No Dead Giveaways in Hockey, Parity Is Alive

Prosports AddictsApr 18, 2010

There is something that I have never seen in my life in when watching playoff Hockey. In the first round of the postseason so far, each series that has already played two games are tied at one game a piece. It's very rare that this happens. There's normally a team or two that is just flat out killing it and looks like they will sweep their opponent. I will glowingly admit, that before the playoffs began, looking at the first round matchups, especially in the East, that there might be some sweeps or some 5 game series. The matchups just looked really out of place. The concensus had the Washington Capitals sweep the Montreal Canadiens, who limped into the second season. An Ottawa Senators team that lost Milan Michalek and Alex Kovalev looked like a team that was going to be roadkill for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. A Philadelphia Flyers squad that was hoping for Brian "Don't call me Bobby" Boucher to turn back to clock to, about, uh, I guess 10 years ago, playing against the New Jersey Devils. Finally, a Boston Bruins team that has been ravaged with injuries on the blueline going against a lead pipe lock in Ryan Miller. The matchups in the East looked lopsided, but after two games, they are as even as you can get.

Right now, I think we all know that the Western Conference is better than the Eastern Conference. There are more well balanced and better structured teams in the Western Conference than in the Eastern Conference. Is it a coincidence of any kind? Who knows. However, so far in the playoffs, the East has had plenty of parity. The Capitals, Penguins, Devils and Sabres haven't been invincible. People just assume that since the Caps and Penguins are taking on teams like Montreal and Ottawa with lackluster offenses, they will roll right past them. No, no, no, that's just not the way it goes. Sometimes, teams like the Caps and Penguins feel bored to an extent, and are just going through the motions, because they assume that it will be a piece of cake in the first round. Even teams like the Hawks and of course the Sharks, who have been well documented for their lack of success, in what some people call, the "Failoffs", seem to go through the motions. I can honestly say that I don't believe these teams try to just go through the motions and be bored, because even the best of teams can be bored. I saw a Detroit Red Wings squad that needed a challenge, a huge challenge. It's always nice to win, but year after year of cruising away to a Central Division title can put you in that trap. The Wings knew this season that they HAD to win late in the season to get into the playoffs. They had something to play for, and I believe the late run they've had through the end of the regular season to the postseason will help them.

Sometimes, a kick in the rear end is necessary for certain teams. For a team like the Caps, if they end up being pushed to the brink, but they win, it might kick a sense of reality into them that they have go out and play harder. People have to realize that the Montreal Canadiens are playing for pride. Teams that are playing for pride can be lethal and hard ass to play against. There is no doubt that talent is necessary to win Hockey games and playoff series and Stanley Cups, but a group of players that play for pride, plus the logo on the front of their jersey, and most importantly, for each other, are teams that can be the most dangerous. You look at the San Jose Sharks. I'm a huge fan of them and the players on that team. They have one of the most talented squads in the NHL. Their problem is that they don't play for each other enough and they don't play with the necessary heart and grit on a constant basis to win. They've literally wasted all the talent they've had over the last few seasons, because of yearly first and second round knockouts. Do I want talent on my team? You sure as hell bet. But the most important thing I want on my team is heart, grit, chemistry and players that will play for each other. You can never put a price tag on attributes as big as those. That's why teams like the Phoenix Coyotes are having the type of success that they're having. They have talent, maybe not Chicago Blackhawk or San Jose Shark talent in the West, but they have every possible little thing that goes a long way. The same goes for the Los Angeles Kings. They play for each other and they have guys like Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown that play the game with heart every single night. Many people in Canada root for the Kings because of that and some of the world class talent they possess. The teams in the playoffs that have endured hardships, like the Coyotes with the ownership saga, the Flyers with their goaltending turnstile & coaching change, and the Red Wings, who had to finally fight for once, to make the playoffs, are the teams that can make a huge run.

Every single year, the Nashville Predators make people scratch their heads. They always stockpile their organization with d-men that go on to have great success in the NHL, and they have goalies that can help them make a run into the playoffs. A team like the Chicago Blackhawks, who have a way better offense and a very good defense, should be able to beat Nashville. However, the Hawks goaltending situation with Niemi can be cloudy off and on. The Hawks aren't the only team that has this problem. A lot of the teams in the West have goalies that are making their first playoff runs. Jonathan Quick, Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, Niemi, and Rinne are guys that are in similar situations. The problem is though, Niemi HAS to be spectacular if the Hawks are going to get past the first round. The Hawks are a team I love to watch. Endless amount of talent on that team. Their top 9 up front is golden. They're a triple threat. Any one of those lines can burn you on any given night. Their defense with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook lead the way for them. If the Hawks get good goaltending from Niemi, they will get to the Finals.

These days in the NHL, with the amount of parity that resembles this league, you don't see 4 game sweeps very, very often. Every team in the playoffs is going to have peaks and valleys through the postseason. Those teams that make deep runs into the Conference and Cup Finals have at least one moment where they look back and they say, "We could have laid down, but we found a way to get past that.". That's what makes the runs that teams make to the Cup even more memorable. You have to bring your A-game every night to have success. Some games will be uglier than others, but the ones who embrace having ugly wins are the ones that will not regret it later on.