Well here we are, hockey fans favourite time of the year, the Stanley Cup playoffs are set to start tomorrow night and as a die-hard Flames fan, I need a preview for their first round match-up against the San Jose Sharks.
(7) CALGARY FLAMES
record: 42-30-10 96 points
points leader: Jarome Iginla 98 (50-48)
goals leader: Jarome Iginla 50
hits leader: Dion Phaneuf 194
Potential Lines/Pairings:
1- TANGUAY-LANGKOW-IGINLA
2- HUSELIUS-LOMBARDI-NOLAN
3- NYSTROM-CONROY-MOSS
4- YELLE-PRIMEAU-GODARD
EXTRA- BOYD, NILSON, SMITH(INJ.)
1- PHANEUF-VANDERMEER
2- REGEHR-SARICH
3- AUCOIN-HALE
EXTRA- ERIKSSON, WARRENER(INJ.)
1- KIPRUSOFF
2- JOSEPH
(2) SAN JOSE SHARKS:
record: 49-23-10 108 points
points leader: Joe Thornton 96 (29-67)
goals leader: Joe Thornton 29
hits leader: Kyle McLaren/ Doug Murray 127
Potential Lines/Pairings:
1- MICHALEK-THORNTON-CHEECHOO
2- CLOWE-MARLEAU-PAVELSKI
3- RIISMILLER-MITCHELL-GRIER
4- ROENICK-BROWN-SHELLEY
EXTRA- SETOGUCHI, PLIHAL, GOC
1- CAMPBELL-MURRAY
2- RIVET-VLASIC
3- McLAREN-EHRHOFF
EXTRA- CARLE, OZOLINSH
1- NABOKOV
2- BOUCHER
Well from evidence from the season series which the Flames won 3 to 1, it starts to look a little more promising for the Flames who are going to face NHL's hottest team down the stretch, with the Sharks going 14-2-2. The Flames also used the shut-down pairing of Regehr and Sarich, mostly Reggie of course to keep Mighty Joe to a measly 1 assist. This is a good sign. Finally The Sharks have always been one of the NHL's hottest teams down the stretch for about the last four years and have fizzled every year in the playoffs.
Match-ups are going to be very important for both teams in this series. Obviously Regehr and Sarich will face up against Thornton, and this is probably the most important thing for the Flames if they want to win this series. If they shut-down Thornton, a very questionable Thornton when it comes to the playoffs, just like they did in the season you can take Michalek and Cheechoo right out of the series too. Phaneuf and Vandermeer will then be looked to put pressure on the Marleau unit and shouldn't have a problem doing it, if they continue their solid play from the season. The Sharks will look to the Murray, Campbell pairing to shut-down Iggy and co. Not a easy task for either team but someone has got to do it to win. Who knows what other match-ups the Sharks will have set for the Flames forwards but secondary scoring is a must for the Flames.
As a die-hard Flames fan I always go with my heart and even through their inconsistent play throughout the year, I will always go for the Flames all the way. The last couple of years it has lead to disappointment but I think that trend will end this year. I dont think Regehr will have any problem shutting down Thornton (especially a playoff Thornton) and with Phaneuf's even better defensive play, he shouldn't have a problem with Marleau either. I think Iggy has the fire in his heart to bring home the cup to Calgary and will carry his amazing play and 50 goals into the playoffs. His teammates will follow him through his amazing leadership and the inconsistent play with become a thing of the past. I will look for Nolan and Lombo to pick up their play even more and help Huselius get back on track. Finally after Nystrom's excellent play and 4 points against Vancouver in the final game, will he be the ultimate dark-horse and be able to score some key and important goals just like his dad, Bob did for the Islanders for all those years.
Prediction: FLAMES IN 7
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