Everybody else has put their playoff picks for the first round already (and many for the eventual Stanley Cup champions), so I figured I had better post mine before its waaaay too late (but don't worry, even though the playoffs actually started last night, the results do not affect my original picks)...
Western Conference
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Nashville Predators
This is probably the easiest matchup to predict of them all, although it does contain a few question marks. Do the Predators start Mason or Ellis in net? Is Hasek healthy enough to make it through a round without giving over the net to Osgoode? Will Nashville still be in the playoffs when David Legwand is ready to return to the ice? Can you imagine how many more people would be excited right now if the team was in Hamilton or Kitchener-Waterloo?
With the way that the Red Wings dominated the NHL this season, you can't help but pick them to run rough shod all over the Predators...
Detroit Red Wings over the Nashville Prey in 5 games (I'm thinking that Nashville will steal one somehow)...
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames
As Matt over at the Battle of Alberta has pointed out, the Flames are a pretty decent team when they aren't down a man or two (or up one in some cases). Since the playoffs tend to make the refs put their whistle away a little more (as they should), I think this actually bodes well for their chances. Sure they aren't exactly a high scoring powerhouse and for the most part may have played above their talent level for a few stretches this season, but there are a few players who still haven't turned it up to 11, and seem to be heading that way (I'm looking at you Kipper and Lombardi). They started the season off poorly, but have been looking ready as of late. Not to mention that the young guns of Nystrom, Hale, and Boyd look like they are finally getting the NHL game speed figured out (to my eyes anyway), so they shouldn't be nearly as easy to play against as they were to start the season (or even a few months ago)...
Everyone is talking about how the Sharks are a shoe-in to win the Western Conference since they dominated the last quarter of the season to pull within throwing distance of the Red Wings, but I'm not convinced of that in the least. Sure they played well, but who were they playing? They had an 18-0-2 stretch (they lost their last two games away after they'd clinched their playoff seeding), where they only won 2 games by more than 2 goals (4-1 over the Blues and 5-2 over the Kings), and 10 of those 18 wins were only by one goal. Their two overtime losses were to non-playoff teams, and 4 of those wins were against Eastern Conference teams who play a style that they won't see until the finals, if they can get there. I think these guys are more over-rated going into the playoffs than Brad Richards (he's making that much money because of what exactly?)...
I'd also take Mike Keenans playoff experience (I don't care how long ago it was) and general hockey knowledge over Ron Wilson's any day...
Calgary Flames over the San Jose Guppies in 6 games...
(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
I don't suppose that both of these teams could lose this one, eh? No? Well, I had to ask...
I can honestly say that I'm not cheering for either team in this one, as I steered pretty much clear of it in the playoff pools that I am in, mostly due to how close the series will be (which can most easily be seen by last night's game going to overtime). Colorado has more flash and star power, but no backend. Theodore has been almost lights out for the last month or so, but Backstrom has been consistently good all season. The Wild play a game that would bore a turtle, but they know how to control the game when they have the lead. Which is why I have to pick the Avalanche, as they seem to get all the bounces and I don't really see where Minnesota can protect a lead it can't get in the first place. But it'll be down to the wire...
Colorado Avalanche win over the Minnesota Tame in 7 games (come on, you knew it was coming)...
(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
Gee, Todd Bertuzzi versus Mike Ribiero... I wonder which guy I'd rather cheer for...
Each of these teams actually has a special place in my hockey memories, the Ducks for screwing over the Oilers in the whole Chris Pronger debacle, and the Stars for owning the greasers for so many playoff series in the late 90's and early 00's (I don't what else to refer to that time frame as)...
This year though, I have no particularly warm feelings for either team, as one annoys the hell out of me and the other one bores the hell out of me. But a simple look at the team stats points out the glaring difficulty that Dallas has for scoring goals and J-S Giguere isn't going to make that any easier...
Anaheim MIGHTY Ducks send the Dallas Twinkles packing in 5 games (the name may have changed, but it just doesn't sound right)...
Eastern Conference
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins
Alright, so apparently Boston has had a major problem with Les Habitants for the last year and and a half, which obviously leads me to think that that 'performance' will continue...
When I look at the Bruins lineup, regardless of all of the ex-Flames on it, I just don't see anything to make me think that Boston has what it takes to beat a powerful Montreal team that has been lighting it up for the last half of the season. They just don't have any fire power...
Montreal wins in 6
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
As much as I respect what the Senators have done in the last five years (the series against the Leafs excepted), they just don't have the same team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals last season. They seem to have lost a fair bit of grit, which means that I don't think they have what it takes to beat a young, spirited team in the first round...
Pittsburgh in 6
(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
As much as I'm still not a believer in Ovechkin just yet, Huet has played phenomenally since he was acquired from the Habs, and the rise of Mike Green has been a huge boost to this young roster as well. As gritty as the Flyers are, I just think that the Capitals are destined to make it to the second round at the least...
Washington in 7
(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers
I'm not sure exactly what to say about this series, other than that the Rangers got 15 out of a possible 16 points in the series this season, so as much as I love Brodeur, I just know that the team from Manhattan seems to own the boys from across the Hudson...
Rangers in 6
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