Playoffs Bandwagon Guide For Hockey Fans

The playoffs start on Wednesday in the NHL. The journey begins for the best 16 teams that fleeced at least 2 points from the corpse of our poor Buffalo Sabres. Now that the suffering is over for a while, Sabres fans can turn to the greatest day of the year. The Draft Lottery! The start of the NHL playoffs! Given the traditional TV ratings, you know that the Sabres being out of the playoffs since basically October has never stopped Buffalo from watching them some hockey. Even if you’re not a Sabres fan though, come on in and check out our fan’s guide to the playoff teams and why you should or shouldn’t root for each of them.

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We’ll give each team a series of grades without a true rank so that you can see what you like about each team. We’ll grade teams in four areas that often dictate who we root for when our own squad is off the table.

1)   Team Likeability – An obvious start. If you’re a hockey fan, there are at least a few teams you can never root for, and some you’ve always rooted for when they don’t collide with your own team. I will largely be representing Sabres fans with this category since, ya know, Sabre Noise is the name of this website, but you’re free to give your own grade to each team and keep the other grades for your own determination. And if you’re not a fan, that’s cool, too! Just ignore this one and embrace everyone equally.

2)   Win Starvation – Again, as a Sabres site, we firmly empathize with any fan base desperate for ultimate hockey glory. We understand what it’s like to pull at your hair and silently (or not so silently) wish that once, just once in your life, you could see your team’s captain hoist the Cup. That counts big time from where we’re sitting. The longer a team’s fans have had to wait for a Cup, the higher this number goes.

3)   Fan Rating – My main source here is a jumble of preseason expectations combined with average attendance this season. I typically pull more for teams with a loyal following year in and year out, because I feel that those fans deserve it more than the ones who show up around the finish line.

4)   Cup Contender Chances – It’s not that we can’t root for the intrepid wild card teams in either conference; it’s that hopping on their cart for one round, only to hop on another in the second is something that might be less fun than picking one team with a nice first round matchup that can slip through and maybe do some damage.

All scores are on a scale of 1-10, and let’s not get too fixated on them. We’ll start at the team we’d least root for to win the Cup and work our way up to numero uno. As is always the case with these things, they are merely guidelines for where we stand in Buffalo through my own personal, not necessarily correct, lens. Apply your own criteria as you see fit. Now, let’s start things off with a familiar foe to Sabres fans.

16. Boston Bruins

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Team Likeability: 3. If there’s one team we still don’t like, it’s the Bruins. In a lost year though, I have no recent grudge against the team. It was just business in 2014 between Buffalo and Boston. The Bruins revel in their role as The Bad Guy of the NHL right now. The Eastern Conference is a slum of mediocrity and inconsistency, and for the last five years, the Boston Bruins have been the sneering landlord, pushing every team around to some degree, the only consistently tough team to play against every night. While we won’t root for the Bruins, we’ll enjoy what they do on the ice and what they bring to the league.

Win Starvation: 0.

Fan Rating: 8. 100% of their home games sell out, which you’d think would be tied for best in the league, but apparently you can sell tickets to 117% of your capacity. Math is weird.

Cup Contender Chances: 9. I can’t give anyone a 10 this year, but Boston is the odds-on favorite to represent the East in the Stanley Cup once more.

15. Detroit

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Team Likeability: 6. The team itself is fine. Pavel Datsyuk is always a pleasure to watch. I’m pretty neutral in general on Detroit, but…

Win Starvation: 1. Sorry, guys. It’s going to take a really bad decade of hockey for people to start feeling bad for anything that happens to the Red Wings. That’s what 23 straight playoff berths and 4 Stanley Cups will do. I imagine they’ll take that deal any time.

Fan Rating: 9. All games sold out, and the team is Original Six.

Cup Contender Chances: 3. This is essentially the 8-seed in a weak East. If they can get past Boston, anything is possible, but I doubt they will.

13. Philadelphia Flyers

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Team Likeability: 6. While Philly is an old rival to Buffalo, this year’s team has taken a fun turn and they’ve been hard to root against for it. After a start to the season that was nearly as bad as Buffalo’s, the Flyers rebounded with some hot winning streaks to make the playoffs comfortably. I think they will beat New York in round one in a close, tough series. From there, they match up well with everyone in the East, albeit more as a punchy underdog.

Win Starvation: 9. If Philly doesn’t win this year, they’ll be looking at a 40^th Cup-less year. That’s hungry.

Fan Rating: 9. Their games sell out, their crowds are raucous all year long. Say what you want about their reputation, but Philly fans Give a Crap. That counts come playoff time.

Cup Contender Chances: 5. It’s Philly so obviously their goaltender is going to play way worse than the guys in front of him. I like the team in front of Steve Mason. I don’t really care for Steve Mason though. I also wonder if their blue line will hold up under a lack of quality depth.

12. Montreal Canadiens

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Team Likeability: 5. Old, old grudges between these guys and Buffalo. I have very few raw memories of late with MTL though, so I put them somewhere in the middle. Max Pacioretty and PK Subban have become real stars on the team, and Carey Price is the kind of goalie who could put these guys over the top in a pretty wide open Eastern Conference.

Win Starvation: 4. The Habs last won the Stanley Cup in 1993, but they do have that whole Most Cups Ever thing going for them so it’s going to probably take another 20 years for any Sabres fan to start feeling bad for their division foes.

Fan Rating: 9. Always have been an electric crowd. Always will be an electric crowd. There’s only one Montreal.

Cup Contender: 6. Montreal got waxed in the first round of last year’s playoffs and if they aren’t careful, a savvy Lightning team could easily unhinge them. That said, they match up well with any team in the East, even the Bruins. Don’t sleep on the Habs.

11. Chicago Blackhawks

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Team Likeability: 8. Buffalo native Patrick Kane always give our market a reason to cheer for the Hawks. They’re a strong, versatile club that plays in a different conference. Tough for Buffalo fans to muster much hate for these guys.

Win Starvation: 0. They won the Stanley Cup last year, which is really the only reason for them being this low. I simply won’t feel bad at all for the Hawks if they lose this year. I enjoy watching this team, and I have nothing against them. I think they’re great and they have as good a chance of winning the Cup as any from the West. If they do repeat, that will be great for the sport to finally have a champion who can repeat. It would be the first since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings. But will I be hopping on the Hawks bandwagon this year? No.

Fan Rating: 9

Cup Contender Chances: 8

10. Anaheim Ducks

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Team Likeability: 7. The Ducks in general have a very impressive team with great depth both young and old.

Win Starvation: 3. They won the Cup in 2007 so we’ll pass on the suffering angle.

Fan Rating: 4. You’ve had the best team in the best conference from Day One and you’re not selling out every home game? Shame, shame Anaheim.

Cup Contender Chances: 9. Best record in the ultra-tough West. Best top-to-bottom club in the Conference with depth to spare and top end talent to carry them there.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Team Likeability: 8. I live in Pittsburgh and enjoy the team more than probably most Sabres fans. Most Buffalo fans I know loathe all Pittsburgh sports so I understand why this might be skewed for some. Bias aside though, the Pens play a fast, attacking game which is more entertaining than what most teams produce. I would rather watch the Penguins play hockey than just about anyone else. Even when their wheels do come off in the playoffs against teams that play concerted defense.

Win Starvation: 2. Definitely nowhere near the Pity Zone with these guys since they won the Cup in 2009.

Fan Rating: 9. 300+ straight home sellouts and counting. It’s easy to sell tickets when you’re a perennial playoff team, but Pens fans make up easily one of the best hockey markets in the USA.

Cup Contender Chances: 6. MA Fleury has to prove me wrong, and someone not name Crosby, Malkin or Neal needs to step up big. This team doesn’t look much different from the one that got swept by Boston last season.

8. Los Angeles Kings

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Team Likeability: 6. They have some great talents, but their style in general limits offense on both sides, which produces many a yawner in the wee hours of the regular season. Many, many LA Kings games end up 1-0 or 2-1, which isn’t always a sign of a bad game, but in the case of the Kings, sometimes it does.

Win Starvation: 1. The 2012 champs and their fans aren’t suffering too much here.

Fan Rating: 9. This rating is what puts the Kings ahead of the Ducks. The Kings are third in the league, behind only Chicago and Detroit, in home attendance percentage.

Cup Contender Chances: 8. Proven results, proven style. Like it or not, the Kings are a solid team with as good a chance as any to make and win another Stanley Cup.

7. Dallas Stars

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Team Likeability: 8. Fast, young, skilled, relentless. The Stars worked their tails off to get in the playoff picture in their tough conference. They’ll be a fun team to watch not just this year, but for years to come.

Win Starvation: 0. Don’t even go there.

Fan Rating: 4. Lowest attendance figures in the league mar this team’s fun factor.

Cup Contender Chances: 3. They’d have to beat three giants to get to the Cup. If they got that far, I’d be inclined to pick Dallas. Unfortunately, that’s not very likely.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

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Team Likeability: 7. Part man, part titanium, Steven Stamkos leads a cool bunch of dudes I haven’t watched all year. Seriously, I don’t know if I watched a Lightning game this year except the ones in which they played Buffalo. It doesn’t matter. I’m in. Who gets mad at the Lightning? Oh, right.

Win Starvation: 4. They won it in 2004, right before the season-long lockout. It’ll be ten years this spring. That puts them in suffering limbo. Good for them if they win. If not, they’ll manage. The future is bright in Tampa. Tough to feel too bad if they fall short this year, as just making the playoffs in 2014 put the Lightning well ahead of the curve.

Fan Rating: 7. Solid numbers for a team that picked third in the draft last summer in a Florida hockey market. Tampa continues to post strong attendance numbers year after year.

Cup Contender Chances: 5. It’ll be tough, but they have home ice in the first round and only one true monster in their conference, who could get beaten by someone else.

5. Colorado Avalanche

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Team Likeability: 8. Like a Matt Duchene breakaway, the Avs bolted beyond anyone’s wildest expectations and beat out two Central Division stalwarts to steal the division crown. They’re the season’s biggest surprise, lead by a nucleus of young forwards who have excelled for much of the year by playing hard on both sides of the ice and buying into new coach Patrick Roy‘s system.

Win Starvation: 5. The ‘Lanche won the Cup in 2001, but haven’t since. I imagine they’re getting a little antsy.

Fan Rating: 8. 90% of their home tickets were sold, which is solid given how bad the team was for much of last season and seasons prior.

Cup Contender Chances: 6. They have home ice early and the titans at the top could knock each other around enough to give the inexperienced Avalanche a shot. Still, this team is very, very young. A playoff series win would be a big enough coup for this franchise in 2014.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

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Team Likeability: 9. How do you not root for the Blue Jackets? If nothing else, root for them to not get swept so they can get their first franchise playoff win.

Win Starvation: 9. This is a very win-starved franchise that could really use a big playoff upset right now. The Cup is a year or two away, but just to win a few playoff games would be huge for this team. This franchise needs it probably more than any other.

Fan Rating: 7. I want to put this higher because I know the Blue Jackets have had some great crowds this year, but their attendance is still the third worst in the NHL. I know, I know, long playoff drought, perpetually bad team. But they were close last year and they’ve been hot for a while now. The numbers don’t cut it.

Cup Contender Chances: 4. Tough first round matchup against Pittsburgh, but they probably have a better chance there than they would have against Boston. If they can beat the Pens, who knows what will happen?

3. San Jose Sharks

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Team Likeability: 9. How do you not root for the Sharks and Big Joe? After making an art form out of disappointment, Sabres fans empathize with the scarred Sharks and their drive to finally get over the hump this year. Plus, rising star Logan Couture is a Bills fan. So let’s go!

Win Starvation: 8. Zero Cups for this team since their inception in the league. It’s always fun to root for a drought’s end.

Fan Rating: 9. Capacity crowd for every game, every year it seems. It’s always noisy in the Shark Tank. It would be cool to see this crowd cheer over a Cup.

Cup Contender Chances: 7. The Cup is there for the taking as the window closes for the San Jose Sharks. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle, and the rest of the team have to get over the hump at some point, right? Right?

2. Minnesota Wild

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Team Likeability: 8. The Hockey State sports an old favorite in Buffalo, and a likeable team in general. We relate well to Minnesota. Cold, crappy winters, generally overlooked, populated by friendly, easygoing people. It works. If the NHL worked a little more like Game of Thrones, I feel like House Buffalo and House Minnesota would totally host a wedding with the lords of House Boston and House Chicago.

Win Starvation: 8. For Minnesota fans, the time is now to see some return on their owner’s massive investments in the last few seasons to bolster the club’s talent.

Fan Rating: 9. Great NHL fans. Even better hockey fans. They deserve a big run this year.

Cup Contender Chances: 8. The separation in the top six out West is razor thin. If Minnesota’s goaltending can hold up, they’ll have as good a shot as any team to beat Colorado in Round One and make some noise out West.

1 . St. Louis Blues

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Team Likeability: 9. Sorry Blues fans, but you’ve been smacked with the Sabres curse. That’s right, the same people who have spent 40 years fruitlessly rooting for their own Cup are now rooting for yours! Lucky you!

Featuring a few old Sabres and few notable Team USA guys, the Blues are a slam dunk for Sabres fans. Ryan Miller was Our Guy for a dozen years, and we’d love nothing more than to see him win a Cup.

Win Starvation: 10. The St. Louis Blues only three years older than the Sabres and the Blues are equally Cupless. It’s the longest Cup drought in the NHL now, tied with Toronto. Giddy up, St. Lou. Much like Chicago and LA before you, your time grows near.

Fan Rating: 8. Again, this would be higher but the Blues have been a force all year (and for the last two years) and they sell less than 90% of their tickets. Is that a misleading number? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. This is an old, seasoned fan base that can rise to a big game and make some noise.

Cup Contender Chances: 8. A recent skid has taken a team that looked dominant for most of the year and thrown a wrench in their big plans with a matchup against defending champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues lost six straight games to end the season, but that’s all in the past now. On Wednesday, the team can put all of that behind them. And we’ll be pulling for them when they do.