WINNING FORMULA
Pens’ decisive edge at centre could be the difference
In the end, a set of crutches — not hockey sticks — might provide the most telling symbol of whether the Nashville Predators win the Stanley Cup.
Clutching one with each of his hands last Monday, a gimpy Ryan Johansen was able to hobble out on to the rink surface at Bridgestone Arena to help celebrate with his teammates their elimination of the Anaheim Ducks, bringing with it the first visit to the final in franchise history.
Unfortunately for Johansen and the Preds, that’s about the only activity the gifted forward will be able to do on the ice for a long time.
While his Preds will be battling the Pittsburgh Penguins for the right to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail in a series that begins Monday evening at PPG Arena, the team’s top centre can only sit and watch, mired in a minimum twomonth rehab program after undergoing thigh surgery for an injury suffered in Game 4 of the Western Conference final against the Ducks.
Not only was Johansen and his 13 playoff points the team’s No. 1 centre, he was the catalyst who ignited linemates Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson to be even more dynamic than they already were. Now, with the former Columbus Blue Jacket unavailable for the upcoming showdown with Pittsburgh, the Penguins have an even more decisive matchup advantage when it comes to strength up the middle.
And, when the final goal has been scored and all is said and done, it might very well be the key edge that leads the Penguins to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
Admittedly, the Preds did a great job winning the final two games against the Ducks despite missing both Johansen and fellow centre Mike Fisher, who was also injured in Game 4 and unavailable for the remain- der of the series. That Peter Laviolette’s plucky squad was able to accomplish the feat against an Anaheim team that sports a lethal one-two punch at centre in Ryan Getzlaf Ryan Kesler makes Nashville’s advancement even more impressive.
At the same time, an argument can be made that the Penguins Fearsome Foursome of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen combine to form the best cache of centre icemen of any team in the game today — certainly when it comes to the postseason anyway.
Fisher has practised the past few days, an optimistic sign for the Predators and their loyal legions of fans. Yet, even his potential return doesn’t bring with it the promise of an offensive explosion, judging by his lack of production on the scoresheet this spring.
In the 16 games he has suited up for in these 2017 playoffs, Mike Fisher has as many points as you and I — zero. Fisher, for the record, has averaged 16:58 of ice time per post-season outing.
Of course, if Fisher has been a disappointment when it comes to points, then Colton Sissons must be considered a surprise. Registering a huge hat trick in the clinching victory against the Ducks, the North Vancouver native has as many points in these playoffs (10) as he accrued during the regular season, earning him comparisons to unlikely postseason heroes of the past like John Druce and Chris Kontos.
Still, when all is said and done, this clash of centres would appear to be, on the surface, a story of David vs. Goliath on blades, especially from a statistical point of view.
The proof: Pittsburgh’s Malkin (24), Crosby (20), Cullen (7) and Bonino (5) have combined for 56 points this spring. Nashville’s Fisher (0), Sissons (10), Calle Jarnkrok (3) and Vernon Fiddler (2) have accrued 15.
And while you ponder that 56-15 point differential in Pittsburgh’s favour, consider this, too: Malkin, Crosby, Cullen and Bonino are just 50 weeks removed from sipping that oh-so-sweet succulent champagne out of the Stanley Cup. None of the aforementioned Predators centres have ever done that.
None of this guarantees the Penguins will win. The Cinderella story that was Sissons in Game 6 against Anaheim showed that anything is possible on the stage that is the NHL playoff theatre.
But unless there is complete collapse by Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins certainly get a huge nod up the middle. And that’s a significant hole for the Preds to overcome.
In the 16 games he has suited up for in these 2017 playoffs, Mike Fisher has as many points as you and I — zero.