2nd concussion of the season. It's been well-documented over the years the struggles Sidney Crosby has had with concussions, suffering at least 4 since he entered the league 12 years ago. Crosby had two concussions in 2011: hits from Dave Steckel and Victor Hedman 4 days apart in January (hard to know if he was concussed both times) causing him to miss the last 41 games of the season. Crosby returned in November of 2011, but played just 8 games before he suffered a second concussion from a David Krejci hit. He would return in March but play only 16 more games in 2012, totalling 101 missed games in two-year span.

The hockey world was crushed without Crosby, by far the best player on the planet, as he sat on the sidelines for what seemed like eternity. Since those original concussions, Crosby has returned to top form and been the elite player that everyone expects. He suffered a 3rd concussion in training camp and missed the preseason + 6 games to start the year, but was able to again return to top form leading the NHL with 44 goals this season. Here's a look at the two concussion's Sid suffered earlier in his career:

2) Ovechkin slash/slew-foot

Lost in all this mess is the fact that Alex Ovechkin played a huge role in the Sidney Crosby injury. If you look at the slow-motion replay (https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status) Ovechkin initially slashes Crosby on the elbow and his stick ramps up and hits Crosby a second time in the back of the head. Finally, you can see Ovie take out the back of Crosby's left skate with his own foot, causing Sid to lose his balance into the Niskanen hit.

In my opinion, Ovechkin is much more viscous with the slash/slew-foot than Niskanen was, and likely Niskanen getting 5-and a game distracted everyone from Ovechkin on the play. Had Ovechkin not taken Crosby out the Niskanen hit likely doesn't happen, and I think the Deparmtent of Player Safety missed out by only reviewing Niskanen's actions and not Ovechkin's as well.


3) Niskanen hit

The Niskanen hit is the toughest part of the play to judge, the Penguins think it was deliberate by Niskanen and the Capitals think it was just a hockey play. I'm in the middle of that spectrum: while the hit might have been the blow that concussed Sid, I don't think he intended to injure Sid on the play. Yes Niskanen does get him in the head, but it's as Crosby is falling and tough to make it seem deliberate as Pens writer Rob Rossi put it (https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/pittsburgh-columnist-wants-ovechkin-banned).

As someone who has suffered 3 concussions in my own hockey career, I'm not a fan of any head shots all together and thus regardless if it was intentional or not Niskanen still gets Crosby illegally. Niskanen got a 5-minute major and game misconduct for the play, but will not face any suspension for the hit, and I think the justification that it was unintentional helped that decision. Niskanen used to be Crosby's teammate so I doubt he would try to hurt him intentionally, but it was certainly an unfortunate play for both players.


My Takeaways:

1. It's a real shame that Crosby has another concussion, the fact of the matter is 4 in 12 years is far too many for the best player on the planet. The NHL needs to do a better job of protecting its stars and Crosby is the poster child for that. In my opinion, the NHL needs to take a serious look at banning head shots all together.

2. I'm okay with the Department of Player Safety deciding not to suspend Niskanen, but I think they made the mistake of not reviewing Ovechkin's role in the injury. Had Ovechkin not slashed him/taken his foot out the Niskanen hit likely doesn't happen, and in my opinion Ovie deserved a 1-2 game suspension.

3. What has really pissed me off about this entire situation is the amount of Crosby-haters out there justifying this as a clean hockey play or happy that he's hurt. Crosby has always been one of the most hated players since getting to the NHL, but he has come along ways since his "Crosby Crybaby" days and doesn't deserve the same treatment he got earlier in his career. It's one thing to defend the Niskanen hit, I completely understand that point of view from fans that he was falling and it wasn't intentional. But there are far too many people calling it a clean hit solely for the fact that they don't like Crosby and nothing else. You see people on Twitter/Facebook calling it "karma" for his slash on Methot/O'Reilly earlier in the season, even though the events are completely unrelated. Yes those were bad plays by Sid, but fans seem to imply he gets away with everything and nothing happens to him even though Sid takes more slashes, hacks and wacks then any player in the NHL. Hate a player or team all you want, but you should never wish an injury on any player in the league and most certainly shouldn't celebrate it either. The fact of the matter is this:

THE NHL IS A BETTER PLACE WHEN SIDNEY CROSBY IS ON THE ICE

Joel Forman