**UNWRITTEN NHL MOCK DRAFT 2015 PICKS 21-25**

Wow, the Stanley Cup Final can be decided in just one more game, and we are nearing the end of the 2015 mock draft. Offseason is coming, ahhhhh! I'll be following up later with a couple posts notifying you how UnWrittenNHL is going to be handling the offseason (what kind of posts, etc.) For now, we look at picks 21-25 for our mock draft. Enjoy!

#21 - Buffalo Sabres (From NYI) - Jeremy Roy (D)

With Buffalo's 2nd first-round pick it would make sense to grab a d-man after nabbing up Jack Eichel with #2, so I have them taking French defenseman Jeremy Roy. Roy notched 43 PTS in 46 GMS while wearing the "A" for the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix. He also put up 4 PTS in 7 GMS while a member of Canada's U18 Junior team. As a player Roy is a swift-skating, puck-moving, jaw-dropping defenseman that can quarterback a PP, or make that golden breakout pass. His awareness of where everyone else is on the ice is amazing, his hockey IQ speaks volumes. For the Sabres Roy could develop into a #2/3 offensive defenseman with great hockey instincts. Roy could definitely go higher than 21, so the Sabres would be lucky to have him land on their laps.

#22 - Washington Capitals - Denis Guryanov (LW/RW)


The Washington Capitals love drafting Europeans, most prominently Russians. The Russian winger put up 25 PTS in 23 GMS with Ladia Togliatta of Russia's 'MHL', their second-tier league. He's already committed to play for their KHL team next season, so the Russian risk factor always comes into play. The 'Caps don't seem to mind that risk, so Guryanov is a solid pick up. He has extremely high upside that comes around with that risk. He drives hard to the net with a solid wrist shot and soft hands, as his combination of skill & size make him a solid player. Many teams don't want to take that risk, so he should be available at #22 for Washington, unless a team believes in his upside.

#23 - Vancouver Canucks - Daniel Sprong (RW)


Onto the Vancouver Canucks. With the 23rd pick in the draft, we here at UWNHL have them taking Dutch-born winger Daniel Sprong. Sprong moved to Canada when he was just a wee little munchkin, and has perfected his hockey game since. He put up 88 PTS in 68 GMS with the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders. Of those points he had 39G and 49A. He possesses a dangerous skill set, everything a big time goal scorer needs. He's fast, can pass the puck, and handles it with utmost care. He works as hard as he can to be a responsible player on all 200 ft of the ice, and also has that high compete level scouts love. The Canucks are lacking in play-finishing wingers, and if the Dutch/Canadian sniper is still up there, the 'Nucks would love to grab him.

#24 - Toronto Maple Leafs (From NSH) - Anthony Beauvillier (C)


Toronto has a pair of first round picks, and we have now reached their second. At #24 on this list, we have the blue&white taking French center Anthony Beauvillier. Beauvillier is a prolific point getter, notching 94 PTS in 67 GMS with the QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes. Why isn't he projected higher if he puts up all these points? His small stature at 5"10 & 176lbs is a reason teams may decide to shy away. Toronto's new management core loves guys like these, and will happily take Beauvillier with #24. What aspects stand out from his game? It is obviously relevant at this point Beauvillier is a point-getting center. He has a very high hockey IQ, and is a very talented playmaking center as well. He makes up for his small size with his quick hands, quick footspeed, ability to get off quick passes, every aspect of this guys game is done quickly. As a supporter of the Leafs, I'd be happy to land Beauvillier with the 24th pick.

#25 - Winnipeg Jets (From BUF, From STL) - Jansen Harkins (C)


Winnipeg owns the rights to the 25th pick after acquiring it from Buffalo, who had previously acquired it from St. Louis. Complicated sequence (not really). Anyways, back to the pick Jansen Harkins, son of Todd Harkins, tallied 79 PTS in 70 GMS whilst wearing the "A" for the WHL's Prince George Cougars. Harkins is a solid two-way centerman that possesses solid leadership qualities. He can play on the PP, PK, you name it. He makes smart plays in all 3 zones, thus looking like a solid shutdown center option that contributes offensively. He tries to play the role of 'hard to play against' as one of his leadership qualities. Harkins could easily go before this, so the Jets owuld love to nab a center of his quality with their second pick in the draft.

Thanks for reading folks, only one more post to go! Also, one more Cup Final game to go in my opinion, as I had the Hawks beating the Lightning in 6 in my prediction. Looks like I could be spot on, we'll have to see. Anyways, thanks for reading, and leave comments & opinions below.

Cheers,

~UWNHL TEAM

**UNWRITTEN NHL 2015 MOCK DRAFT PICKS 16-20**

Welcome back UnwrittenNHL readers to another segment of our 2015 NHL mock draft. In this section, we preview the draft for the Edmonton Oilers (From Pittsburgh), Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, & Minnesota Wild. Enjoy!

#16 - Edmonton Oilers (From Pittsburgh) - Jakub Zboril (D)

With the Oilers' second pick of the 1st round, I have them grabbing Czech d-man Jakub Zboril. Zboril was playing with the QMJHL's Saint John Seadogs. He put up 33 PTS in 44 GMS along with 73 PIMs. Zboril is a relatively big, two-way defenseman that has a great skating ability. He uses his senses in both the defensive and offensive zones to make an outlet pass or shut down the forecheck. He isn't afraid to lay some body and stand up for his teammates, which his 73 PIM suggests. He played on a horrendous Seadogs team that finished last in the "Q", but managed to show he is a solid two-way defender that plays with an edge and isn't afraid to punch someone out. With Connor McDavid already grabbed with the 1st overall pick, the Oilers would be happy to land a d-man of Zboril's calibre with #16.

#17 - Winnipeg Jets - Nick Merkley (C/RW)

The Jets first round pick is a lot higher than last year when they nabbed Dane winger Nikolaj Ehlers with the 9th pick. After a successful year, the Jets will pick at #17. With that pick, I have them taking Western Canada boy Nick Merkley. Merkley played on a Memorial Cup finalist team in the Kelowna Rockets, where he notched 90 PTS in 72 GMS (20G, 70A). Merkley is a clear-cut playmaking center/winger with outstanding hockey IQ and vision. He is extremely determined and despite his small stature he will never give up on a play, and always battles battles battles. Merkley still has to work on his footspeed and other little tweaks, but he's a player with a bright future. The Jets have a record of taking these small skill players (Nic Petan for example) so if Merkley's still on the board, I don't see him getting much farther than the 'Peg. 

#18 - Ottawa Senators - Paul Bittner (LW)

A very successful year for the "Hamburglar" and the Sens, as they find themselves picking at #18 this year. They would've picked at #10 last year but they previously traded that pick to Anaheim in the Bobby Ryan deal. Back to 2015, I have the Sens taking big boy Paul Bittner. An American born winger, Bittner notched 71 PTS in 66 GMS for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Bittner is a player that uses his 6"4 203 lb frame to his advantage as he plays with tenacity and an edge. He goes to the net hard and works well in those dirty areas, and puts up his goals while being a forechecking pest. This is a gamble pick here as Bittner's ranking is relatively all over the place, but I have the Sens taking him at #18.

#19 - Detroit Red Wings - Colin White (C)

After a first round playoff exit, the Babcock-less Wings select at #19. Detroit seems to always draft well no matter where they pick, so you know this pick will be a good one. Colin White is a center who is ranked a little higher than #19 on most scouts lists, and if he's still available when Detroit picks, I'm sure he'll be taken. He put up 17 PTS in 20 GMS with the USNTDP Juniors, and 54 PTS in 54 GMS with the U.S. U18 Team. White is a center who is effective everywhere around the rink, he can be good defensively or a scoring threat. He's a good puck possession player that has a 100% work ethic with or without the puck. White does lots of things right, and a lot of teams like players of his talent level.

#20 - Minnesota Wild - Oliver Kylington (D)

When did Minnesota pick last year? #20. No improvements or decreases, as they get another late first round pick. Last year they selected big U.S. winger Alex Tuch, and this year I have them taking high risk-high reward D-man Oliver Kylington. Kylington is a Swede that bounced around many different leagues this year. He had 7 PTS in 10 GMS with Farjestad J20, 5 PTS in 18 GMS with Farjestad of the SHL (men's league), and 7 PTS in 17 GMS with AIK of the Allsvenskan (2nd highest league). Kylington is an extremely smooth skater that is projected to go literally anywhere in the draft. He has a great vision for the game and the ability to make outstanding outlet passes, and he uses his smooth sleek skating to get back if he jumps up offensively. The problem is he's relatively small and lacks consistency, so this is a bit of a gamble pick. He could fall to round 2, or even sneak into the top 10! Minnesota already has a good core of smooth skating d-men, but they lack solid depth (I don't fully trust Spurgeon (YET), Dumba (YET) or Leopold) so why not add Kylington.

That's all for this installment, please leave feedback below. Remember these are all opinion based and this could be COMPLETELY wrong! Who do you think goes in the mid-first round?

Cheers,

~UWNHL TEAM

**UNWRITTEN NHL 2015 MOCK DRAFT PICKS 11-15**

We are finally back and ready to continue the UnWrittenNHL mock draft! This post will feature picks 11-15, as last time we got by the top 10. Enjoy as we go through Florida, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston & Calgary. Here are the picks:

#11 - Florida Panthers - Mikko Rantanen (RW)


With the 11th overall selection, the Florida Panthers will take the best player on the board, who I don't have taken yet - Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen is a Finnish born winger that possesses a large frame (6"3 211) and a good playmaking ability. He wore the "A" for TPS, a Finnish mens team in which he put up 28 points in 56 games, which is rather impressive. Like previously mentioned, Rantanen has a wonderful ability to pass the puck, with an elite level hockey sense. He plays a two way game and works very hard night in and night out. His skating is also impressive especially for his big body, but if there were knocks on his game it would be his shot and lack of physical play despite his frame. For Florida he would be a skilled winger with a large frame that can be a difference maker on the ice.

#12 - Dallas Stars - Timo Meier (RW)


After the Dallas Stars missed the playoffs in a year in which they were a supposed playoff contender. They don't have the depth on the wing despite having a good center core, and Timo Meier would be an excellent player to pick up if he's there at #12 (which he should be). Meier is a Swiss born forward that notched 90 points in 61 games (44G) whilst playing with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. He is the type of winger you want playing with a playmaking center, he gets to the net and goes to the right areas to score goals. He has the ability to dominate a game with his overall game. He can snap a quick pass, snipe a goal, he's overall a dynamic winger that would really benefit the Dallas Stars.

#13 - Los Angeles Kings - Travis Konecny (C/RW)


After missing the postseason, LA has a decent pick, selecting at number 13. There are plenty of options with this pick, but I have the Kings going somewhat off the board and taking Ottawa 67's captain Travis Konecny. The Kings took Tyler Toffoli from the 67's organization, so they know the where they're drafting this guy from and they're drafting from a place they've had success from before. Konecny was originally supposed to be a top flight prospect after being the #1 pick in the 2013 OHL draft. Konecny has regressed, but was able to put up 68 points in 60 games with Ottawa. He is a hard-working, small forward that will do anything to win a hockey game. He is the captain of the Ottawa 67's proving his work ethic and effort level as well as leadership are all high. He possesses a good ability to put up points, and overall fits into the Darryl Sutter system relatively well. Konecny is a high risk high reward player, and would be a good pick for LA.

#14 - Boston Bruins - Kyle Connor (C)


Boston is another surprise postseason miss, as they land themselves the 14th overall selection. With this pick, they would be more than happy to land Kyle Connor is he's still available. Connor notched himself 80 points in 56 games with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, and is committed to the U of Michigan next season. The one thing that stands out about Connor's game is his ability to dominate in all 3 zones. He's a defensively responsible center that has good foot speed to transition himself from defense to offense. He has decent size and an outstanding confidence to try things that other players cannot. His responsibility on the defensive side of the game is very attractive to Boston, and if he's available they will surely take him.

#15 - Calgary Flames - Evgeni Svechnikov (RW)


Calgary had a great season, a surprise playoff appearance and they even mustered the second round, but because of their place in the standings they pick rather high for a second round team, which is good for them. With this pick I have Calgary going somewhat off the board with Russian Evgeni Svechnikov. The 6"3 205lb winger put up 78 points in 55 games with the QMJHL's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Calgary has a great future down the middle but they are lacking wingers, and Svechnikov is the best available. That is not a knock on Svechnikov's skill, as he is an extremely skilled winger with an elite offensive talent and silky hands. He has good size, as well as good skill, a bit of poor mans Alex Ovechkin if you will. Calgary would enjoy a skilled winger, so I can see them taking Svechnikov with pick #15.

Thanks for reading, and I'll make sure I can get picks 16-20 out as soon as possible. Please leave feedback if you disagree with my picks, I love feedback.

Cheers,

~UWNHL TEAM

WHY MIKE BABCOCK IS WORTH $50 MILLION TO TORONTO

I'm a bit late to write an article on this front, but relatively recent Mike Babcock was hired to become the new coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which happen to be my favourite team. In this article I'll go over why this was a very smart move by the Leafs' management, and I'm optimistic to see what Babcock can do. Now I'm a well educated fan, so I'm not one of those people that's already throwing cup parades, that's just unrealistic. Here's why Babcock is worth all $50 mil over 8 years, and what the organization should expect from the former Detroit bench boss.

Toronto has had bad management for as long as I can remember. We haven't had a real winning coach since Pat Burns, and haven't had a good management team since I don't even know! Toronto's management in the more recent years has been horrendous, whether it's the head coach or GM. I'm really excited now though, because it seems the franchise has made that a thing of the past. Brendan Shanahan (President)? Love him. Kyle Dubas (28 year-old assistant GM)? Love him. Mark Hunter (most likely candidate to be Leafs next GM, works in organization)? Love him. Now throw in Mike Babcock and were starting to get a real good management team here. Shanny, Dubas & Hunter all are so much better than the Dave Nonis's, the Brian Burkes, the Randy Carlyles, the Ron Wilsons! I don't even think Randy was that bad of a coach, he just was a terrible fit for Toronto, but we can talk about that some other time. The Leafs current management team is something to be excited about, and throw in a good coach, and some good young players, this franchise is on its way up.

Toronto is the richest franchise in the NHL, worth somewhere around $1 billion. They have a lot of money to spend that isn't cap space, and they always seem reluctant to spend that money. If you are the richest franchise in the NHL, WHY NOT invest some in one of the NHL's best coaches. WHY NOT??! Someone answer that question for me. I know the hype is already massive around Mike coming to Toronto, and I'm not just hyping it even more, I'm saying why not hire him, use your money! HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!

In all seriousness, Mike Babcock is a wonderful building block for Toronto. What will his impact be next season? The Leafs' management team has already committed to a long-term rebuild, so DO NOT expect a playoff appearance next year, even under Mike, unless the Leafs say screw the rebuild, and decide they can do well with Mike, which they should NOT do! What Babcock does is speed up the rebuild process, that's really all he can do. He will also be able to teach young kids like Nylander, The #4 overall pick, probably Connor Brown, Carrick, guys like that. He'll teach them how to play responsible hockey, and despite the fact we may be losing next season, we're losing with a coach that will teach the players that it's okay, and he'll be able to steer them down a path that will not let the losing get to them.

Overall Babcock is 100% worth the $50 mil to the Maple Leafs, and a smart hire and decision by management. What do you guys think?

Cheers,

~UWNHL TEAM

STANLEY CUP FINAL PREVIEW | TBL VS CHI

It's finally here. The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals! Before I get into this, let me just show you a quick picture of The Hockey News preseason predictions magazine:


That is pretty impressive, not gonna lie. I would never have predicted this final even with the postseason underway, let alone in the preseason! Well done The Hockey News.

Anyways, time to look at who is going to take the cup, and at this point I have a pretty good opinion on who I think wins it. Let's compare the two teams on how they've done this postseason, and attempt to pick a winner:
 
So one thing to note is statistics-wise, Chicago beats Tampa in every single major category except for PK this playoffs, and the PK is only by .4%. It just shows how experienced the Hawks are, they really know what they're doing. Chicago has had to deal with Nashville, Minnesota & Anaheim, while Tampa has got through Detroit, Montreal & New York, which are all solid teams, but the Western Conference is much more of a blood bath. Corey Crawford struggled vs. Nashville, but has come back really strong and has proved he IS the starter of this team, no questions asked. For me Ben Bishop has had a really great postseason, much more of what was expected in him, but I think he's been inconsistent at times. Sure, you can't really argue with 2 game 7 shutouts, but he's been yanked twice this postseason, and those "off-games" can't be tolerated in the Cup Final. We'll have to see if the Hawks can get to Big Ben or not.

Up front throughout this postseason we've got to learn just how lethal Tampa's offensive core is. They've been able to score at will all postseason, and it will be up to the Hawks to shutdown guys like Stamkos, Killorn, Johnson, Kucherov, Palat & more. Chicago has much more of a different look offensively, with a lethal top 6 and a defensive and checking bottom 6, with guys like Toews, Kane, Saad, Richards in the top 6 while players like Shaw, Desjardins, Vermette,, guys like that fill out the bottom 6. They even have pushed Patrick Sharp to the 3rd line for goodness sake! I'm not sure I trust Tampa's bottom 6 as much, as inexperienced players like Paquette, Namestnikov, even Drouin and Marchessault have gotten some time, and that really doesn't match the experience Chi-Town has. I like guys like Brian Boyle & Morrow but Chicago still wins the 'depth-off'. Overall Tampa has the better goal scoring offense, but Chicago has them beat on depth. If Chicago is able to shut down Tampa's run & gun offense, The Bolts are in big trouble.

Moving back to defense, we all know what Chicago's core looks like. You've got your horses in Duncan Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, Keith, Oduya, Keith, Keith, you get the point. I think Chicago's tired d-core is something the Bolts can take advantage of. With their quick & speedy offense, they can tire down guys like Keith, and if you get Keith tired you know you're doing something right. Even with Roszival still nursing his ankle injury, Cumiskey has looked decent, but Timonen has not. Coach Q even sat the veteran Timonen for David Rundblad in game 7, so the bottom 6 defense looks somewhat shaky for Chicago, but it's okay because they never actually get any playing time (lol, I so funny). Tampa on the other hand in my opinion has a solid d-core that's stepped up to the plate this playoffs. Hedman is a tank, and a PP QB, while Stralman has an excellent outlet pass, and is an insane puck-moving defenseman with defensive upside. I like Jason Garrison, I like Matt Carle, I don't mind Braydon Coburn, but this Sustr character. I do not like Andrej Sustr. He seems reluctant and worried back there, and even with all his size, I don't think he's that good of a player. Then there's Nikita Nesterov who sometimes looks like Erik Karlsson out there, but sometimes looks like Mike Komisarek so I really can't judge on him. Overall Chicago has a tired core, but I think it's a lot more experienced than Tampa's, and in the SCF you need experience so I'm going with Chicago.

We already looked at the goaltending matchup, as I said I'm don't like Bishop's consistency. Crawford has won a cup before, and doesn't seem to be worried back there, which are good signs. I'm not sure how Bishop will react to a Cup Final, but I think he CAN outplay Crawford, so the goaltending IS a tossup.

Finally, I'm going to predict the Cup Champion. The winner, in my opinion, of the 2015 Stanley Cup is.... *DRUMROLL* .... The Chicago Blackhawks. I don't see the East beating the West this year, and Chicago's leadership and hard work will be enough to deal with the Bolts in a 6-game series. The only way Tampa will win is if they take advantage of Chicago's tired d-core, and in that case it's anyones series. Though my final prediction is the Hawks take the Cup in 6 games. I'd love to hear other opinions, please comment down in the section below. Thanks for reading!

Happy SCF!

~UWNHL TEAM

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL RECAP | ANA 3, CHI 4

The long-awaited Western Conference champion. The Western Conference has been a death trap for teams all season, as the level of skill is extremely high. The Hawks and the Ducks were the two teams that battled through all the adversity and found themselves in the WCF. It was the Chicago Blackhawks that fought off the persistent Ducks in a seventh game to win the highly-anticipated Western Conference Final. Let's take a look at how Chicago took out the Pacific Division champs in  a tight, seven game series.

Those Chicago Blackhawks. They really can never be doubted, no matter who they're put up against. I predicted that the Hawks win this series, as they did, because of one important fact: they are the Chicago Blackhawks. These guys are the closest things to a modern day dynasty. They've made the Conference Final 5 of the last 7 years, and have won 2, now possibly 3 cups in that span. It seems they just don't lose - they have enough of those guys that are all about leadership and winning, all of those good "Good old Canadian kids" Don Cherry always rants about. This team has been destined for greatness ever since they took Jonathan Toews 3rd overall and Patrick Kane 1st overall in 2006 & 07 respectively.

You have to give credit where it is due, and Bruce Boudreau's Anaheim Ducks put up a great fight against Toews & the boys. Anaheim showed they are a relentless forechecking team, lead by players like Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler, Matt Beleskey for goodness sakes! They have an incredibly young and mobile core of defense including the likes of Lindholm, Vatanen, Fowler & more. Chicago's defense withstood that relentless forechecking, as this series continued to show if the Hawks win the cup you have to give the Conn Smythe to Duncan Keith. The guy continued to log massive minutes this series, and was an absolute horse back there.

Every game except games 1 & 7 were decided by 1 goal, as the closeness of the series continues to be highlighted. The Ducks jumped to the 1-0 series lead with a 4-1 win, but the Hawks responded with the thrilling 3OT Andrew Shaw header controversy, and the Marcus Kruger GWG. Anaheim held on for the stingy 2-1 win in game 3, followed by a 5-4 Hawks OT win, thanks to Antoine Vermette. Game 5 was a big one with a 2-2 series, and it was won in OT fashion 5-4 by Anaheim, thanks to Matt Beleskey. They won this game despite being up 4-2 with 2 mins left, and blowing that lead to 2 Toews' goals, one of which I still have no clue on how it got past Andersen, who had a shaky series end after a great postseason run. Game 6 Chi-Town was on the ropes, but you know how that goes, as they broke out late to win 5-2. Game 7 was an outstanding performance by the Ducks, as they continued to forecheck hard, and play a great game, but not enough so to beat Jonathan Toews, who seems to ALWAYS show up in these big moments. His two goals put the Hawks ahead 2-0, as they went on to win 5-3.

Chicago beats the Ducks depth-wise & playoff experience-wise, and that in my opinion is another reason they were able to outlast the Ducks. Corey Crawford has a lot more playoff experience than Freddy Andersen, the Hawks group of horses Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson & Oduya (especially Keith tho) is a lot more experienced than the likes of Fowler, Lindholm, Vatanen, and even Beauchemin (with all-due respect those guys had a great postseason as well.) Even up-front, Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa, the list goes on have a boatload more experience than Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler, they just do.

In the end, the team with the better playoff-roster won, but it really was a toss-up since game 1. I'd like to hear other opinion and thoughts, please leave them in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

~UWNHL TEAM

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL RECAP | NYR 3, TBL 4

One of the 2 infamous game 7's is over, with the underdogs coming out on top. The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to the Stanley Cup final after a 2-0 game 7 victory over the Presidents Trophy-winning New York Rangers. Instead of doing a full game by game recap, I'll do a little more opinion-related pieces instead of just game-by-game coverage in series recaps from now on. Sorry this is late, but school, exams, you understand :/.

So the Lightning, who've only been to the final in '04 when they beat the Calgary Flames, are going back to the crowned land in 2015. It's well deserved as well, as these Lightning were consistent, they adapted to shut down the Rangers offense, and showed they're not just a team of in-experienced kids, but a team strong enough to win the Eastern Conference. One thing that continued to amaze me this series was 'the triplets' Kucherov, Palat & Johnson. Johnson lead all players with 4G and 9P in the series, this guy is unbelievable. Palat had the goal to seal the deal with a snipe coming off the wing in game 7, and Kucherov has been a relentless goal scorer all playoffs. Alex Killorn, who opened the scoring in game 7 is another one of those guys who is having a great postseason.

The big story line heading into game 7 was Henrik Lundqvist, and his outstanding resume. He has been great all postseason, but the Bolts potent offense was too much even for 'The King' which is just downright scary. Stamkos had a handful of goals, we saw some outstanding shot-blocking from Brian Boyle & Ryan Callahan, some great defending from Hedman & co, the Bolts are a real dangerous team, and I've really began to notice in these playoffs.

One player I'm sure you've noticed this series that in my opinion is one of the most underrated players in the game, Anton Stralman. The guy is a former Maple Leaf (shit!) that had blossomed into a two-way force at D, with a great outlet pass and the ability to play a shut-down defensive game. He's been a cornerstone on the Lightning blue line and has had a great postseason.

The Rangers won a tight 2-1 game 1, followed by a 6-2 thumping by the Bolts in game 2. Game 3 was a 6-5 gongshow win for Tampa in OT, while game 4 was a 5-1 stomping by NY. Bolts won the tight game 5  by a 2-0 margin, but the Rangers responded while on the brink with a commanding 7-3 win. This series was heading to game 7! Ben Bishop recorded his second game 7 SO of the postseason, and with the help of Palat & Killorn the Lightning came out on top. The Rangers had a total of 21 goals scored this series, while the Bolts had 21 also. It was a very tight series overall, and I really think it could've gone either way.

So it is the Tampa Bay Lightning who will go on, past NY to the Stanley Cup final. Stamkos elected not to touch the Prince of Wales, as expected. So how do the Lightning fare against the heavy west? We can only wait and see.

Cheers,

~THE UWNHL TEAM