We’ll have our more ‘normal’ predictions and picks up on PHT later
this week, but just as there will always be a top scorer, a better
goaltender and an ultimate victor in the Stanley Cup finals there will
also be some unforeseen events that leave you scratching your head some
or just basically fall outside the normal “why would anyone have
predicted that to happen”.
Well, I’ll try. Knowing my luck at predictions, I doubt I get any
of these right.
The leading scorer in the series will not play
for the Stanley Cup champion.
I know, this one makes no
sense. But here’s my reasoning.
Both of these teams have developed
incredibly deep scoring in the postseason; the Blackhawks were built
that way and the Flyers have seen some heroes emerge the past two
series. For either team to win the Stanley Cup, they’ll have to continue
to be deep on the scoreboard and receive production from their
secondary scoring. The Flyers and the Blackhawks have the ability to
shut down a top line or a leading scorer, it’s the team that responds
with better scoring depth that will ultimately have the best chance to
come out on top.
If one team is relying on one big scorer for all
of their offense, then chances are they’re being shut down everywhere
else. The team that is able to spread the scoring around the best will
ultimately win the Cup.
By Game 3, we’ll be debating whether
Chris Pronger will be suspended
Okay, maybe this one isn’t so
bizarre or outlandish. So far, Pronger has been on his best behavior in
the playoff and has yet to resort the leg-stomping, skull crashing plays
that have earned him such a great reputation. Yet as he gears up for
the Chicago Blackhawks, you can almost guarantee this is one team that
knows exactly how to get under his skin.
Dustin Byfuglien and the
Hawks are masterful at agitating, and it’s likely they’ll be taking
their antics to new heights against Pronger is an attempt to knock him
off his game and eventually off the ice.
We’ll see Brian
Boucher at some point in the series
This isn’t to say that the
Flyers will lose, or that Michael Leighton will be benched. Yet the
Flyers have yet to face an offense the caliber of the Blackhawks and
there’s a good chance that one of the first few games will get out of
hand for the Flyers.
Despite the great postseason by Philadelphia,
they’ve shown that they do have the ability to fall apart a bit during a
single game. With Boucher close to returning as the Flyers’ backup,
then you can certainly envision a scenario that Leighton is pulled after
allowing four early goals.
Of course, then we’ll be debating
whether Boucher should take his spot back as the starter.
At
least one game will go into marathon-overtime mode
So far this postseason we’ve witnessed a number overtime games
and one 3 OT (Pittsburgh-Ottawa), but neither the Flyers nor the
Blackhawks have taken part in many of either. For that reason, we’re
likely to see both, especially if both goaltenders continue to play as
well as they did in the Conference finals.
There’s nothing quite
like the stress involved in an overtime game in the playoffs, but when
it’s in the Stanley Cup finals things are ramped up even farther. Add in
a multiple overtime game, with teams ordering pizzas and getting IVs
during intermissions and you have one of those epic games we’ll be
talking about for years to come.
