If you ask me, a ‘Cinderella’ in the Stanley Cup Playoffs can only be a team seeded 7 or 8. The most recent ones to make a run have been Edmonton (’06) and Anaheim (’03). They were seeded 8th and 7th, respectively. But we have an exception this year (6-seed St. Louis). Let’s see if the slipper fits one of these five teams…

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks very well could be the best 8-seed in NHL history. They won the Cup 2 years ago, and still have most of the core from that team. Pronger and Niedermayer are future hall-of-famers on the blue line, with nice complement players in Ryan Whitney, Francois Beauchemin, and James Wisniewski. Up front, they have possibly the scariest line in the game. Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan are big, fast, strong, and can score goals like crazy. Oh, and they have Teemu Selanne as well! In net is not Giguere… it’s the 27-year-old Jonas Hiller from Switzerland. Hiller eventually took over between the pipes for Giguere, and has been solid all year long. The thing that keeps me from definitely saying yes is their discipline. They’re extremely undisciplined, and that could singlehandedly keep them from beating San Jose. But if Anaheim can keep that under control, they have a REALLY good shot at making a deep run this spring.

Does the slipper fit?? Yes.

Columbus Blue Jackets
The more and more I think about it, the better chance I give Columbus of knocking off Detroit. They’re not your typical playoff virgin. Coach Ken Hitchcock is very experienced. Some of the Jackets have been through a number of postseasons before. And they have a hot goaltender in net named Steve Mason, which usually bites Detroit in the rear! Remember Giguere, Roloson, and Kiprusoff!? Columbus, though, isn’t good on special teams. They have the worst power play in the league, and an average PK. If those two step up, we could see a big upset in the West. Mike Commodore’s afro just might make its return this spring…

Does the slipper fit?? Yes.

New York Rangers
John Tortorella’s bunch stormed to a playoff berth with 2 wins over Philly, and another against Montreal. So they’re certainly playing their best hockey right now. The biggest question for me is, how long can they keep that up?? Washington is a different animal, even though the Blueshirts are solid defensively. Lundqvist is basically going to have to have a goals against average below 2.25 for them to have a chance. I just don’t see it, but… if the leaders like Drury, Gomez, and Naslund kick their game up to another notch, there’s a chance.

Does the slipper fit?? Maybe.

Montreal Canadiens
The Habs had so many high expectations this season. From winning the East last year going into their centennial season, Montreal was labeled as a Cup favorite last fall. 6 months and a coaching change later, Bob Gainey’s club is lucky to make the playoffs. In the first round, they’ll be going up against their arch nemesis in Boston. These two hate each other, which leads me to believe they have a fighter’s chance. But they’ve mentally gone through too much this year, and have too many injuries. Carey Price will have to play out of his mind for them to go anywhere.

Does the slipper fit?? No.

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis has already played 3 months of playoff hockey… so this is almost their 3rd season. I give them all the credit in the world for battling back, but you gotta think at some point things will fall apart. Their weakness is their blue line’s contribution. To me, if you’re gonna go far in the postseason, you need offensive contributors from the back end. The Blues don’t have one! And with the Canucks being so stingy at 5-on-5 hockey, the lack of a puck mover will hurt them. I’m also not sold that Chris Mason will be able to keep up his great play under the playoff pressure.

Does the slipper fit?? No.

[Source: RedLightD.Blogspot.com]

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