Fans love the underdog. When it comes to playoff hockey, lots of teams love being the underdog.
In the past two NHL seasons, the sixth and seventh seeds in the playoffs have been extremely successful in the first round. Moreover, one of these underdogs has gone on to the Stanley Cup Finals in each season.
Conversely, the second seed has been a death knell for many successful teams. The Detroit Red Wings lost the Western Conference title by only one point in 2003. They were then upset by the seventh-seeded Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks then beat the Minnesota Wild before sweeping the first-seeded Dallas Stars to get to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The same thing happened to the Boston Bruins during the 2004 playoffs. The Bruins got the second seed after winning the Atlantic Division, only to be upset by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. In the Western Conference that same year, the sixth-seeded Calgary Flames upset the Vancouver Canucks, and went on to dominate the Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks, pushing them into the finals. All three teams were seeded higher than Calgary at the start of the playoffs.
So what is the secret behind these Cinderella stories?
The Ducks of 2003 were carried by the stellar play of rookie French goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who posted a stellar 1.62 GAA in the playoffs.
Goalkeeper and former Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore lifted the Canadiens on his back during the Boston series. After the team dropped three of the first four games, Theodore allowed only three goals in the rest of the series.
The Flames also got their playoff edge from their goaltender, Finnish phenom Mikka Kiprusoff. Kiprusoff posted a GAA of 1.85, helping to vault the Flames into the finals.
So how does that translate to the 2006 playoffs?
Well, the Red Wings, who had the best regular-season record, are currently down 2-1 against the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers. They must beat Edmonton at home in the next game to tie the series.
The No. 7 Canadiens upset the No. 2 Carolina Hurricanes twice in Raleigh over the weekend. Goaltender Cristobal Huet, who emerged as the starter at the end of the regular season, was dominant in net. He allowed one goal in the first game and stopped 16 shots in the first overtime of the second game, allowing Michael Ryder to win the game early in the second overtime period.
The seventh-seeded Colorado Avalanche destroyed the No. 2 Stars on Saturday, scoring five unanswered goals, then went on to win on Tuesday in overtime. Leading the Avs is none other than former Canadiens goaltender Theodore, whose 2002 and 2003 heroics caught the eye of Colorado at the trade deadline, as they dealt their own young goaltender to Montreal in order to gain Theodore's playoff experience.
There is, of course, a flip side to it all. While underdogs are being carried in the postseason by their strong netminders, those teams that are falling behind in the Stanley Cup quest are doing so because of poor goaltending.
Dallas goalie Marty Turco has had a disappointing series so far, allowing 10 goals in two games. Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers allowed five goals to the Ottawa Senators in the season finale, only to let in six against New Jersey in the first game of their series. In the Detroit-Edmonton series, Manny Legace of the Red Wings has faced about half of the shots of his Oilers counterparts over the last two games, but still trails in goals 8-5.
Having a lights-out goaltender is becoming increasingly important due to the change in officiating. The referees during the regular season ran a tight ship when it came to hooking and grabbing. Not so in the playoffs. The referees have proven over the first several games that they are absolutely going to let the teams play it out. The games have become increasingly more physical, and are reminiscent of "old-time hockey," where players can't get within 10 feet of the puck without getting creamed.
Ironically, the result of this rise in physicality has been an actual increase in penalties. While the stringent hooking laws have been relaxed, the penalties for roughing, checking from behind, elbowing, boarding and tripping are piling up. Teams are seeing upwards of five power plays per game, which create numerous scoring chances.
For example, the Buffalo Sabres had nine power plays against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, six of which were on roughing calls. Philadelphia's Robert Esche ended up facing 58 shots as the Flyers lost 3-2 in double OT.
The increasing scoring chances are adding stress for goaltenders trying to carry the game on their shoulders. But the results are clear; without stellar goaltending, even the best teams can become underdogs.
