It turns out that Boston/Washington game was pretty boring, too bad the NHL couldn't switch to that Flyers/Rangers game yesterday; I hate it when I'm right sometimes. On that note, now that the regular season is finished, it's time to look ahead to the magic that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There are some intriguing series on both sides of the bracket, but I'd like to start today with a look at the Eastern Conference. Feel free to comment with your picks and certainly to trash mine.
1)WASHINGTON CAPITALS (54-15-3, 121 points) VS. 8)MONTREAL CANADIENS (39-33-10, 88 points)
- This is the time Alexander Ovechkin has been waiting for: he wants vengeance against Crosby, the Penguins, and by proxy, the NHL at large after going down in flames last season. Other teams should duck and cover, and even then this Titanous lineup of Washington's seems overwhelming. Washington scored 101 more goals than Montreal this season, and no Canadien scored more than 30 goals (Washington has 3 30+ goal scorers). In addition, no Hab was over +11 for the season, while the Caps boast 12 players with that total or better. Special teams wise, these are the two best teams in the NHL with respect to playing with the man-advantage (25.2% and 21.8% respecitvely). Montreal is 12th in the league in killing penalties, while Washington is 25th. Goaltending is where this series takes an interesting turn, with Jaroslav Halak coming up against the tandem of Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov. Halak played well in his 45 games this season, taking over the job from Carey Price, posting a .924 save percentage with 26 wins, while Theodore and Varlamov split time, neither looking particularly impressive (Theodore .911 save percentage, 30 wins, Varlamov .909 with 15 wins). I wouldn't rule out Les Habitants pulling the upset here, but I also wouldn't count on it. Capitals in 5 games.
2)NEW JERSEY DEVILS (48-27-7, 103 points) VS. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (41-35-6, 88 points)
- This is not going to be a long series, and if it is, shame on New Jersey. They've played the best trap hockey this season since their 2003 run to the Stanley Cup, and with Jacques Lemers (pioneer, innovator of the trap) behind the bench, this team should make quick work of a team starting Brian Boucher in net. They were the only team to allow less than 200 goals this season in the league. The question for the Devils remains the same as it has been in previous years: can Martin Broduer stand up to Cup Playoff pressure anymore? Last year, he clearly did not, giving up 2 huge goals at the end of game 7 to cough up the season. Even in 08 they lost in the 1st round to the New York Rangers. The Flyers, by all accounts, are seemingly the team just happy to be in, and so the expectations are relatively low. Last time the Flyers were in such a position, they made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008. I'm by no means picking them to win, I'm merely hinting that the Devils armor is not as solid as it may seem. Devils in 6 games.
3) BUFFALO SABRES(45-27-10, 100 points) VS. 6) BOSTON BRUINS (39-30-13, 91 points)
- Both of these teams are 2nd and 3rd in the NHL in goals allowed this season, and this should be one hell of a physical battle. The story, and indeed the hope, of Buffalo is on the shoulders of Ryan Miller, the hero goaltender of team USA in Vancouver who fell just short. a .929 save percentage coupled with 41 wins puts him sqaurely in the debate not just for the Vezina trophy, but also the Hart. For Boston, their offense has been horrendous since losing Marc Savard to that brutal blind-side hit by Matt Cooke. They finished 30th in the NHL in goals for. One wouldn't hesitate to say that if Savard doesn't return in this series, and play well, Boston's goose may be cooked. With a shaky Tim Thomas (he won just 17 games this year after winning the Vezina last season) benched for Tukka Rask, this could be a quick series for Boston, especially if Miller gets hot. That's not to say Rask hasn't played well in relief, he simply will be out-dueled by a superior goaltender. Sabres in 5 games.
4) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (47-28-7, 101 points) VS. 5) OTTAWA SENATORS (44-32-6, 94 points)
- This is certainly an interesting test for the defending champion Penguins in the first round. A top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Alex Kovalev is no picnic, and Bryan Elliot has been a solid starter for the Sens all season, after taking the reigns from an injured Pascal Leclaire. While his opponent in this series, Marc-Andre Fleury, did not have his best season (still compiled 37 wins with a .906 save percentage), this is clearly the time of year that this goaltender relishes. He is a playoff goaltender, and his M.O. is to win 4 games out of 7. He has won 7 of the last 8 series that he has been a part of, including some where he needed to stand completely on his head and make 40+ saves a night in order to win (e.g. game 3 of the Philly series, the save on Ovechkin in game 7 last season). Sidney Crosby scored more goals than Ovechkin this year (who would've thought that when the regular season started), and is carrying this team, as always. This series matches up a team trying to put the pieces back together and compete again against a hardened champion, ready to defend their title. These two teams bring the fireworks in the playoffs, just think of those series 2 and 3 years ago. This should be an entertaining series, and the Sens will give the Pens more than they thought capable of Ottawa, but the champs will get it done. Penguins in 5 games.
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