Ten take aim at a championship
Ducks, Senators, and Red Wings among top Stanley Cup contenders
Dan Riedlhuber / ReutersJean-Sebastien Giguere of Anaheim is as good a playoff goalie as there is in the NHL, writes Bill Clement of MSNBC.com.
2. DETROIT
At least from looking at the standings, the Red Wings appear to be the front-runner to win the Stanley Cup. Detroit has wonderful chemistry, great scoring depth up front, and a terrific blue line -- although not a physical one. It also has players who have won before. What's underrated about the Red Wings is not their talent, but their character, work ethic, and how hard they compete. They are an incredibly competitive team.
I would feel better about Detroit's chances of winning the Stanley Cup if the Red Wings hit some adversity and lose four or five in a row before the season is over. Detroit has the right mix of players, but there's no question that a little practice in adversity management is not a bad thing. It would only add to this team's confidence if it hit a stretch in the regular season were it shows it knows how to use the shovels to dig out of a hole. The Red Wings are not big and they don't have a lot of natural hitters so they can be out hit. The danger for them is if in the playoffs they come up against a team that is big enough and physical enough to really take it to them like Anaheim did last season in the conference finals.
3. CALGARY
The Flames have good balance and leadership. The mantra of coach Mike Keenan -- in his first season with Calgary -- is to win now. A natural goal-scorer with deceptive speed, great strength, and a lethal shot, Jarome Iginla would get one of my three votes for league MVP. Iginla creates magic with Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow -- this trio in the argument as one of the top three lines in the NHL. Miikka Kiprusoff is a Vezina Trophy winner (2005-06) and a goalie who has ice water in his veins.
Calgary has a punishing blue line, especially with Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf. The Flames, who had the NHL’s stingiest defense and best goaltending in 2005-06, were disappointing on defense last season and have made a commitment to a better showing this season. Calgary made quite a few changes to the roster over the offseason with the aim being not only to erase the sour memory of a six-game, first-round loss to Detroit last spring, but to become a true Stanley Cup threat.
4. DALLAS
Three games under .500 after two months of the season, it looked like the Stars might miss the playoffs. But they have turned it around and are playing much better than they were in October and November. They still have trouble scoring so in the playoffs they'll need great goaltending and in Marty Turco and Mike Smith coach Dave Tippett has two puck stoppers he can trust. Veteran center Mike Modano is on the back nine of his career and he will give it everything he's got to try and win the Stanley Cup this season. It will be interesting to see how much gas he has left in the tank.
Sergei Zubov is still magical on the blue line. Another star defenseman is Mattias Norstrom, a tried and true gladiator. Stephane Robidas is underrated as a rearguard. But as solid a defensive team as the Stars are, it will be the amount of offense they can generate that will determine their postseason fate. To that end they need Jere Lehtinen (26 goals and 43 points last season) to make a successful comeback from sports hernia surgery at the beginning of December.
5. SAN JOSE
The Sharks have the goaltending with Evgeni Nabokov and a franchise center in Joe Thornton. In fact, with all its talent San Jose appears to have the right ingredients for the recipe for big-time success in the NHL's second season. But what it's cooked up in its playoff past has left sour tastes in the mouths of the Sharks and their fans. San Jose has yet to prove itself in crunch time when a playoff series is on line. If the Sharks can get by the first two rounds they can get out of the conference no matter who they face in the finals. They are a team that doesn't realize how good it can be.
It will be interesting to see what general manager Doug Wilson does at the trade deadline. Patrick Marleau, who has scored over 30 goals the last two seasons, had just seven at the halfway point this season. His name has been mentioned in trade rumors. And given his drop in scoring will Jonathan Cheechoo be dealt? After racking up 56 goals in 2005-06 and 37 goals last season, Cheechoo lit the lamp just five times in his first 34 games. In general, Wilson needs to address the passion and consistency that's missing -- those two things hold the key to the Sharks' Stanley Cup hopes.
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