ESPN.com - Sifting through the playoff quagmire

ESPN.com: NHL

Wednesday, March 29, 2000
Sifting through the playoff quagmire

By Brian Engblom
Special to ESPN.com

The playoff race out West is interesting because there is a mixture of teams fading and surging. Below, I'll tell you who will make it. Also, Flyers GM Bob Clarke did what he had to do in switching captains. And don't be so concerned about the Devils. If they get back on track, they'll be tough to beat.

High pressure: The West
How will the Western Conference playoff picture turn out? Edmonton will make the playoffs and shouldn't be in danger. The Oilers are playing strong enough and have all the elements. It's only a matter of where they will finish.

Vancouver has surprised everyone. The Canucks have quietly put together a nice string and closed the gap on the pack. Now, they are in the playoff mix, winning five of their last six games. Felix Potvin has been playing well; a team can't work its way into such a positive situation without the goalie getting hot. If Potvin can lead the Canucks to the playoffs, that also bodes well for the Canucks next year when he is their No. 1 guy, which is why they traded for him.

It will be a crapshoot for the final two spots. The teams keep jockeying around. Anaheim has been a mystery; the Ducks keep stalling, but Guy Hebert has his game together. Three weeks ago, I thought the Sharks looked terrible and ready to drop out of the hunt, but they keep hanging on. Phoenix has been horrible the last few weeks and is in danger of slipping out of the playoffs. They could be the surprise team that could finish out of it. They are capable of playing much better.

I think the Sharks, like the Oilers, will make the playoffs. That leaves Phoenix, Anaheim and Vancouver as the question marks for the final spot. Based on momentum, the Canucks have the edge. They are riding a wave, while the Coyotes are looking for a wave to get on. Watch for Phoenix to be a surprise no-show in the playoffs.

Medium pressure: Lindros' captaincy
Bobby Clarke came out and said that Eric Lindros challenged the Flyers' coaching staff and team, and that's why he took away Lindros' captaincy and gave it to Eric Desjardins.

I like Lindros, who is a great, world-class player, but the timing was wrong for him to be criticizing the Flyers organization. The pressures between him and the Flyers management and ownership has been discussed over the last few years. The last two negotiations have been acrimonious. Both parties have rarely seen eye to eye, and then there's this explosion.

With only a handful of games before the playoffs, on a team that is one of the favorites, Lindros' situation puts so much pressure on everyone. While the star player is at loggerheads with the organization, everyone else is trying to concentrate on being the best team possible and getting ready to go into battle. The leader is challenging the commanders.

I'm not surprised at what Clarke did. He has history on his side as far as how he acted as a player. You can choose to dispute or agree with his management style, but you have to respect Clarke, who was once a highly reputable player and a former Flyer captain.

Part of the problem is that Clarke doesn't agree with the way Lindros conducts himself. The two are very different personalities. Sometimes, I think Clarke wants Lindros to be more like him, but he can't. I don't blame Clarke for what he did. He had to seize control and say that no player is bigger than the organization.

Clarke succeeded in making a statement -- that the team needs a leader on the ice. The Flyers cannot go on with a leadership void. Every team is trying to get its act together because the playoffs are a long, hard road. And the Flyers want to go all the way.

Medium pressure: Devils
Some are writing off the New Jersey Devils because the coaching change came so late in the season. How can they survive through the changes? Well, if the Devils get momentum going in the first and second round of the playoffs, they will be so much more dangerous than they were during the season. They will feel like they can overcome any adversity, and adversity is woven into the fabric of every playoff season.

The regular season is important for gauging how a team can survive the ups and downs. So, if the Devils get a handle on their situation, they will feel invincible; nothing will hurt them. Momentum and early success, hard to come by in the last couple of years, will make the Devils really tough to beat.

If the playoffs were to start today, the Devils would be playing the Buffalo Sabres. People may view this as a potential upset considering the Devils' lack of success in recent first-round series, and the presence of Dominik Hasek. Although Hasek is still the most feared goalie in the NHL when he gets in a zone, people must remember that the Devils aren't the same team that they have been the last two years.

The Devils have made a lot of changes to the chemistry of the team. They score more goals than they ever did before. They have skilled defensemen who can jump up in the play. Players like rookie Scott Gomez and returning veteran Claude Lemieux have changed the feel of the team. The core of players and leaders offensively are different.

The Devils are super-motivated now and in a different frame of mind. I wouldn't put them down quickly as a first-round victim -- to Buffalo or anyone.

Brian Engblom, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.