GRAND RAPIDS, Mich – The Griffins and Bulldogs met six times in the AHL 2008-09 regular season, with Hamilton out-playing and out-scoring the Griffins in four of those regular-season games. Grand Rapids has only won three of the last eleven games played in their rival’s home, the Copps Coliseum.
Griffins coach Curt Fraser recently predicted that it will be a tough, hard-fought series between two teams who don’t like each other very much. That’s the way it looked when these teams battled during the regular season, and that’s what is expected during the playoffs.
These teams appear to be evenly-matched, with the Griffins having a slightly more powerful and varied offensive attack and the Bulldogs having a minimally better defensive corps, including stingier goalies, but the differences here are not that remarkable in either case.
The Griffins will take the series if their offense can get play their system and their scorers can get the job done. The Bulldogs requires that their defense proves to be as tough and stingy as they can be and their goaltenders stay on top of their game in order to beat the ‘Griffs. This one almost looks too close to call, and no matter which team wins, the series will most likely go six, or even seven, games.
PREDICTION: Despite a dismal 4-2 record against Hamilton, as well as significantly better plus/minus ratings for the Bulldogs top offense and defense, too many Griffins have learned how to win from their extensive playing experiences down the road in Detroit to discount their playoff potential. Players such as Darren Haydar, Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino, and a number of other Griffins will be too much for the Bulldogs to handle. The Griffins will take it in seven games. Contact jennifer.sleeper@prohockeynews.com Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
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