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Detroit will have to keep Columbus's Rick Nash at bay in their first round series.
The good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that they are the favorite to win their first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Well that, and the news that Johan Franzen is Detroit's 43.5 million dollar man. The bad news for the Red Wings is that the first round series hasn't started yet. Once it does, all of the pressure will be solely on Detroit. The Columbus Blue Jackets have absolutely no pressure on them. While they made huge strides this season in making the post-season for the first time in franchise history, hardly anyone is giving them a chance against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. In fact,most of the experts are predicting that Detroit will make quick work of Columbus. However, if I learned one thing from my time as a student at the University of Michigan, it's that you can never count out a team from Columbus, no matter how much you want to. The Blue Jackets are a solid club, and they have shown this season that they can definitely beat the Red Wings. This series will be much more competitive than many expect. I've compared the teams in four categories (offense, defense, goaltending, and miscellanous) in an effort to predict the outcome of the series.
Offense: Detroit is the best offensive club in hockey, they have more goal scorers than they know what to do with( four scored 30 more more), they have two of the best offensive defensemen in the game( Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski), and they can't overwhelm any team with the sheer number of quality scoring chances that they can amass in any given game. The Red Wings are absolutely loaded offensively and have the firepower to outscore anyone in hockey. Columbus has some talented players led by star forward Rick Nash. While the casual hockey fan might not hear much about Nash, he is an all-world talent who can put a team on his back , as he has done at time during his career with the Blue Jackets. Kristian Huselius and R.J. Umberger provide secondary goal scoring, and the team also has some young talent upfront like Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov looking to make an impact this post-season. While Columbus has does a nice job of surrounding Nash with some additional help offensively, they cannot matchup with the Red Wings. Advantage: Detroit.
Defense: Once again, Detroit has one of the deepest defensive units in the sport. The legendary Nicklas Lidstrom is once again at the top of his game and is looking to hoist his second Stanley Cup as team captain in June. Brian Rafalski might be one of the most underrated players of the last decade, and Nicklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart give the back end some need physical play. Derrick Meech and/or Johnathan Ericsson will step in if Andreas Lilja can't go in the series. The team will miss Lilja's size and shotblocking ability, two attributes that become ever important when the play tightens up in the playoffs. However Meech and Ericcson are capable young defensmen, and if they falter, future Hall of Famer Chris Chelios can step in and give you tough, veteran play even as he approaches his 25th year in the league. The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are a relatively unheralded group of no-name defensive players, but they gave up only 223 goals in 82 games, good enough for ninth best in the NHL. They function well as a group, and the pairing of Mike Commodore and Jan Hejda has been very good all season, with Hejda posting a +23 while Commodore was a +11. They will be matched up against Detroit's top line, and they will be a formidable pairing for the Detroit forwards. Detroit gave up 240 goals this season, but one has to wonder how many of those were soft goals that could be blamed on the goaltending. Overally, Detroit is a deeper and more talented unit, but Columbus has been a well functioning unit all season. Advantage Detroit(slightly)
Goaltending: This is one category where the Blue Jackets have the clear cut advantage. Rookie goaltender Steve Mason has taken the NHL by storm, posting a 2.29 GAA, 10 shutouts, and 33 wins. He is one of the best young goaltenders to come into the league in quite sometime and he is more than capable of stealing a game (or two) in this series. His 10 shutouts show that on any given night, Mason can be flat-out unstoppable. He is probably going to be a finalist for the Vezina and the Calder Trophies and I think he might get some Hart Trophy votes for his outstanding play this season. Detroit's goaltending woes have been well chronicled, but it was last season where Chris Osgood caught fire in the post-season and played well enough to win the Conn Smythe. Red Wings fans have to hope that Ozzie can right the ship or if needed, Ty Conklin will come off the bench and perform similar to Osgood last season. Even if one of both of the Red Wings' goaltenders play to top form, the advantage in net goes to Columbus. Steve Mason is that good. Advantage: Columbus
Miscellaneous: Detroit is the defending Stanley Cup champion. They have been here before, winning four Cups since 1997. They might have the game's top coach in Mike Babcock, and they might have the best team. However, they have shown that they can get upset early in the playoffs( See 2001 versus Los Angeles, 2003 versus Anaheim,and 2005 versus Edmonton) by teams with far less talent. Columbus fits the bill of a team ripe to pull off the upset. They have a top notch goaltender, they have a solid defense, and they have one player in Rick Nash who can absolutely carry a team. They will probably steal a game or even two in Columbus, and they will shown the rest of the league that they are building the foundation for a playoff contender to come. Detroit -Columbus might become the regional rivalry that replaces Detroit-Toronto in the future, but for now the Red Wings are just too good and too focused to be upset in the first round. Prediction: Red Wings in 6.
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