Quote:
Originally Posted by AR_Six
It's not comical. Last year they started strong and fizzled after about 20 games, IIRC. In a shortened season anything can happen, and it will typically favour younger teams not used to the NHL travel schedule and length of season, as those players tend to hit a wall at 50 games. Not to mention a lot of the Oil lineup has been playing all year. They could make it in.
The short season is a good thing for the perennial front-runners (Van, Chi, Pit, Phi, Bos) and the younger teams. It is bad for the older teams and the teams that have had a lot of turnover and may need a bit of time to get comfortable. Hence I am somewhat skeptical about Minnesota.
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Vancouver doesn't know when Kesler is coming back and usually come out of the gates pretty slow. Personally I see it as a slight disadvantage for front runners as over 82 games the cream usually rises to the top but over 48 means that they have to get their act together quickly. I also think it favours older teams chances of winning a cup as they no longer have to worry about being worn down by the grind of the long 82 game season. In a lot of ways this season would have been perfect for the Wings had Lidstrom decided to come back for one more year. Young teams are a wildcard as sometimes young teams come out blazing and sometimes they take a while to gel. I like the chances of the Oilers coming out fast as most of their top players have been playing in the AHL.