The Flyers are going to look to keep their team system running, attempting to control the pace of the game.  They’ll have to set the pace in order to slow down the fast transitional play of the Blackhawks.  Chicago is going to need to be a little less fancy, and do a bit more dump and chase, using their advantage in speed to win the race to the puck.  The Flyers control is going to shut down center ice and make it hard to control the puck in to the zone.

I feel this series has the potential to be a very close one.  Neither team can afford to spend much time in the box, as both teams have been dominant on the power play.  In the end it’s likely to come down to which unlikely goaltender can keep up their momentum.

At the end of the day I give this series to Chicago – probably in six games.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadians

Here is a matchup no one would have even dreamed up.  It’s like the East slipped in to some parallel universe.  The bottom seeds have defied all odds and are now lacing up to do battle tonight.  Throw all common hockey sense right out the window because the normal rules have ceased to apply.  Jaroslav Halak has kept Montreal in every game this playoff year.  He has risen to the occasion and really has become quite the Cinderella story in his own right.  Camalleri has also been big, becoming the most prolific scorer in these playoffs.  While its not surprising that he’s been a solid player, it is shocking that he’s the best of the best in scoring in the 2010 playoffs.  He has been huge for Montreal and has given them the spark that makes them believe night after night.  For the Flyers Boucher has been the story right up until getting hurt in game 6.  He had been playing larger than life, like Halak coming alive for the playoffs.  Now an injury has sidelined him for the remainder of Philly’s cup run.  Michael Leighton came in and played solid games 6 and 7, Philly never missed a beat.  Chris Pronger has continued his superb veteran play, leading this team by example, finishing every check and clearing everyone out of the crease.  Briere played a great series against the Bruins, having 10 points over the 7 games and is looking to keep his hot streak going against the Canadians.  This is one of the toughest contests to call as the two teams both finished with 88 points, and split their regular season series.  While the Canadians get the edge in goaltending, their defense is weakened by the loss of all-star Andrei Markov.  The Flyers certainly have the better veteran defensive core, but when it comes to offense the two teams are fairly evenly matched.  At the end of the day I say watch Halak to stand on his head, Cammaleri to get that big game winner in the closing moments, and Montreal moving on to have a chance to win their 25th Stanley Cup.

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks v. Chicago Blackhawks

Offense.  Offense.  And, well offense.  Speed kills and both of these teams are loaded with fast playing forwards who can turn a bad pass in to a 3 on 1 break in the blink of an eye.  Jonathan Toews almost single handedly dismantled the Vancouver blueliners.  With 12 points in that series he comes in to this series red hot.  Patrick Kane, still hasn’t had the big performance people have been waiting for, but if he is going to come out and show what he is capable of, this series is the time to do it.  The Sharks look to Joe Pavelski to light the lamp and make Huet’s job a tough one.  Add to that Joe Thorton finishing up the Vancouver series on a streak of his own and you have some dangerous players with wonderful scoring touches.  San Jose is going to look for Dan Boyle to pick up his defensive play, and also his special teams scoring ability.  He hasn’t been bad in the playoffs, but he hasn’t been himself.  They are certainly going to expect him to elevate his game if they want to continue their post season run.  Nabakov has shaken off the monkey that has continually plagued him in post-season play.  He’s been there when the Sharks needed him, and he’s made very few of the mistakes that led to some early exits in previous playoffs.  He has the experience in net and the Sharks will need him to be solid.  For the Blackhawks their goaltending situation isn’t as solid.  Niemi came in the playoffs as the guy in net, but after some rather sloppy play Huet found himself in the starting role  and he has run with it.  He was in net in all four meetings against the Sharks during the regular season, which the Blackhakws led 3-1.  He certainly feels comfortable facing them in this series.  Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are going to have to continue their dominating blueline play.  They did a good job keeping the Sedin twins quiet and now they are going to be tasked with shutting down the 3rd best regular season offense.  In an offensive showdown it generally comes down to which goaltender has the gusto.  I’ve, over the years, had little to no faith in Huet’s ability to carry a team, but after his performance against Vancouver its hard to say he doesn’t have the goods.  This is going to be a high scoring series that’s not going to look good on a goaltenders stat sheet, and considering Nabakov’s past of losing his cool when they go down quick I’m going to lean slightly in favor of the Hawks and say that they will do the Original Six proud by marching on to the Stanley Cup finals.

So here we go with my round 2 picks.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins v. Montreal Canadians

This is not the second round writeup I was expecting.  A 4th seed vs. an 8th seed?  That’s exactly where we stand and one thing is for certain, no one on the Penguins bench is going to overlook a Montreal team that sent the Capitals packing.  Jaroslav Halak was brilliant in games 6 and 7 for the Canadians.  He stopped just shy of a hundred shots in those two games, and he’s not going to have time to rest up before the barrage begins again.  Sidney Crosby had 5 goals, Malkin had 4, Cooke contributed 3, and 9 other players had one or two goals.  24 goals in 6 games.  Pittsburgh’s offense was hot.  And who didn’t expect that.  There’s a reason that this team has made an appearance in back to back Stanley Cup series.  The Canadians, meanwhile, are going to look to bring back Montreal’s glory days.  Like the Penguins, their goal scoring came from all over the ice.  They have a solid scorer in Cammalleri.  They have a goaltender who obviously has eaten his Wheaties for the post season.  What they don’t have, however, is a solid blue line.  Only one of their defensive players who played all seven games was a +1.  The others? -1, -3, -4, -8.  You get the picture.  They didn’t get in the Capitals way anymore than a traffic cone would have.  Halak came to their rescue and helped them on to the second round.  The Penguins have more offensive weapons than the Capitals who had all eyes squarely on Ovechkin.  It’s going to be hard for this Montreal team to counter the talented attack of Pittsburgh, and when the dust settles it’s going to the Penguins returning to the Conference championships.

Boston Bruins v. Philadelphia Flyers

So, you’re the number 6th seed, it’s the second round and you have home ice.  What?  That’s the treat the Bruins received when Montreal sent the Capitals to the links.  The bad news is they are facing a well rested Flyers team.  The good news is that Flyers team is going to be without Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere.  These two players are arguably the Flyers best PK’ers, and when you’re a team that spends a fair amount of time in the box you rely on those guys to get you through it.  So it looks like Philly will turn to Claude Giroux to pick up the extra ice time.  Wait, who?  Claude Giroux led the Flyers in scoring in the first round of the playoffs, putting 4 past Brodeur.  This 22 year old is making his mark with the Flyers team in the post-season, and they are going to have to turn to him to keep it up as they are going to be facing a tough Boston squad.  Rask may have started as Boston’s number 2 goal when the season began, but there is no denying he is their number one guy now.  After several brilliant saves and solid play he helped the rough and tumble Bruins turn aside the Sabres and dispatch them after 6 games.  Boston has a similar look to Philly as they aren’t going to burn you with a all-star offense, continually lighting the lamp.  They are going to look to wear their opponent down with hard hitting playing, constant screening of the goalie and staying in his face, and just plain out working teams to the puck.  This game might look more like a rugby scrum than a hockey game.  Expect both teams to come out of the gate making their physical presence known.  In the end of the day it’s going to be which upstart goaltender can keep the fire burning and on this one my money is with Rask.  I think the Dunkin Donuts crowd is going to get to see their Bruins play for the Conference title.

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks v. Detroit Red Wings

While I thought this would be the second round matchup it is also the hardest one to call.  Even thinking about it coming up during the first round I just couldn’t get a handle on it.  Detroit, led by Zetterberg, has a potent offense with a lot of experience.  While I could take the time to figure out how many playoff game experience the Red Wings have, I think it’s safe to say it’s a pretty big number.  They appeared in the last two Stanley Cup series, and after a slow start this season they have once again become a contender.  Goaltender Jimmy Howard came out of nowhere to slam the breaks on a season that was getting away from them.  With him in net the Wings turned themselves around and went from a bubble team to a solid playoff team.  The veteran players on the team have certainly responded, especially in game 7 against the Coyotes.  They were determined to not go gentle in to that goodnight and they out played the Coyotes, beating them to every puck and just being the hungrier team.  That drive is going to have to continue as they are about to run in to the best team in the West.  Nabakov seems to have shaken off the monkey on his back that has dogged him the last few playoff years.  Joe Pavelski has become a post-season offensive weapon, scoring 5 goals in their 6 games against the Avalanche.  They got help from all over the map with 10 different players scoring in the first round.  Dan Boyle recovered from some fairly tragic play and finished the series right where he was at in the regular season, one of the best blue liners in the game.  A good mix of youth and veteran players are the core of this San Jose team who has a lot to prove.  Last season they went in the playoffs as the President’s Trophy winner, and had an early exit to the 8th seeded Ducks.  In fact they have a long playoff history of being upset.  There’s a fire to this team, and it’s going to have to turn in to a blaze against the Red Wings.  I think, in the end, it’s going to be the Red Wings veterans that are a weak link.  After a long 7 game series, to jump right back in to the playoffs after only a couple of nights off is going to take a toll.  The Detroit players are going to want to show right away that they have plenty of energy, and can still control the pace of the game, but the Sharks won’t make it easy.  With some fast players who have had a few extra days off, they are going to have more than enough in the tanks to put the pedal to the metal and take it straight to the Wings.  It’s going to be a good series I’m sure, but at the end of it the Sharks are going to be playing for the title of Best in the West.

Chicago Blackhawks v. Vancouver Cannucks

This is the series.  This is the kind of series you wish was for the Cup, or at least the conference title.  The Cannucks come in to this matchup with not only the player with the most first round goals (Samuelsson with 7), but 12 different players contributing to the goal scoring.  Averaging just over 4 goals a game this Vancouver team is explosive.  Daniel Sedin has found his stride.  Him and his brother Henrik are players possessed.  Wherever the puck is there is at least one Sedin near by winning nearly every battle along the boards.  Not a single player on this team was a minus on the score sheet.  How’s that for a way to go through the first round?  The only chink in the armor?  Luongo allowing 17 goals over 6 games.  This is not the goaltender who won a gold medal for his country.  He hasn’t been himself since the Olympics, and his lackluster play has carried over in the post season.  Vancouver’s potent offense has needed to be on the top of his game in order to outscore their opponents.  That’s going to be a tall order as the Blackhawks have a pretty devastating offense of their own.  The Blackhawks averaged 3 goals a game in their opening series, with Kane and Sharpe leading with 4 and 3 goals respectively.  This has actually been a rather under-achieving affair by the Hawks.  Their young gun offense is capable of a lot more than they showed against the Predators.  Though Nashville’s Pekka Rinne had some fairly solid games, the offensive talent of the Hawks should have been able to amount to a lot more.  The hole in the Hawks game is the same as it has been all regular season long, the netminder.  Niemi may have chased Huet out to become the starting guy in net, but lets face it, Huet was playing downright miserable hockey.  Any backup netminder in the NHL would have ousted him from his starting role.  Niemi is a fairly solid goaltender, but he isn’t a dominating one.  He’s not going to steal a game for you, and for the Hawks to advance that’s exactly what they’re going to need.  If Luongo finds his stride there will be little chance for the Original Six Blackhawks (and hey, a side not, 4 of the 6 Original teams made the playoffs and all 4 are in round 2!) to move on.  Despite a valiant effort by the youthful Chicago team, I have to say Vancouver is going to move on to play for the Western Conference title.

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadians

Washington, behind the not quite best goal scoring performance of Ovechkin powered through just about every team that they faced this season.  With a powerful offense, solid defense, and moments of inspired goaltending, the Capitals won the President’s Trophy for the best record in the regular season.  Montreal comes in to this series having played some of the worst hockey of their season.  They had been around the middle of the pack in the playoff race, but lost so many games in the final few weeks that they just barely squeaked in to the finals.  However during the season series between this team they both walked away with 5 of a possible 8 points.  Carey Price, who played all 4 games against the Caps this season, looks like he’s going to be relegated to the bench, backing up Jaroslav Halak.  Halak has been solid most of the season, and if he steps up come playoff time the Canadians might make a couple of games interesting.  Overall though I think this one is probably one of the easiest calls.  The Capitals will move on to the second round.

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

If I were to pick a potential big upset in the East this would be the one.  The Flyers owned the Devils in the regular season.  The Flyers went 5-1-0 against the second seeded Devils, and that has to have the Devils staff worried.  I have a feeling they were all cheering for the Rangers on Sunday and were a bit disappointed by the loss.  Brodeur has been solid all season (though he has lost a lot of the spark of his early days – still a top goal tender who can steal games, but not so good he’s going to steal a series).  New Jersey, however, has more than a fighting chance in this series.  With some great scoring talent in the likes of Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner facing down a less than talented goal tender (Brian Boucher), the defensive core of the Flyers are going to have their work cut out for them.  Pronger will be leading the defensive effort for the Flyers, and he’ll bring it, big body hits, getting the stick in the chest of the shooter, and the occasional less than legal hit – Pronger will be hounding Jersey’s top lines.  I think there’s every indication that this series will go the full seven games, and when the dust settles I’m calling the upset, the Flyers are going to move on to round 2.

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

Here’s another series that has the whiff of upset around it.  The Bruins handily won the season series between the two teams, going 4-2-0.  This certainly wasn’t the best possible matchup for the Sabres who are back in the playoffs after going 3 seasons of early tee times.  Unlike the Devils v. Flyers, this series looks like it’s going to be a low scoring one.  Neither team had high scoring players, but relied on solid goal tending, tight defense, and spreading the offensive love around.  Tuuka Rask, and not Thomas, will be starting in net.  Rask won the starting job after some early poor play by Thomas.  Rask took the opportunity to start and ran with it, helping the Bruins earn their sixth seed.  Ryan Miller will be in net for the Sabres.  It’s been a long season for Miller with the addition of the Olympics, but he’s handled it pretty well.  He’s had a couple stumbles, but over all he put up some of the best numbers in the NHL.  The Sabres defense is looking much better this year than in years past.  Rookie Tyler Myers has been a dominating force on the ice.  And at 6’8″ he’s capable of moving all kinds of bodies around.  He also put up 48 points during the regular season and is not afraid to take big shots from the blue line.  If Tim Connoly or Thomas Vanek can step up there game it would give the Sabres a huge offensive lift.  They’ll be the x-factor in this series.  It’s going to be a tough fought one, and it may sound like the fan boy in me, but I think the Sabres will manage to pass this test and move on to the next round.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

The Senators have been hot hot hot.  However last season the Penguins took them down in 4 games, and haven’t been too shaby this season either.  No surprise that Crosby has been dominating, and Malkin has played pretty well himself.  The Pens are loaded with offensive assets and are going to look to hammer Ottawa’s netminder.  Marc-Andre Fluery has had a pretty good season in net for the Pens and he’s going to be looking to keep players like Jason Spezza off the score sheet.  While the Sens are going to be going with the relatively unknown Brian Elliot in net.  He’s got a tough job ahead of him facing the Penguins how powered offense.  Defense won’t be much of a factor in this season.  Both have defensive players who look to jump up in to the offensive rush when the opportunity presents itself.  Look for a high scoring series that the Penguins end up coming away with in the end.  Penguins are going to be going to round 2.

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

Quite frankly the Avalanche weren’t even supposed to be here.  At the beginning of the season most hockey circles had Colorado finishing in the bottom of the West.  The Avalanche don’t have much flash on offense.  Their defense isn’t a hard hitting core.  But both offense and defense have contributed to getting the Avs to where they are now.  Throw in to that mix Craig Anderson, the surprising journeyman goaltender who is playing the best hockey of his life, and some of the best hockey in the NHL.  Colorado is going to need Anderson to up his play to a whole new level.  The Sharks have one of the deepest offenses in hockey this season.  Thorton, Heatley, Marleau, Pavelski, etc.  This guys are going to make it tough on Colorado to continue their feel good story.  Still the spectre of playoffs past haunts the Sharks who last season, as the Presidents Trophy winner, got taken out by the 8th seeded Ducks.  San Jose’s playoff history is riddled by upsets, underperformance, and just plain bad play.  Nabakov, who is dominating in the regular season, seems to put his A game up on the shelf come playoff time and that’s going to need to change if they don’t want to be chased early yet again from the playoffs.  I think San Jose has learned a lot from the past, and it’s a core of very determined players the Avs are going to be facing.  Unless someone on the Avalanche steps up to become a big playmaker the Sharks are going to be able to take this series.  I say the bad luck is over, and San Jose is going on to round 2.

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

Chicago comes in to this series as an offensive powerhouse.  Nashville is just the opposite.  The Predators squeaked by in several low scoring affairs, losing a lot of matches when faced with dominating offensive performances.  Score more than just a couple goals on them and they’re hard pressed to catch back up.  Goaltending is perhaps the only area that the Predators have been solid in.  Pekka Rinne, when he’s been on his game, has carried his team to several victories.  He’s managed to steal a few wins for them, and he’s going to have to do it again if the Predators want to hang with the high powered offense of Chicago.  What could be the Predators saving grace is Chicago’s abysmal performance in net.  They’ve needed the high scoring offense to carry games for them as they’ve yet to find a solid netminder (something they had issues with last season as well).  Niemi is likely to get the nod over Huet, though neither of them have been a safe bet.  There’s a chance the musical goaltenders will continue for the Blackhawks, which makes it hard for the team to rally around anyone.  If the Blackhawks can manage to find some steady net minding they should do well.  At the end of the day while the Hawks might have trouble further down the road, they should be able to move on to round 2.

(3) Vancouver Cannucks vs. (6) Los Angles Kings

How do you spell offense in Candian?  Sedin.  Sedin.  The Sedin twins have played great hockey this year, more so than the year before.  In fact when Daniel Sedin was hurt, his brother Henrik stepped up his play and led the offensive charge for Vancouver.  With Daniel back their line has been simply dominating no matter who the opponent.  Add to that goal medal winning Roberto Luongo and you have a team that’s looking to go deep in the playoffs.  The Kings are looking to stop the Cannucks dead in their tracks.  Their deep core of blue liners is going to look to shut the Sedin’s down, clogging the passing and shooting lanes, and bodying up anyone who comes close to the net.  The Kings aren’t slouches in the offensive category either.  Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Ryan Smith are going to look to take Luongo off of his game.  Unfortunately for the Kings Jon Quick, their goaltender, has been on a bit of a slump.  When he’s been on his game he’s been tight, but he’s going to have to find that game quick (no pun intended) if the Kings are going to pull off the upset.  It’s hard to see the Cannucks not making the second round with their talent.  They’ll move on to round 2 and send the Kings off packing.

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

The Coyotes might not have big offensive names carrying them.  Instead what they do is roll 4 solid lines on offensive all capable of scoring the big goal.  It’s hard to defend against a team when you don’t have any single player to key in on.  The defense of the Coyotes have some playoff experience with players like Jovanaski and Aucoin.  Again the Coyotes are able to roll defensive lines and match up against the top offensive lines of most other teams in the NHL.  Speaking of experience Detroit has plenty of it.  While not as offensively dominating as the season before they still have what it takes to light the lamp and often.  The biggest surprise for the Red Wings this season came when Osgood was chased from his starting job by Jimmy Howard.  Howard has taken the ball and run with it, taking a team on the outside looking in all the way to the 5th seed.  Single handedly he turned the Red Wings season around for them.  He might not have playoff experience, but watching him play you wouldn’t know it.  It’s not surprising to think that the experience of the Red Wings combined with the fantastic play in net will help them move on to the second round.  The Red Wings will live to play another day – they’ll take down the Coyotes in a long knock out drag down fight.

What I am upset about, however, is if you listen to the sports media you’d assume Sidney Crosby won the Stanley Cup all by himself, and those others guys were just fans with really good seats.  Seriously, he didn’t even score in the last 3 games of the Detroit series.  Max Talbott, the 4th line wonder scored both the Penguins goals in their 2-1 victory over Detroit in game 7.  Malkin won the MVP.  Fleury made a last second diving save to keep the Wings from facing overtime.  Sure, there’s no denying Crosby is a great player, but lets face it, he had a lot of help.  The entire team stepped up when they were needed and the team earned that cup.  Likely none of this media obsession is Crosby’s fault, nor do I think he buys in to the hype generated about him.  It just shows how team sports have eroded when the media places all their emphasis on a single player.  No team in the NHL wins Lord Stanley’s cup merely by having one stand out player on their team.  Without all the pieces there is no team.  Look at the LA Kings back in the day banking on Gretzky to bring them home the cup.  How many cups does LA have?  Sadly about as many as my Sabres: zero.  One incredibly player can be a game breaker – he can be that edge in a closely fought contest.  Everyone needs that go to guy.  But if your whole team is built around that one player, no matter what level you play at in hockey, you’re not going to win the big games.

Son congratulations to Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Max Talbott, Marian Hossa(oh right, he thought Detroit would win), and a whole host of other Pittsburgh Penguins who I don’t really know.  And yes, congratulations to Sidney as well – all of you earned it.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks – It’s old school hockey time!  These two teams have faced each other in more games than any other rivalry in the history of the NHL.  Since the 1920′s these teams have played each other over 700 times in the regular season as well as having met each other 14 times in post season play (Chicago holds a 8-6 edge in that category).  This old time rivalry reheated this season as was evidenced by the Winter Classic, and the fact that every game they played against one another this season was in front of a sold out crowd.  You have to turn the clock back to 1995 for the last time these two teams met in the post season (while Detroit has spent the last two decades being on the top of the heap, Chicago spent the time trying to obtain mediocrity).  Anchored by young talent, and solid defensive players this years Blackhawks are the real deal.  Kane and Toews have shown they know how to get it done on the score sheet.  Kane scored his first post-season hat trick against Vancouver and has been showing all the signs of a power house player in the making.  Brian Campell, the veteran on defense, has contributed greatly to special teams and has been a solid blue liner.  That’s been vital for the Blackhawks as the one position where they don’t get much help has been in net.  Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin haven’t exactly been the most stellar netminders in the NHL.  Neither of them could string together a solid set of games, and often times the Blackhawks won games in a wild west shootout style… surrendering 5 or 6 goals, but scoring one or two more than opponents.  A lot was said that this would work against them in the playoffs, but so far their hard nosed work ethic around the puck has paid off.  However they are about to face a Chris Osgood who has recovered from his worst career regular season to put up some solid numbers in the playoffs.  Detroit is coming off a tough fought and physically grueling 7 game series against the Ducks, and one has to wonder if this won’t adversely affect the defending champions.  Last season many, including myself, wondered the same thing and Detroit never once showed signs of slowing down.  You can pretty much guarantee Detroit’s top tier players will come ready to play their A game.  To win Chicago needs to keep up the hard hitting agressive play that took down the Cannucks in 6 games.  They need to generate as much traffic as possible in front of Osgood and fight for every puck in the corner.  Their blue-liners are going to have to be stellar to keep traffic in front of their own net to a minimum, while the offense is going to have to play a quick transitional game to keep odd man rushes from occurring.  For Detroit the game plan is simple, they just have to be Detroit.  They’ll play the same style of hockey that has come to symbolize Red Wing play – hard hitting, quick passing, and big shots from the blue line.  They have a wealth of playoff experience and that counts for a lot this deep in to the playoffs.  If they can stick to their game plan and keep Chicago from dictating the pace of the game they should manage just fine.  This is going to be a classic series.  While the East boasted their Crosby v. Ovechkin series, the West is boasting two teams who are out for each others throats.  There’s a real rivalry here and not just two top-notch players everyone wants to see.  While I’ll admit the creative play of Ovechkin and Crosby was entertaining, it wasn’t the real deal in terms of a good old hockey rivalry.  At the end of the day whichever team wins this series will absolutely have deserved it.  I’m going to go against the rational part of my mind, and go with a little bit daring when I say Chicago is going to be representing the West for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins v. Carolina Hurricane – To be honest this is a hard series to get excited about.  Normally I am all over the Eastern conference but this series has all the makings of who could really care?  Okay, fans of the two teams I’m sure will be interested, and the media will be drooling over every move Crosby makes, but at the end of the day this series isn’t going to be anything to write home about.  I certainly have made a habit our of underestimating the Hurricane.  While they do have some good players, looking over their roster there isn’t anything that jumps out at you as a team that has a deep run in to the playoffs written all over them.  What happened, however, was that a lot of the players stepped up to a whole new level late in the season and it carried over in to the playoffs.  Goaltender Cam Ward has been nothing short of amazing.  With his stellar play in net the confidence has rippled outward to the rest of the team who have played like Cup contenders since the playoffs began.  What will be interesting about this series is the break neck speed at which it will be played.  Both teams boast a lot of speed and play quick attacking games looking to capitalize on every turn over by creating odd man rushes.  Both teams have defenses that jump up in to the play.  Both teams get crafty in front of the net.  The question becomes which team is better at that style of play?  While I don’t want to make the mistake of underestimating Carolina yet again, it’s hard to deny the talent on the Pittsburgh side of the ice.  Without the big hitting had players to tie up the medias favorite darling and Malkin (the one they tend to forget about the second his play gets cold), it’s hard to see any advantage for the Hurricane in this season.  While I am sure they will give it all and keep the series close, at the end of the day I have to say Pittsburgh is going to try again to claim that Cup for their own.

Eastern Confrence

Boston Bruins v. Carolina Hurricane – Boston did what everyone expected them to do, and that was to dominate the flow of the game for 60 minutes – 4 times in a row.  Montreal was outclassed going in, and the Bruins left no doubt that they are finally a team series about bringing a Cup home after all these years.  Carolina, however, will have something to say about that.  Going in to game 1 they are going to have a strong emotional high which to draw off of.  They’ll need it as the Bruins will be looking fresh having had plenty of time to work the bumps and bruises out of their system.  Still, I sometimes wonder if sweeping a series works for you in the end as maybe you have just a little bit too much time off.  Boston is going to have to come out of the gate swinging.  The Bruins knew how take it to Carolina during the regular season ; they won all four meetings against them.  Still, they say that when the playoffs begin its like the regular season never even happened.  The Bruins had 12 different goal scorers in their series with Montreal, and if they can keep spreading out the offense they’ll be hard to beat.  Carolina’s top line is going to have to face a tough playing Chara which was something Montreal couldn’t manage to beat.  For Carolina to win Staal is going to have to take advantage of any open ice he can find, while in net Cam Ward is going to have to bring his already solid game up another level.  In the end I think the Bruins will overwhelm the Hurricane.  Boston takes this series in 5.

Washington Capitals v. Pittsburgh Penguins – Malkin, Crosby, Ovechkin, it’s a who’s who of people the media love to adore.  This matchup really is a made for TV movie in the making.  If it plays anything like it’s being billed it should be one hell of a great show.  The Capitals started off slow and it nearly cost them, but a late series surge by all their key players allowed them to force a game 7 and eliminate the Rangers.  While they publicly talk about losing Brashear to suspension as a loss, I can’t help but feel he was more of a weight dragging on them – players, coaches, and fans, always wondering if this was the night he was about to do something really stupid.  Game 6 was that night.  However thanks to the lack of anything resembling intelligence by the officiating crew he got away with not only pre-game shenanigans, but a brutal, and utterly cheap hit.  There was nothing but intent to harm another player with a blow like that and his six game suspension is hardly fitting.  There are others who say it’s just part of the game – to those people: change the channel, there’s always wrestling on same channel, that’s more your style.  Anyway – the matchup – get ready for a shoot-out at the OK Coral here.  Two high flying offenses who relish the open ice, who make scoring opportunities appear out of thin air, and can flat out skate through defended like they were pylons are about to go at it.  It’s not going to be a good series for the goal tenders stat sheets – but in the end that’s what this series is going to come down to:  which goal tender can hold the fort better.  Both teams have en0ugh talent up front, and only limited defensive options for dealing with the other teams top line.  Will backup goalie for the Capitals, Varlamov, be called on to start this series?  Or will the Caps give Theodore a second chance?  The safe bet is that it is now Varlamov’s position to lose.  He hasn’t had the best of experience facing a high powered offensive team.  He did will in his time against the Rangers, but they aren’t nearly the same offensive caliber as the Penguins front 3.  Fleury isn’t exactly an A-list goaltender, but he has proven to the Penguins that when the time comes to make those big plays he can step up and make it happen.  His 45 save performance in game 4 allowed the Penguins to steal a game that looked to be safely in the Flyers hands.  That’s the goaltender the Penguins need to show up if they want to be successful against the Caps.  In the end I say this one goes to Pittsburgh in 7.

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings v. Anaheim Ducks – Detroit breezed through the first round pummeling an inexperienced Blue Jackets squadron.  There were very few moments in which Columbus looked like it might even threaten to steal a game.  While the Ducks may be the 8th seed they shut down the Sharks.  I imagine in Anaheim there are shrines all over to Jonas Hiller who found a way to stop 220 of 230 shots over six games.  Not that the rest of the team was sleeping – but he started the seasons as the Ducks backup goalie, unproven in the playoffs, and is making a statement that he’s now the number one netminder in town.  Defensively for the Ducks Pronger did what Pronger does best: hit people.  He was a bruising force punishing people in the corners, throwing bodies around in front of the net, and making sure that many of the Sharks shots were from the outside.  He kept San Jose’s top line in check.  Still, that might not be enough when facing the Red Wings, a team that can safely roll through all four lines and know that whoever they have out on the ice can take control of the play.  It’s a tried and true formula for the defending Stanley Cup champion, and now that Osgood seems to have woken up after the worst regular season of his career the Red Wings are dangerous.  That’s the thing though, Osgood played well, but never faced a challenge.  Simply put, the Blue Jackets made him look good and I doubt he’ll get the same luxury facing the Ducks, one of the most under-rated teams in the NHL this season.  Red Wings fans may be a little cocky but the Ducks are going to give them a run for their money.  Still, even if Osgood slumps back in to bad habits the Red Wings have more than enough assets to manage.  At the end of the day this series will do to Detroit in 6.

Vancouver Cannucks v. Chicago Blackhawks – after the Cannucks dispatched the Blues handily in four games I thought, being the geek that I am, of a line from Stargate SG-1: “I believe the Cannucks of Vancouver to be superior warriors.”  I thought they would find more of a challenge against St. Louis, but the Vancouver defense punished anyone foolish enough to cross that blue line.  Add to that the best post-season netminder, Robert Luongo and the Blackhawks will be facing a team that rarely has their lamp lit.  As always defense will be the key to the Cannucks game.  They will be looking to slow down the pace of the series and keep the young guns of Chicago in check.  The Blackhawks are going to have to continue to prove that their youth is an asset at this stage and not a detriment.  They certainly accomplished that beating the much more experienced Flames team in 6 games.  They may have gotten off to a rough start, but once they found their legs they played like it was just any other game.  Their up-tempo style of offense going end to end and simply wearing down the opposition may be the key to unraveling the post seasons most stingy defense.  They answered critics who thought they couldn’t be physical when it was required – especially Dustin Byfuglien who was a one man wrecking crew, showing no fear of tangling with the best Calgary had to offer.  The wild card for the Blackhawks is their goaltender, Khabibulin, who hasn’t exactly been rock solid for the Blackhawks.  During the regular season they compensated for his lackluster performance by piling on the goals and winning some high scoring affairs.  While he certainly manned up for the last two games of the series against Calgary it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to continue that play.  Against Vancouver it’s unlikely they’ll be able to count on loads of goal scoring to see them through.  Veteran defensman Brian Campell is going to have to continue to play top-notch hockey, more than ever in this upcoming series.  Chicago has to set the pace early, and if they can steal game one they just might be able to set the tone for the series.  Call me an optimist, but I’m giving this one to the Blackhawks in 7.

The Eastern Conference:

#1 Boston Bruins v. #8 Montreal Canadiens – While there is some hype built up over this contest between two Original Six foes, it’s not going to be that much of a contest.  The Canadiens dropped up the second half of the season almost as dramatically as the Sabres, and while they managed to hold a playoff spot, they just barely did so.  The team chemistry displayed earlier in the season has all but vanished.  Their play style at times often looks like a bunch of little kids on the ice, all swarming around the puck with no concept of playing position.  Montreal comes in to this game with the 31st ranked goaltender in the NHL.  They won’t be able to rely on goaltending in clutch moments, and with the lack of a solid defensive core they must do all they can to stay out of the penalty box.  Even at full strength they will have their hands full.  They are facing the second highest goal scoring team in the NHL.  With 7 players scoring more than 20 goals during the regular season the offensive output of the Bruins can come from any direction.  They also have some talent in defense, with a strong grinding style of play anchored by the giant on skates Zdeno Chara.  Then there is goaltending.  Tim Thomas has the best GAA in the NHL and has been playing top notch hockey even after they locked up their playoff position.  I’m not sure Montreal will even be able to pick up the fluke win.  I’m calling this series a sweep.  Bruins in 4.

#2 Washington Capitals v. #7 New York Rangers – I’m still awed the Capitals are in the position they are in.  Yes, they have a talented offensive core, and face it I always managed to overlook it.  With Backstrom and Semin joining Ovechkin in the top 20 goal scorers category there is a lot of firepower on Washington’s side of the ice.  I do question their use of Donald Brashear, even in limited capacity, as it gives ample opportunity for the Rangers to find themselves on the powerplay.  However it is l likely he will see be rotated out on the ice to deal with Sean Avery, the Rangers chief agitator, and someone whom the NHL needs to find the courage to show the door.  Expect more than a few cheap shots and glove dropping incidents in this series.  The Rangers lack the big go to scoring options that the Capitals have, but they have consistently spread the scoring around which makes them tough to defend against.  Their defensive players are tough, and they limit the shots Lundqvist will have to face. The defense is going to have to hang tight in order to force low scoring close games.  While there will be a little bit of drama and a whole lot of blood I don’t expect it to be the best of series.  The Capitals will take this series in 5.

#3 New Jersey Devils v. #6 Carolina Hurricanes – These two teams seem to have some odd gravitational pull that causes them to keep running in to one another in the playoffs.  While not all the series have kept fans on the edge of their seats I expect that this one will be a little bit more of a nail-bitter.  Brodeur, the heart and soul of the Devils seems to be almost back to his pre-injury form.  He had a few streaky moments after his return, but his likely to gain that post-season focus that he is famous for the second the puck hits the ice for Game 1.  He’ll need to look sharp as Carolina has three solid scoring lines, any one of them likely to be the line each night.  Led in goal scoring by Eric Staal, along with snipers Rutuu and Eric Cole, they are going to find the net more than once in this series.  Even with stellar play Brodeur will unlikely be adding to his post-season shut out tallies.  The Devils, however, are no slouches on the attack either.  Unlike the Devils of a decade ago this team is about as far from the neutral zone trapping style of play that they made famous.  The Devils of this season are a fast paced run and gun for the net kind of team and they have the skill players to make it work.  Zach Parise will be leading the offensive charge while White and Salavador will be banging bodies around behind the blue line.  This series could come down to the special teams play, and if that’s the case I’d have to say Brodeur gives Jersey the edge.  The Devils win this series in 7.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins v. #5 Philadelphia Flyers – In what might be the most watched of the first round series the battle for Pennsylvania will be raging in full force.  Better yet for those looking for some series entertainment these two teams are almost mirror images of one another on the stat sheets.  Each team finished the season with 99 points with Pittsburgh getting the 4th seed thanks to having more wins.  Of all the years I’ve been doing predictions this might be the hardest to call.  For the Penguins offensive fire power in the form of Crosby and Malkin have proven difficult for many teams to match up against.  These two seem to be everywhere in the offensive zone all at once and have a habit of turning a routine clearing attempt in to a highlight reel worthy goal.  The Flyers, on the other hand, will be looking to scoring depth to light the lamps.  They have some real offensive talent in Briere and Jeff Carter, but one can’t overlook players like Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and Mike Knuble – all of whom have a wonderful knack for finding the back of the net.  In defense the Penguins are happy to have Gonchar back as he is a real difference maker in clutch situations.  He has been showing some signs of struggling since returning from injury so a lot will depend on whether or not he is back to come form when game one starts.  The Flyers will be relying on Ryan Parent who sees over 24 minutes of ice time a game to hold down the fort defensively.  He isn’t a flashy all-star caliber player, but he is a solid, and amazingly consistent defensive player who never quits fighting for the puck.  During their meetings in the regular season he has done a surprising job of suppressing the Penguins top line, though in the end there’s only so much one player can manage.  They don’t have any big bodies in the back (which has to be a first for the Flyers), so they will be looking for a quick transitional game instead of slogging it out along the boards.  In net both teams have netminders who have proven themselves in playoff contests, and both Biron and Fleury are looking sharp coming in to post season play.  In the end I have to go with the star factor that both Crosby and Malkin bring in to this contest.  Pittsburgh wins this series in 7.

The Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks v. #8 Anaheim Ducks – Looks like there is a little hockey excitement brewing in California with both these warm weather teams taking the ice in the first round of the playoffs.  San Jose comes in to this series with the NHL’s best record, which is no small feat.  They were an offensive dynamo in the West and surprise a lot of people with their constant end to end style of play.  With Patrick Marleau and Joe Throton leading a top-notch offensive attack the Ducks are going to be hard pressed to keep them from lighting the lamp.  If Cheechoo can overcome the regular seasons slump he has been in the last couple of seasons then the Sharks will have a close to unstoppable forward lineup.  The Sharks also have talented blue-liners with Dan Boyle and Rob Blake, both whom have ample playoff experience, and are extremely capable at shutting down teams top tier scorers.  Add to that Nabakov who had an amazing regular season that was overshadowed by the Sharks scoring prowess and you have a team that is tough to beat on either end of the ice.  The Ducks will look to run up the score with Getzlaf, Prerry, Bobby Ryan, and Selanne, all of whom racked up over 20 goals each during the regular season.  Coming in to the playoffs they have won 7 of their last 10, and have been skating well.  While their offense may have talent, their defense is the real strength to this Ducks team.  Chris Pronger leads a talented cast of defenders that include Scott Niedermayer and Ryan Whitney.  They have kept the Ducks in close contests all season and you can expect them to raise their game to the next level for the playoffs.  What might be the Ducks undoing is the lack of consistency in net.  The Ducks backup goalie, Jonas Hiller, played over 40 games this season with J.S. Giguere hard pressed to find his game.  The once feared Giguere has been plagued with poor performance and early exits all season long.  Still he is the likely starter for the series due to his depth of playoff experience.  If he can find his way back to his normal level of play the Ducks might have a shot at a first round upset.  Still, this game will go to the Sharks in 6.

#2 Detroit Red Wings v. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets – Ohio, welcome to playoff hockey.  Columbus is making their first trip to the NHL’s post season play and they will have their work cut out for them when they face the Detroit Red Wings, one of the winningest teams in pro-sports history.  Rick Nash is about to get his first taste of playoff experience and he is hoping he can help the Blue Jackets make it a long post-season run.  He is a talented play maker who can be counted on to be a consistent threat in the offensive zone.  Mike Commodore and Jan Hejda are going to be called on to elevate their level of game play when they face a team that has elite goal scorers at every position on the ice.  Finally, Steve Mason who has carried the biggest burden in net is going to have to play flawless hockey if the Blue Jackets are to have a chance.  Datsyuk, Hossa, Zetterberg Homstrom.  This isn’t just a list of future hall of famers, this is what the Blue Jackets defense will have to stop.  It’s a big job.  A job very few teams have been able to manage, and a nearly impossible job during a best of 7 series.  Short of a plague of epic proportions sweeping through the Red Wings locker room Detroit will dominant in the offensive end of the ice, controlling the puck, and setting up more scoring opportunities than some teams will see during their entire play off runs.  And that’s just going to be game one.  Even if the Jackets can gain control in the Red Wings zone they will find themselves staring down at Nick Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Nick Kronwall, all of whom not only possess amazing puck control, but aren’t afraid to play the body and throw big hits.  They clear their crease with amazing proficiency and give up very few quality scoring opportunities.  If there’s one downside for the Wings its that Chris Osgood had the worst season of his professional career.  He’s been struggling to find consistent play and if the Blue Jackets can exploit that they might manage to not embarrass themselves in this series.  I have a feeling Detroit fans can pull out the brooms and look for the series sweep.  Red Wings in 4.

#3 Vancouver Cannucks v. #6 St. Louis Blues – Both these teams recovered from abysmal play during the middle of the season to put together some strong end of season numbers.  Some people felt neither of these teams would be a very high seed in the playoffs expecting them to potentially be #7 and #8 if making the playoffs at all.  Both surprised critics and gave fans something to cheer about by closing out the regular season on a high note.  Now, both these high flying teams will collide head on to see which of them really had comeback kid written all over them.  Daniel and Henrik Sedin are the star attractions of the Cannucks and combine often to light up the lamp.  They received a point(one assisting, one scoring) 57 separate times this season.  Wonder twin powers have activated and these two always know where each other is on the ice making them a formidable duo.  On defense Salo is the closest thing they have to a big time name, but they play well together, and show up ready to play either a quick passed game, or a rough and tumble struggle every night.  The versatility of the defense makes up for their lack of big time players.  Luongo will anchor Vancouver in net and make them a very tough team to beat.  St. Louis will be turning to David Perron and Patrik Berglund (neither of whom are yet 21) to solve the Vancouver’s defensive riddle.  Add to the mix T.J. Oshie who has shown spectacular creative flair and the Cannucks will be faced with a tough challenge of their own.  St. Louis, however, has rotated defensemen so many times this season they need to put a revolving door in the locker room.  It’s surprising they were able to put together the record they did with the lack of consistency or depth in the defensive end of the ice.  Fortunately for the Blues Chris Mason has brought his game to new heights since they All-Star break and managed to give their offense the opportunity to out score opponents.  If Vancouver can get under his skin then the whole house of cards will come tumbling down.  A couple early big goals and I think this series ends in 5 with Vancouver coming out on top.

#4 Chicago Blackhawks v. #5 Calgary Flames – this is the West’s answer to the big showtime #4 v. #5 matchup in the east.  Chicago comes in to this game with one of the youngest teams in hockey.  It is a team that, like the Chicago metropolitan area, has completely reinvented itself.  Rather than fielding several players pushing their prime the Blackhawks have looked to youth, creativity, and speed to turn the ailing franchise around.  Johnathan Toews and Patrick Kane will lead the youth movement in Chicagoland, both of them have a nasty habit of lighting up the lamp with unerving frequency.  While they aren’t leading the league in goal scoring they are players who even at their young age have shown they are capable of being the go to guys.  Back on the blue line the Blackhawks have a little more experience, but haven’t sacrificed any speed.  Brian Campell and Duncan Keith both not only keep their crease clear of opportunistic offensive players, they both have a wicked shot from the blue line that has lit the lamp nearly as many times as the offense.  On the power play these guys are dangerous, and even short handed they can’t be discounted.  Chicago has a talent at special teams that can’t dismantle the hopes of their opponents.  Khabibulin has been giving the thumbs up as the starting netminder coming in to the playoffs winning a season long struggle for the top spot with Cristobal Huet.  Neither have been dominating this season, but Khabibulin’s playoff experience is what the Hawks will be banking on.  On the other end of the ice the Flames might not be pioneering a youth movement, but they do have a talented force of their own.  Recently acquired Olli Jokinen has found an immediate dynamic with Jarome Iginla that should make the Blackhawks worry.  Both not only have dead on shooting ability, but they are no strangers to banging around with big defensive foes.  They will cause no end of trouble for Campell.  Dion Phaneuf is one of the best blue-liners in the game today.  He’s gritty, he’s always where the action is, and his feet never quit moving.  He tracks his target down through a crowd and keeps top scoring lines from many opportunities.  Kiprusoff will be a tough nut to crack, and his netminding skill will test just how ready Chicago’s young defense is in the post-season.  Even if they dominate him in one game Kipper leaves it all out on the ice and will come back unpahsed by the events of previous games.  He is a solid goalie who will constantly keep the Flames hope alive.  In the end I say this one goes to Chicago in 7.

This has to be a first for me as I didn’t pick one upset in the entire first round.  I have a feeling the first round will go by the numbers, and while their will be numerous good games, and some come from behind victories, I just don’t see any team that is going to be upset worthy.  If an upset does come in would be in either of the #4 v. #5 matchups as in both occasions the teams are pretty evenly matched and an ill-timed injury could change everything.  If there’s an upset that I’d love to see it would be the Blue Jackets sinking the Wings, though this is the least likely upset in the first round.

When your backup goaltender (of questionable worth – ask the half dozen or so other teams he’s played for) puts up some decent numbers (for a backup) – like holding a bottom feeding team to 2 goals – you expect to win, or at least put on a good show.  Instead they don’t find the net.  Not once.  People are quick to point out how the team suffers with Vanek out of the lineup, but face it, if one guy is your whole offensive output you’re not a team in very good shape.

Sure, Afinogenov hasn’t been having a banner year.  Then he strained his groin.  However he’s been cleared to play medically for 10 days now and still he has remained a healthy scratch, still sitting on the IR list.  I know Ruff wants to make a point, that if you’re not producing you’re not going to play, but this is ridiculous.  No one on his team is producing.  He’s holding back an asset ready to get out there and earn his spot back.  What, is he afraid of sending someone like Matt Ellis back to Portland which he’d have to do in order to reactivate Afinogenov?  Well I have news for you, Ellis belongs in Portland.  In 109 career NHL games he only has 17 points.  That’s .15 points for game in case you were wondering.  That’s not where you’re going to find offensive production.  We need points on the board Mr. Ruff!  We need some creative line juggling.  We need firey speeches, and wrath of god-like threats to the players, the staff, and any one else out there who will listen.  We need a Buffalo Sabres team that has fire in their belly, not the current Sabres team who couldn’t seem to care that they are hanging on to the last playoff spot by a thread.

In the wake of all the other coaches who have been sent packing maybe, just maybe Buffalo should start doing the same thing.  Afterall Lindry Ruff is a proponent of benching those who aren’t performing up to par – and lets face it, right now he is the one who’s not up to par.  Get that fire back Mr. Ruff, or open up the classifieds and start looking for work.