Eastern Conference
No. 1 Buffalo Sabres (53-22-7, 113 points) vs.
No. 8 New York Islanders (40-30-12, 92 points)
Season series: Buffalo 3-1
The Islanders earned the eighth seed in the playoffs after winning their final four games and getting help from other teams. However, the joy won’t last, as they get set to face the best team in the NHL in Buffalo. Forty-goal scorer Jason Blake leads the Isles. The team really has little else going for them besides goalie Wade Dubielewicz. The AHL journeyman has played four solid games in a row. Rick DiPietro has skated but it is still uncertain when he will return, so at least for game one Dubie’s the man. Where to start with Buffalo? A team that scored the most goals in the league and has six, yes six, 20-goal scorers was also plagued by injuries during the latter part of the season. With Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly back from injury, the Sabres should be nearly unstoppable. Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Thomas Vanek (one of the NHL’s most underrated players) should help the Sabres cruise through this series. Buffalo in five.
No. 2 New Jersey Devils (49-24-9, 107 points) vs.
No. 7 Tampa Bay Lightning (44-33-5, 93 points)
Season series: TB 3-1
A coaching change after 47 wins, 102 points and a division title? Apparently Lou Lamoriello didn’t like what he saw from ex-coach Claude Julien, so he fired him and named himself coach a few weeks ago. With the general manager behind the bench, expect even bigger things from the Devils. Last year the team went 30-9-4 when Lamoriello coached. The Devils clearly rely on their defense, allowing the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference. Having Martin Brodeur manning the pipes is a huge advantage. His NHL-record 48 wins and 12 shutouts mean that he can backstop this team to another Stanley Cup. Standing in the Devils’ way are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis lead the way, each scoring more than 40 goals this year. Problem is, this team doesn’t have a No. 1 starting goalie, and neither has it put up impressive numbers. The Lightning has not won any games this season when scoring two goals or fewer; the Devils have won 18. Advantage goes to Marty and the Devils. New Jersey in five.
No. 3 Atlanta Thrashers (43-28-11, 97 points) vs.
No. 6 New York Rangers (42-30-10, 94 points)
Season series: Atlanta 3-1
When NHL players were polled as to who was the dirtiest player in the league, the winner was Sean Avery. The Rangers don’t mind this. Since acquiring him in a trade in February, the team has gone 17-8-4 and is playing better all-around. His physical presence is something the team had been lacking. Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka and Michael Nylander provide the offense, while Henrik Lundqvist mans the net. His numbers are eerily similar to last year’s, but if the Rangers expect to win this series, he will need to show that he has improved since the last playoffs. For the Southeast Division champion Thrashers, it is their first ever playoff appearance. No longer paired with his buddy Dany Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk still managed to score 42 goals, and teammate Marian Hossa found the back of the net 43 times. But while the Thrashers can score, they also allow goals, as their penalty kill is ranked toward the bottom of the league. However, the presence of veterans on this team (Hossa, Bobby Holik and Keith Tkachuk) who have been to the playoffs before with other teams should help Atlanta win a hard-fought series. Atlanta in seven.
No. 4 Ottawa Senators (48-25-9, 105 points) vs.
No. 5 Pittsburgh Penguins (47-24-11, 105 points)
Season series: Pittsburgh 3-1
This series is the marquee matchup of the opening round of the playoffs. Pittsburgh had been the laughing stock of the NHL for a few years now, unsure if the team would even be in Pittsburgh after this season. This year, the Penguins pulled a 180, almost winning the Atlantic Division. Everyone knows about Sidney Crosby (36 goals, 84 assists), but this year other phenoms have taken over in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin (33 goals, 52 assists) and Jordan Staal (29 goals, 13 assists) have shined as rookies in Pittsburgh, but this does not mean the team is not without key veterans like Sergei Gonchar and Mark Recchi. The Senators seem to put together excellent regular seasons before coming up short in the playoffs. This year they flew under the radar, despite 50 goals from Heatley. The Senators can be lethal with many threats. including Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher. This should be a high-scoring series as these two teams rank second and third in goals scored. The Achilles heel of Ottawa is their goaltending, which can be shaky at times. If Ray Emery can out-duel Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes the Senators should advance to the second round. Ottawa in seven.
Western Conference
No. 1 Detroit Red Wings (50-19-13, 113 points) vs.
No. 8 Calgary Flames (43-29-10, 96 points)
Season series: tied 2-2
How many times have the Red Wings been the top seed in the West and failed to advance to the conference finals? Too many. Since winning the Cup in 2002, Detroit has had one disappointing playoff run after another. No longer with Shanahan and Steve Yzerman, the Wings are led by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Defenseman Niklas Lidstrom is having another amazing season, and will probably collect another Norris Trophy. If Calgary can get behind him, they will have to deal with ‘The Dominator.’ The ageless Dominik Hasek posted a 38-11 record with a 2.10 goals against and eight shutouts. Calgary had a disappointing season, but managed to hang on to the eighth seed in the West. Jarome Iginla (39 goals) and the Flames are hungry for their first Stanley Cup after falling one game short three years ago. The Flames also have a solid young defender in Dion Phaneuf, who brings a physical edge to the team. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has established himself as one of the best in the league, but the Red Wings’ offense should prove too much to handle for Calgary. Detroit in six.
No. 2 Anaheim Ducks (48-20-14, 110 points) vs.
No. 7 Minnesota Wild (48-26-8, 104 points)
Season series: tied 2-2
The Wild have firepower in Pavol Demitra, Brian Rolston and Marian Gaborik. Gaborik, who was plagued by an injury this season, scored 30 goals and had 57 points in just 48 games. But the biggest surprise comes from the goaltenders. Manny Fernandez injured his knee earlier in the year, and his replacement Niklas Backstrom has been remarkable, posting a 23-8 record with a goals against of 1.97. With Fernandez healthy, the Wild can alternate goalies to keep both of them fresh. However, their opponent, Anaheim, may just be too much to handle. They have so many threats and can score from any of their lines. Teemu Selanne scored 48 goals this year and shows no signs of slowing down during the playoffs. The Ducks’ power play was ranked second in the league, thanks to Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, two of the top defensemen in the league. The duo combined for 28 goals and 100 assists this season, not to mention their solid defensive play. Former Conn Smythe trophy winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere has the playoff experience, and should shut down the potent Minnesota offense. The Ducks were my preseason pick to win the cup, and I give them the edge. Anaheim in five.
No. 3 Vancouver Canucks (49-26-7, 105 points) vs.
No. 6 Dallas Stars (50-25-7, 105 points)
Season series: tied 2-2
After missing the playoffs last year, the Canucks put together a very strong regular season. A main reason for their success was that they finally acquired a top goalie in the offseason. After playing with the Isles and Panthers, Roberto Luongo finally got to showcase his talent, playing on a team of winners. He recorded 47 wins this season and was tested often, as Vancouver was one of the most penalized teams in the league. Vancouver’s penalty kill ranked first in the league. This is the best Vancouver team since the days of Pavel Bure. Twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin led the team in scoring, and with veterans Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden, the team will look to make a deep run into the spring. Dallas is coming off an impressive 50-win season, but it is not very indicative of the team’s play. The Stars simply can’t win with Marty Turco in the net. He makes too many mistakes, and despite the above average defense (Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher) the Canucks will score often. Mike Modano has been hurt this season, but he always seems to turn it up a notch in the playoffs. The rest of the offense will need to if they expect to beat Luongo. Vancouver in six.
No. 4 Nashville Predators (51-23-8, 110 points) vs.
No. 5 San Jose Sharks (51-26-5, 107 points)
Season series: Nashville 3-1
This series will be one of the most exciting ones in the first round. It will be a scoring fest between two teams that find the back of the net often. The Predators are stacked with talent (Paul Kariya, J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott), not to mention some guy named Peter Forsberg they acquired in March. Nashville splits playing time between both goalies, Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason, and both have had excellent seasons. For the Sharks, it starts and ends with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. If those two play as they did during the regular season, the Sharks will be tough to beat. Because the Sharks power play is so effective (No. 2 in the league), the Nashville defense will have to continue its stellar play. The Preds are the third best penalty killing team in the league. Not to mention Nashville has one of the best home records in the league, while the Sharks had the best road record in the league. Something will have to give in this series. As good as San Jose is, they just don’t have the goaltending to compete with Nashville, and this series will come down to game seven. The game is in Nashville. Give the edge and the series to the Predators ‘ Nashville in seven.