He has been a defender for ten years Korbinian Holzer active in North America. He has seen and experienced a lot - including 211 NHL games (main round and play-offs) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators. For deb-online.de, the 63-time national player looks ahead to the upcoming Stanley Cup final between Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars, assesses the teams and gives his prediction.
Tampa Bay Lightning-Dallas Stars (Game 1, Sunday, September 20.09th, 1.30:2 a.m. / Game 22.09, Tuesday, September 2nd, 3 a.m. / Game 24.09, Thursday, September 2th, 4 a.m. / Game 25.09, Saturday, September 2th, 5 a.m. / Game 6, 7, and 27.9 if necessary on the night of September 29.9th, September 1.10th and October XNUMXst)
Tor:
Dallas Stars
Korbinian Holzer: “I have Anton Khudobin even played together in San Diego and Anaheim. He was actually the typical back-up, but has now performed outstandingly in the play-offs and is one of the main reasons why Dallas is in the finals. He's riding a wave of confidence and could tip the scales in the series. It fits well, he's hot that Ben Bishop Not being able to play is not a disadvantage.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Holzer: Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the best goalkeepers in the league and a very modern goalkeeper. He is quite fast, athletic, has excellent technique and is also very calm for his age. He has played outstandingly in recent years, even though he also plays in an outstanding team. He already won the Vezina Trophy for the best goalkeeper last season. The overall package just fits.
The comparison:
Holzer: “A relatively balanced duel because Khudobin is brimming with self-confidence.”
Defense:
Dallas Stars
The Finnish man Miro Heiskanen is playing an outstanding season, he is with us John Klingberg the X factor. They are generally solid defensively, the defense sticks well to the system they play in. They follow the system to perfection. They also have a good mix between being good skaters and having the toughness they need.
Tampa Bay lightning
In comparison, Tampa has in Victor hedman one of the best defenders in the league, who is also a finalist for the Norris Trophy. As a defender, he has already scored nine goals in the play-offs and is playing outstandingly there too. Hedman plays almost 30 minutes, the third formation plays a little less than usual. They are probably a little deeper than Dallas, also in terms of offensive power on defense.
The comparison:
Holzer: "I would almost see an advantage for Tampa, even though Dallas has a very mobile defense and has conceded very few goals in the playoffs. Here, too, the duel will be very balanced and interesting."
Attack:
Dallas Stars
Holzer: Jamie Benn plays as captain in outstanding play-offs, the entire front row Alexander Radulov and also Tyler Seguin plays strong. They may not always be found in the statistics, but the young players step into the breach and score the goals. There are also experienced players like Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski, whose routine helps a lot. It works well, the mix is right. It is also typical in the play-offs that the top players neutralize each other and then it depends on the depth and how these players perform. It works with Dallas Denis Gurianov or Joel Kiviranta Excellent, the young players are really blossoming and then scoring crucial or important goals.
Tampa Bay lightning
Holzer: Brayden Point has played outstandingly so far, has made the difference, but of course he is injured. Then could Steven Stamkos come back in the series and make his comeback, but it remains to be seen whether it will happen in time. That would also be another pound in the back. Everyone across the board from rows one to four is doing their job, they have other exceptional players like them Nikita Kucherov. Its row can dismantle the opponent into its individual parts. Overall, they have a brutal offensive power, it will be interesting to see how they can prevail against Dallas and how they deal with the toughness.
The comparison:
Holzer: Tampa is deeper than Dallas, but Dallas can also frustrate Tampa as a collective - just like Columbus did last season. The Bolts could struggle if the neutral zone is tight and they have little room to play. However, Tampa also played its game against the defensively strong Islanders and then it will be difficult for the stars.
The conclusion:
Holzer: It gets interesting: defensive power versus offensive power. And it's hard to predict. Tampa has conquered a bit of the demons from last season, when they were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs after an outstanding main round. They beat Columbus this time, dominated against Boston, and also endured setbacks against the Islanders when they didn't close the series straight away. That was good for them, so I think Tampa is ready because they've been close the last few years and had the team to win. On the other hand, Dallas has a brutal flow. Tampa will probably do it in seven games.
Everything you need to know about the Stanley Cup Final is included nhl.com.
Photos: Dominic Pencz