WCFHL Power Rankings

Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers

1st seed vs 8th seed. On paper it looks pretty much like an open and shut case, but once you scratch the surface things might not be as simple after all … the Atlanta Thrashers won both regular season games they played against the Rangers – both in overtime.

RANGERS – The New York Rangers main strength against the Thrashers is their combination of speed and power … intensity aswell as physical strength … with just a pint of flair thrown into the mix. Discipline could be a significant questionmark with players such as Zdeno Chara and Barret Jackman … but penaltykilling has been good.

THRASHERS – The Thrashers will hope their ability to stay disciplined and their ability to get the job done will help them prevail. In the regular season the Thrashers went 5-3-5 compared to the Rangers 1-5-13. Goalscoring veterans Luc Robitaille and Sergei Berezin both reached 30 goals elsewhere before being acquired close to the trade deadline … along with Steve Sullivan (26), Michael Handzus (27), Jason Wiemer (20), Trevor Linden (18), Stephen Heinze (17), Donald Audette (16) the Thrashers can strike no matter what line they put outthere.

GOALTENDING – Sean Burke vs. Felix Potvin. Sean Burke is a proven winner at the WCFHL level, he’s fully rested and coming off a shutout in his most recent game while Potvin is tired after a so-so season. Advantage Rangers.

PREDICTION – Despite the Thrashers winning twice in the regular season it really should be a fairly comfortable first round for the 1st seeds. RANGERS IN 5

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Toronto Maple Leafs looked completely lost for so long. After 48 games they were 9 games under .500 (17-26-5) and still they managed to dig out a better than .500 record (35-34-13-2). That’s 18-8-8 the rest of the way home. Comparatively last years Eastern representatives in the Stanley Cup Finals (the Sabres) were 14 games over .500 at the halfway-point and finished the season 15 games over thanks to 4 straight wins in the last 4 games.

MAPLE LEAFS – The Maple Leafs put out one of the best lines in WCFHL hockey with Mats Sundin, Alexander Mogilny and Ryan Smyth … a line that will win games without breaking sweat. The rest of the team is so-so offensively, but strong defensively.

SABRES – The Sabres have a veteran-heavy lineup with Turgeon, Francis, Andreychuck, Amonte, Cliff Ronning, Martin Brodeur and more than a few others. Trading Pavel Bure prior to the trade deadline will definitely hurt this team and could very well stop them from reaching the finals like they did last year. At best the Sabres defence is mediocre.

GOALTENDING – The Leafs line up with the perennial achilles heel Jeff Hackett in the net … but Hackett has been better this year than he has been the last couple of seasons. His .912 savepercentage is 3rd best in the regular season his stats are even slightly better than Marty Brodeur’s. But, only a fool would vote against Marty Brodeur in a playoff series. Advantage Sabres.

PREDICTION – The Buffalo Sabres must be considered favourites considering their veteran lineup and better regular season … and Marty … but those Leafs put on such a strong 2nd half of the season that they should be able to push the Sabres to the limit. I see a potential upset in this matchup, but still go for the – SABRES IN 7

Montr. Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers

A repeat of last years first round matchup, and like last year the Florida Panthers have the homeice advantage. The Montreal Canadiens won in 7 games.

PANTHERS – The Panthers have made a huge effort to make their team playoff ready by adding a lot of tough and experienced veterans to their lineup. This includes Chris Pronger, Scott Stevens, Steve Yzerman, Scott Thornton and Scott Mellanby. They went in the completely opposite direction with their goaltending though as they now have a duo of Jose Theodore and Roberto Luongo. The Panthers could very well be better prepared than ever.

CANADIENS – The Canadiens have been in a partial rebuilding phase this year trading away some veterans to add some youth and prospects to their lineup … and it still is a superb lineup with excellent 2-way forwards such as Sergei Fedorov, Brian Rolston and Chris Drury at center … Elias, Guerin, Prospal and York is a very good group of wingers. On D Rob Blake and Chris Chelios are the big names …

GOALTENDING – The Canadiens line up with the somewhat untested veteran Dwayne Roloson against the definitely untested Jose Theodore in the Florida net. The Panthers hold a slight advantage here … mainly due to their superb defensive unit.

PREDICTION – The Florida Panthers are better prepared for the playoffs than they’ve been in the past. However, the Canadiens will be a tough opponent, the toughest for any team with home ice advantage in the first round. But still, prediction – like last year. PANTHERS IN 7.

Ottawa Senators vs. Wash. Capitals

Quite possibly the most dull of the 8 first round matchups. Few things on either team really gets the neutral fan excited about this one … that doesn’t mean the series wont be interesting for the two teams involved as one of them will reach the 2nd round (and most likely be eliminated).

CAPITALS – The Washington Capitals have been overachieving all season. How else would you explain that their record is pretty much similar to the one they had last year … despite replacing Alexei Kovalev by acquiring Anson Carter ?

SENATORS – The Senators have a solid but unspectacular and untested defence and a forward lineup without any real scorer … only Magnus Arvedson reached 20 goals … though 9 other players did manage to reach 10.

GOALTENDING – Eddie Belfour vs. Marty Turco … teacher vs. Student. Turco had the better regular season record but overall they were very even. Turco is better rested making the goaltending fairly even

PREDICTION – It’s a bit cruel to say, but this is the playoffs. This series is more about being the least bad team than being the best. I’m going to go with the Capitals since they won both regular season meetings between the two teams. CAPITALS IN 7.