(1) BOSTON BRUINS vs (8) MONTREAL CANADIENS
Bruins won season series 5-0-1
Normally when these two teams meet, it's usually the Bruins looking across the ice going "Oh no, not them again". The Canadiens have a 24-7 playoff series record against the B's, but they are about to lose for the eighth time to Boston. The Canadiens are a team in complete shambles right now and are in no shape to take on a juggernaut like the Bruins right now. Boston can score, they can play physical, and have one of the best goalies in the NHL this season in Tim Thomas. Unless the Canadiens power play wakes up and returns to 2007-08 form, Boston has the edge in every aspect of the game. This will be a quick, but painful death for Canadiens fans in their Centennial Season.
Our pick: Bruins in 5
(2) WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs (7) NEW YORK RANGERS
Capitals won season series 3-0-1
The NHL is LOVING this first round match-up. The best player in the NHL playing a team in the #1 market in the country...you can almost here Gary Bettman salivating. He'll get his wishes with a long series between these two teams. When I first looked at this series, the first thing I thought was "Wow, this is the worst first round match-up for the blueshirts". My initial instinct was to pick the Capitals in 6. After a little thought though, the Rangers do have one huge advantage, and that's goaltending. I don't trust Jose Theodore for the Capitals while Henrik Lundqvist may get nominated for the Vezina again. The match-ups to look out for are the Rangers #1 Penalty Kill vs. the Capitals #2 power play. If John Tortorella is smart, he'll have Marc Staal shadowing Alexander Ovechkin all series long. My heart is slightly influencing this pick, but if the Rangers can make this a long series, they have a great chance. The shorter the series, the less likely it is the Rangers win.
Our pick: Rangers in 7
(3) NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs (6) CAROLINA HURRICANES
Hurricanes won season series 3-1-0
This is the series that will be looked over the most, but will be a fun series to watch while it lasts. Carolina might be the hottest team coming in to the playoffs, but they ran in to the team that will be able to cool them off the best. The Hurricanes are a well-balanced team with great goaltending, so what's the problem? The Devils will beat and bang with Carolina, slow them down, and physically drain the Hurricanes. While this style is nothing new for the Devils, they finally have a legitimate sniper in Zach Parise to score goals so New Jersey doesn't HAVE to win games 2-1. Carolina made a nice run, but drew the one opponent that will have the ability to slow the fast paced 'Canes down.
Our pick: Devils in 6
(4) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs (5) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Penguins won season series 4-2-0
Of all the first round series, this is the one that will have the most intensity. If you're not an avid hockey fan, one thing you need to know about this series is that the Flyers and Penguins HATE each other with the same venom a la Red Sox-Yankees or Duke-North Carolina. The Flyers loss to the Rangers on Sunday and loss of home ice in the first round clinched the series for the Penguins. Pittsburgh was cruising down the stretch and the Penguins are a very tough team to beat in the Igloo. While the Flyers have a great group of forwards and defenseman, I don't trust goalie Martin Biron. Unless Biron turns in a stellar performance in every game, the Penguins righted the ship at the right time and will eliminate their long time foe.
Our pick: Penguins in 6
(1) SAN JOSE SHARKS vs (8) ANAHEIM DUCKS
We will know immediately if the Sharks are finally built for a deep playoff run thanks to the first all-California postseason series in 40 years. The Ducks are not the typical reward for winning your conference, not to mention compiling the NHL’s best record. Anaheim closed out the regular season on a 10-2-1 splurge, boasts one of the best forward combinations in the game in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and still has Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger patrolling the blueline. Aside from San Jose’s mental toughness, the biggest question mark, though, in this series is Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller, who has wrestled away the starting job from Stanley Cup winner J.S. Giguere, but allowed 18 goals over his final six appearances. Thursday night will be Hiller’s first ever playoff game, while Evgeni Nabokov has skated in 59 of them, posting a 2.17 GAA and .917 save percentage. Our pick: Sharks in 7 because Nabokov will outplay Hiller/Giguere and San Jose’s veteran additions (Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich, Travis Moen) can cool off the surging Ducks.
(2) DETROIT RED WINGS vs (7) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Welcome to the playoffs, Blue Jackets. Here to show you around the place are our defending champions, the Red Wings. Yes, Columbus owns an 8-0 win at Joe Louis Arena this season. Yes, the Red Wings closed the regular season with three straight losses and seven in 10 games. And yes, Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin have been shaky at best in the Detroit net this year. But the Red Wings have the four best players in this series in Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa and Nicklas Lidstrom. That’s too much talent and playoff experience for Rick Nash, Steve Mason and Mike Commodore to overcome.
This series is as evenly-matched as any in either conference. Since February 1, the Canucks are 23-7-2; the Blues went 21-7-6. Both offenses are balanced, fairly deep operations and goaltending is the ultimate key for both sides. The main difference between Vancouver and St. Louis comes on special teams. The Blues boast Top 10 outfits on the power play and penalty kill, while the Canuck units rank in the middle of the pack. In a series with quality goaltending, and even though Vancouver clearly has the better of the two, special teams will make the difference, which is why we like the Blues’ improbable run to continue. Blackhawks won season series 4-0-0
This is a meeting of teams going in opposite directions: the Blackhawks did not lose in regulation in April (6-0-1), while the Flames lost 11 of their last 18 outings. Calgary hasn’t gotten a goal from Olli Jokinen in 13 games and has questions to answer about the health of Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr, Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque and Corey Sarich. Chicago is healthy and saw Nikolai Khabibulin allow just seven goals over his final six regular season appearances. The Flames win the experience category in a blowout, but the young Hawks seem mentally stronger at the moment.
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