Ben's Second Round Predictions

Yes, I know this is up late. Yes, I know Phoenix won last night. It doesn't change anything for me. The following predictions were written yesterday, I just didn't get them up in time. So sue me.

Basic Predictions:
East
1)NYR vs 7)WAS
NYR in 7
5)PHI vs 6)NJD
PHI in 6

West
2)STL vs 8)LAK
STL in 6

3)PHX vs 4)NSH
NSH in 6

Analysis and explanations after the jump

Chris's Second Round Predictions, and More...

After my sparkling 3 for 8 performance in round one (rounded off nicely by Team Hudson's combined prowess in game 7), I will give the crystal ball another shake (a very long, violent shake) and call my shots for round 2. What will be different? I don't have the time to actually explain my picks this time around, so if anyone really wants to know, they can ask. What I will offer instead are random interjections, such as fun facts, on the fly analysis, and most importantly, ARMCHAIR GENERAL MANAGING!!! Stay tuned...

East:

1) New York Rangers vs. 7) Washington Capitals:
Rangers in 7.


5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6) New Jersey Devils:
Flyers in 5.




West:

2) St. Louis Blues vs. 8) Los Angeles Kings:
Blues in 6.


3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. 4) Nashville Predators:
Predators in 6.


And for fun fact #1: Exactly one of each seed (1-8) made it through to the second round. Just for laughs, if we were to treat the second round as its own conference and cross-seed accordingly, the match-ups would look like this:

1) Rangers vs. 8) Kings
2) Blues vs. 7) Capitals
3) Coyotes vs. 6) Devils
4) Predators vs. 5) Flyers

You know, I almost like that better. The only reason I even bring this up is because it happened before, but in a much more bizarre numerological manner. In the first round of the 2006 playoffs, seeds 1-4 won in the East, while seeds 5-8 won in the West (The all-too-rare all-upset special). At the time, there was a serious movement that thought the conferences should cross seed. It was an interesting enough idea that the ill-fated realignment that almost happened this year had explored some of this idea (it had yet to decide on a final playoff format). I apologize if this made your eyes bleed, but this is the kind of hockey stuff that I tend to "nerd" out on. I promise to have some more relevant tidbits next time (mostly because the puck won't be dropping for round 2 in ~40 minutes...).

Until then,
Cheers, Beers, Sake and Hockey!

Round 2 Predictions
This will be a really quick want/expect list because I'm at work and should technically not even be doing this, but sometimes hockey is just that important and I won't be at another computer before puck drop tonight.

East

What I want:

Devils over Philly
Washington over Rangers

What I expect:

If Philly play Round 2 like they did Round 1, Devils will have no trouble making it to the Conference Finals.
Rangers. Caps put in a good effort, but I'm not sure Holtby will be able to survive the Rangers and he is the main reason the Caps made it this far.


West

What I want:

Kings over St. Louis
Nashville over Phoenix

What I expect:

I didn't watch much of St. Louis in Round 1 and the Kings have a lot of energy and momentum, so even though both teams pulled out the win in just 5 games, I'm expecting to get what I want out of this series.
Nashville. They are a young, energetic team and showed a lot of heart and effort to trample over the Red Wings in Round 1. Phoenix will but up a strong fight, but I don't think it will be enough.

Live Blog: Senators @ Rangers-Game 7

It's Game 7 so there will be a ton of cliches flying around.  A lot of folks are saying the pressure is all on #1 seed New York Rangers but just as much pressure is on Ottawa in their attempt to upset and cause both #1 seeds to be eliminated in the first round for the first time ever (Vancouver was eliminated by Los Angeles.)  Expect both teams to contine playing as they have been.

Quick keys to the game and live blog after the break.

Live Blogging the Caps! Washington @ Boston Game 7!

It all comes down to this! Join the live blog after the jump!

Washington @ Boston, Game 2. Live blogging, with special guests Chris and John

Well game one was certainly exciting. A 1-0 OT decision in Boston's favor put an end to one of the most intense games I've had the privilege to watch all season. A shot from Chris Kelly of Boston was the only puck to find twine all night.

Washington had one of their better defensive efforts after taking a double minor towards the end of the 1st and preceding to kill off a total of six straight minutes on the PK. Washington couldn't seem to get any offense going for most of the first and second periods, hardly testing Thomas at all. Washington ended up being outshot 30-17.

Expect to see a similar effort from both sides tonight as Chara and Seidenberg will be back against the Great 8.

This should be an exciting game that can go either way.
Tonight's Linesmen-Steve Miller (#89) and David Brisebois (#96)
Referees-Dan O'Halloran (#13) and Tom Kowal (#32)

Live Blog after the Jump!

Sixteen Teams, Sixteen Lessons

Currently Drinking: Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

Each team has officially played one game in the 2012 playoffs. This article may seem premature after only one game each, but the playoffs afford no time to learn lessons slowly, and there was certainly no shortage of that to go around. In this writing, I will be looking at a key lesson learned by each of the sixteen playoff teams after one game (Thanks to the bizarre scheduling, some teams have already completed two games by the time this was published, I am trying my best to ignore all Game 2s and strictly analyze Game 1 efforts; I still don’t understand why the Devils/Panthers series started on its own, after everyone else, but I am not in charge of scheduling, and I’m sure there was a reason). With that being said, let’s have all sixteen teams sit through a lecture from Professor Chris, and they best be taking thorough notes.

Read them all after the jump

Crystal Ball, Save us All

Other than the hockey itself, watching people make predictions about who is going to win an NHL playoff series can be the most entertaining thing about the playoffs. Some of the rationales conceived by overzealous fans and “homer” journalists alike can make both the heart and brain say, “Wait, we never said any of those things; that team in 6 games? Are you hourly?!” Hockey, more than any other sport, embodies the idea that you only need to get in the playoffs to have a shot. The seeds ultimately mean next to nothing due to the parity in the league, and that makes the first round not only incredibly difficult to predict, but often the most entertaining round to watch. Case in point: both 4/5 matchups are between two 100 point teams.

Anthropomorphic organs aside, I will be doing my best to predict the first round winners, but not focusing so much on the actual prediction as I will the omens that play into each team’s favor coming into the playoffs. I will do this round by round, not because I don’t trust my predictions to go all four rounds in one shot, but if I am looking at these so-called “omens,” I should at least try to keep it relevant. So bear with me as I dust off the crystal ball, look into some interesting facts, and of course, make my picks for who comes out of round 1 still alive.

The Beasts of the East (aka The Atlantic Division and Friends):

#1) New York Rangers vs. #8) Ottawa Senators

In the Rangers’ Favor: John Tortorella won the cup in Tampa in his third full season with the team, after they won the East. The same situation applies to the Rangers this year, but that’s mainly just a fun fact. The Rangers have the NHL’s best goalie, one of the best defenses, and a multidimensional offense that is clicking at the right time. Gaborik, Richards and Hagelin could not be playing at a higher level right now.

In the Senators’ favor: The season series. For whatever reason, the Senators played the Rangers very well this year, including winning both games at MSG. The reason I bring this up is because it doesn’t matter. Not one bit. The playoffs are a whole different universe of hockey, and for this very reason, I hate the season series argument. I’d like to put something positive here for the Senators, and the best I can think of is that the hockey gods may take over and get Alfredsson his much-deserved cup.

Prediction: The Rangers are simply too good, and midnight will chime on Ottawa’s Cinderella season. Rangers in 5.

#2) Boston Bruins vs. #7) Washington Capitals

In the Bruins’ Favor: If I’m a player on the Bruins, I skate out for game on at the TD Garden, look up and see that “2011 Stanley Cup Champions” banner, and immediately flash back to how the Bruins came out in round one last year and fell flat on their face. I’d be ready to not let that happen this year, and the fans should be ready as well. With Thomas back in the crease full time, and the Bruins having learned their lesson from last year, I can’t see any team coming out more energized than Boston heading into the first round.

In the Capitals’ favor: The Caps’ biggest problem this year was finding an identity. Changing coaches and dealing with some crucial injuries didn’t help, but did prove a couple of things. First, the Caps can play without Mike Green. Second, they CANNOT play without Nick Backstrom. The Caps have found their game, and their identity recently, not surprisingly with Backstrom’s return to the lineup. They go into the playoffs this year without the burden of high expectations, and that could actually help them.

Prediction: The Caps are hot, but I see the awakening of a slumbering bear. The Bruins will elevate their game to a whole new level in time for the playoffs. Bruins in 6.

#3) Florida Panthers vs. #6) New Jersey Devils

In the Panthers’ favor: The Panthers’ success this year has largely been the result of some on-the-fly rebuilding by Dale Tallon, who for all intents and purposes should have a Stanley Cup Ring for the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks. He has done an incredible job building the Panthers into a team that will out work you with a blue collar attitude, and a true team effort. These types of teams tend to do very well come playoff time, when skill can take a backseat to effort, discipline and teamwork.

In the Devils’ favor: The last time the Panthers saw a playoff game happened to be against the Devils. Brodeur was in goal, and Elias and Sykora were integral pieces of the Devils’ offence. It was also 12 years ago. But the Devils will be hoping for history to repeat itself. They swept the Panthers in the first round on their way to a Stanley Cup. They’re also the hottest team in the league, heading into the playoffs on a six game winning streak.

Prediction: The Devils are hot, the Panthers sputtered to the gate. The Devils have more experience (notably in goal), are no stranger to a blue collar game, and I can’t believe I am saying this about them, but more firepower up front. Devils in 6.

#4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5) Philadelphia Flyers

In the Penguins’ favor: Astrology. The stars have aligned quite nicely for a Pittsburgh team that lost two key players for long stretches this season due to injury. This team was one of the best when Crosby and Letang were out. Now that they’re back, they are the team to beat this year. Snapping up home ice at the end of the season was crucial, especially given their matchup, and I like the way it tilts the table.

In the Flyers’ favor: Going along with the pinball analogy, contact. They have been colloquially referred to as the Broad Street Bullies since the days Bernie Parent was competing with only Jesus in the saves category, and Bobby Clarke’s toothless grin whistled its way to a pair of cups. Those days are gone, but this year more than ever, that nickname is more than relevant. The Flyers were able to bully their way to taking 5 out of 6 from the Pens this season. Some people feel that fighting disappears in the playoffs. It goes down, yes, but hitting and physicality picks up, and no one does that better than the Broad Street Bullies.

Prediction: The Flyers are a top team in the East, and the bullying will work, to an extent. I think the Penguins have taken the necessary steps to not be out muscled. Regardless, it will be a long, brutal series. If it were a movie, it would be called There Will Be Blood. Ultimately, I think home ice is key, and the Penguins are just too good at everything. Penguins in 7.

The Best of the (loosely defined) West

#1) Vancouver Canucks vs. #8) Los Angeles Kings

In the Canucks’ favor: Experience , Goaltending and a Hot Streak. The Canucks ended the season scorching hot, passing St. Louis and New York to claim their second Presidents’ Trophy in just as many years. This is one of those teams that seems to possess no Achilles’ Heel, and the loss of leading goal-scorer Daniel Sedin hasn’t slowed them down. Critics tend to point at the goaltending situation, criticizing Roberto Luongo, and calling for Cory Schneider to take the reins in goal. I fail to see how two quality goaltenders is a problem. The one that plays better will get the minutes, as if Vancouver needs any more luxuries heading into the playoffs.

In the Kings’ favor: Their mindset. The Kings’ offense was absolutely dreadful this season. Goaltender Jonathan Quick now has the distinction of being a starting goalie to lose 6 starts in a season, despite giving up only on goal. Seriously, look at Quick’s numbers. An even halfway productive offense would have sealed the Pacific Division for the Kings back in March. The good news is that because of their low-scoring hockey, and last minute scramble to squeak in at #8, the Kings have been playing playoff hockey for quite some time, and this could favor them against an opponent that may have the most pressure on them in the history of pressure, notably Roberto Luongo. Also of note, the deadline acquisition of Jeff Carter has boosted their offense somewhat.

Prediction: The pressure is ENTIRELY on Vancouver, but I think they can rise above it. I love the scrappy attitude of the Kings, I truly do, but Vancouver is just too good. While I pick Vancouver, let the record show that I have this series flagged as potential for an upset. I will stop before I talk myself out of this one. Canucks in 6.

#2) St. Louis Blues vs. #7) San Jose Sharks

In the Blues’ favor: Yet another team that has been playing playoff style hockey for most of the season. Since Ken Hitchcock took over as their coach, the Blues style has been categorized by stingy defense, unearthly goaltending, and a concerted team effort from all 20 guys on any given night. Like I said in reference to the Panthers, these types of teams tend to do well in the playoffs, and like I said about Vancouver, having two bona fide options in goal is a blessing, and I think the Blues do these two things better than even Florida and Vancouver, respectively.

In the Sharks’ favor: History and a clean slate. Allow me to elaborate, the Sharks have an interesting history when it comes to playing David in the playoffs. Most notably, this happened in 2000, against the President’s Trophy winning St. Louis Blues. Does this have any standing in the 2012 playoffs? Probably not, but I did say that I would try to splice in some fun facts in this article. I think this sharks team is far better than the 2000 team, at least on paper, which brings me to my next point. The Sharks were picked by many to contend for a Pacific Division title, and to be a serious contender this year. Certainly on paper, one would be hard pressed to argue. The Sharks underachieved this season, but when you have the potential to be as good as the San Jose corps, a clean slate could not help any team more this year. For a team that is often (unfairly) labeled as a playoff underachiever that can only play regular season hockey, maybe the questionable finish to this year is a welcome change and powerful wake-up call to these beasts of the deep.

Prediction: I like the Sharks chances against almost any other team n the West, but not against St. Louis. The Blues have everything that a Cup winner needs (in some cases, twice as much). I think that The Sharks put up a better effort than we saw for much of the regular season, again, enough to beat many teams they could have ended up with, but not the Blues. Goliath slays David this time around. Blues in 5.

#3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6) Chicago Blackhawks

In the Coyotes’ favor: Goaltending and Tactics. Mike Smith has been one of the best kept secrets in the NHL this season. His play in goal is incredible, and one can argue that he singlehandedly carried the Coyotes to their first ever division crown and a playoff berth. Not to take anything away from the rest of the team, but Dave Tippett’s coaching has the Coyotes playing the most tactically sound hockey of any team in the league. That can frustrate opponents, and coupled with stellar goaltending, creates a winning formula.

In the Blackhawks’ favor: All sings point to the return of Jonathan Toews from a concussion. Beyond that, this team is an enigma. Aside from maybe the Washington Capitals this year, the Blackhawks had one of the most bi-polar seasons that I can remember. They are only 2 years removed from a Stanley Cup, and many of the core pieces are still around, so for the Blackhawks to have a shot at out-howling the desert dogs, the Blackhawks will need to play like the team that won in 2010, and not the team that lost 9 in a row in January-February. I believe that the return of Toews will spark them to play like the former.

Prediction: This was by far the most difficult series to predict, and I ultimately skipped ahead and wrote this last. I have yet to pick a sweep in the first round, and I’m not going to do it here either. I like the Blackhawks chances with Toews coming back, and I think they will be patient enough to pick apart the X and O happy Coyotes. Hawks in 6.

#4) Nashville Predators vs. #5) Detroit Red Wings

In the Predators’ favor: Destiny. The Predators management, players, and fan base seem to have it engrained in their minds that this is the year to strike. Nashville has been in the league for 14 years, and in those 14 years, they have been a team notoriously tight with the pocketbook, out of necessity. Beginning this offseason, the Predators started spending. They accepted the award in arbitration for Shea Weber. They extended their goalie Pekka Rinne to a long term big money contract. They have some major obstacles in free agency this summer, and are pulling out all the stops this year, almost in an “all-or-nothing” fashion, even going so far as to bring back controversial (but talented) forward Alexander Radulov. The Predators will look at this feeling of “Manifest Destiny” to boil over into their play this Spring.

In the Red Wings’ favor: They are the Detroit Red Wings. I don’t know what else needs to be said. This organization never ceases to amaze me with how the players can all turn up their game come playoff time. Johan Franzen is one of those players that seemingly ever playoff year plays at an absurd level, and what can you say about Nick Lidstrom, other than his inclusion in a discussion about the best defensemen in the history of the game.

Prediction: Well, I suppose I need to pick an upset at some point, right (I don’t know many who consider picking New Jersey over Florida an “upset.”)? I think the Red Wings’ experience takes over in this series, and they will play off of this experience to outplay the Predators when it counts, notably in the road game 7 that I see happening all too vividly. Red Wings in 7.

That will be all for now. I would put all of our picks at the Turnover in a convenient table to see side by side, but I am far too lazy for that.

The Playoff Predictions of Chris

Did I say playoff predictions? Belated April Fools! The actual title of this article is “Because Chris CK is a lazy Fatosaurus Rex.”

Currently Drinking: American style pale ale (homemade).

The “void” between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs are a very dull time for me, and are probably the slowest days of the year. What do I do to entertain myself? I play old Sega Genesis games. Today, I played Mutant League Hockey and I didn’t even think to mention this until I came across a couple of in game gems.

I played as the Dead Things, a very clever parody of the Detroit Red Wings, right down to the player names. What struck me first was that the Dead Things had a defenseman on the roster named “Zitstrom.” He (it?) wore jersey #5. The use of the word ‘zit’ is fairly indicative of Lidstrom’s age. This game was released in 1994. But honestly, how awesome is it that that reference is still relevant almost 20 years later?

What really caught my eye, and inspired me to put off my predictions (insert a wry snicker here) was a couple other former Red Wings whose parodies I stumbled upon. Two defensemen: #3 Braisson and #2 McCriminal, certainly early 90s pun-based humor at its finest. But among the playful innocence of this parody, don’t lose sight of the fact that these are based on former Red Wing defensemen Steve Chiasson and Brad McCrimmon, both of who have since passed. Did Electronic Arts (yes…they made this game) know how significant that would be someday? I doubt it, but that didn’t stop my heart from skipping a beat when I saw that. It truly made me appreciate how even a spoof hockey video game can capture certain moments in time.

As far as the game itself (this is somewhat of a game review, after all), it uses the same engine as EA’s NHLPA 93. Not bad for a spoof. Fans throw weapons on the ice for in game use, goalies can be swapped out for “demon nets,” and the game is complete with its own set of goofy penalties (My favorite of which is the rule that fighting is only a 2 minute minor, but fighting and losing? You get 5. The NHL should actually look at that one…). There is definitely a learning curve, but when achieved, this game actually plays as well as any 16-bit sports game could. There’s something for everybody in this game, including the oft-overlooked feature of each team having its own unique coach with a unique personality (something sports games today still have trouble implementing). They pop on screen from time to time to give you a hilariously blunt assessment of how you are playing. Most interestingly, this game has been credited for being among the first to include a button reserved exclusively for violence (back in the A-B-C-START-SELECT days), a claim I can’t substantiate, but can definitely appreciate.

In summation, this game should be remade, now. It would be the only video game I ever play again, in fact, it almost already is. Maybe someday I will do a full review of this game, but probably not. And to anybody who felt jilted at the lack of playoff predictions: Fear not! I will have them up in time for the drop of the (not spiked) puck on Wednesday. But for now, I leave you with the wise words of my Mutant League Coach for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoff:

“I’ve always enjoyed even games. They not only make cheating more fun, but also more necessary.” (see: Ryan Clowe)

RIP Brad and Steve (and any others I haven’t caught on to), and may you live on through your Mutant League selves.

2012 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions Round 1

So this is when it will be extremely clear to everyone that my vast knowledge of hockey is much smaller than everyone else’s knowledge. I can’t give you much about player depth or awesome history that gives some teams more of a push than others, and I have a couple biases that will definitely affect my predictions, but I believe all my predictions have at least some merit.

The West

LA Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks

I think this match up will be much closer than most would assume a one seed versus eighth seed might be. While Vancouver won the President’s Trophy for a second year in a row and has something to prove after losing last year, the Kings managed to tie them in the regular season 2-2. Vancouver won their last match up on March 26th and is entering the playoffs after finishing the season with 2 wins, while LA lost their last 2 games, which put them in their current position. The Canucks also have the potential return of Daniel Sedin to look forward to. On paper, it looks like Vancouver has a cake walk in front of them for the first round, but I think LA will fight to redeem the downfall that ended their season. While I believe Vancouver will inevitably take the season, even though I would much prefer to see LA moving on, LA will definitely make it interesting.
Vancouver in 6.

San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues

While San Jose is coming in off a strong regular season finish, I really don’t think it will be enough to propel them into the second round of the playoffs this year. St Louis is the higher seeded team, also coming in off a win, and was undefeated against San Jose in the regular season. The two teams haven’t met since the beginning of March, which might help San Jose consider this an extremely clean slate and a fresh start. Overall, however, I think San Jose might just be a bit of a road bump for St. Louis and nothing more.
St. Louis in 5.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Another pairing that should be close, a higher seeded team against a higher point scoring team. Both teams finished the season on a winning note, but Phoenix finished much stronger with 5 wins compared to Chicago’s one win. Also, while Chicago has the higher point value, Phoenix won the regular series season 3-1, most recently on February 11th. With the last game between these two teams being two months ago, it will definitely be an interesting matchup, but I see the third seed Phoenix Coyotes moving on to the second round.
Phoenix in 6.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators

I think this series will be the closest of the Western Conference. The two teams are only 2 points separated in the standings and split the regular season series 3-3. The ball is slightly in Nashville’s court, however, because they won the last regular season matchup, and not too long ago, on March 30th. According to some sources, the Red Wings are not to be count out, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m not the one to ask for the details about those types of opinions. I don’t think Detroit will pull out the victory overall, but they will definitely put up a very strong fight in this series.
Nashville in 7.


The East

Ottawa Senators vs. NY Rangers

Some might say it would be pretty obvious that the Rangers are taking this series and moving on, but I don’t think it will be quite that simple. Sure the Rangers are the top ranked team in the East, sure they have a solid defense and offense, but against the Senators, they lost the regular season series 3-1. Both teams ended the season on a losing note and both teams need to step up their game a bit if they really want to keep going in the playoffs. The Rangers definitely have the step up, but Ottawa won’t just role over and play dead.
Rangers in 6.

Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins

As the current Stanley Cup Champions, the Bruins better make it past the first round this year. Both teams finished the season with 2 wins, but the Capitals unfortunately pulled off the victory for their regular season matchup 3-1, most recently winning on March 29th. Both teams have reasons to be confident going into the first round, but both teams have been shaky lately too. The Bruins have been two different teams on the ice and the Capitals have a lot of questions in a very critical role, their goalie. This will definitely be one of the more interesting matchups this round, but I’m going with the home team pride and the Bruins will be moving on to the second round.
Boston in 7.

New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers

The Devils are entering the post-season on a very high note, coming off six wins with a 102 point season. The Panthers managed to hold onto the third seed and also finished on a winning note, but I think the Devils will take this series. The Panthers won the last time these two teams met, but that was two months ago back in February and left the regular series split 2-2. The Devils have the players, the points, the goalie, and the drive to take this series and continue on to the second round.
New Jersey in 5.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburg Penguins

While this should be a very close series, the Penguins have a few important legs up on the Flyers. By clinching the 5th seed, they have the home ice advantage, which is probably more important in this series than in any other, and even though they lost the regular season matchup 4-2, they won their last game of the season, beating the Flyers 4-2 on April 7th. Now that they have Crosby back and settled in, the Pittsburg Penguins have a little more of a surge on their side than the Flyers do.
Pittsburg in 7.

Everyone owes me 5 bucks and some awesome wine if all these predictions are right. 

Poor Playoff Predictions

Playoff prediction time.  Let me tell you my predictions with my reasoning and watch how horribly wrong I'll be.  No 'number of games' predictions from me because those are just too wrong.  Looking at Washington-Rangers last year, that series could have easily gone 7 games if it weren't for a few bad bounces and one huge mistake. So I won't make a fool of myself in those regards.

For those who don't want to read a lot, here are my short predictions:

East
NYR over OTT
BOS over WAS
NJD over FLA
PHI over PIT

NYR over NJD
PHI over BOS

NYR over PHI


West
VAN over LAK
STL over SJS
PHX over CHI
NSH over DET

NSH over VAN
STL over PHX

NSH over STL


Cup Winner: New York Rangers

Continue on to see the reasons why.

Ben's Predictions: The Playoffs (Eastern Conference)

It's that time of year again, where grown men may go weeks (hopefully months) without shaving. Where the only cup people care about is shiny, silver, and about three feet tall. That time of year when towns become dirty words. That time when rats become more than just rodents you want to get rid of.

That's right, it's the playoffs!

And as Clowe showed us in the above picture everyone will do whatever they need to in order to win!

So I'm going to break down each and every series and let you know what I think and why.

NYR (1) vs OTT (8): NYR in 6

New York had a chance at the president's trophy, it would have been the first time they had won it since their cup run in '94. They blew it against a surging Washington team. Henrik Lundqvist (still nursing an injury) made all of 13 saves against the team that they COULD have been facing had New Jersey not beaten Ottawa on saturday. 

This pits New York against a pesky Ottawa team that has a lot to prove.
Ottawa has not had the best run recently. After a strong surge and a chance to pass Boston for 2nd, they have had serious troubles, falling to 8th from what seemed to be a secure 7th spot on the last day of the regular season. I think Ottawa has the offense to stay in this one, but they will need to beat a stingy New York defense that has allowed an east leading 187 goals, making them the third in the league.

You have to also look at Ottawa's Goal differential here, +9. While they have scored a whopping 249 goals this season (3rd in the east), they've let in 240 goals, the highest goals against for any team in the playoffs.

New York has experienced a resurgence in their offense this year, the addition of Brad Richards was a huge boon to them. Ottawa has some serious star power this year with Captain Daniel Alfredsson experiencing one of his best seasons as well as outstanding performances from Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek.

Although they won the season series 3-1 this year, Ottawa is still going to have to do a lot to beat a Vezina worthy Henrik Lundqvist. This will be a quite entertaining series to watch and I have faith New York will pull it out and move on.


BOS (2) vs WAS (7): Washington in 6

Well here is a surprise of a match-up. After a dismal 5-1 loss to Buffalo on home ice, Washington seemed out of the running, after all how were the Capitals, with their shaky goal tending situation, poor power play performance, and shoddy defense supposed to do better than Buffalo who were on a hot streak and being backstopped by an impressive looking Ryan Miller. A little less than two weeks later, Buffalo sits outside looking in and Washington sits in 7th, giving them one of the harder match-ups of the Eastern Conference.

You can't find a better rounded team than Boston. Outstanding offense is backed up by a strong defense lead by Zdeno Chara and backstopped by the seemingly unshakable Tim Thomas. The defending champs remain relatively unchanged from last year's Stanley Cup run and as a result are primed to do it again. Washington has a big chance to stop them.

The biggest thing here will be getting in the head of Goaltender Tim Thomas, which Washington has been able to do 3 out of 4 times this season, most notably with a shootout win a few weeks ago.

I bet Thomas is glad there is no shootout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and so am I. I think this will be an intense series highlighted by a surging Washington team who do not have home ice advantage for the first time in their 5-year run to the playoffs.

Expect big performances from Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom all of whom seem to be regressing back to the mean, which is a good thing for players who haven't been looking too hot recently.

On the other side of the table, Boston has the ability to shut down a strong Washington offense and they will do it every chance they get. Washington's goal tending situation is a MAJOR problem for them in this series. If Braden Holtby can play like he did on Saturday expect a Washington victory. Holtby also brings something that Washington needs for this series, aggression around the net. Boston has shown this season that they will jostle for any opportunities they can. Holtby is the type of guy to push back and this could be a big factor in Washington's win.

I'm glad most of this series will be on TV, because it's going to be entertaining, and frustrating. I can't wait!


FLA (3) vs NJD (6): NJD in 5


Welcome back to the postseason Florida. After a decade of poor performance and the loss of a quality goaltender for a bargain rate during the off-season, Florida rebuilt. The efforts of GM Tallon show in a team that managed to take over the southeast from the Washington Capitals, and take the 3rd spot in the playoffs. However, Florida has severely struggled recently and would be facing New York in the playoffs if not for their win against Carolina on Saturday.

New Jersey on the other hand is clicking at the right time. That's not to say they haven't performed well all season, but New Jersey is on a 6-game winning streak. This won't last forever, but I expect the snap to rile up this Devils squad.

Expect to see intense performances from Florida's offensive lines. Especially the line of Fleischmann, Weiss, and Versteeg. This line was a large part of Florida's run to the Division Championship. On the other side expect to see a lot from Kovalchuk who has had a stellar season and is looking primed to have some serious postseason success.

The big story this time is going to be goal tending. Broduer has a chance to end his Hall of Fame Career on a Very High note. If he can have a stellar run then expect New Jersey to go deep in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. On the other side of the ice, expect outstanding performances from Theodore and Clemmensen to help an anemic Florida offense survive a strong Jersey presence.

PIT (4) vs PHI (5): Philly in 7


This series is going to be great! Intense, bloody, and probably full of AHL call-ups as these two interstate rivals go head to head. Pittsburgh finally won one at home against Philly for the first time in Consol Energy Center on Saturday, they are going to need to do it again if they hope to beat a strong Philadelphia team.

The star power of Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Giroux, Bryzgalov, Jagr, Briere, Hartnell, among others will make this a great caliber series to watch.

In order to win, Ilya Bryzgalov is going to need to carry his strong March into the Playoffs.
Pittsburgh is going to need to find a way to win at home to win this series.

I really don't know what's to say about this series that hasn't been said already, so I share this:

I don't know which team will play harder, but whoever does will be moving on to the next round. Depleted, exhausted, and bitter. Nothing like a first round match-up to really stoke the fires of one of the better rivalries in the NHL.

NYR (1) vs WAS (7) Washington in 7
PHI (5) vs NJD (6) NJD in 6

NJD vs WAS New Jersey in 6

I think New Jersey will make it to the final and lose in 6 games, but that's still a long way off. Expect an update after round 1!


So that's my prediction for the Eastern Conference, expect seven very entertaining series and a very exciting run to the cup.


Cheers my friends.
Shave those beards now, because it's playoff time!

~Ben (@plotbe01)