I apologize for the 11th hour nature of this post. It's been a very busy couple weeks for me. I'd like to explain why I feel that the Minnesota Fighting Saints are the better team in this series and why they will prevail.
Some will point to the chemistry and play of the Bentley/Bentley/Hextall line as a mismatch for the Saints defensively because of their speed and smarts. This is simply not true for several reasons. First off, the Fighting Saints feature one of the most physical and defensively intelligent top pairings in the draft in the "Joint Chiefs of Defense", Earl Seibert and Rod Langway. Seibert was not a slow skater by any means (his nickname was "The Flying Dutchman") and his tremendous shot blocking ability is a testament to how well he thought the game and anticipated the shooting lanes. Ultimate Hockey says of him "Seibert was a strong, fast skater, and intimidating force with his stick and body. He was also one of the better shot-blockers around...Earl owned excellent puck-handling skills and he was almost impossible to knock off his skates.". Joe Pelletier echos this by saying "Defensively, Seibert was one of the best shot-blockers in the game, and he could move the puck just as quickly as anyone.". Our very own pitseleh said of him that "Many suggest that he was better than Shore defensively". His parter, Rod Langway, was no cementhead himself. In a November 1, 2002 article on NHL.com, John McGourty says that "Langway is a tall, wide-bodied, hulking figure with great strength who built an encyclopedic knowledge of offensive opponents.". Later in the same article Langway reminisces about playing with Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe by saying "There was never a lecture but we talked hockey all the time, which I loved to do. Stuff like theories on how to play a guy.". Langway was also a college player before turning pro. His raw intelligence as well as his diligent study of the opposition will certainly not leave him at any disadvantage to the Bentley's in a battle of wits on the ice. This shows that the Bentley's certainly have no speed or smarts advantage on the defenseman they will spend the vast majority of the series facing. Up front, we'll match either one of the most skilled players in history in Beliveau, or one of the most innovative defensive forwards in Metz against them. Pairing with strong and smart two-way players line Gare, Howe, and Kallur they won't find an edge against their counterparts up front either.
Another reason the Bentley's will not be effective is the physical element the Fighting Saints bring to the table. Max Bentley was 5'10" 155lbs. while Doug was an even more slender 5'8" 145lbs. After playing an unbalanced 82 game schedule in the most physical division in the ATD plus two playoff rounds where they faced Clapper, Horton, and reknowned dirty tactician Messier it's improbable to think they won't be more than a little worn down coming into their most physical test to-date having to meet Seibert, Langway, Beliveau, and Metz. My quotes above illustrated the dominant physical presence Seibert provided. Langway was also a dominant physical player throughout his career. According to the Legendsofhockey.net Pinnacle article on the on him, as a rookie subbing for an injured Guy Lapointe in the Finals "Langway made a name for himself through his physical play, shutting down the Rangers' offence and manhandling New York star Phil Esposito". Beliveau outweighs the Bentley's by nearly 60lbs and Metz was renowned for his dogged shadow and checking abilities. Add all this in to the fact that the pivot who drives the Falcon's top line, Max Bentley, is a very fragile player and it seems impossible that the line will survive the series or even be a force by the end. According to his Legends bio, Max Bentley had a heart condition so severe that the doctor told hiim to "go home and forget about hockey" or he "wouldn't live a year". This likely would have forced him into retirement with modern training standards as it has players like Greg Johnson and Jiri Fischer so it's debatable whether or not he'd even be eligible to play in the series at all. We assume the older players have the modern advantages, so wouldn't they have modern disadvantages as well? Assuming he was cleared to play, he's still a player even Peter Forsberg would consider fragile. His Legends bio sums it up well by saying "Max always looked gaunt and pale, and throughout his career he was plagued by minor injuries, pains, aches, dry throat, burning eyes, upset stomach, ulcers, diabetes and kidney trouble. He was often called "a walking drug store" because of his pharmacological tendencies.". Max Bentley was also a prima-donna. When asked to report to the Hawks AHL affiliate in Kansas City as an 18yr old rookie, he "balked at reporting and decided to retire at 18 years of age". Only because of the intervention of childhood idol Johnny Gottselig did Max agree to report. The Bentley duo also didn't take off until they had a "policeman" in Bill Thoms added to their line, a role Hextall is ill-suited to perform.
With the Falcons top line held in check, the importance of the Olmstead/Cowley/Drillon line on offense increases for Detroit. This line may be the worst defensive line in the entire draft. Both Cowley and Drillon were known as much for their offense as they were for their complete lack of defensive play (my esteemed co-GM Nalyd Psycho can provide quotes to this effect if you don't believe me). If the Beliveau line matches up against them Detroit will be in big trouble. Even the Metz/Howe/Kallur line will be able to produce against them while providing an effective defensive presence as well. Like the Bentley's, this line is physically dominated by the Saints with Drillon weighing in at 6'2" 178lbs and Cowley a slight 5'10" 165lbs.
Another myth I'd like to dispel is the mismatch Bobby Holik would have against either of those lines. Holik excels at faceoffs and positional defense. He's also proven that he can matchup against elite, speedy forwards and shut them down. In the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, Holik centered the "Crash Line" that matched up primarily against Sergei Fedorov and shut him down. The Fighting Saints have a different version of this line they will ice at times which will be Graves/Holik/Ezinicki so Holik will be in a position of comfort and past success. We won't encourage this matchup often, but if it does occur we won't be holding our breath in panic either.
Some may feel that Alexander Ragulin's mobility will be a big disadvantage. Against the Bentley's it could be, but we will rarely put them in position to get this matchup at home. Pat Burn's is an X's and O's guy who knows when to play them to protect the matchups. Instead, Ragulin will face the Cowley line. This is a place where he is in a position to succeed. Olmstead is an effective corner player, but Ragulin's strength and physicality is legendary in his home country. Drillon is a crease-camper and garbage-goal player but Ragulin was known as a crease-clearer. Can a sub-180lb Drillon really outmuscle a 225lb Ragulin? Joe Pelletier says of him "He was big and very strong, as well as very good at moving out opposing forwards from the slot. When Ragulin put that "bear hug" around a player there wasn't much anybody could do about it.". His partner in Ivanov has established chemistry with him and is a much more mobile and offensively-skilled player but was just as nasty physically. Both Ragulin and Ivanov were excellent outlet passer and transitional players according to Joe Pelletier so the Saints will be able to take pull advantage of the lax backcheking and defensive play Cowley and Drillon are famous for.
Pavel Bure will spend most of the series avoiding the Falcons top 6. He'll spend lots of time playing on a line with Errey and Sullivan. This line provides tons of speed and a game-breaking player in Bure to go with a strong cornerman and physical presence in Sullivan. They'll see most of their time against the McGee and Carbonneau lines. Carbonneau in particular is a matchup we'd relish as Bure has been able to produce great results against him in every playoff matchup in the past.
I hope this has helped show any doubters that the Minnesota Fighting Saints will prevail over the Detroit Falcons offensively, defensively, and physically. The longer you think the series will go, the greater the Saints advantage will be and the more likely for the Falcon's that their top line will be hurt or ineffective.
