VANCOUVER — Don't any of the favourites want to win the Stanley
Cup?
A month ago, a ballot on the National Hockey League's most likely Final
Four probably would have been topped by the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red
Wings in the Western Conference, and the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in
the East.
But the Canucks have lost six of eight games and are staggering towards
the end of their worst homestand in three years. The Red Wings have lost five
of six and are 3-7-1 the last four weeks. Detroit just sent home from its
California trip defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom, who has a bruised ankle that isn't
getting better. More…
Shacks’ Take: Since MacIntyre is only
pointing facts I’m not disagreeing with anything he says. I only used this article to illustrate the
point that almost every team has its ups and downs during the season so there’s
no need to jump off the bandwagon just because the team has recently
struggled.
All of these teams are ones that have quite a bit of recent playoff
experience and they just aren’t as motivated to win late season games as teams
desperate for the playoffs. Borderline
playoff teams don’t have to manufacture desperation, they are desperate. Teams like Vancouver, Detroit and Boston are
trying to up their intensity but it’s not as easy with little to play for. We’ll see if Boston starts to play better now
that they are actually in a little trouble but I wouldn’t be shocked to see
Vancouver and Detroit continue their erratic play for at least another week or
two.
A team like St. Louis is less likely to lose their edge because they are
still new to the experience of being elite and want to prove to everyone
they’re for real. Detroit and Vancouver
have nothing to prove in the regular season, their entire year will be judged
on how they perform in the playoffs so their struggles might be related to
their looking ahead. Hopefully the
leadership groups get the teams focused at least a week or two before the
playoffs start to ease the locals’ minds.
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