The Hockey Gods had a busy day on Friday. Us mere, mortal fans held on for dear life with our fingers crossed as every couple of hours the bell would ring, signifying the end of the journey for yet another team. We watched in awe and horror as Florida, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Edmonton, and Minnesota were eliminated by their rivals. If it weren’t for one of the most ridiculous comebacks in recent NHL memory, Toronto would have joined them, too.
Florida Panthers
From my Eastern Conference Play-In Preview: “I think Bobrovsky will regain his form come playoff time, something he’s done before. If that is the case, I see the Panthers as the favorites. Prediction: Florida in 5.”
Yikes. Although it was bold to predict that Florida could pull off the upset, I take an extra “L” for my reasoning. Sergei Bobrovsky showed slight improvement from the regular season, and yet was still one of the worst goalies in the tournament. Florida was so easy to score on that the Islanders lit them up despite playing lock-down defense. The Panthers clearly know that they need to re-invent themselves, as they fired GM Dale Tallon minutes after they were eliminated.
The only positive Florida can draw from the past 365 days is that Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are legit. Maybe the expiring contracts of Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov will give them the breathing room necessary to get creative and re-tool, but my expectations are low.
Nashville Predators
From my Western Conference Play-In Preview: “Nashville may not be at its best, but Arizona never has been and never is. They do have an advantage in nets though, so I’ll give the ‘Yotes a game. Prediction: Nashville in 4.”
Well at least I was right about Nashville, I was just wrong about Arizona. Rick Tocchet pushed the right buttons and had his team playing at their full potential. The Coyotes eliminated the Predators by rolling four speedy lines and played good enough defense to neutralize Nashville’s already ineffective offensive weapons. That is what Nashville needs to address if they want to sniff the playoffs in the future. Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen are not worth their identical $8 million salaries. Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg are very good forwards, but they don’t make up for their centers.
Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis were phenomenal as always, and Nashville owes them a solid team. Goaltending is an issue too, as Juuse Saros no longer looks like the obvious replacement to the aging Pekka Rinne.
Pittsburgh Penguins
From my Eastern Conference Play-In Preview: “Pittsburgh is the better team and will win the series; of that, I am certain. I do think that Montreal will scare them though, and in a sport like hockey, it’s not crazy to think they could push it to a Game 5. Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5.”
Clearly I was too quick to assume that a Pittsburgh win was “certain”. The Canadiens were in control of this series right from the start en route to the Penguins’ elimination. Although I’m a firm believer in Mike Sullivan‘s abilities as a coach, these were not his finest moments. Pittsburgh should not lose to a team with such inferior talent. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin did not look bad, but somehow Montreal’s subpar defense neutralized them, which is concerning. However, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room, which is Carey Price‘s play. He gave Montreal exactly what you want from an elite goalie. He stopped everything coming his way, providing his team with confidence that only those who play the game can understand.
The Penguins are still a very good team, and I’m not going to react as harshly as others may. With that being said, the fabled core of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang is old, and both Pittsburgh’s goalies are entering restricted free agency. I hope that this four-game blip serves as a wake-up call that this core is not immortal. Being eliminated by the 12-seed can’t sit well with them.
Edmonton Oilers
From my Western Conference Play-In Preview: “Of course, Toews, Kane, and most importantly, Corey Crawford, could shock us and bring them far, but I don’t see it happening. Prediction: Edmonton in 3.”
To the city of Edmonton, I apologize. My notorious jinx was particularly ruthless this time around, as my famous last words “I don’t see it happening” will haunt me forever. The worst part is that Edmonton was obviously the better team and deserved to win. Yet, the Hockey Gods’ golden child, Chicago, once again got what it wanted, as Edmonton was eliminated in embarrassing fashion. This stat basically says it all for the Oilers.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Edmonton Oilers didn’t have at least one of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on the ice for 92:40 in that 4 game series and they combined to score.. 1 goal (while giving up 5)
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) August 8, 2020
Despite that depressing reality check for the Oilers roster, they still heavily outplayed the Blackhawks, according to metrics found at Money Puck. The Oilers are on the right track, they just need to address how to score goals at even strength when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren’t on the ice.
Minnesota Wild
From my Western Conference Play-In Preview: “I’ve said some good and bad things about each team, but as it often goes in hockey, I’m siding with the better goalie. Prediction: Vancouver in 5.”
It feels good to get something right every once in a while. Despite the fact that a good old coin flip could have done a better job at predicting these playoffs, I like to think that I know what I’m doing. Oddly enough, Minnesota surpassed my expectations and yet was still eliminated in four games. Jared Spurgeon is a workhorse, and he has a fabulous supporting cast on defense for Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, Alex Stalock doesn’t seem to be the antidote needed to solve the Wild’s goaltending woes.
The glaring hole in Minnesota’s roster clearly remains offensive talent. Kevin Fiala and the aging Zach Parise aren’t enough to keep Minnesota in contention, much less in the Central Division.
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