Part playoff Power Rankings, part forbidden science, part retribution for my colleagues running roughshod over me during our "consensus" Stanley Cup picks earlier this week, here is a ranking of the 16 teams that will set off from the Stanley Cup playoffs starting line beginning Wednesday evening.
1. New York Rangers: The most complete team in the tournament. Elite goaltending, great defense -- including the addition of Keith Yandle at the trade deadline -- this is a nice mix of youthful talent and battle-tested veterans. What's not to like? So, why doesn't our group as a whole like the Rangers to win it all? Hmm, good question.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: This was our consensus Cup pick, and it looks even better now that Patrick Kane has been cleared to play in the first round against Nashville. You can bet I will take full credit for this pick if the Hawks win it all.
3. Anaheim Ducks: I'm putting the Ducks here because they're the top seed in the Western Conference, something many folks seem to have forgotten. And because I picked them to win the Cup back in September. And because it will look good for me if they do it now.
4. St. Louis Blues: I blame myself for jinxing the Blues last spring, having visited after the trade deadline and written about how hungry the town was for its first Stanley Cup. If they win it all this year, I expect a nice box of chocolates from Ken Hitchcock and Doug Armstrong for staying away all season.
5. Washington Capitals: This team is why we didn't pick the Rangers to win it all. Happy days are here again in Washington, with Barry Trotz making believers of everyone, most of all his players.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: This was our consensus pick to come out of the Eastern Conference. I'm OK with that; in fact, in my grid, I have Tampa Bay and Washington in the Eastern Conference final. If Ben Bishop delivers the goods and the Bolts' recently injured blueliners are able to contribute in a meaningful way, this team will be a handful.
7. Minnesota Wild: Weird that almost no one is picking Minnesota to beat the Blues, because overall, theirs might be the most even series of the eight first-round clashes. Seriously, this thing could go to overtime in seven straight games. And the Blues will likely win. Still, I'll say again just how close this series is, in case the Wild do win.
8. Ottawa Senators: The Sens have been labeled the Team of Destiny. Not sure how Calgary and Winnipeg feel about that, but we'll go with it. And of course Andrew Hammond, the rookie goaltender known as "The Hamburglar," is a great story. Is he good enough to beat Montreal, though?
9. Montreal Canadiens: The fact that we ranked the Habs one spot below Ottawa suggests we think Ottawa has a good shot at beating the Canadiens for the second time in three playoff years. We picked Montreal to win this series, but uncertainty over the Max Pacioretty's injury is troubling enough for us to hedge our bets for the purposes of this ranking.
10. Nashville Predators: What's wrong with this picture? The Predators were second in the ultra-tough Central Division and have a bevy of top-end players. So why does no one think they can win a playoff round? First, they're playing Chicago (see above). Second, they were brutal down the stretch. It says here, though, that it will not be a huge upset if the Preds knock off the Blackhawks (and I will claim firsthand knowledge of this if it comes to pass).
11. Winnipeg Jets: Everyone loves the Jets. In fact, it remains shocking to me how many people are picking them to beat the Ducks. Yes, the Jets are big, tough, fast, and an overall impressive group. And a great, great story. But this is goalie Ondrej Pavelec's first playoff experience, and as good as he's been, there remains at least some niggling doubt about the Jets' goaltending.
12. Calgary Flames: If everyone loves the Jets, then everyone plus one loves the Flames. Their best player, Mark Giordano, is lost for the season with a torn biceps (which hurts just to write), and they still keep on trucking. I'm with the crowd that picked the Flames to beat Vancouver based on nothing other than a love of what coach Bob Hartley and his team have done, and just not wanting it to end.
13. Vancouver Canucks: Not sure why so few people are giving the Canucks a chance to beat the Flames, given that they were a better team in the regular season and have home-ice advantage. And they have the Sedin twins, who have quietly remained two of the most durable, productive players in the league. Yes, the goaltending situation in Vancouver will be interesting, but is it any more of a potential trouble spot than Calgary's goaltending?
14. New York Islanders: If we hadn't watched Jaroslav Halak allow a goal with 2.1 seconds in regulation against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third-to-last game of the season, and then watched the Isles spit up home-ice advantage in Game 82 when they couldn't close out the Columbus Blue Jackets, we might feel differently about their chances. We did see it, though. So did everyone else. So here they are.
15. Detroit Red Wings: I'll say first that the Red Wings might be the surprise of the playoffs, and I will refer back to this entry if that comes to pass. Maybe Petr Mrazek will become The Man in goal the Motor City, and Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will stay healthy, and it will be like 2008 and 2009 all over again. More likely, though, the Wings will get waxed by Tampa and justify this ranking.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins: I am pretty sure I have picked the Penguins to win every playoff series they've been a part of since 2008. For a couple of years, that worked out pretty well. Not so much the last few. The Pens are simply too banged-up and too overmatched against the Rangers to have much hope this spring, unless they love the underdog role so much that they run the table. If that is the case, I'll expect a box of chocolates from GM Jim Rutherford and coach Mike Johnston for picking them to be one-and-done.