The first round of the NHL playoffs begins Wednesday with 4 games. 82 regular season games has dwindled the field to 16 teams, and here are my predictions for the first round:
IN THE EAST:
1] Washington Capitals beat 8] Montreal Canadiens in 4 games
The Capitals have been the best team in the league all season, and have disposed of Eastern Conference opponents consistently. This series will be no different, as the Capitals simply have too much firepower with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin for the Canadiens to compete.
2] New Jersey Devils beat 7] Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games
This matchup of Atlantic Division rivals will be a very entertaining series. Although New Jersey is set in its goaltending with perennial All-Star Martin Brodeur, and Philadelphia is on its 5th goalie this season with Brian Boucher, this series is more balanced than one would be led to believe. The Flyers have fared very well against New Jersey this season and have a winning record against the Devils. Key factors in the series are Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils and Brian Boucher for the Flyers. The Devils picked up Kovalchuk at the trade deadline to improve the team’s lacking offense. If Kovalchuk can have success offensively against the Flyers, Philadelphia doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to win a high scoring series with Brodeur in the New Jersey net. However, if Boucher can hold the Devils in check on offense, the Flyers may be able to steal a few games in the series and potentially move to the next round. This series is one of the series to watch closely in the first round.
3] Buffalo Sabres beat 6] Boston Bruins in 5 games
In a matchup of Northeast Division rivals, these teams will not play passively. Both teams have much disdain for one another, and this series will be a classic physical battle. An interesting fact is that the goaltenders in this series (Ryan Miller for Buffalo and Tim Thomas for Boston), were the starting and backup goalies for the USA Olympic Hockey Team, respectively. This series will be determined by which goalie will be better in net. Miller has been the best goalie in the league this season, but the Sabres have lacked offensive firepower at times. Expect a low scoring series with quality defense and goaltending.
5] Ottawa Senators beat 4] Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games
The Penguins seem to have become America’s team since the team won the Stanley Cup. However, the Senators may be the most underrated team in hockey. The Sens made a run from the 8 spot to the 5 spot towards the end of the season, and looks to ride its late season momentum into the playoffs. Alexei Kovalev and team captain Daniel Alfredsson lead a high powered Senators offense, and Chris Phillips heads the Senator defense. Goalie Ryan Elliot had an efficient GAA (2.57) and will look to hold the Penguins offense in check. For the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury will be the key. He hasn’t always been the most consistent goaltender, but is very good when playing well. If Fleury is inconsistent throughout the series, the advantage will be with Ottawa. This series will be very entertaining and will be a tight series that could be won by either team. My pick is Ottawa in 7.
IN THE WEST:
1] San Jose Sharks beat 8] Colorado Avalanche in 7 games
This series could be very competitive even though it is 1 vs. 8. The Sharks have been impressive this season, as they are most seasons, but the team has often struggled in recent playoffs. The Avalanche only finished 18 points behind 1st place San Jose this season, and were inconsistent in their play. However, in a seven game series, Colorado has the ability to hang with San Jose and potentially win the series.
2] Chicago Blackhawks beat 7] Nashville Predators in 5 games
Chicago, although a young team, has the most talent in the West. Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Jonathon Teows, and Patrick Sharp highlight an explosive offense for the ‘Hawks. Chicago should have no problem with Nashville in this opening round series.
3] Vancouver Canucks beat 6] Los Angeles Kings in 5 games
The Canucks have the severe advantage over the Kings at the goaltender spot. Roberto Luongo is a top goalie in the league for the Canucks, but Jonathon Quick is a young, inexperienced goaltender for the Kings. Luongo won a gold medal for Canada in the Olympics, and is very solid in net. The Kings will have trouble scoring consistently against Luongo and the Canucks. The Canucks, however, do not have offensive struggles. Daniel and Henrik Sedin are a dynamic duo which is very dangerous. In addition, key USA Olympian Ryan Kesler is a key which holds the Canucks together. Vancouver will take care of the young LA Kings without much trouble.
5] Detroit Red Wings beat 4] Phoenix Coyotes in 6 games
Phoenix has been that “under-the-radar” team that no one has paid attention to this season. Before anyone knew it, the Coyotes were fighting for the top spot in the West more than halfway through the season. The Coyotes finished in the 4th spot in the West, but only 6 points between conference leading and Pacific Division rival San Jose. However, the Red Wings’ experience and success down the stretch this season will power Detroit through to the next round. Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holstrom highlight Detroit’s offense, and veteran Chris Osgood anchors the net for the Red Wings. It will be an interesting series, but Detroit should win.
Stay tuned after the first round concludes for my second round picks.
i hope the sens beat the penguins. and honestly i think the flyers can take jersey if boucher is on his game. the flyers at times, depending on how they are playing, seem to lack offensive power; however this is only true for every team except the devils. we have gotten to the point this year when brodeur was almost pulled. if the flyers come to play and do not get over condfident, then i whole heartedly believe they can move on to the second round
Nice Bob. I have all the same teams winning as you, just in different games. I do think that the Buffalo-Boston series will go the distance, both teams are just so solid defensively that each game will be a fight. I think that will be one of the best ones to watch. As far as Pittsburgh goes, they’re 3-16 against teams higher in the standings this season (and all three wins came against Buffalo). Granted, Ottawa is behind them in the standings, but it’s a 4-5 match-up and the Pens’ record against higher teams shows that they’ve had trouble winning the big games. If Fleury shows up, all of that could change, but I still have Ottawa winning in 6. This isn’t just a Wings fan ragging on the Pens either, I have a lot of respect for them and I’d love to see a rerematch in the finals.
Philly is the team I really don’t like. Never have. Plus, they just don’t have the firepower to break New Jersey’s solid defense. They’ll get overpowered.
As far as Colorado goes, I’m not giving them as much credit as you do. I actually have them getting swept because they’ve been falling for the past few weeks and just barely managed to pull through. However, if Craig Anderson plays like he did at the beginning of the season and they come out with inspiration, then they might build some momentum against a San Jose team that has a lot of pressure on them again. (I’m going to be cheering for Colorado big time in that series, I hope they make it a good fight)
As far as the Wings go, Howard will actually make the starts in goal for them (unless Babcock really throws us a curve-ball). Being a rookie, he could falter under the pressure, but it’s been a playoff atmosphere for them for the entire second half of the season, so I think he’ll actually shine. Also, with Osgood as a mentor (Osgood obviously knows how to show up for the playoffs, he’s got a great mindset under pressure), Howie will be great.
Keep up the good work Bob-o. Go Wings (and Sabres)!
Flyers are going to win it all. You should know that Bob. Go Flyers!
very professional !!!
i dont know bob… the pens were in the same position last year. if fleury gets hot, watch out. they know how to win in the playoffs, especially with crosby’s developing experience. i see the flyers losing in lesser games, and i see the red wings/coyotes series going 7. the wings are hot going in the playoffs, but so is bryzgalov. a very nice analysis.