2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Getting Hot at the Right Time

Playoff teams jostling for position, bubble teams playing every game like it’s game seven.

This is the most wonderful time of the year for hockey fans. And it’s only going to get better.

Teams like the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Ducks, Stars, and Flames are working their tails off just to get a spot in the tournament. In the East, the top five teams are separated by eight points, and in the West, the Canucks are running away with the top seed and looking like they’ll take home the President’s Trophy this year with the league’s best record.

16 teams will make the playoffs, and there are several paths to take. So the question begs: would teams rather have to play hard down the stretch to earn a playoff spot, or lock up an early berth and gain the luxury of resting some key players over the last few weeks of the season? And just how important (if at all) is it to win the President’s Trophy?

Since the lockout, only the 2007-2008 Detroit Red Wings captured both the President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup. What seems most important is how a team finishes the season. Take a look at the winners of the last five Stanley Cups and their records over their last 20 regular season games:

Year	Stanley Cup Champions	Record over Last 20 Games
2009-2010	Chicago Blackhawks	11-6-3
2008-2009	Pittsburgh Penguins	15-2-3
2007-2008	Detroit Red Wings	12-6-2
2006-2007	Anaheim Ducks	13-3-4
2005-2006	Carolina Hurricanes	9-8-3

Clearly, there is value in playing solid hockey down the stretch of the regular season. With most teams having somewhere around 8-10 games remaining this year, let’s take a look at some of the squads who appear to be finding their form heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Washington Capitals: Since a three-game losing streak in mid February gave Caps fans flashbacks of their odious December (where they went 5-6-3, including a eight straight losses), the D.C juggernaut has gone 14-3, and Alex Ovechkin has rediscovered his scoring touch. The biggest question mark for the Capitals this year (as it seems to be every year) is goaltending. Coach Bruce Boudreau has the Caps playing a much more disciplined defensive style that has taken quite a bit of pressure off their stable of inexperienced and inconsistent netminders, and Michal Neuvirth seems to be the man the Caps will go with in the postseason. The 23-year-old Czechoslovakian boasts more than respectable numbers this year with a .915 save percentage and a 2.46 goals against average. However, with no prior Stanley Cup playoff experience, one is left to wonder if he can handle the pressure of the postseason.

New York Rangers: The Rangers have won five in a row and seven of their last ten. Much of this recent success can be traced back to starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has started each of those last ten games and has been absolutely lights out. Lundqvist has allowed more than three goals only once in the last 13 games. Last night against the Florida Panthers, Lundqvist notched his 10th shutout of the season, matching his career high for whitewashes in a single year. If the Rangers have hopes of making a run at the Cup this year, it will have to be on the back of King Henrik

Vancouver Canucks: With nine games to play, the Canucks have already cemented their place in the postseason. But don’t think for a second that means they have let off the gas. Winners of eight of their last ten, Vancouver leads the NHL in goals scored per game (3.2), power play percent (24.9), penalty kill percent (86.0) and are second in goals against per game (2.3). The Canucks are an absolute force and they are not showing any signs of slowing down.

Nashville Predators: If not for Tim Thomas’ absolutely brilliant comeback season, Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne might be leading the pack of Vezina Trophy contenders. The Predators have allowed the second fewest goals in the league this season (173, second only to Vancouver at 172), and that is largely attributable to the outstanding work of Rinne. In 56 games this season, the Finnish netminder sports an otherworldly .930 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average. With goaltending this good, one would think Nashville is a lock to make the tournament, but the Preds only average 2.5 goals per game, good for 25th in the league. Nashville has yet to see one of its players reach the 20 goal plateau. If head coach Barry Trotz can find a way to get his team to generate even a little more offense, the Predators could make a surprising run in this year’s playoffs.

The stretch run is upon us, hockey fans. Each game means more than the one before it, and once April hits, every moment of every game will be edge-of-your-seat level intensity. This is why we love it. Get ready to enjoy what will definitely be an amazing Stanley Cup playoffs.