NHL Playoffs Quarterfinals 2011: Western Conference Review
Now that the National Hockey League quarterfinals have come to a close and all the teams who had made it into the series have either advanced to the second round or have been eliminated. Looking back at the series, we will try to come up with an analysis
and future predictions for the next round of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals.
The Western Conference came up with some surprising results at the end of the seven-game series. Teams who were expected to easily overtake and emerge victorious in the first few games were held back and had to fight for control of the series and ultimately
were led into a seven game decider.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks (1-8)
Probably one of, if not the most shocking series took place between the first seed Vancouver Canucks and eighth seed Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks who barely made it into the playoffs, and were uncertain till the last game of the regulation season, managed
to keep the Canucks at bay until the final game.
Entering game four with a 3-0 deficit in the series, the Hawks bounced back and made a recovery that only four teams have made in the history of the NHL playoffs. Winning three consecutive games, the Blackhawks faced-off with the President Trophy winners
in game seven but eventually lost in a close shootout.
The Canucks are going to go deep into the playoffs this time around. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, this season has been their best ever and they plan on topping it off with a Stanley Cup. They led the league throughout the season, but slacking
against Chicago in the quarterfinals has really lowered their fans' expectations later on in the post-season.
Vancouver will go against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference semi-finals, which is expected to be a close and extremely physical series between the teams.
"They've got a solid team," captain of the Canucks, Henrik Sedin said talking in an interview with NHL.com after Vancouver's 2-1 overtime win Tuesday. "We watched a lot of their games against Anaheim and they've got three or four lines that play well. They
back check. They fore-check. They keep it tight. It's going to be low scoring games."
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings (2-7)
San Jose finished off the season on a high note as they took over the second place Detroit Red Wings and kept their position. Even though the Kings were without their lead scorer, Anze Kopitar, they still managed to put up a pretty good fight against a team
with all their top players playing.
The Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick was their leading man and had a spectacular performance throughout. He made 51 saves in game five which helped the Kings stay in the competition, but a loss in overtime in game six eliminated them.
The Sharks face the Detroit Red Wings in the semi-finals which could be somewhat of a hectic task. Detroit was the only team to clean sweep an opponent and that too, the Phoenix Coyotes. Their first match-up of the second round will start on Friday in San
Jose, as they have the home-ice advantage.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes (3-6)
There is not a lot to say about the series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes, other than the fact that Detroit thrashed the Coyotes. In the only clean sweep of the NHL playoffs, the Red Wings performed beyond expectations, especially
because they were going through a slump near the end of the regulation season.
It took them only four games to eliminate the Coyotes, who had worked so hard throughout. They only came close in game two (3-2 loss), but in the remaining three, they were thrashed by double their score. Game one and game three was a 4-2 win, while the
finale hit the Coyotes hard as they lost 6-3 in their own home arena.
Detroit have to face the Sharks in the next round and if they play the way they did previously, taking down San Jose does not seem so difficult. In these games, it is all about consistency and nothing else.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators (4-5)
Anaheim was another team that entered the playoff race in the final moments. They still managed to play fairly well, but were eventually eliminated by the playoff-thirsty Predators in game six in a 4-2 series. Bobby Ryan led his team and showed off his amazing
skill throughout the quarterfinals, but that was not enough to bring down Nashville.
It is after 12 seasons, that the Predators have successfully won a playoff series. They are also looking for a first Stanley Cup and it might not be hard if they can focus on the road ahead. The biggest challenge they'll face will be their semi-final opponent,
the Vancouver Canucks, who are bound to launch a fully fledged attack against them.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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