Playoff Predictions – Round One

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

This first round match-up is taking on the old Stars-Oilers familiarity – except these teams trade being the top seed. This season, however, is not as close as in the past. Up front, Boston has three big lines deep in scoring, able to shutdown the opposition and are a bit nasty. On the back end lurks a beast – and a healthy beast at that – in Zdeno Chara. Hiding in his shadow is a very good Dennis Wideman, who makes the power play even better. And of course, goaltender Tim Thomas thrives on proving people wrong.

With Bob Gainey back behind the bench, Montreal will need its many speedy and skilled forwards at their collective best in this series. Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay and Alex Kovalev are capable of carrying the team…but are just as capable of disappearing. Andrei Markov not only led the defense in scoring; he led the team. He moves the puck to the forwards very well…but he's out for the first round with an injury. Mike Komisarek hard-hitting style is built for playoff hockey. In the nets, Carey Price is the great unknown. Will he stand on his head like last year…or fall on his face as he has far too often in 2009?

Bruins in 6.

 

#2 Washington Capitals vs. # 7 New York Rangers

A classic case of high octane offence meets stellar goaltending. The Capitals feature four players who averaged at least a point a game in the regular season, and the league leading goal scorers at forward (Alex Ovechkin – 56) and defense (Mike Green – 31). And they still have Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom to put up points. Between the pipes is what could be the Achilles heel in Jose Theodore. Anything close to his 2002 form and the Caps are primed for a run. But if it's the other Theodore…yikes.

The New York Rangers are loaded…on paper. They spent big money in the last couple of years to get Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden. The paycheques are cashed, but the production doesn't quite match. A mid-season swoon meant a coaching change to John Torterella, with mixed results.The Rangers have several good young players in Nicholai Zherdev, Mark Staal, Dan Girardi and some Swedish dude named Henrik Lundqvist. The Caps offence will test Staal and Girardi and Lundqvist will need to be kingly to have any change.

Capitals in 5.

 

#3 New Jersey Devils vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes

This matchup is going to be fun to watch. With a no-name defense, the Devils were not supposed to be in the division title conversation at the start of the year…and especially not without Martin Brodeur for the bulk of it. But Brent Sutter's coaching, great netminding by Scott Clemmensen and huge years by Zach Parise and Patrick Elias show the Devils mean business. Oh, and Brodeur is back.

The Hurricanes took an erratic path to this point. They were on the outside looking in, with only Ray Whitney playing well, to surging onto the Jersey shore thanks to a mid-season coaching change to Paul Maurice. Since then, the veterans woke up and GM Jim Rutherford went 2-for-2 in bringing guys back with Erik Cole. Since his return, he had 15 points in 17 games and invigorating Eric Staal to a 40-goal season. Anton Babchuk, Joni Pitkanen and Niklas Wallin lead a very mobile defence in front of 2006 Cup winning goalie Cam Ward.

Hurricanes in 7.

 

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers

Hold onto your hats, here is the highlight series of the first round. Not only do these two teams hate each other, their virtually identical in every category. Pittsburgh's scoring comes from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Petr Sykora and Bill Guerin. Sergei Gonchar runs the power play with Brooks Orpik playing physical on the back end. Marc-Andre Fleury mans the nets with athleticism and went to the finals last season. New coach Dan Bylsma quickly turned around a sinking ship.

The Flyers top six forwards (Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul) all had at least 25 goals and combined for a ridiculous 192. This big, strong team can skate and plays typical tough Philly hockey. The blue line doesn't chip in many goals, but with Matt Carle, Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen, they can skate with the opposition's forwards. In net, they hope Martin Biron can repeat his 2008 magic.

Penguins in 7.

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks

The Sharks drew arguably the toughest #8 seed possible in hockey. But they didn't win the President's Trophy without beating a lot of good teams. San Jose is as deep and balanced a team as there is in the playoffs. Up front is the 1-2 punch of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau along with big, fast wingers in Devin Setoguchi, Ryan Clowe and Milan Michalek. Running the defense are savvy veterans Rob Blake and Dan Boyle, along with four good young players. In net, is Evgeni Nabokov who does nothing but win.

Anaheim is an ornery bunch. They bring size and a mean streak that no top seed wants to face. Scoring might be an issue after Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne – so the Ducks hope they can carry the mail. Their back end is what should worry the Western Conference. Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, François Beauchemin, Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski will make life tough for opponents with their blend of speed, skill and nastiness. The goaltending is a question mark with Jonas Hiller playing well, but J-S Giguere with the playoff credentials.

Sharks in 6.

 

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets

Unstoppable force meets immovable object. The Red Wings led the league in scoring. Blue Jackets' rookie goalie led the league in shutouts. The Red Wings – who could easily change their name to the Red Beards – come in to the playoffs anxious to try to repeat as league champs. The offence got better with Marian Hossa joining the likes of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and the defense still has Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski holding down the fort. Their question mark, as always, is in net. Chris Osgood's has a handful of Stanley Cups rings, but his numbers do little to inspire confidence. Ty Conklin biggest claim to fame is starting in every outdoor game in NHL history, but never being a true #1.

Over on the Blue Jackets side is a team making its first ever playoff appearance. The offense is decent with goal machine Rick Nash, vets Jason Williams, Antoine Vermette, RJ Umberger, Kristian Huselius and a bevy of young forwards. On defense sits playoff warrior Mike Commodore and a host of stay at home guys. The biggest factors for Columbus, however, are Steve Mason and coach Ken Hitchcock.

Red Wings in 6.

 

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 St. Louis Blues

The Canucks caught Calgary for the division during the final week of the season. Vancouver's forwards are balanced, but not in the category of San Jose or Detroit in terms of pure scoring. The Sedin twins have not been particularly effective in the playoffs to date and will need to produce for the Canucks to make a deep run. Midseason free agent Mats Sundin has not lived up to the hype offensively, but is a proven playoff producer. The defense is about as balanced as you'll find anywhere. Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell, Sami Salo, Mattias Ohlund and Alex Edler are all capable of big minutes against top lines. And of course, they have Roberto Luongo. If he's at his best, that's trouble for the rest of the West.

The Blues surprised a lot of people by getting into the playoffs. And they did it in shocking fashion – by claiming the sixth seed. GM Larry Pleau filled many holes in a hurry through trades and drafting to build the best team in the NHL in the second half. Up front is Brad Boyes, Andy MacDonald, David Backes, David Perron, TJ Oshie, Patrick Berglund and Keith Tkachuk…and Paul Kariya could be back soon. Even with the depleted defense, the Blues have Barrett Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo and Jeff Woywikta. And Chris Mason took over the starting job and posted similar numbers to Roberto Luongo.

Blues in 6.

 

#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #5 Calgary Flames

The Blackhawks almost slipped into the playoffs last season with a pair of stud rookies. This year, they get home ice advantage in the first round thanks to a high scoring team and a new coach in Joel Quennville. The Hawks feature a forward corps with size, skill and grit to burn. After only four goals in his first twenty games, captain Jonathan Toews exploded for 30 in his final 52 games. Patrick Kane is shifty and nifty, Martin Havlat found another gear and big bodies like Dustin Byfuglien make life miserable for the opposition. The defense is incredibly mobile with Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker. In net, they can choose between two veterans in Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet.

Despite losing the division title in the final week due to a mess of injuries and a surging Canucks team, the Flames aren't folding like a tent. Up front they have a wealth of scoring and grit with Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammelleri, Rene Bourque, Curtis Glencross and playoff virgin Olli Jokinen. Along the blue line, the Flames have a few injuries, but are still punishing with Dion Phaneuf, Cory Sarich, Jim Vandemeer, Adrian Aucoin and, if he gets healthy quick, the incredibly nasty Robyn Regehr. Despite question about playing too much, Miikka Kiprusoff is the kind of goalie you can trust in the playoffs. He may not have the best numbers, but he has the Grant Fuhr quality of shutting the door when it matters.

Flames in 7.