#playoff preview

[ianbohen]

NFL Week 16 Picks + Playoff Preview w/ Ian Bohen | All In Ep. 32 - Hosted by dear friend Ashley Haas.

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Knicks playoff basketball is back and I need everyone to be ready because this hawks series is NOT going to be a walk in the park 🏀 trae young is gone but atlanta is still dangerous and the garden is going to be absolutely electric on april 18th.

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2016 QMJHL Playoffs: Round Two Preview

By Ally Harris

After a 4-2 victory over the Rimouski Oceanic in the first round, the Islanders are off to round two, where they take on the second-seeded Shawinigan Cataractes. 

Shawinigan advanced to the second round with a 4-1 series victory over the Sherbrooke Phoenix, winning four games in a row after dropping game one at home.

With the teams having to travel a long distance between the two cities, the series will follow a 2-3-2 format, with the three home games taking place April 11th, 12th, and 14th.

Regular Season

The Cataractes finished the regular season second in the standings with 93 points and a 44-19-4-1 record. They easily won the East Division, finishing 14 points ahead of the second-best team in the division, which was the Oceanic.

The Cataractes were active during the December trading period to completely makeover their team, adding big pieces like Dmytro Timashov from Quebec, Danny Moynihan and Cavan Fitzgerald from Halifax, and Philippe Cadorette from Baie-Comeau.

The Islanders and the Cataractes met twice in the regular season, with both games taking place in the second half of the season. The Cataractes came away victorious from both contests. The first game took place at the Eastlink Centre on February 3rd. The Cataractes won that game 7-3, although the final score wasn’t necessarily indicative of the play.

“I don't think it was a 7-3 game. I don't think that was a fair reflection of the game. If I walked away with anything from this evening, it's that we can play with anybody in the league when our focus is where it needs to be,” Head Coach Jim Hulton said after that contest.

The second game took place on February 27th in Shawinigan and was a 3-1 loss for the Islanders, with Kameron Kielly scoring the lone goal late in the third period.

Home and Away

One of the strengths of the Islanders’ second half was their play at home. That loss to Shawinigan on February 3rd was one of just three losses on home ice after Christmas for the Islanders. Including the three games in the first round of the playoffs, the Islanders have won 17 of their 19 home games in 2016.

With the overall record that Shawinigan had, it’s unsurprising that they also had winnings records both at home and on the road. They were 22-11-0-1 on home ice, and 22-8-4-0 on the road. In the first round, they won both of their road games and were 2-1-0-0 in their home games.

Goaltending

Fortunately for the Islanders, goaltending wasn’t a storyline for Charlottetown in the first round this year. In the Rimouski-Charlottetown series, the focus was more on the Oceanic’s goaltending situation, which allowed Mason McDonald to just fly under the radar and get the job done. That’s exactly what he did, with a 2.72 GAA and a 0.922 SAV% in the series.

“It’s been pretty easy,” McDonald said after the series-clinching game six. “The guys made it pretty easy on me, keeping shots to the outside and what not. It’s been fun.”

At the other end of the ice for the Cataractes will be Philippe Cadorette. 20-year-old Cadorette spent the first half of the season playing pros after being invited to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s training camp, and then played four games in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals. He allowed 11 goals in those four games, a GAA of 9.09. Baie-Comeau shipped him to Shawinigan during the trading period and in the first round he had a 1.96 GAA and a 0.926 SAV%.

Defense

The Islanders gave up 18 goals in six games in round 1, giving them a goal differential of +8. Only five Islanders players finished the round with a negative plus/minus – all with a -1 – and Luc Deschênes led the way as a +7. 

Aside from game three, which the Islanders dominated, most of the games in the first-round series were tight-checking games, with three of them being decided in overtime. Hulton believes the team has become much more comfortable in those types of games, and they’ll have to continue to do so in the next round.

Shawinigan, meanwhile, allowed 11 goals in their five games, an average of 2.2 per game. None of their players finished with a +/- of less than zero, and five players finished as a +7.

Offense

The Islanders had plenty of offense to rely on in the first round.

“Every line was firing. All four lines were going,” said forward Daniel Sprong.

The only players to appear in a game and not pick up a point in the first round was Carl Gervais, who only appeared in two games. Even Mason McDonald picked up an assist in one game.

In game three alone, 16 of the Isles’ 18 skaters registered a point. Samuel Blais leads the way with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) – ranking him third among all players – followed by Sprong with nine points (three goals, six assists). Defenceman Alexis Vanier came alive in the series and leads the team in goals with five.

Shawinigan is led in the playoffs by Dmytro Timashov with nine points (two goals and seven assists), and Alexis D’Aoust – who also leads the team in goals – with eight points (five goals and three assists).

Special Teams

The Islanders certainly have the advantage when it comes to special teams. Their power play was clicking in the first round with a 32.0% success rate, good for third-best in the league, while Shawinigan’s power play was at just 16.7%.

On the penalty kill, the Islanders weren’t that impressive with a rate of 77.3%. But their numbers still fare better than Shawinigan’s, who were a second-worst 67.9%.

The Islanders were lucky to avoid the surging Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the second round, but will still face a big challenge in the second-seeded Cataractes. 

The second round of the QMJHL playoffs gets underway on Thursday night in Shawinigan at 8 p.m. AST. Fans can catch the game shown live at Ise’s Sports Bar or can tune in to George Matthews on Fair Isle Ford Isles Radio.

Tickets for games three and four at home are now on sale through the Eastlink Centre Box Office, by phone at [phone], or online at www.eastlinkcentrepei.com.

[allyharrismedia]

2016 QMJHL Playoffs: Round One Preview

By Ally Harris

If there’s one word to describe the Charlottetown Islanders right now, it’d be confident. 

The Islanders enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the league, with a seven-game winning streak on the go.

And unlike the Islanders of years past, the team doesn’t just have its sights set on winning a playoff round. This team is preparing to go all the way.

“We’re gonna look to make it a couple of rounds this year and go for the championship,” said goaltender Mason McDonald. “I think we have the team to do that, especially the way we’ve been playing in the second half.”

But before they can do that, they have to advance past the first round. The Islanders will open the playoffs on Friday on the road against the Rimouski Oceanic.

“It’s a good matchup for us,” said McDonald. “We got the team we wanted and now we just have to execute. We’ll have a good week of practice, go to Rimouski and be ready for game one.”

“This is the most confident we’ve been all year,” said forward Keith Getson. “Everybody knows in our room we’re playoff ready and we’re excited to embrace the challenge.”

Regular Season

The Islanders faced off against the Oceanic twice in the regular season, allowing just one goal in regulation in the process. As things worked out, it was Matt Welsh who was the goaltender in both games.

The first game between the teams was in Rimouski back in October. That game was scoreless through regulation and overtime, and took a six-round shootout before Hunter Moreau finally put one in the back of the net to give the Oceanic the 1-0 win. Welsh also stopped a pair of penalty shots in that game.

When the teams met again at the Eastlink Centre in January, it was the Islanders who this time came away with the two points in a 3-1 victory. Jake Coughler, Brad Kennedy, and Mitchell Balmas scored for the Islanders in that contest as Welsh turned away 26 shots.

Home and Away

The Islanders did everything they needed to do to try and earn home ice at the end of the regular season, but the Oceanic did everything they needed to do to stop them. 

While home ice would have been nice for the Islanders – they are 13-1 in their last 14 home games – being on the road for the extra game isn’t the end of the world. The Islanders have also been impressive on the road lately: they are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 away from the Eastlink Centre.

For the Islanders, it doesn’t matter whether they’re at home or on the road. The end goal is still the same.

“Either way it’s the same thing,” said Getson. “We’re gonna go into another team’s barn, we’re gonna get two points.”

Rimouski have also been winning at home recently, going 7-2-1-0 at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in their last 10 games there. On the season, they have an impressive 23-8-3-0 record at home. On the road, they are 13-17-2-2.

Goaltending

Goaltending was the number one story of the playoffs last year with McDonald getting injured in game three of the first round.

The Islanders hope it’ll be a different story this year.

Goaltenders can be the difference maker in the playoffs and the Isles have all the confidence in the world in McDonald, who has had a strong end to the season.

“Mason is as sharp as I’ve seen him, rounding into form at the perfect time,” said Head Coach Jim Hulton.

McDonald, meanwhile, is just doing what he does best.

“I’m just doing what I do all the time: going out there and playing hockey. (I’m) not thinking about numbers, not thinking about wins, losses – just going out and playing.”

And if lightning does strike twice, it doesn’t hurt that the Islanders have a solid backup in Matt Welsh.

For Rimouski, Louis-Philip Guindon appeared in 57 games this season, posting 32 wins, a 2.81 GAA, and a 0.905 SAV%.

Defense

The Islanders have tightened up defensively in the second half. In their past 12 games, they’ve given up more than three goals just once. 

Hulton said the most impressive thing about the Islanders’ last seven wins was the way they’d won those games.

“In particular, this last seven have all been tight-checking, low scoring games. And that’s what playoff hockey is all about.”

In the first half of the season, and even early in the second half, the team was struggling in close games where they needed to defend a lead. That hasn’t been the case lately.

“We’re comfortable now with the lead,” said Hulton. “We kind of got over that rough patch where we blew some leads and we seem to be comfortable now in a lot of different situations, and that’s what playoffs are all about. 

“You can expect the unexpected, and you have to be prepared for anything and everything.”

Offense

Offense hasn’t been a problem for the Islanders since Christmas. With the addition of guys like Daniel Sprong and Samuel Blais on the roster, the Isles have scored 131 goals in 33 games – just under four goals a game.

What Hulton was most impressed with about the Islanders’ last two games of the season was the fact that none of the goals were scored on the power play.

“There was a stretch of time there where we seemed to (depend) on our power play to create any momentum offensively. We understand now that we have to be able to grind some teams down 5-on-5.”

Blais led the team in scoring with 82 points (33 goals and 49 assists), ahead of Brad Kennedy with 56 points (25 goals and 31 assists) and Filip Chlapik with 54 (12 goals and 42 assists).

For Rimouski, Antoine Dufort-Plante led the way with 63 points (23 goals and 40 assists), followed by Dylan Montcalm with 59 points (23 goals and 36 assists) and Tyler Boland with 54 (26 goals and 28 assists).

Special Teams

Although the power play didn’t score over the weekend, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been hot this season. 

The Islanders had the league’s third-best power play over the regular season, clicking at 24.9%. Rimouski’s power play was 7th, at 22.8%.

Their penalty kills are the other way around. Rimouski’s penalty kill is third in the league and has an 81.1% success rate. The Islanders rate of 78.6% is 8th overall.

“We’re looking to be a couple more months going here,” said Hulton. “We want to continue to be in that mindset and that process is to come and get better every day and now we can just focus on one opponent and playing the game the right way.”

[islesblogger]

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups #Isles #IslesBlogger #IslesFaithfulPodcast @JPinVA

The New York Islanders are the least favored two seed in the NHL playoff matchups this year. This is based on one thing, Sidney Crosby. Let’s break this down and see if this is truly the case.

The Rosters

When you look at the rosters as a whole the Penguins have a huge advantage based on playoff experience, and their top six forwards. There are an awful lot of Stanley Cup rings over there,…

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[islesblogger]

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups

The New York Islanders are the least favored two seed in the NHL playoff matchups this year. This is based on one thing, Sidney Crosby. Let’s break this down and see if this is truly the case.

The Rosters

John Palmieri | Islesblogger

When you look at the rosters as a whole the Penguins have a huge advantage based on playoff experience, and their top six forwards. There are an awful lot of Stanley Cup rings over there, and they should be given credit for every one of them. They’ve earned that right. They also have two of the top ten centers in the league, a patchwork of highly skilled defenseman, and one of the best playoff goalies of the past three years. How do you combat that?

The Matchups

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Islander Defensive Zone Starts – Cizikas vs Crosby

This is the matchup you’ll probably see at the beginning of the game and in most IDZ (Islander Defensive Zone) starts. The Penguins will want Sidney Crosby out there to take advantage of the position, and the Islanders will want the best fourth line in hockey out there to defend. You will also see a lot of Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech in these situations. This will keep Pulock’s offensive abilities somewhat muted, but that pairing’s ability to breakout under pressure will keep the Islanders from sustained pressure by the Penguins top line. If this matchup breaks down the Islanders will be in for a short series. If the Islanders win this will have been the key matchup of the series.

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Islander Offensive Zone Starts – Barzal vs Cullen

Barzal, Eberle and Lee are the three most offensively productive Islanders. They are not the three best defensive forwards on the team. Barry Trotz will try to get them on the ice for IOZ (Islander Offensive ZOne) starts as often as possible. Matt Cullen is deployed almost exclusively in a defensive zone role. I expect to see a lot of this.

In these situations I see the Islanders as having a slight advantage because Casey Cizikas is having such a good offensive season he may be able neutralize the Crosby line and add some offense when they break down. The Barzal line is rather new, and has been on a positive trajectory of production. These two situations should, surprisingly favor the Islanders.

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The Middle Six

I see a lot of Filppula vs Malkin and Nelson vs Bjugstad. The Islanders are in a more defensive role in both of these matchups, and that is not good. It’s how they’ve operated all season and they’ve made it work with solid five man defensive strategies and great goaltending. That will have to continue for them to have any chance here.

The one bright spot for the Islanders is the poor defensive showing of the Evgeni Malkin line. The Islanders will have to exploit this with some combination of Nelson and Bailey or Filppula and Beauvillier. If it is not working by game three they may have to switch from a defensive approach with Kuhnhackl to a more offensive one with Michael Dal Colle.

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The Defense

The upside is that all six Islanders defenders can be deployed against any of the four lines without there being a clear mismatch in talent. The Penguins can boast the same claim. The difference is the Islanders have not been able to say this in any of their previous playoff matchups.

I think they will try to get Pulock against Crosby, and Boychuk against Malkin as often as possible. I could see Letang being assigned to Barzal, but they may also want to match up a more physical defender like Gudbranson or Johnson with Lee.

The Islanders may have a slight advantage here because of their neutral zone structure, and the fact that all six defenders can skate, and match up physically with all four of the Penguin lines. The Penguins will have some difficulty with the speed of Barzal paired with the physical nature of Lee. It’s almost a similar threat as Ovechkin on the same line as Wilson…and we all know how that turned out for the Penguins.

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The Goaltending

By the numbers the Islanders have the advantage in 2018-19. Lehner and Greiss have been the best tandem in the NHL Matt Murray has two Stanley Cup rings and has been through this before. Advantage Penguins… until proven otherwise.

This may be the matchup that turns the series. The Islanders’ goalies have outperformed all others during the regular season. This isn’t the regular season. Thomas Greiss won a playoff series with the Islanders, but has not been in the dance for past two years. Robin Lehner had a cup of coffee in the playoffs with Ottawa and played well, but it’s been six years for him. These two might be outstanding, but there is no recent evidence of such. I expect Lehner to get the nod in game one due to recent play. He’ll probably play until he loses two in a row.

The Penguins have a pretty big advantage here. But the Islanders have the potential to turn that around. It’s a lot of pressure to put on Robin Lehner. But Robin put a lot of pressure on himself this year, and he has battled through all of it and come out on top. I like those odds.

Special Teams

The Penguins have a huge advantage here. If Barry Trotz tries to steer this ship into the “physical” waters it will be a disaster. While both teams have penalty kill units operating at about league average (80%) the Penguins have a far better power play. The Penguins are successful 24% of the time and the Islanders only 14%. What that translates to is if they both had 4 PP chances per game in a seven game series the Pens would outscore the Islanders about 7 to 4. That would be a tough deficit to overcome 5 on 5.

The Islanders will need to lean towards a skating series and try to limit the Penguins to two chances per game. That could keep the special teams deficit to a minimum. That means staying on the right side of the puck to avoid obstruction penalties. The must avoid touching Sidney. This is where we will see the experience bias. Barzal will get pounded at every opportunity because the Penguins will not fear retribution of the Islanders anemic power play. On the other hand the Islanders will have to avoid playing Sid and Gino physically.

This could turn the series if Barry Trotz allows it to happen. I don’t think that will be the case, but it is something to watch.

John Palmieri | Islesblogger Home Ice Advantage

The Bottom Line

The Islanders must shut down Sidney Crosby. The last line of defense, the goaltenders will be the deciding factor. The Islanders’ Best Fourth Line In Hockey and their Jennings Trophy winning defense and goaltending must hold up for this series.

It also doesn’t hurt to have the first two, the fifth, and the seventh games played at Fort Neverlose. It’s an advantage they fought for through 82 regular season games. I expect the building to be rocking and the crowd to be “Jacked“.

If the Islanders stay out of the penalty box, and the goaltending maintains its regular season form the Islanders have the advantage. I could see the Islanders taking the series in six games.

Islanders vs Penguins Matchups was originally published on islesblogger.com

[doubleclutch]

NBA PLAYOFFS LAKERS/NUGGETS SERIES PREVIEW

And we're back again for day two of the NBA playoffs. It's about to go down. The second most anticipated series of the first round has none other than Kobe and the Lakers going against a tough, young Denver Nuggets team. This should be a good one. I doubt any game will top last nights KD buzzer beate but, knowing Kobe, we might see one more.

Theres a lot to think about going into this game. I'll focus solely on KOBE, just because all the Laker fans/follows know I can be his number one "Hater".....but Id rather think of myself as a tough critic. That said, it doesn't look good for Kob. Why? One name: Arron Afflalo. There are few "Kobe stoppers" left in the league today, and, unfortunately, Denver has one of them. Just to make it clear why Afflalo is a big problem for Kobe, here's a little info I took from Bleacherreport.com:

In Kobe's career against Afflalo, he has shot only .383. In the last five games against Afflalo, Bryant has made just 34 of his 110 field-goal attempts, giving him a field-goal percentage of just .309, and he has averaged only 19.8 points over that span.

Laker fans, are you worried? Most of you think the Lakers will go as far as Kobe takes them right? I know its only the first round and there should be nothing to fear, but Denver is a very dangerous team. If they're gonna upset LA now would be the perfect chance as they don't have Artest. If Kobe plans on putting the team on his back like he usually does it could be a disaster. Against Afflalo, it won't be easy and it will likely hurt the team. What Kobe needs to do is get his two big men involved and just take the backseat....especially if they're playing well and he is NOT.

The biggest advantage LA has over virtually every team in the NBA is their size. Nope, it isn't number 24. No one fears Kobe anymore. He's not in his prime. He can close a game out, but he can't beat you solo like he used to. It'll be interesting seeing how Kobe approaches this game and the playoff's overall. His legacy is on the line. He wants that sixth ring. This is probably his last shot (if the Lakers even has one at that) at a Championship. Most of all, another early round exit could kill all that "greatest player of all time" talk you Kobe fans love so much, and give more fuel for the fire that burns in the heart of every Kobe hater. Even though I'd get a kick out of LA losing in round one, it wouldn't be good for Basketball. We already lost Rose.

MY PREDICTIONS:

LAKERS IN 6

KEY MATCH UP: Kobe vs Afflalo

SERIES X-FACTORS: Andrew Bynum/ Ty Lawson

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