Now on to the first round predictions.
Eastern Conference.
Penguins over the Islanders. This could be a quick series. New York does not have the fire power to keep up with Pittsburgh. The other issue for the Islanders is that they are not the Philadelphia Flyers, who seems to be the only team that gets under the Pens' skin enough to throw them off their game. There are two big questions in this series. First, when will Sidney Crosby play and how effective will he be. My guess is that he will slide right back into top form. Even at 75% Crosby is better than most of the players on the ice. Second question is which Marc-Andre Fleury will show up. IF the Islanders stay in this series it will be due to bad goaltending. The player to watch in the series is John Tavares for the Islanders, making his playoff debut.
Senators over the Canadians. A bit of an upset, but Montreal has stumbled down the stretch. Ottawa is getting healthy. Craig Anderson is back in net and Eric Karlsson returned to the Senators' lineup last week and the offense has already improved. The player to watch is Karlsson, especially considering many thought his season was over when he took a skate blade to his ankle and severed his Achilles. He's a smooth skating defenseman with great offensive skills.
Bruins over the Mapleleafs. Boston is a big and physical team, but Toronto won't be afraid to mix it up with them, so it should be a rough series. I don't believe the Leafs have strong enough goaltending to make it out of the first round. The player to watch is Brad Marchand for the Bruins. He is the new "little ball of hate". He is feisty and irritating but has the ability to score goals.
Rangers over Capitals. New York has Henrik Lundquist in goal. Washington has a strong power play, but some of their stars have a history of not showing up in the playoffs. This will be a close series. Players to watch are Alex Ovechkin for the Caps and Rick Nash for the Rangers. Both are superstars that can put on a show with their abilities.
Western Conference.
Blackhawks over Wild. Is there any doubt in this series? Chicago was the best team in the NHL this year. Minnesota limped into the playoffs. Chicago's Patrick Kane is the player to watch. He has a ton of skill and can hold onto the puck forever. He is extremely dangerous offensively.
Red Wings over the Ducks. I know I am going with my heart here, but oh well. Detroit dominated in their last four games and are the hottest team entering the playoffs, much like the Kings last year. Anaheim is big and talented, so it should be a very good series. I wouldn't be shocked to see a game 7 in this series. Hopefully, the Red Wings of the past week show up instead of the team that couldn't score any goals. The player to watch is, of course, Pavel Datsyuk. He is magical whenever he has the puck. The other player would be Teemu Selanne for the Ducks. He is a future Hall-of-Famer, who may be playing in his last season, yet he is still very productive and dangerous.
Sharks over the Canucks. Antti Niemi had a great season for San Jose. Vancouver is playing well but have been inconsistent all year. Cory Schneider could come through and steal the series for the Canucks, but he can also get lit up for early exits as well. The players to watch are the Sedin twins for Vancouver. Just because they are twins and seem to have telepathy. It's sick!!!
Kings over the Blues. Los Angeles is the defending champ and are built for the playoffs. St. Louis is the most boring team in the league. Expect a low scoring series, which could help the Blues. Goaltending could be the deciding factor. Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy last year as the playoff MVP. Brian Elliot is inconsistent, but when he is on, he is top notch. Dustin Brown is the player to watch for the Kings. He plays a very physical game and scores big goals in the playoffs.
It's time to drop the puck. Let's go Red Wings.
~Brad
