NHL Playoffs: Back To The Crystal Ball For Western Conference Picks

By WAYNE REDSHAW

   It’s been a longtime since a Canadian-based team won the Stanley Cup. In fact, the last time a Canadian squad drank bubbly from the Cup was 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Coincidently, that was the same year that Gary Bettman became the Commissioner of the National Hockey League.

  Since then the Cup has been owned by American-based teams. Five times, a Canadian team qualified for the finals but finished on the losing side of the ledger. Twice, the Vancouver Canucks made it to the finals losing in seven games both times, first to the New York Rangers in 1994 and then to the Boston Bruins in 2011.

   Calgary Flames made it to the finals in 2004 only to lose to Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. The others were the Ottawa Senators, who lost in five games in 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens who bowed out to Tampa Bay in five games in 2021.

   With the playoffs just underway hockey buffs are wondering can a Canadian team finally end the lengthy Cup drought? There are four Canadian teams who qualified for playoffs — the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference and the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference.

    Of course, before the finals there are three rounds to be played. Here in Part Two are my fearless predictions on the four opening rounds of Western Conference playoffs.

Golden Knights vs Stars.

     The defending Cup champs the Vegas Golden Knights finished in the second wild card spot in the West so they they have drawn the top seed in the Dallas Stars. Last year Vegas advanced to the finals by  disposing of the Stars in six games in the Conference final.

  I feel the Stars are vastly improved over last year so they should dethrone the champions. They have great depth and quality goaltending, especially with Jake Oettinger. Offensively, the Stars are loaded with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Matt  Duchene, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski who can deliver.

  The Golden Knights were hard hit with injuries this season and it showed on the ice. Captain Mark Stone missed the final 26 games because of a lacerated spleen. He’s skating but whether he’s 100% for this series  is questionable. And the Knights encountered other injury woes with Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo all missing from the lineup during the season.

   Besides the injuries, I am not impressed with the Vegas goaltending duo Logan Thompson and Adin Hill.

Prediction: Stars in five games

Avalanche vs Jets

   The Colorado Avalanche slumped down the homestretch while the Winnipeg Jets finished the regular season in style winning eight in a row. The Jets also won all three games over the Avs  and outscored them 17-4.

  For that reason, I am picking the Jets. However, it won’t be easy. The playoffs are different from the regular season so I won’t be surprised if this series goes the limit.

 The difference maker in the series will be between the pipes and I like the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck. I am simply not sold on the Colorado goaltending. The Avs are fortunate to have Cale Makar, one of the best all-round blue liners in the league.

  Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen should make it an interesting series. However, the Jets have Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Tyler Toffoli and Josh Morrissey to answer the bell for them.

  This should be an exciting series from start to finish and don’t be surprised if overtime is necessary for a few games.

Prediction:  Jets in seven games.

Kings vs Oilers.

   The first couple months into the regular schedule the Edmonton Oilers were a joke despite having a talented lineup. Fortunately, management stepped in, saw the problem and made a coaching change.

  The Oilers were a completely different team after the change. They started scoring and winning and there’s no reason it can’t continue into the playoffs against the Los Angels Kings. It is the third showdown between the two clubs in the playoffs with the Oilers winning the first two.

   Former Leaf Zach Hyman had a banner year for the the Oilers potting 54 goals. And with Connor McDavid at the controls the Oilers should have no problems putting away the Kings. McDavid also has an excellent supporting cast with the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and  Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse on the bluline.

   The Kings have some scorers with Trevor Moore (31), Kevin Fiala (29), Adrian Kempe (28) and Ange Kopitar (26). They just don’t have enough depth to match the Oilers.

  Prediction: Oilers in five games.

Predators vs Canucks

     Vancouver Canucks won the Pacific Division for the first time since 2013 and hosted a playoff game Sunday for the first time in nine years. They qualified for the playoffs in 2020 but due to Covid all Western Conference games were played in Edmonton with no fans in attendance.

    This series will feature two quality defencemen with the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes and the Predators’ Roman Josi. Quinn led all defencemen in the NHL with 92 points on 17 goals and 75 assists. Josi ranked third with 85 points which included a league leading 23 goals.

  J.T. miller led the Canucks scoring compiling 103 points on 37 goals and  66 assists. Brock Boeser was the Canucks’ top sniper with 40.

   The Predators earned the first wild card in the west thanks to a 18-game point streak from February 16 to March 28. In that streak they went 16-0-2.

    Filip Forsberg led the Preds offensively with 48 goals and 46 assists for 94 points followed by Josi with 85.

   Goaltending appears to be pretty even with Thatcher Demko likely to go the distance for the Canucks and Juuse Saros for Nashville.

  Prediction: Canucks in seven games.

   (Wayne Redshaw covered the NHL and was named a Life Member of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in 1987).

Rick Jeanneret, Buffalo Sabres Legendary Broadcaster, Gifted With ‘Passion, Energy And Talent’

By WAYNE REDSHAW

  The sports world lost an icon and I lost a personal friend Thursday night, August 17.

   Rick Jeanneret, the voice of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, passed away following a two-year battle with multi-organ failures. He was 81.

    For more than five decades, Jeanneret was the voice of the Sabres, first on radio starting October 10, 1971, then on television in 1995 replacing the late Ted Darling. His last game was April 29, 2022 when Buffalo edged the Chicago Black Hawks in overtime.

Jeanneret calling a game for legions of Buffalo Sabres fans. /Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame archives.

   Jeanneret was well-known and celebrated around the NHL for his exciting, colourful  and unconventional calls. In fact, you could say he was the narrator of some of Buffalo’s greatest hockey memories. 

   The one that sticks out most in my mind was “May Day! May Day! May Day!” in 1993 when Brad May scored the game-winner in overtime at Memorial Auditorium to earn Buffalo a 6-5 victory and gave them a four-game sweep over the Boston Bruins marking their first series conquest in 10 years. I was covering that game but I have heard and seen replays of Jeanneret’s call of that goal a hundred times if not more over the years.

  He also had some other great lines over his illustrious broadcasting career. For example, when a Sabre put the puck in the top corner of the net Jeanneret would add “top shelf where mama hides the cookies.”

Then he had a knack of stretching out some player names. When defenceman Phil Housley would make an outstanding play on the blueine Jeanneret would come out with “woowwee Housleey.” Then there was centre Pat LaFontaine in the 1990s and when he scored Jeanneret broke out with “La-la-la-la-la-LaFontaine scores”.

Sometimes a game may have been boring listening to it on radio or watching on television but somehow Jeanneret with his passion, energy and talent had a way to make every game he broadcast sound exciting. He was an outstanding broadcaster and had an extremely high following not only in Western New York but in Southern Ontario during the 51 years he was the voice of the Sabres.

He was born in St. Catharines and got into broadcasting working as early morning disc jockey at CJRN Radio in Niagara Falls. He actually fell into hockey by accident.  The regular play-by-play man for the Niagara Fall Flyers Junior “A” Club was sidelined with illness and Jeanneret was asked to fill-in. He did and never looked back. It was just the beginning of a legendary career. He joined Buffalo in just their second year of existence in the NHL.

It was 1971 that I got to know Rick while covering Sabre games at the Aud. I had heard him a few times on his morning show on CJRN but never crossed paths until I met him in the press box. And when I went on some road trips to Montreal, Quebec City, Boston, New York, Long Island and Chicago to name a few stopovers, that is where I really got to know Jeanneret as the media hung out together when on the road. Rick was a fun guy to be with and a barrel of laughs.

I have a number of fond memories from the road trips but one I will never forget is a trip to Quebec City. The Sabres got whipped 6-0 by the Nordiques. As I was packing up my gear in the press box Rick came up and said to me: “Weiner (that was my nickname) why don’t we take a taxi to the airport instead of waiting for the bus because Scotty (Bowman) Is going to be pretty ugly after this showing.” I agreed so the two of us shared a taxi to the airport. We cleared customs and were told our charter plane was ready to board so we did.

  Once on the plane Rick asked the stewardess if she would serve us some beer while we waited for the team bus to arrive. She replied: “Sir, I can’t serve you beer until we are in the air. It’s regulations.” Rick replied: “Aw, come on, this is different. This is a charter flight and the two of us are waiting for the team to arrive.” She finally gave in and said “okay, what would you like?” Rick turned and said: “Six for Weiner and six for me.”

 We didn’t get the six each but we did get a couple each to quench our thirst and drown out the 6-0 beating. By the way, as I recall, that flight home was pretty quiet all the way to Buffalo.

  Jeanneret was a character but a master at his job. He achieved the NHL’s highest broadcasting honour in 2012 when he was named winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. During that induction ceremony the “May Day, May Day, May Day” was replayed which was most fitting.

In addition to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Jeanneret has been inducted into: the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Terrace Bay, ON Wall of Fame. He is also an honorary inductee into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2022 before he officially retired Jeanneret was honoured by the Sabres when a banner bearing his initials “RJ” was hoisted to the rafters of the team’s Key Bank Center arena. He is just one of 11 individuals to be bestowed that honour. That list includes: former owners Seymour H. Knox III and Northrop B. Knox and alumni: Gilbert Perrault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Tim Horton, Danny Gare, Pat LaFontaine, Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller.

  It was quite a tribute but indeed most deserving. After all, Rick Jeanneret has left a lasting impression on Sabre land.

(Wayne Redshaw covered sports in Niagara for over 60 years and covered the Buffalo Sabres for over 40 years. In 2000 he was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.)

NHL Playoffs: Round 2 Predictions

Our fearless scribe consults his crystal ball for a look at what may be ahead

By WAYNE REDSHAW

 Is an All-Canadian Stanley Cup final on the horizon this year? The way things are shaping up, it could become a reality in June.

And it is all because a couple of the favourites — the record-setting Boston Bruins and the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche — were knocked out in the opening round.

With both the Bruins and the Avalanche suffering game seven defeats on home ice over the weekend, that enhanced the chances of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers meeting head on in the finals.

If that were to happen, it would mark the first All-Canadian final since 1989 when the Calgary Flames emerged victorious over the Montreal Canadiens in six games.

  Since 1968 when the National Hockey League opened the floodgates with expansion, the only other year two Canadian-based teams squared off in the Cup finals was 1986 with Montreal topping Calgary in five games.

 Of course for both the Leafs and Oilers to get to the Cup finals, they face a couple hurdles beforehand. In other words, two more rounds before the finals but the path for both is a little easier with the Bruins and the Avalanche no longer in the picture.

  Before I begin predicting the second round, I will briefly recap round one. I finished five-for-eight which isn’t bad looking at my track record over the years. Besides Boston and Colorado, my only other blemish was the Winnipeg Jets.

  So now, here’s my fearless forecast for round two.

WESTERN CONFERENCE  

Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights

  Too bad these two teams have to square off in this round as it would have made a great conference final. But that’s how the cookie crumbles.

  Edmonton took seven of the eight points up for grabs during the regular season but Vegas finished first in the Pacific Division with 111 points, two ahead of the Oilers to earn home ice advantage in this series.

  The Oilers’ big guns — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — have to be firing on all cylinders for Edmonton to take this series. The supporting cast in the likes of Evander Kane, Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, Nick Bjugstad, Darnell Nurse and Matthias Edholm have to deliver too. Bouchard was a pleasant surprise on the blueline and chipped in with two goals and eight assists in the opening round.

   The key for the Knights is to stay out of the penalty box as the Oilers power play is potent scoring nine times with the man advantage against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.

    Don’t expect the Golden Knights to just roll over. They have a potent offence too with Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Brent Howden and Chandler Stephenson providing the spark. I also like the way the Knights defence moves the puck around in their end.

    In goal Vegas went with 30-year-old Laurent Brossoit in the series against Winnipeg Jets and he did an admirable job. The Oilers went with Stuart Skinner, a rookie at 24. He was briefly lifted for Jack Campbell in one game. Both netminders lack playoff experience  but both survived opening round jitters. I give a slight edge here to the Oilers.

 Prediction: The Oilers in seven games.

Seattle Kraken vs Dallas Stars

   I didn’t give the Kraken much of a chance against the defending Cup Champion Avalanche and they shocked me dethroning the champions in seven games. So can the second-year club pull off another upset against the Dallas Stars? Frankly, No! It is not in the cards.

    The Kraken will be on a high note heading into this series. The biggest question is will they have enough fuel in the tank to advance to the third round?

  I just think the Stars have more strengths than the Kraken. It starts between the pipes with Jake Oettinger who stymied the Minnesota Wild in the first round.

   Philipp Grubauer played all seven games for the Kraken and got them to the second round. He was busy that series facing a total 231 shots.

 I don’t feel Seattle has enough depth to advance. They did an excellent job killing penalties in the first round allowing only two power-play goals in 18 chances. They lost their top scorer, Jared McCann, early in the first round and the Kraken survived. McCann’s absence is a big hole to fill for this round.

    Dallas has too much firepower with the likes of Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment in the lineup.

  The Stars have better balance in all departments over the Kraken. The Kraken will win one game but two would be considered grand theft.

  Prediction: The Stars in five games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

 New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes

    The New Jersey Devils are just coming off a tough seven-game series with the New York Rangers. However, they are young and speedy and I think that will make a difference in the end against the Carolina Hurricanes.

   The Devils don’t have home ice advantage as the Canes finished one point ahead of them in the standings in their division. But that doesn’t matter.

   This series features two excellent coaches with Lindy Ruff calling the shots behind the Devils’ bench and Rob Brind’Amour directing the Canes. Look for them to try to out-wit each other in this series.

    Carolina plays a close checking style of game that can be boring at times to watch. New Jersey on the other hand can be free-wheeling. They can also play it tight. Their big assets are youth and speed. I admit the Canes have some speed but it doesn’t match the Devils.

   The Devils’ 22-year-old Swiss goaltender, Amira Schmid, was a pleasant surprise and recorded two shutouts against the New York Rangers to send them packing. I figure he’ll get the starting nod from Ruff over Vivek Vanacek.

  For the Hurricanes it will be interesting to see who gets the starting nod — Frederick Andersen or Anitti Raanta.

   New Jersey has a lot of offence to go with their speed with Jack Hughes leading the charge. Then there’s Tomas Tatar and Nico Hischier among others.

  The Hurricanes can answer back with Sebastian Aho, Paul Stastny, and others.

  I like the Carolina defence a little better with Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Brent Pesce and   Brady Skjei providing a sound blueline.

Prediction: Devils in seven games.

   Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs

   This was supposed to be the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Boston Bruins but somewhere along the way, the Leafs got a break. Instead of the potent Bruins they’ll now face the Florida Panthers.

   It will be a much easier path for the Leafs enroute to the conference final.

  One thing the Leafs can’t afford is to take the Panthers  too lightly. Look what happened to Boston.

  I don’t think that will happen. The Leafs have too much depth. It starts between pipes with Ilya Samsonov. The Tampa Bay Lightning outplayed the Leafs in three of the six games but Samsonov robbed them blind. He gave the Leafs that much-needed lift in the opening round that had been missing in years gone by.

   Another key factor was the newcomers Toronto brought in before the trade deadline made a world of difference. Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, Noel Acciari and Luke Schenn truly provided that missing spark and grit that had been absent in past seasons come playoff time.

   And Toronto’s big boys — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, captain John Tavares and Morgan Reilly — all delivered.

  The Panthers, still on cloud nine after stunning Boston, will have their hands full with the Leafs. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will have to be extra special to prevent the Leafs from advancing. Even if he stands on his head that won’t be enough.

   The Panthers, coached by Paul Maurice, have some talented players like Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhard,, Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair but they do not stack up against the Leafs for this series.

Prediction: If not a sweep then the Leafs in five.

(Wayne Redshaw covered the NHL for over 40 seasons and was named a Life Member of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association in 1987.)

NHL Playoffs: Western Conference Profile

Two Canadian teams in the pairings – will they get through to Round 2?

By WAYNE REDSHAW

   Can the Colorado Avalanche make it two Cup conquests in a row? Will they at least make it the finals to defend the title they won last year? Can they win their opening series?

   There’s a boatload of questions out there about the defending Stanley Cup Champions so let’s deal with their opening series in Part Two of my Stanley Cup predictions, the Western Conference.

Kraken vs Avalanche

    For the first half of the regular NHL season the Avalanche were not even contenders for a playoff berth. The reason was quite simple — a ton of injuries. In all, Colorado lost 483 man-games this season due to injuries. Captain Gabriel Landeskog missed the entire 82-game schedule and won’t suit up for the playoffs. Last year’s MVP of the playoffs — defenceman Cale Makar missed 22 games which included the final seven of the season. But he is expected to go in the playoffs.

  Nevertheless, despite all the injury woes the Avalanche somehow made it. From mid-January the Avs went 31-8-4 including 7-0-1 down the stretch to nail top spot in their division.

   No question they have good depth and that was a key. They have premier players with Mikko Rantanen the top sniper with 55 goals and Nathen MacKinnon a solid two-way performer.

    They lost goaltender Darcy Kuemper to free agency last summer but picking up Alexander Georgiev filled the void.

    The Seattle Kraken in only their second year in the NHL are making their playoff debut. I think it will be short-lived as they are up against a very talented team. Jared McCann led the Kraken in scoring with 40 goals and 70 points. I can’t see them advancing past Colorado. They lack that experience factor.

  Prediction: Colorado in five games and possibly a sweep.

Jets vs Golden Knights    

The big key in this matchup is the Winnipeg Jets goaltending. In other words, if the Jets are to advance to the next round, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has got to perform big. After all, Hellebuyck is one of the biggest reasons Winnipeg qualified for the playoffs in the first place. He has to deliver again for the Jets to reach round two.

      Other members of the Jets who must deliver include Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele.

   The Golden Knights goaltending is a question mark which it has been all season with injuries, etc. Jonathan Quick, who was obtained in March via the trade route might be their answer in the playoffs, especially with his playoff experience.

   One thing the Knights do well is block shots and they led the league in that department with 1,494 this season.

   Mark Stone is expected back in the Knights’ lineup following a back injury but how healthy is he? Also, is injury-prone Jack Eichel at 100 per cent?

  Prediction: If Hellebuyck delivers, Jets in six games.

Kings vs Oilers

   The Edmonton Oilers are a well-oiled machine with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl providing the one-two scoring punch. And the Oilers in general have excellent speed and good size both on defence and up front. They also like to hit with their size which is an important factor in the playoffs.

   Goaltender Stuart Skinner has been a pleasant surprise and should get the starting nod for most games.

    But that does not mean this series is going to be a cake-walk for the Oilers. The Los Angeles Kings will have a say. Captain Anze Kopitar is their leader. That’s why he has “C” on his jersey. He led the Kings in points with 74 while Adrian Kempe was LA’s top sniper with 41. But will that be enough to lead the way to get the job done?

  Prediction: This series is going to be a long affair but home ice advantage will be a big factor. In the end, the Oilers will prevail in seven.

Wild vs Stars

   This series between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars should be another entertaining series and one that could go the distance.

    And it should feature red-hot goaltending at both ends of the rink. Jake Oettinger should carry the entire burden for the Stars while Marc-Andre Fleury and  Filip Gustafson give the Wild a solid one-two punch.

    Jason Robertson was a complete surprise package for Dallas  during the regular season with 46 goals and 63 assists for 109 points.  He has a great supporting cast with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz.

   Kirill Kaprizov led the Wild offence with 40 goals and 35 assists for 75 points. Matts Zuccarello followed with 22 and 45 respectively.

   Prediction: In the end goaltending will be a determining factor. This series should go seven games with Dallas advancing.

(Wayne Redshaw has covered both amateur and professional sports locally and nationally spanning six decades. He was named a Life Member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association in 1987).

Will Talented Florida Panthers Replace Lightning As Stanley Cup Winner?

By WAYNE REDSHAW

   Is it possible that the Stanley Cup could wind up in the Sunshine State for the third straight year?

   Yes that is possible but not in the trophy showcase of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning won’t be around when the curtain falls on the 2021-22 season in late June or thereabouts. The Lightning looked downright pathetic, especially on the power play in getting embarrassed 5-0 by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the series opener Monday night.

  However, while Tampa Bay will be long gone come late June there’s a good chance another Florida-based team – the Florida Panthers – could be drinking out of the Cup.

   But before we get too far ahead, let’s look at the remaining eight teams who begin their quest in the opening round of the playoffs tonight in Part 2 of my Stanley Cup Predictions.

Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers

    The Panthers should have no problem disposing of the Washington Capitals in this series. The Panthers are simply loaded with talent both offensively and defensively.

  Florida Panthers became the first team to average more than four goals per game since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Panthers finished with 337 goals. They had four players with 30-plus goals this season. That foursome included Aleksander Barko 39, Sam Reinhardt 33, Anthony Duclair 31 and Jonathon Huberdeau 30. Huberdeau also established a new NHL record for the most assists compiled by a left winger with 85. The acquisition of Claude Giroux just before the trade deadline should also help the Panthers’ cause, especially with the experience he brings to the table

    Besides depth up front, the Panthers are solid on the blueline anchored by Aaron Ekblad, who is expected to be back in the lineup since substaining a leg injury in mid-March.

   Goaltending, which is an important element in the playoffs, should be no problem with Sergei Bobrovsky.

   As for the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin could be back in the Caps lineup for the series opener. But the Caps are going to need more than Ovechkin, who hit 50 goals, if they are going to advance. In my opinion Washington’s age is becoming a factor.

Prediction: Panthers in four games

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers

   This could be a short series too. The Rangers were a pleasant surprise this season. They have a good mix of young players that have blended in with some veterans. Chris Kreider popped in 52 goals. But there were others who contributed to the cause like Mike Zibanejad, Richard Strome and Artemi Panarin. Then on defence, Adam Fox was their leader.

    Between the pipes the Rangers relied on Igor Shesterkin and he delivered big time.

  Looking at Penguins this marks the 16th consecutive season that they have qualified for the playoffs. But after the first round, they should be gone. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang remain the main core of Pittsburgh. They also have some young talented players who can put the puck in the net. However, as a team overall, the good old days are behind them. And their goaltending is very suspect.

Prediction: Rangers in five games.

Dallas Stars vs Calgary Flames

   The Calgary Flames are Canada’s third team in this year’s Cup hunt and I think they could go a long way. The Flames topped the Pacific division compiling a 50-21-11 record. They are a well-balanced squad with Johnny Gaudreau at the controls. He recorded career-highs 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points. He has some excellent support from a cast starting with Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Bucklund and Blake Coleman.

   Jacob Markstrom handled the bulk of the goaltending chores for the Flames and is expected to get the call for the playoffs.

   As for the Stars they will be heard from in this series with the likes of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz,Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in the lineup. Yet the Stars can’t match the  Flames. 

Prediction: Flames in five games,

Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche

   Nashville won three of four meetings with Colorado which included the final three. However, regular season and the playoffs are a completely different seasons. I like the Avalanche to prevail.

   This series will feature two of the best defencemen  in the league in the Preds’ Roman Josi and the Avs’ Cale Maker.

   Both teams also feature some of the NHL’s top forwards with Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri suiting up for the Avalanche and Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg for the Predators to name just a few.

   I think Colorado has far more firepower up front and a stronger defence. In goal a big edge goes to the Colorado as the Preds’ No. 1 starter Jusse Saros is sidelined with an injury and will miss at least the first two games. Meanwhile, Colorado’s Darcy Kuemper is  healthy and ready to go.

Prediction: Avalanche in four straight games.

(Wayne Redshaw has covered sports in Niagara for over 50 years, 33 and a half at the Welland Tribune. He was publisher of FORE! Golfers Only for 12 years and also wrote for many newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States.)

Canada, Eh? Veteran Sports Scribe Picks Leafs, Oilers To Win Respective Opening Round Series

By WAYNE REDSHAW

   The NHL’s second season – the battle for Lord Stanley’s spittoon, better known as the Stanley Cup – begins tonight on four fronts and the big question is:  who will be left standing to cart the jug off the ice when it’s all over in late June or thereabouts?

    Sixteen teams are in the hunt including three Canadian-based clubs and only eight will survive after the first round. In this first segment (PART ONE) I preview the four series that open tonight. 

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs

    The Lightning have carted off the Cup the past two seasons and many experts figure Tampa is primed for a three-peat. I don’t and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the Maple Leafs prevail. Granted Toronto has gone 55 years since they last won the Cup. Furthermore, the club hasn’t won a series dating  back to 2004 and past five seasons after qualifying for the Stanley  Cup derby they have bowed out in the first round.

  This time around I think the Leafs are primed. They are coming off a record-setting regular season for wins (54) and points (115). They also had 13 players set NHL career highs in points. And Auston Matthews was the Leafs top sniper finishing with 60 goals, the most in the NHL in years.

  Another reason I’m picking the Leafs is I’m not totally impressed with Tampa. I spent four and a half months in the Tampa Bay area this winter so being a hockey buff,  I watched most of the Lightning’s games. They were spotty and inconsistent. Goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy, I thought, gave up some weak goals and defensively the team as a whole was guilty of too many give-aways. They just didn’t look like the same team that won back-to-back Cups.

 Steven Stamkos was by far Tampa’s best player game after game. Nikita Kucherov, who led the Lightning in points in last year’s playoffs, was a-passenger in a lot of games I viewed. And Brayden Point certainly didn’t have a banner year. Like most of his mates he was spotty.

  Losing the complete third line from last season through the expansion draft and free agency didn’t help matters for the Lightning. They had replacements but they weren’t enough. Now  in facing the Leafs in the first round, I can’t see Tampa Bay advancing. The Leafs have too much firepower with the likes  of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares in the lineup. If there is a weak link in Toronto I would say it’s between the pipes. There have been times where Jack Campbell has been unbeatable and other games where he has left a lot to be desired yielding some soft goals.

  Prediction: Leafs in seven games.

Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes

    Carolina won all three meetings against the Bruins in the regular season and when the battle-smoke clears  the Hurricanes should advance.  The Hurricanes finished first in the Metropolitan Division and third overall in the League.

   Boston finished as the first wild card so not having home ice advantage could hurt. Goaltending is another question mark. Like Tampa Bay, the Bruins encountered a hot and cold season.

    The Bruins are led by David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. They will need all hands on deck to get past the Hurricanes.

   The big question for Carolina is when will goaltender Freddie Andersen return to the lineup? Andersen had a stellar regular season so hopefully he’s not on the injured  shelf too long. Overall, they have a nice core on defence and have Sebastian Aho leading the way offensively.

   Prediction: The Hurricanes in six games

St, Louis Blues vs Minnesota Wild

   This series could be the most evenly matched series of the entire first round. Minnesota had more points 113 to 109. However, St. Louis had more wins 43 to 37. That means the Wild were involved in more close encounters and platoon hockey is much different than the regular season.

   St. Louis has an edge on the blue line but I like the Wild’s goaltending more and that could be a determining factor.

  Prediction. Wild in seven games.

Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers

    I just think the Oilers have too much firepower with Connor McDavid  and Leon  Draisaitl leading the way. And their power play is potent. If the Kings visit the penalty box too often the Oilers will cash in.

   If there is a weak link with the Oilers it is between the pipes with Mike Smith. They didn’t address goaltending before the trade deadline. But if they keep the puck away from their own end, they should advance. I don’t think the the Kings have enough depth.

   They have Jonathan Quick in goal to keep them respectable. But up front other than Anze Kopitarv they lack big guns.

   Prediction: Oilers in five games.

(Wayne Redshaw has covered sports in Niagara for over 50 years, 33 and a half at the Welland Tribune. He was publisher of FORE! Golfers Only for 12 years and also wrote for many newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States.)