Power rankings panelists make playoff predictions
One saying about sports is that you sometimes have to suffer a loss before you learn how to win.
The Boston Bruins know about winning because they lifted the Stanley Cup in 2011. And they know about losing because they blew a late lead in Game 6 last spring by yielding two goals in 17 seconds and watched the Chicago Blackhawks skate around with the Cup at TD Garden.
The 12-member Paste BN Sports NHL power rankings panel believes that the Bruins can get over the hump this season, with six picking them as champions.
"The Bruins still have a sour taste left from last spring's Cup final loss to Chicago," said panel member Bob Duff, a columnist for the Windsor (Ontario) Star. "Boston is the most solid, complete team in the league. All the pieces are in place for a title run."
A sign of the Bruins' depth: Four players - Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask - were predicted as playoff MVP. Rask got three votes.
It's rare that a runner-up fares well the following postseason (the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team in the salary cap era to make it back), but a recent 16-game point streak instills confidence in the Bruins' ability to do so.
"The West has been so dominant all season, has six 100-point teams, but if the Bruins can negotiate three rounds without being fully taxed it could work to their eventual advantage" said Winnipeg Free Press reporter Tim Campbell.
The Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings were the most popular teams to come out of the West, and three panelists predicted a rematch of last year's Final. Five had the Kings beating the San Jose Sharks as their first-round upset.
Two had the Montreal Canadiens reaching the Final and one had Montreal ending Canada's long championship drought by beating the Colorado Avalanche.
"Imagine the possibilities: the quotes, the drama and the emotion as the lone Canadian team goes all the way for the first time since 1993," said Fox Sports analyst Darren Eliot. "Then layer in that it is against prodigal son Patrick Roy's upstart Avs – too good to believe."
The full list of predictions:
Kevin Allen, Paste BN Sports
East winner: Boston
West winner: Chicago
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Stars over Ducks
Playoff MVP: Patrice Bergeron
Mike Brehm, Paste BN Sports
East winner: Boston
West winner: Chicago
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Kings over Sharks
Playoff MVP: Zdeno Chara
Peter Barzilai, Paste BN Sports
East winner: Montreal
West winner: St. Louis
Stanley Cup winner: St. Louis
First-round upset: Kings over Sharks
Playoff MVP: David Backes
Tim Campbell, Winnipeg Free Press
East winner: Boston
West winner: Chicago
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Wild over Avalanche
Playoff MVP: Tuukka Rask
Bob Duff, Windsor (Ontario) Stars
East winner: Boston
West winner: Los Angeles
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Wild over Avalanche
Playoff MVP: David Krejci
Darren Eliot, Fox Sports
East winner: Montreal
West winner: Colorado
Stanley Cup winner: Montreal
First-round upset: Blue Jackets over Penguins
Playoff MVP: Carey Price
Jimmy Hascup, Paste BN Sports
East winner: N.Y. Rangers
West winner: Chicago
Stanley Cup winner: Chicago
First-round upset: Kings over Sharks
Playoff MVP: Patrick Sharp
Mark Hayes, Paste BN Sports
East winner: Boston
West winner: Anaheim
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Wild over Avalanche
Playoff MVP: Rask
Rob Rossi, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
East winner: Pittsburgh
West winner: Los Angeles
Stanley Cup winner: Pittsburgh
First-round upset: Red Wings over Bruins
Playoff MVP: Evgeni Malkin
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
East winner: Detroit
West winner: Los Angeles
Stanley Cup winner: Detroit
First-round upset: Red Wings over Bruins
Playoff MVP: Pavel Datsyuk
Brad Windsor, Paste BN Sports
East winner: Boston
West winner: Los Angeles
Stanley Cup winner: Boston
First-round upset: Kings over Sharks
Playoff MVP: Rask
Greg Wyshynski, Yahoo Sports
East winner: Boston
West winner: San Jose
Stanley Cup winner: San Jose
First-round upset: Blue Jackets over Penguins
Playoff MVP: Patrick Marleau