Since the 1985-1986 season, the Presidents’ Trophy winners have only won the Stanley Cup eight times:
- 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers
- 1988-89 Calgary Flames
- 1993-94 NY Rangers
- 1998-99 Dallas Stars
- 2000-01 Detroit Red Wings
- 2007-08 Red Wings
- 2012-2013 Chicago Blackhawks
How many times do you recall teams like the 2000’s San Jose Sharks and 2010’s Washington Capitals just dominating the regular season and then being a first-round/early exit in the playoffs?
The Cats are one of the hottest teams in the NHL while riding an 11-game win streak and are sitting at #1 in the standings.
This being said, are the Panthers too hot right now entering the playoffs?
As we all know, a run like what the Cats are on his bound to come to an end. My fear is that once they fall off this hot streak, they do not have enough of a recovery period to bounce back before playoffs.
Tonight’s game should be a fairly easy opportunity to get a W as the Cats throttled the Wings 6-1 over the weekend; however, Detroit is playing physical and they are playing with pride. They are the type of team Steve “Bong Rips” Yzerman will turn in to a Cup contender in the next 3-5 years. You can never count them out or overlook them.
After that, the Cats face Toronto and Tampa at home then have a 3-game road trip to Boston, Ottawa, and Montreal.
Toronto, Tampa, and Boston all are playoff teams and can easily derail the winning streak the Cats are currently riding.
On top of that, Ottawa has been playing everyone tough and with Brady Tkachuk leading the “punch you in the face” style of play, they have been a thorn in everyone’s side despite not being as skilled as the opposition.
Should the Cats falter, will the games against Ottawa and Montreal be enough to get them back on track for the playoffs? Assuming they can pull off the victory on the road in what could prove to be “meaningless” games.
The last thing I would ever want to see is the Cats ride in to the playoffs too hot and then fizzle out in to an early first round exit because they flew too close to the sun.
As mentioned in previous articles, the playoffs are a major adjustment and will be a completely different style of play. The refs will keep the whistles in their pockets and the guys will get away with a lot more.
Can the Cats outskate the slashing, holding, and physical play?
Will Bobrovsky be able to keep up his phenomenal level of play?
Did Barkov and the boys peak too close to playoffs?
Only time will tell!
In Zito we trust! Let’s go Cats!
Gambling picks for April 21st:
- Steer clear of the Panthers – at -600 odds it is not worth it, even on the puck line
- Bruins +100 against the Penguins
- Flames -1.5 (+120 odds)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+100 odds) against the Jets