The opening round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs begins Wednesday night as the Flyers travel to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins, the Predators host the Red Wings, and the President’s Cup winning Canucks host the LA Kings. It will mark the start of a month and a half of playoff hockey, and here are the keys and predictions for the opening round.
EAST
1] Rangers vs. 8] Senators
This year, Henrik Lundqvist has been nearly unbeatable in net, and the offseason additions that included Brad Richards have improved the overall chemistry and performance of the Rangers. The Senators have taken a few steps back recently and have fallen to the 8 seed, which three weeks ago didn’t seem likely. The Rangers will just have too much firepower and the Senators won’t be able to make a legitimate push for this series.
Prediction: Rangers win in 4 games.
4] Penguins vs. 5] Flyers
This heated Keystone State battle will be the premiere matchup of the first round in the Eastern Conference. These two teams mixed it up last week as a brawl erupted when Daniel Briere took a vicious but legal hit in open ice that was a culmination of pent-up feelings from earlier in the game and the season. This series will be just as physical and intense as the last regular season matchup, and whichever team can leave emotions aside and execute better will most likely win this series.
The Penguins have more talent on paper. Evgeni Malkin has been the second best player in the league this season (behind Steven Stamkos), and Sidney Crosby is back for the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury will be a key factor as well, as he can be either great or horrific depending upon the game and the series, mostly due to his non-fundamental but instinct-based goaltending style. The Flyers will need goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to be great in net, because with Daniel Briere’s status uncertain for the series, the offense could very well become stagnant at times for the Flyers.
Prediction: Pittsburgh is playing too well right now, and got its star healthy just in time, unlike the Flyers, who face more significant injury problems entering the series. Penguins win in 6 games.
3] Panthers vs. 6] Devils
The Panthers won the Southeast Division this year, but not in convincing fashion. Florida is 2-3-5 in the last ten games of the regular season, and actually has 10 less regular season points than the Devils, who are only the 6 seed due to the fact that the Atlantic Division was so strong. Florida has a -24 goal differential this year, and New Jersey has a +19 goal differential. That stat, along with the point differential, says it all. Martin Brodeur may be playing in his final postseason in the NHL, and he and the Devils have at least one series win left in their belts.
Prediction: Devils win in 5 games.
2] Bruins vs. 7] Capitals
The Capitals made a late run to make the playoffs and even snuck by the Senators to nab the 7 seed. At 6-2-2 in the final 10 regular season games, the Capitals are a dangerous team to run into at this time, and the scoring prowess of Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin is undeniable. However, the Bruins are a pure bred playoff hockey team, and the team I am picking to win the Stanley Cup. It has great goaltending with Tim Thomas, experience with a 2011 Stanley Cup Championship, and great defense led by Zdeno Chara. This series will come down to whether Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, and the rest of the Bruin offense can score at timely moments as it did in the 2011 Stanley Cup run.
Prediction: Boston will score just enough, and this thrilling series will be won by the Bruins in 7 games.
Check out the Western Conference First Round Preview.
[…] Check out the Eastern Conference First Round Preview. […]