We're finally counting down the days until the last round of these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ottawa versus Anaheim to battle for the Cup. Derek W. and Benson take on all comers in the pool. This is what we've paid our $10 for... well, some of us anyways.
This playoff outcome was predicted by some... not by many. Most people knew that these two teams were going to go far, but weren't too sure how far.
There are 9 teams within 10 points of first place and 9th is only 6 points out of 2nd, so with a little bit of comparison, we should be able to see who is going to do what (roughly) in the Finals.
| Derek W. | Benson | Aaron | |
| Anaheim | Corey Perry | Rob Niedermayer | Teemu Selanne |
| Ryan Getzlaf | Scott Niedermayer | Ryan Getzlaf | |
| Chris Pronger | Francois Beauchemin | Scott Niedermayer | |
| Ottawa | Dany Heatley | Mike Fisher | Joe Corvo |
| Jason Spezza | Joe Corvo | ||
| Ray Emery |
| Dan | Rob A. | Mike E. | |
| Anaheim | Ryan Getzlaf | Teemu Selanne | Teemu Selanne |
| Scott Niedermayer | Ryan Getzlaf | Scott Niedermayer | |
| Chris Pronger | Scott Niedermayer | Chris Pronger | |
| Ottawa | Mike Fisher | Dany Heatley | |
| Andrej Meszaros | Wade Redden | ||
| Joe Corvo |
| Tim | Don | Brian | |
| Anaheim | Ryan Getzlaf | Teemu Selanne | Ryan Getzlaf |
| Rob Niedermayer | Scott Niedermayer | Rob Niedermayer | |
| Francois Beauchemin | J-S Giguere | ||
| Ottawa | Wade Redden | Dany Heatley | Andrej Meszaros |
| Andrej Meszaros | Peter Schaefer | ||
| Joe Corvo | Tom Preissing |
Well, there you have it... the Top 9. Now it looks to me that whichever way this series goes, it'll be a miracle to not see Derek on top of the pile. A high scoring series will benefit him even more... and if Ray Emery wins, so does Derek. Amazingly, out of the 9 teams, only two goalie selections remain... Emery for Derek and Giguere for Don.
Does Don get second place if Giguere wins four games? Well, it is 8 points that no one else is getting and in order for Anaheim to win those games, both Selanne and Scott Niedermayer will have to be at their best, so it could be a pretty safe bet.
Now, if Ottawa goes to town on Anaheim, who gets second place? I like Mike E. to do it for one reason... Dany Heatley. Ottawa's top line will have to get through the best shutdown line of these playoffs, but if there is one powerplay that will rip Giguere to shreds, it will be the Senators. Their cross crease pass is second to none in the league and that is the play that can score a lot of goals against the less-athletic Giguere.
Obviously, you're going to need players to get points for you... and it seems that Brian (3 remaining), Rob (3), Aaron (4) Dan (5) and Benson (5) probably don't have enough in the tank to keep up with the rest, who have all six possible remaining. It won't surprise me to see all four teams with six players occupying the top spots in the pool before it's all said and done.
It's really great to see so many teams being so close near the end. If you notice, this time last year, there was a bit of a runaway at the top and it just progressed to be worse and worse as the Finals went along. It's been quite the successful race this year... and there should be a bit more jockeying for that second place money through the Finals. Good luck!
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