The last weekend of the regular season has four Eastern Conference teams fighting for three spots and still seeding to be determined in both conferences. This set up for one wild weekend and gut check time for some warriors and some much needed rest for others. The biggest matchup this weekend is a home and home play-in series between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. Not only have these two teams’ division rivals both taken similar inconsistent paths to this mini playoff series so players from these games will be heavily featured in this week’s Weekend Warriors
Teams with 2 games this weekend: Ducks, Thrashers, Bruins, Sabres, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Red Wings, Oilers, Panthers, Kings, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Lightning, Capitals
FORWARDS:
Daniel Briere, Flyers C/W: The big ticket free agent is having a subpar offensive season with 51 points in 73 games but has amazing career numbers against the Rangers, 33 points in 35 games. The 32-year-old has been shifted from center to winger and back to center but lately has seem to regain a chemistry with Simon Gagne with 11 points in last 20 games (4G, 7A). Briere will always be the ire of of Flyers fans for he is the highest paid player on the team and not the ice time leader or points leader but he could become a city savior if he has a big weekend to clinch the Flyers a playoff berth.
Henrik Sedin, Canucks C: Can the 29-year-old Vancouver to the unthinkable and hold off the high scoring Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crobsy to win the Art Ross Trophy. The high scoring Swede has now broken the 100 point barrier for the first time in his career and leads Ovechkin by two points and Crosby by four but only has one game to the others having two this weekend. If Sedin holds off the NHL poster children from winning their second Art Ross he will become only the second Swedish born player to win this award, the other Peter Forsberg who won it the 2003-04 season.
Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin F: The senior forward had a big decision to make last year, make the jump to the NHL and play for the Predators or come back and finish what he started, his decision has seemed to pay off. The 6-2 captain has now led his Badgers to one win away from an NCAA Championship as his Wisconsin Badgers will face the Boston College Eagles in the NCAA Hockey Championship on Saturday. He could add a Hobey Baker to his resume as he led his team with 28 goals this season (2nd in the nation). Geoffrion comes from an impressive hockey lineage. His dad Danny played for the Montreal Canadians and the Winnipeg Jets. His grandfather, Benny “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame for helping the Canadiens win six Stanley Cups. Most important will leave Wisconsin with his college degree as he is only the second of his family to accomplish that feat.
DEFENSE:
Zdeno Chara, Bruins: The Boston Bruins defensive corp. has been ravaged by injuries, so much that they were force to dress three rookies in Thursday’s game vs the Sabres, but they still have the Big Z back there to keep things calm. Fashioning a steel cage to protect his recently broken nose Chara will be huge for the Bruins as the still try to clinch a playoff spot with two games this weekend. The Bruins offensive woes without Marc Savard have been highly publicized and Chara is third in the teams in points and has 10 points in his last 19 games. With the injuries to the Bruins backline watch for his already inflated ice time to increase as the Bruins try to position themselves against a first round matchup vs Capitals.
Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings: Lidstrom turns 40 at the end of April and already people are asking him the retirement question of which he is deflecting the decision until the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 6-time Norris Trophy winner needs one goal this weekend to allow him to reach double digit goals the 16th time in his 17 year career and one point to reach 50 points for the fifth straight season, but more importantly his Red Wings are still trying to position themselves for another deep playoff run.
Brendan Smith, Wisconsin: Sorry BC but you will get your due in the goalie section but this Wisconsin defensive unit is stacked and led by the high scoring Brendan Smith. Smith is one of four Badger defenseman drafted in the first or second round and is their leader in points with 52 points. The Junior Red Wings prospect had a career-best five assists in the NCAA Semifinals and now will face one of highest scoring teams in the nation in the Championship game Saturday.
GOALIE:
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: Most say goaltending becomes most important in the playoffs, and none more exemplifies this then the Rangers net minder. Lundqvist has been a workhorse for the Rangers push to the playoffs, staring 15 straight games and has started 23 of the last 24 Rangers games, but more impressive he has shown minimal signs of slowing down. The 28-year-old is 12-8-3 in those games and now faces a team he has had some success against as in 24 games against the Flyers he is 13-7-2 with a 2.88 GAA and 2 shutouts, get another donut or two this weekend and the Blue Shirts are in the playoffs.
Antti Niemi, Blackhawks: You could of went with either this kid or the goalie situation in Washington for this pick but more pressure has seemed to fall of the shoulders of the 26-year-old Niemi. This is mostly because the Blackhawks seemed to be more poise to win now making the Hossa move this offseason and the team make up. Niemi has grabbed a strangle hold on the number one position and has started seven straight games and is currently on a five-game winning streak as the Blackhawks try to catch the Sharks for the top seed and home ice in the Western Conference. They have two games verses possible playoff opponents this weekend first the visit the Avalanche and can concrete them into the eighth seed then finish up with division rival Red Wings.
John Muse, Boston College: The Junior net minder has a National Championship to his name as a freshman and the school’s single-season record for saves (1,171; 2007-08) and now he is on the brink of leading the team to his second Championship in three years. Muse had a decent regular season with an 18-8-2 record, 2.48 GAA and a .908 save percentage and will have to have a huge game for Boston College to defeat the offensive juggernaut that is Wisconsin.
