San Jose Sharks VS. Nashville Predators

   The San Jose Sharks knocked off a cup favourite in the L.A. Kings in the first round, captain Joe Pavelski led the way with 7 points in 6 games. The Sharks may have their best team in years as both Joe's (Thornton and Pavelski) are firing on all cylinders along with an extremely deep forward core. The defence is equally impressive with Brent Burns and Marc- Edouard Vlasic lead the way. Goaltending is the only unproven spot in the Sharks line-up as both James Reimer and starter Martin Jones lack playoff experience. On the flip side Nashville might have their best team to date, Pekka Rinne is as impressive as always, and the defensive core led by captain Shea Weber that plays in front of him is as formidable as any in the league today. The biggest difference with this Predators squad and ones of years past is the offence, Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and James Neal lead the Predators deepest forward group in a long time. The question is can it keep up with the cup starved Sharks?

   Advantage: San Jose Sharks

   Reason: A healthy mix of veterans and youth will propel San Jose past a Nashville team that I believe is still 2-3 years away from seriously competing for the Stanley Cup Championship.

   Those are just my thoughts, what are yours? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to share and follow the page!

Dallas Stars VS. St. Louis Blues

  The Dallas Stars power into the second round after a hard fought series with the Wild. Captain Jamie Benn was dominant in the first round posting 10 points in 6 games, the offence has been firing on all cylinders even with the absence of superstar Tyler Seguin. The real mystery for the Stars has been in net where neither tender has been able to find consistency, Lehtonen looks like he will be the guy for the Stars moving into the next round but a huge question mark still looms over the net in Dallas. On the flip side the Blues are looking to conquer their playoff demons after defeating the defending cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in an epic 7 games. The offence is led by Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko who has 6 points in 7 games, he is backed by a solid supporting cast of forwards and one of the deepest defensive cores in the league. Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Bouwmeester man the point in front of an at times questionable Brian Elliot. Will St. Louis end their playoff Blues or is this a year to look to the Stars?

   Advantage: St. Louis Blues

   Reason: Defence wins championships and the Blues are far deeper on the back end than the top heavy Stars. That combined with four solid forward lines and more consistent goaltending will help the Blues beat Dallas in what I predict to be a classic 7 game series.

   Those are just my thoughts! Let me know what you think in the comments below and be sure to share and follow!

Washington Capitals VS. Pittsburgh Penguins

     The leagues biggest stars are clashing yet again in the Stanley Cup playoffs as Sid the Kid and Alexander the Great have both led their teams to the second round in dominating fashion. The Capitals were the leagues best team in the regular season and flew past the Flyers in an impressive 6 games. Captain Alexander Ovechkin is coming off yet another 50 goal campaign and is surrounded by one of the best supporting cast in the game today. Brayden Holtby was dominant in both the regular season and first round of the playoffs gaining a Vezina nomination in the process and may finally be the goaltender Washington needs to get out of there playoff slump. On the other side Pittsburgh ended the season red hot and dismantled a cup favourite in the New York Rangers in an impressive 5 games. The offence made up of Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Letang was firing on all cylinders while the youthful supporting cast provided all the grit and energy the team needed. In net rookie goalie Matt Murray was a rock posting a 1.33 GAA and a .955 save percentage in 3 games.

Advantage: Washington Capitals

Reason: A mix of veterans and youth will help propel Washington past the Penguins. Better defence and more experience in net will be key as Washington beats Pittsburgh in what I predict to be a 5 game series.

      Those are just my thoughts! Who do you think will win the series? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to share and follow the page!

New York Islanders VS. Tampa Bay Lightning

   John Tavares leads a young budding Islanders team into the second round after a dominant game 6 performance.  30 year-old Thomas Griess took over in round one with a .944 save percentage and a 1.79 GAA. John Tavares was dominant in the first round posting 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points which also included the series winner in game six. But now they must turn their focus to an extremely strong Tampa Bay Lightning squad that dominated the first round. The absence of Stralman and Stamkos has not hindered the roster as Drouin and Killorn have stepped up and provided timely scoring in Stamkos absence while Bishop and the defensive core in front of him have stepped up in the absence of first pairing defenceman Stralman. Tampa Bay is looking to inch closer to another appearance in the cup finals, while the young Islanders are looking to finally compete for a championship.

Advantage: Tampa Bay Lightning

Reason: Experience, goaltending and depth at every position will help the Lightning beat the young Islanders in what I predict to be a hard fought 6 games.


    These are only my thoughts! Let me know what you think will happen in this series in the comments below and be sure to stay tuned for my next analysis which will come tomorrow about the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins series.

Sorry for my absence

  I would like to start this post by saying sorry that I have been away for so long. I have had a very stressful work load at school and simply haven't had time to post. Now to follow that up I would like to let everyone know that starting tonight I will be starting a series analysing the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and tonight I am going to start with the East. After I'm done this series I will be posting one to two times a week and getting back into the regular swing of things. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy my analysis of the second round.

Is this finally the Caps year?

   This year has been an interesting one in the NHL to say the least but the biggest surprise in my mind has been the fact that the Washington Capitals finally look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Capitals have somethings this year that they haven't had ever. The combination of four lines that can score, three solid defensive pairs and one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. That mixed with youth and veteran influence has  Washington looking like the team to do it this year. For the first time since Alex Ovechkin joined the NHL he isn't leading the Capitals in points and it isn't a problem. This team looks hungry and they look like no one will stand in their way. The addition of veteran forward Mike Richards has brought a winning defensive performance to their forward lines. But to me the biggest difference with this Washington teams to others has been their defence, players like Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, John Carlson and Karl Alzner have brought a sense of stability to Washingtons D core that has not been present in a long time. That combined with the fact that Holtby's incredible in net has Washington's defensive side looking incredible. We all know the Caps can score, but this year they look better than ever up front. This is a Washington Capitals team that I believe has some of the best potential in the NHL and has a fantastic shot at the Stanley Cup.

Vlasic is the safe choice

    So we have had a bit of time to take in who was named to team Canada (so far) and the big question remains Vlasic not Subban? And my response to that is simply yes. This is a question that many have asked seeing as Subban is a norris winning defenceman and one of the league premier players but Vlasic truly is the better choice. First off Vlasic shoots left handed which is huge considering how many more good right handed Canadian d men there are (Subban being one of them) the second reason is in the defensive play where Vlasic is easily the better of the two and makes simpler more effective plays. My next point comes in this seasons stats, Vlasic (Who is the better defensively of the two) is also having a great offensive season, not as good as Subban but still good. Overall the reason he was taken for this team over Subban is because of the fact that he is the safe choice and doesn't make risky plays. I think this was a great decision by Hockey Canada and I also believe Subban will be there when the final list of players is announced.

The Hawks are all in

   As of today the Chicago Blackhawks are all in on their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. This is feat that hasn't been accomplished since '97-'98 when the Detroit Red Wings did so, and it hasn't been done since the salary cap has been in place. By adding Andrew Ladd, Jay Harrison, Christian Ehrhoff, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, they have addressed any and all needs that may have been alluding them before. The Additions of Harrison and Ehrhoff add depth to a defensive core that in all honesty needed some help, Harrison will be a strong veteran presence as well as a sense of stability simply because he tends not to make risky plays. Ehrhoff will also bring a veteran presence but will be more of a puck mover and second option on the powerplay. Overall these moves allow them to take some pressure of Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. Next come the big moves up front, the addition of Andrew Ladd is brilliant in the fact that he has not only played for this organization before but won a cup with them, a former captain and at time dominating power forward, Ladd will be a welcome addition of any line but my guess is he will suit up alongside Towes and Hossa on the top unit. Next we get Weise who will most likely fill either a third or fourth line roll, which is great because he is exactly the type of player the Hawks needed to add if they want to compete with the likes of the Kings come playoff time. Both Weise and Ladd will bring a big physical presence to the line up that will be a welcome addition. Next we get the wild card in all of this, Tomas Fleischmann, a guy who at times in his NHL career had looked utterly brilliant (See his time will Colorado and Florida) and at other times had been lack lustre (see his time with the Ducks) So depending on which Fleischmann shows up to the Hawks roster this can be a steal or a bust, but if I had to put my money on it, I'd bet Fleischmann returns to form with a brilliant Hawks team and becomes and instrumental part in what I believe to be another incredible chase for the Stanley Cup. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow.

What is happening to hockey in Canada?

     Hockey is Canada's game. Or is it? The game that has been our trademark for so many years seems to be dwindling in our great nation, but why? Is it that people simply can't afford to put their kids on the ice? Perhaps its a loss in interest from the younger population? I personally don't believe it to be either of the these things, I believe it all begins with coaching and the lack of development we give kids, that combined with the political aspect of minor and junior hockey in Canada and you've got a losing formula for years to come. But how do we fix this problem? Is there truly one great answer to solve everything? The simple answer is no, there isn't one way to fix this problem, but I believe there are simple steps we can take to ensure that hockey remains Canada's game. The easiest way to fix this problem would be to have non parent coaches in minor hockey, the hard part of this is that who is going to coach then, when you have parent coaches the team seems to get picked more on who's parents are friends with who rather than who is the most skilled player. This is a big problem as it should be the best and hardest working players who make the team, not who you know but what yo can do should get you a spot on any team. Also if a parent is going to coach his or hers, sons of daughters team it shouldn't be an automatic that their child gets the most ice time and is first line centre, they should have to earn their spot just like everyone else on the team and if that means player third line wing and watching your child have to grind their way through the season than so be it, not only will it help make them a better person it will help make them a better player. The next easy step would be to focus more on development and less on certain plays. If the average team is given 50 minutes to practice and is anywhere below the bantam age group the game plan for practice should be simple, 15 minutes of power skating, 10 minutes of passing, 10 minutes of shooting and finally 15 minutes of a passing and shooting drill. Players would become more well rounded, they would be better skaters and wouldn't be passing the pucks behind their team mates. This would also address the problem of players not being able to shoot the puck. The next thing would be to teach these players that about the basics ie: protect the house, don't turn the puck over in the red zone and things such as that. Overall I believe these to be small but easy steps to improve hockey in Canada, at least those are my thoughts, what are yours?

Something has got to give for those Oilers

    Tonight a team that for the last five years has been labelled as a young up and coming group faced yet another loss in what is shaping up to be another horrible year for the Edmonton Oilers. A team with so much young talent and so many number one overall picks should surely sit higher in the standings. Having drafted the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Connor McDavid first overall, along with high picks in Eberle, Nurse and Drasisaitl. Surly this team should at the very least have offensive flair, but you'd be wrong in assuming that. After watching the game tonight the only members of the Oilers team that stood out to me were Taylor Hall and Connor McDavid, the team looks flat. Is it time to make a major trade? Should the Oilers still be preaching patients? Maybe the answers lies not in the fault of the players but in the management staff who assembled this team, I personally believe it goes back to one crucial decision that has now cost them up to this point, lets have a look. If the Oilers has drafter Tyler Seguin back in 2010 instead of Taylor Hall there would have been no need to draft RNH the next year because they would already have had their #1 centre so they could have made the safe choice and taken Landeskog, who as we all know is a dependable two way winger. Next they wouldn't have had to take the player who so far is turning into a bit of a flop in Nail Yakupov and instead addressed a need and taken a very reliable defenceman in Ryan Murray who could have been there top man for years to come. These simple choices could have changed the whole dynamic for this team, they would be a more responsible team in there own end and would have a bigger offensive zone presence because of being able to move the puck better. Now by no means do I think this Oilers team will turn into a total bust as players like Hall, Eberle, McDavid, Nurse and Drasisaital are all turning into very good NHL players, but the question still remains as to what to do with the leftovers in RNH, Yakupov and Shultz, if it were me in Edmonton I would trade them while the value is high and reap the rewards. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? Let me know in the comments below.

The Stanley Cup race

  Is it to early to already pick Stanley Cup favourites? Maybe but I like to make bold predictions and at this point in the regular season I think you can separate the teams into four separate categories, Cup contenders, mid range contenders, playoff pushers and out of the picture. Each of these categories could make drastic changes come the trade deadline but at this point in the season here is where I see every team and why the contenders aren't pretenders. We will start with out of the picture, these are the teams who have little to no shot at the playoffs these teams include the: Leafs, Oilers, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Jets and Flames. Seeing as all these teams are a long shot from the playoffs baring some miracle at the end of the season these teams are most likely going to draft in the top ten and retool for next year. the next group are the playoff pushers the teams that are close and could make a late season push but are not necessarily true contenders these teams include the: Cancuks, Wild, Coyotes, Avalanche, Senators, Canadians, Flyers and Hurricanes. This is the group that has maybe the biggest group as these are the teams that for the most part have cap space and can make a move at the trade deadline to make a true playoff push for the possible number eight seed. Our next group are the mid range contenders, these are the teams that will most likely make the playoffs and could be a surprise upset against the true contenders but for the most part are a move or two away from being cup contenders, these teams include the: Predators, Sharks, Ducks, Penguins, Lightning, Devils, Islanders, Bruins, Panthers, and Red Wings. These are all very capable and good hockey teams and any of them are capable of creating and upset and marching to the cup finals but for the most part are a move of two away from being in the elite category which are the cup contenders which include the: Kings, Blues, Blackhawks, Stars, Rangers, and Capitals  these are the teams that have been proving themselves all season and will continue to do so through the playoffs but which of these teams are my picks for the cup finals well that's easy. Out of the East I think the clear cut choice is the Washington Capitals, for the first time since Alex Ovechkin has been a part of the team they are legitimate, with the likes of Backstrom, Holtby, Kuznetsov and Carlson to back up possibly the deepest Capitals team ever. They finally have scoring from more than just the first line and a defence that is one of the deepest in the league, on top of that this is a team that has one of the best goalies in the entire league, which as we all know can make a huge difference. When it comes to my pick out of the west I believe the L.A Kings will return to glory this year, the team is just as deep as they were for either of their previous two cup wins and has made some very good additions in Lucic, Schenn and Lecavalier. These players add a combination of size and veteran leadership with Lecavalier and Lucic both having won Stanley Cups in the past. Overall I think this will be an exciting regular season and playoffs, and if I had to pick a team today who I think will win the Stanley Cup I would look no further than the L.A Kings.

  Who do you think will be in the cup finals? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow!

What is Hockey Thoughts?

   Hello everyone, my name is Mitchell Underwood and I am a young aspiring hockey writer who had decided to start my own blog to get my name out there and start letting people hear my opinions. Hockey thoughts is basically going to be my perspective on the world of hockey, such topics as my opinion on the state of hockey in Canada, top prospect, and NHL analysis will be some of the few areas I will cover on this blog. You can expect anywhere from 1-3 posts a week depending on my schedule and any recent news in the world of hockey! I hope you enjoy my views of the hockey world and always be sure to share, follow and comment on the page!