Might as well jump on the bandwagon of making playoff predictions that I won’t be even remotely close on…
East
Buffalo (1) vs NY Islanders (8): The Islanders came thisclose to a heartbreaker, when they allowed a goal just 1 second away from clinching a spot against the Devils. They ultimately won in OT, but won’t go far. The Sabres look unstoppable this year. Buffalo in 5.
New Jersey (2) vs Tampa (7): Vinny Lecavalier has finally arrived in the NHL, with a 52-goal season. He and Martin St Louis cracked the 100-point barrier this year, while the Devils didn’t have a guy reach 70. New Jersey is the lowest scoring of all 16 playoff teams, while the Lightning have the most goals allowed. That should be some not very exciting hockey. Devils win - because of Martin Brodeur. - in the dullest series of the playoffs. New Jersey in 6.
Atlanta (3) vs NY Rangers (6): I really like Atlanta. They may not look the greatest on paper, but I think they have a great mix of talent, toughness and feistiness. They also have a goalie in Kari Lehtonen who can get hot. Nothing against the Rangers, but I think the Thrashers will win here. Atlanta in 6.
Ottawa (4) vs Pittsburgh (5): The series to watch in the East, maybe the entire league. Five of the NHL’s top 18 scorers will be featured. With the #2 and #3 offenses in the NHL, both teams can put up points in a hurry. This one probably will boil down to how well Marc-Andre Fleury can hold up. I think Ottawa wins in a close, exciting series. Ottawa in 7.
West
Detroit (1) vs Calgary (8): Probably the toughest off all the series to call. I’ve been expecting Hasek to take his groin and go home for months now, but he’s still hanging in there like a trooper. So many compelling stories…Will the Flames win on the road? Will Datsyuk show up in the playoffs? Will Phaneuf improve his diving? This one will be fun to watch. Calgary in 7.
Anaheim (2) vs Minnesota (7): On paper, a closely matched series. In real life, I think the Ducks win easily. I think they have too much size for the Wild to handle over the long haul. 35% of Minnesota’s wins came in OT or the Shootout. Dallas used a similar play-for-OT approach last year, and they ended up laying an egg in the playoffs. I think the Wild will have a similar letdown here. Anaheim in 4.
Vancouver (3) vs Dallas (6): I love the Luongo / Turco matchup. Both have so much to prove: Luongo has never played in the postseason, and Turco has a reputation for choking in the playoffs. Personally, I think the Turco stuff is a bit unfair. Vancouver has terrific defense, goaltending and penalty killing, but, in the end, I think Dallas has too many weapons in a low scoring series. Dallas in 6.
Nashville (4) vs San Jose (5): This series was a hoot last year, and the teams have since added Peter Forsberg, JP Dumont and Bill Guerin to the mix. This should be a back and forth series, almost as exciting as the Penguins v Senators. The Sharks win. Barely. San Jose in 7.
I called my shot on the AC boards with Anaheim vs Ottawa but haven’t done the other match ups.
Buff v NYI. I’m picking the Islanders. I like Nolan and Trottier to coach that team over their heads. DU grad Dubielewicz is on fire. It’s a long shot, but this is my first round upset. Islanders in 6.
NJ v Tampa. I think NJ will win this early for two reasons, first of course Broduer can simply steal games and demoralize teams. Second, Lou has everything on the line and will look like a real ass if NJ goes down or doesn’t put away Tampa in short order. His impecable reputation is at stake once he fired his coach for seemingly no reason. NJ in 5.
NYR v Atl. I can’t be objective on this pick. I love Hartley and can’t stand Avery. Hartley never met a playoff series he didn’t like to see in 7 so I’m going with Atlanta in 7.
Ottawa v Pitt. They already played but I did already pick Ottawa to come from the east. They will expose Pitt’s defense and “softness” in the harder hitting playoffs. Ottawa in 5.
Detroit v Calgary. Excellent matchup. Datsyuk has never proven he can play through a tough checking game and I guarantee you that Calgary is going to be running everyone and everything. Dion might just start foaming at the mouth. I see little weakness in Calgary besides their coach and any kind of possible nagging injury to Iginla. Detroit has to totally alter their defensive shifts. I’ll take Calgary in 6.
Ana v Min. I would have used this same evaluation. So far in the “new nhl” those teams that have garnered big points by playing for OT suffer in the playoffs. I think Min will steal one at home with spectacular goaltending but Anaheim should win this one easily. Ana in 5.
Van v Dal. How I despise both of these teams. I don’t like the offensive depth of either team but I do like the offensive contributions of the D. Again Van played for a lot of OT points this year and that mentality could burn them in the playoffs. I’ll take Dallas in 6 even though they are down a game already. Playing for OT has got to be killing Luango. If Van makes it to the WCF they may have to duct tape Luango to the goal posts so he can still stand up.
Nash vs SJ. I like Forsberg and Kariya playing together but I haven’t been impressed with Nash all year despite their point total. SJ will punish Nash and both of the afformentioned forwards will feel it with their milage and history of playoff collisions. Thorton will love the passing opportunities against this Nashville D. Even though I think Cheechoo is a bit of an overrated abberration because of Thorton I think his game up the middle will probably make him the leading goal scorer in this series. SJ in 6.
Spoke too soon, I hear Cheechoo was hurt last night.
[...] did better than I usually do with my 1st round predictions last year (5-3). I normally stink at this, so take my predictions with a huge grain of rock [...]