Quarterfinals
1) New York Rangers v.s. 8) Ottawa Senators
Neither team is exactly playing their best hockey, but Ottawa is clearly cooling off, especially offensively where they have not been consistent in the past month. That is bad news when you're facing Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers shouldn't have too much trouble.
Game 1- New York 4-1
Game 2- New York 2-1 OT
Game 3- Ottawa 4-3 OT
Game 4- New York 3-0
Game 5- Ottawa 4-2
Game 6- New York 4-0
New York Rangers in Six
2) Boston Bruins v.s. 7) Washington Capitals
The Capitals played the Bruins well this year, winning three of the four meetings. But I think given that the Bruins are starting to hit their stride after a rough stretch in March, the Bruins are the clear favorites in the series. That being said, Tomas Vokoun has shown he can be a goalie the Capitals can ride deep into the playoffs. It will be up to Alex Ovechkin to really put the Capitals on his back. But I'm taking the experienced youth of Boston led by Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin to squeeze by Washington.
Game 1- Boston 5-2
Game 2- Washington 3-1
Game 3- Washington 5-2
Game 4- Boston 2-1
Game 5- Boston 6-2
Game 6- Washington 4-3
Game 7- Boston 4-3
Boston Bruins in Seven
3) Florida Panthers v.s. 6) New Jersey Devils
Two teams square off that are two of the biggest surprises in all of hockey. However, New Jersey is surging while Florida is collapsing. Yet, I'm not going to weigh too much into Florida's collapse because a lot of those games were in overtime. That isn't going to have me pick against the Devils though, who have enough defense and goaltending to slow down Florida's first line led by Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss while Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias will take care of business and send the Panthers home early.
Game 1- New Jersey 3-2
Game 2- Florida 5-1
Game 3- New Jersey 6-1
Game 4- New Jersey 5-3
Game 5- Florida 2-1 OT
Game 6- New Jersey 4-2
New Jersey Devils in Six
4) Pittsburgh Penguins v.s. 5) Philadelphia Flyers
Easily the most intriguing matchup in the first round. This series, on paper, should be tightly contested. But then again, when is an NHL playoff series not tightly contested. Pittsburgh is the most talented team in the tournament, but Philadelphia has owned the season series. It will come down to whether Ilya Bryzgalov earns his enormous contract. If he plays consistently and Philadelphia can be the more aggressive team, Philadelphia can and probably will win. But until Bryzgalov shows that he can be consistent for a 7 game series, I'm taking the Penguins to scrape by in a thrilling series.
Game 1- Philadelphia 2-1
Game 2- Pittsburgh 4-3 OT
Game 3- Philadelphia 4-3 OT
Game 4- Pittsburgh 2-1
Game 5- Philadelphia 4-2
Game 6- Pittsburgh 7-2
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-4
Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven
1) Vancouver Canucks v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
The key in this marquee series will be whether or not the Kings can stay out of the penalty box. If they can't, the Canucks will move on. But something tells me that the Kings will push the Canucks to the very edge at the least. Jonathan Quick most likely won't allow more than 2 goals on average. With the addition of Jeff Carter midseason, the Kings have enough firepower to certainly score 3 or so goals a game on whoever is in net for Vancouver. If the Kings can be more aggressive than the Canucks and stay out of the penalty box, the pressure will mount on Vancouver if Roberto Luongo can't get it done. The Kings are prime to pull the upset.
Game 1- Vancouver 4-2
Game 2- Los Angeles 3-1
Game 3- Los Angeles 4-3 OT
Game 4- Vancouver 3-2 2OT
Game 5- Los Angeles 4-1
Game 6- Los Angeles 6-3
Los Angeles Kings in Six
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 7) San Jose Sharks
Many have the Blues on upset alert, I don't. This isn't quite the same Sharks club that has appeared in two straight conference finals for one. Secondly, the Blues owned the season series four games to none in convincing fashion. The Sharks are not as tout defensively as the Blues are. I understand that the Blues aren't exactly an explosive squad offensively, but I believe they will stifle the Sharks to prevail with ease.
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 4-0
Game 3- St. Louis 3-2
Game 4- San Jose 4-2
Game 5- St. Louis 2-1 OT
St. Louis Blues in Five
3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 6) Chicago Blackhawks
Phoenix is coming in as one of the hotter teams in the league. Chicago is just getting healthy and are coming in on a tear as well. In this series, Cory Crawford will need to hold his own and be as good as Mike Smith is in order for the Blackhawks to win this series. I think this will be a very competitive series, but the Coyotes will squeak it out and advance.
Game 1- Chicago 3-1
Game 2- Phoenix 4-3
Game 3- Chicago 2-1 OT
Game 4- Chicago 3-2
Game 5- Phoenix 4-1
Game 6- Phoenix 3-1
Game 7- Phoenix 4-1
Phoenix Coyotes in Seven
4) Nashville Predators v.s. 5) Detroit Red Wings
Grace v.s. grit. The Red Wings are the team with grace and the Predators are the team with grit. Will Nashville do enough to shut down the likes of Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg? Will Detroit do enough to get enough goals past Pekka Rinne? What a tremendous series we have here. I expect Nashville to wear down an older Red Wings team and advance to the second round for the second straight year.
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Detroit 3-0
Game 4- Detroit 1-0
Game 5- Nashville 2-1
Game 6- Nashville 3-1
Nashville Predators in Six
Semifinals
1) New York Rangers v.s. 6) New Jersey Devils
The Devils are a scary team in the east. They have veteran playoff experience second to none with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias along with superb talent led by Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias. However, the Rangers are the most capable team of defeating the red hot Devils because they are stout defensively and have enough goal scoring to advance to the next round. The Rangers edge the Devils in a long seven game series.
Game 1- New Jersey 3-1
Game 2- New York 5-4 OT
Game 3- New York 2-0
Game 4- New Jersey 5-1
Game 5- New Jersey 4-3
Game 6- New York 4-2
Game 7- New York 5-2
New York Rangers in Seven
2) Boston Bruins v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
Both teams survived brutal seven game series'. In this matchup, it will come down to whether the Bruins can contain a potent Penguins attack. This really is a pick em series, but I'll take the Penguins depth to defeat a Bruins team that isn't quite as deep as they were last year.
Game 1- Boston 4-2
Game 2- Pittsburgh 5-2
Game 3- Pittsburgh 3-2
Game 4- Pittsburgh 4-0
Game 5- Boston 3-1
Game 6- Boston 6-3
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-3
Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
The goaltending in this series would be top notch. Though the Kings would have the edge offensively, the Blues would have the upper hand defensively. The Blues have shut down most of the league this year and there is no reason why this wouldn't continue against the upstart Kings. It won't be easy, but the Blues head to the Conference Finals.
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 1-0
Game 3- Los Angeles 3-0
Game 4- Los Angeles 4-3 2OT
Game 5- St. Louis 3-2 2OT
Game 6- Los Angeles 5-1
Game 7- St. Louis 3-0
3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
Two teams with very similar styles meet in this semifinal clash. I think the Predators are as good as anyone defensively with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and they might have the best goalie in the tournament with Pekka Rinne. That combination will allow Nashville to make quick work of Phoenix.
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Phoenix 2-1 OT
Game 4- Nashville 5-0
Game 5- Nashville 3-2
Nashville Predators in Five
Conference Finals
1) New York Rangers v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
The two best teams in the field meet in the Eastern finals. King Henry will step up in goal to make life difficult for the Penguins, frustrating Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin and co. and allowing the Rangers to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Game 1- New York 4-1
Game 2- New York 2-1 OT
Game 3- New York 3-0
Game 4- Pittsburgh 5-3
Game 5- Pittsburgh 4-2
Game 6- New York 3-2
New York Rangers in Six
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
Defense and goaltending are at its finest in this one. It will come down to who can pump more goals in and it will be David Backes who leads the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 1- St. Louis 6-4
Game 2- Nashville 1-0
Game 3- Nashville 4-0
Game 4- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 5- St. Louis 4-2
Game 6- Nashville 4-1
Game 7- St. Louis 5-2
St. Louis Blues in Seven
Stanley Cup Final
New York Rangers v.s. St. Louis Blues
Both teams got in this position because of goaltending, but it will be the Rangers scoring that comes through, in particular Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik who lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup title since 1994.
Game 1- New York 4-0
Game 2- New York 3-2
Game 3- St. Louis 4-3 OT
Game 4- New York 4-3 3OT
Game 5- New York 6-2
New York Rangers in Five
Game 1- New Jersey 3-2
Game 2- Florida 5-1
Game 3- New Jersey 6-1
Game 4- New Jersey 5-3
Game 5- Florida 2-1 OT
Game 6- New Jersey 4-2
New Jersey Devils in Six
4) Pittsburgh Penguins v.s. 5) Philadelphia Flyers
Easily the most intriguing matchup in the first round. This series, on paper, should be tightly contested. But then again, when is an NHL playoff series not tightly contested. Pittsburgh is the most talented team in the tournament, but Philadelphia has owned the season series. It will come down to whether Ilya Bryzgalov earns his enormous contract. If he plays consistently and Philadelphia can be the more aggressive team, Philadelphia can and probably will win. But until Bryzgalov shows that he can be consistent for a 7 game series, I'm taking the Penguins to scrape by in a thrilling series.
Game 1- Philadelphia 2-1
Game 2- Pittsburgh 4-3 OT
Game 3- Philadelphia 4-3 OT
Game 4- Pittsburgh 2-1
Game 5- Philadelphia 4-2
Game 6- Pittsburgh 7-2
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-4
Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven
1) Vancouver Canucks v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
The key in this marquee series will be whether or not the Kings can stay out of the penalty box. If they can't, the Canucks will move on. But something tells me that the Kings will push the Canucks to the very edge at the least. Jonathan Quick most likely won't allow more than 2 goals on average. With the addition of Jeff Carter midseason, the Kings have enough firepower to certainly score 3 or so goals a game on whoever is in net for Vancouver. If the Kings can be more aggressive than the Canucks and stay out of the penalty box, the pressure will mount on Vancouver if Roberto Luongo can't get it done. The Kings are prime to pull the upset.
Game 1- Vancouver 4-2
Game 2- Los Angeles 3-1
Game 3- Los Angeles 4-3 OT
Game 4- Vancouver 3-2 2OT
Game 5- Los Angeles 4-1
Game 6- Los Angeles 6-3
Los Angeles Kings in Six
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 7) San Jose Sharks
Many have the Blues on upset alert, I don't. This isn't quite the same Sharks club that has appeared in two straight conference finals for one. Secondly, the Blues owned the season series four games to none in convincing fashion. The Sharks are not as tout defensively as the Blues are. I understand that the Blues aren't exactly an explosive squad offensively, but I believe they will stifle the Sharks to prevail with ease.
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 4-0
Game 3- St. Louis 3-2
Game 4- San Jose 4-2
Game 5- St. Louis 2-1 OT
St. Louis Blues in Five
3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 6) Chicago Blackhawks
Phoenix is coming in as one of the hotter teams in the league. Chicago is just getting healthy and are coming in on a tear as well. In this series, Cory Crawford will need to hold his own and be as good as Mike Smith is in order for the Blackhawks to win this series. I think this will be a very competitive series, but the Coyotes will squeak it out and advance.
Game 1- Chicago 3-1
Game 2- Phoenix 4-3
Game 3- Chicago 2-1 OT
Game 4- Chicago 3-2
Game 5- Phoenix 4-1
Game 6- Phoenix 3-1
Game 7- Phoenix 4-1
Phoenix Coyotes in Seven
4) Nashville Predators v.s. 5) Detroit Red Wings
Grace v.s. grit. The Red Wings are the team with grace and the Predators are the team with grit. Will Nashville do enough to shut down the likes of Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg? Will Detroit do enough to get enough goals past Pekka Rinne? What a tremendous series we have here. I expect Nashville to wear down an older Red Wings team and advance to the second round for the second straight year.
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Detroit 3-0
Game 4- Detroit 1-0
Game 5- Nashville 2-1
Game 6- Nashville 3-1
Nashville Predators in Six
Semifinals
1) New York Rangers v.s. 6) New Jersey Devils
The Devils are a scary team in the east. They have veteran playoff experience second to none with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias along with superb talent led by Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias. However, the Rangers are the most capable team of defeating the red hot Devils because they are stout defensively and have enough goal scoring to advance to the next round. The Rangers edge the Devils in a long seven game series.
Game 1- New Jersey 3-1
Game 2- New York 5-4 OT
Game 3- New York 2-0
Game 4- New Jersey 5-1
Game 5- New Jersey 4-3
Game 6- New York 4-2
Game 7- New York 5-2
New York Rangers in Seven
2) Boston Bruins v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
Both teams survived brutal seven game series'. In this matchup, it will come down to whether the Bruins can contain a potent Penguins attack. This really is a pick em series, but I'll take the Penguins depth to defeat a Bruins team that isn't quite as deep as they were last year.
Game 1- Boston 4-2
Game 2- Pittsburgh 5-2
Game 3- Pittsburgh 3-2
Game 4- Pittsburgh 4-0
Game 5- Boston 3-1
Game 6- Boston 6-3
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-3
Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
The goaltending in this series would be top notch. Though the Kings would have the edge offensively, the Blues would have the upper hand defensively. The Blues have shut down most of the league this year and there is no reason why this wouldn't continue against the upstart Kings. It won't be easy, but the Blues head to the Conference Finals.
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 1-0
Game 3- Los Angeles 3-0
Game 4- Los Angeles 4-3 2OT
Game 5- St. Louis 3-2 2OT
Game 6- Los Angeles 5-1
Game 7- St. Louis 3-0
3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
Two teams with very similar styles meet in this semifinal clash. I think the Predators are as good as anyone defensively with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and they might have the best goalie in the tournament with Pekka Rinne. That combination will allow Nashville to make quick work of Phoenix.
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Phoenix 2-1 OT
Game 4- Nashville 5-0
Game 5- Nashville 3-2
Nashville Predators in Five
Conference Finals
1) New York Rangers v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
The two best teams in the field meet in the Eastern finals. King Henry will step up in goal to make life difficult for the Penguins, frustrating Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin and co. and allowing the Rangers to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Game 1- New York 4-1
Game 2- New York 2-1 OT
Game 3- New York 3-0
Game 4- Pittsburgh 5-3
Game 5- Pittsburgh 4-2
Game 6- New York 3-2
New York Rangers in Six
2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
Defense and goaltending are at its finest in this one. It will come down to who can pump more goals in and it will be David Backes who leads the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 1- St. Louis 6-4
Game 2- Nashville 1-0
Game 3- Nashville 4-0
Game 4- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 5- St. Louis 4-2
Game 6- Nashville 4-1
Game 7- St. Louis 5-2
St. Louis Blues in Seven
Stanley Cup Final
New York Rangers v.s. St. Louis Blues
Both teams got in this position because of goaltending, but it will be the Rangers scoring that comes through, in particular Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik who lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup title since 1994.
Game 1- New York 4-0
Game 2- New York 3-2
Game 3- St. Louis 4-3 OT
Game 4- New York 4-3 3OT
Game 5- New York 6-2
New York Rangers in Five
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