Since the date was announced a few weeks ago, I’ve been counting down the days until April 11th. What is so special about April 11th, you may ask? Bruce Jenner speaking in Blackman? Nope. Hitting the three-day mark before Nelly plays at Matthews? Ok, maybe, but April 11th has been marked in my calendar as the start of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a die-hard Bruins fan and overall hockey fanatic, the 2011 playoff season is surely a hard one to top, but with this year’s first-round matchups set and underway, there’s no doubt that the 2012 playoff stretch will be one to remember. Whether you’re a die-hard hockey lover, a casual fan, or completely oblivious to the fact that the playoffs have even started, playoff hockey is fast, exciting, and fun for anyone to watch. No matter what team you’re rooting for, if you’re planning on tuning in to this season’s run towards the cup, here are a few key facts to know to help you enjoy the games and cheer on your team!
For those who may not know, the NHL is divided into conferences––Eastern and Western––and then 3 divisions within each conference. The top 8 teams in each conference (who finish with the most points at the end of the season) make the playoffs, with the top 4 getting home ice. For playoff seeding purposes, the teams that finish first within their divisions, automatically get ranked #1, #2, and #3 in their conference, and the remaining 5 teams with the most points rank #4 through #8. Now that you know how the teams are paired up, read on to get the scoop on each team and first-round series!
Eastern Conference Matchups
#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators
While the Rangers and Senators don’t have much of a storied rivalry headed
into this series, this’ll definitely be one to watch. For the first time in many years, the Rangers have been a dominant force in the NHL, being favored by many to win the Stanley Cup. However, Ottawa won 3 out of 4 games against the Rangers during the regular season, and definitely won’t go down without a fight! Northeastern junior and Rangers fan Brittany Miller predicts, “as long as their first line can keep up the scoring and Henrik keeps up the Vezina worthy performance he’s put up all year, the Rangers are capable of beating anyone.”
Players to watch: Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist; Rangers forward, Derek Stepan; Senators center, Jason Spezza; Senators defenseman, Erik Karlsson
#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals
With an unexpected turn of events in the final days of the regular season, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins wound up facing the Capitals in the first round, a team with plenty of talent who almost fell short of a playoff spot at all this season. Says Caitlin Farrell, HC Branch Manager and Capitals fan, “we have a tendency to do well in [the] regular season and then blow it when it comes to [the] post-season, so I hope we really bring it this year!” Washington will definitely be hungry for some early wins and to prove their critics wrong, while Boston has the ever-lingering target on their backs as the team to beat from last season.
Players to watch: Capitals forward, Alex Ovechkin; Capitals Center, Nicklas Backstrom; Bruins goaltender, Tim Thomas, Bruins forward, Benoit Pouliot
#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils
The Panthers are this year’s Cinderella story, finishing 3rd in the conference after having missed the playoffs entirely for the last ten years, what seems like ages to Florida fans. While the Devils may have the bigger names on their roster and amassed more points over the regular season than Florida, they’re coming into this series as the underdogs looking to knock off a motivated up-and-coming Panthers team.
Players to watch: New Jersey goaltender, Martin Brodeur; New Jersey forward Ilya Kovalchuk; Panthers forward, Stephen Weiss; Panthers forward, Kris Versteeg
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers
While these two teams may share a state, they definitely don’t share any love, and they’ll be sure to show it when they take the ice. With former Pens Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot now on the Flyers roster, emotions will certainly be running high. With a team full of high-scoring superstars, the Penguins are favored by many to win the Stanley Cup, but the Flyers are a gritty, physical team that definitely won’t go down without a fight.
Players to watch: Penguins forward Evgeni, Malkin; Penguins goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury; Flyers forward, Jaromir Jagr; Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov
Western Conference Matchups
#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
With the Canucks coming off a game-7 loss to Boston in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, they’ll certainly be on the hunt for a cup of their own and won’t make it easy on the Kings squad. With their talented roster and past playoff experience, Bruins fan and HC designer Kelsey Thorn thinks “it’s a given that the Canucks will move forward to the next round.” Despite the odds being in their favor, the ‘Nucks have to get past phenom Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, which based on his performance so far this season, won’t prove to be an easy feat.
Players to watch: Canucks forwards, Henrik and Daniel Sedin; Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider; Kings goaltender, Jonathan Quick; Kings center, Mike Richards
#2 St. Louis Blues vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
Yet another Cinderella-like story is the St. Louis Blues, a team who seemed to come out of nowhere this season and take the league by a storm. Despite finishing 2nd in the western conference and garnering attention from all over the hockey world, the Sharks have the upper hand when it comes to past playoff experience. This one will come down to youthful talent versus veteran experience in what’s sure to be a fun and fast series.
Players to watch: Sharks center, Joe Thornton; Sharks forward, Joe Pavelski; Blues goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott
#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Despite having home ice advantage and being favored in the standings, the ‘Yotes won’t have an easy task in taking down the Chicago Blackhawks. With a recent Stanley Cup under their belt, the Blackhawks, despite their struggles, have a young and talented, while also experienced, roster that will work to their advantage in the playoff season. Phoenix has had a fantastic bounce-back season however, and finished 3rd in the west for a reason.
Players to watch: Coyotes forward, Shane Doan; Coyotes defenseman, Keith Yandle; Blackhawks forward, Patrick Kane; Blackhawks goaltender, Corey Crawford
#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
In a somewhat unexpected flip-flopped series of sorts, the higher-seeded Predators take on the Hockeytown dynasty Detroit Red Wings who sit this year in the unfamiliar 5-spot. The Preds have had a great surge of success this season, feeding off their goaltender Pekka Rinne’s phenomenal year. Nashville has faced Detroit 3 out of 8 times in their previous postseason berths, but the experienced and talented Red Wings will sure to prove a tough battle for the Preds.
Players to watch: Predators goaltender, Pekka Rinne; Predators center, Paul Gaustad; Detroit forward, Pavel Datsyuk; Detroit defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom
**HC goes NHL! Former University of Maine hockey player and UMaine Campus Celebrity, Gustav Nyquist now plays for the Red Wings!
And there you have it, your first-round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs! For the full schedule and bracket, check out nhl.com. Questions or comments? Tell us below who you’ll be rooting for and how you’ll be celebrating your team’s victory!
Photos courtesy of prohockeytalk.com, bigmouthsports.com, canada.com, zimbio.com, faceoffhockeyshow.com, nhl.com, fiveforhowling.com