Ranking the 1st Round Matchups:
1. San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings
2. St Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
3. New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings
5. Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild
6. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
8. Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars
Eastern Conference Round One Predictions:
1 - Boston Bruins (1st in Atlantic) vs. 3 - Detroit Red Wings (Wild Card #2)
Key Injuries: Forward Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit) will be out for the first two games of the series. Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit) is banged up as well.
Player(s) to Watch: Gustav Nyquist (Detroit) will be a key player if Detroit plans to pull the upset. He has been on fire since the Olympic break.
Breakdown: Detroit won the season series 3-1 but the playoffs are a whole different animal and the Bruins are built for the postseason. The Bruins are strong in all facets of the game and should be able to handle the Red Wings barring an injury to goaltender Tuukka Rask. Boston plays a physical dump-and-chase style while the Red Wings play a puck possession, free flowing European style. Expect the Bruins to wear Detroit down and win this series in 6 games.
Prediction: Bruins in 6 games.
2 - Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd in Atlantic) vs. 3 - Montreal Canadiens (3rd in Atlantic)
Key Injuries: Goaltender Ben Bishop (Tampa) will be out of the lineup for the first game as he battles an elbow injury.
Player(s) to Watch: Daniel Briere (Montreal) has fallen off the last couple of years but is playoff proven and vows to continue his post-season success this year. A consistent performance in this years playoffs could go a long way in helping Montreal win their opening round series against Tampa. I'll also be keeping my eyes on former Sabre Thomas Vanek, Gold medal winning goaltender Carey Price and of course, the highly skilled Steven Stamkos.
Breakdown: Season series was 3-0-1 in favor of Tampa but when elimination is on the line, I will take Carey Price against the goaltending combination of Anders Lindback and a banged up Ben Bishop. This is a battle of one of the best hockey markets in the NHL vs. one of the worst in the NHL. The key matchup to watch is Stamkos vs. Price but I don't think Stamkos has the supporting cast to get the job done.
Prediction: Canadiens in 7 games.
1 - Pittsburgh Penguins (1st in Metropolitan) vs. 4 - Columbus Blue Jackets (Wild Card #1)
Player(s) to Watch: Ryan Johansen (Blue Jackets) has had a solid season for Columbus with 33 goals, 30 assists, 63 points and an appearance in all 82 games.
Breakdown: Penguins lead the season series 5-0 and should find similar success in the post-season. Marc-Andre Fleury can get rattled easily in the playoffs but I don't see Columbus as the team to shake his cage to make that happen. Superstar Sidney Crosby playing the role of Batman and Malkin playing the role of sidekick Robin will be too much for Sergei Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets to handle. The Blue Jackets should be happy they made the playoffs and look to build on it in the future, which looks bright, especially being in the Eastern Conference going forward. I think Columbus gets their first win of the season over Pittsburgh, in one of their home games, but that's all they get this series.
Prediction: Penguins in 5 games.
2 - New York Rangers (2nd in Metropolitan) vs. 3 - Philadelphia Flyers (3rd in Metropolitan)
Key Injuries: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh (Rangers) is coming back from an arm injury. Forward Chris Kreider (Rangers) is out. Goaltender Steve Mason (Flyers) is dealing with an upper body injury and should be fine for the series but will he be fully healthy?
Player(s) to Watch: Forward Rich Nash (Rangers) is a superstar that doesn't have the point production this year that shows that while Forward Claude Giroux (Flyers) is a superstar with the point production to match. Whoever has the better series between these two will put their team in a good position to advance. Giroux is at a disadvantage in this matchup as he has to face Henrik Lundqvist, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL while Nash has to face the combination of Steve Mason and Ray Emery. My eyes will be glued to Lundqvist whenever the puck is in the Rangers zone. One of my favorite goalies to watch in the NHL.
Breakdown: The season series is tied 2-2 and it's not surprising. These two teams are evenly matched and should make for the best opening round matchup in the East. Boston vs. Detroit will be good but I think this series will be great. Many experts are picking the Rangers and if I go with my better goaltender wins the series theory, I should be picking them too but I have the Flyers advancing in a 7 game series 'upset'. Steve Mason needs to get healthy, stay healthy and play the whole series to make this happen but I like Giroux and the supporting cast of Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds to get the job done. I think I'm ultimately taking Philadelphia because the thought of an in-state Penguins vs. Flyers series has me salivating like Pavlov's dog.
Prediction: Flyers in 7 games.
Western Conference Round One Predictions:
1 - Colorado Avalanche (1st in Central) vs. 4 - Minnesota Wild (Wild Card #1)
Key Injuries: Forward Matt Duchene (Colorado) will miss the first couple games of this series with a knee injury. Minnesota, other than being without their two starting goaltenders to begin the season, are fairly healthy up front with the return of Mikael Granlund.
Player(s) to Watch: I'll be watching to see how 1st overall pick from last years draft, Nathan Mackinnon, handles his first post-season as an NHL player. From the Wild, I'll be watching ex-Sabres Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson.
Breakdown: Season series was 4-0-1 in favor or Colorado. Duchene, the Avalanche leading scorer with 70 points is injured but they have plenty of scoring depth behind him as 4 of his teammates have scored 24 goals or more this season (O'Reilly - 28, Landeskog - 26, Stastny - 25, MacKinnon - 24). The Wild are without their top 2 goalies that they started the season with in Backstrom and Harding but a trade deadline steal in Ilya Bryzgalov has provided steady play between the pipes with a 7-1-3 record. Minnesota can score with 4-5 solid offensive players up front and a stalwart back on the defensive end in Ryan Suter so an upset is not out of the question. The key stat here is that Colorado is 5th on the PP and Minnesota is 27th on the PK. When all is said and done, I think Colorado stays the course and advances in what I expect to be, one of the most underrated series of the opening round.
Prediction: Avalanche in 6 games.
2 - St. Louis Blues (2nd in Central) vs. 3 - Chicago Blackhawks (3rd in Central)
Key Injuries: Blues Forwards TJ Oshie, Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrik Berglund are all set to miss the beginning of the series while Alex Pietrangelo, David Backes and Vladimir Sobotka are set to return from recent injuries. The Blackhawks have some star players shaking off rust of their own in Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane who are returning from injury in hopes of winning another Stanley Cup.
Player(s) to Watch: I'll be watching Blues goaltender and former Buffalo Sabre, Ryan Miller. Miller started out hot as a member of the Blues but has since cooled off as the season winded down. With his team getting healthier, Miller and the Blues look to get back on track and they'll have their hands full with Toews and Kane. Should the Blues advance to the Western Conference Finals, the Sabres would get the Blues 1st round pick in this upcoming draft.
Breakdown: The Blues lead the season series 3-2. This is a series that I'm quite excited for. I think it will be a back and forth, hard-fought, 7 game series. The headline is injuries. How will each team deal with players coming back from injury? Are these players fully healthy? Will they need a few games to get their feet back under them? The Blackhawks average the 2nd most Goals For per game while the Blues are 3rd in the NHL in Goals Against so this series will be all about one of the leagues best offensive teams vs. one of the leagues best defensive teams. I have Chicago winning this series in 7 as long as Toews and Kane can play up to their standards early on in the series. Get ready for some OT's.
Prediction: Blackhawks in 7 games.
1 - Anaheim Ducks (1st in Pacific) vs. 4 - Dallas Stars (Wild Card #2)
Key Injuries: None.
Player(s) to Watch: The combination of Corey Perry (no relation to Katy Perry) and Ryan Getzlaf (brother of Chris who plays in the CFL), lead the #1 scoring offense in the NHL.
Breakdown: The Stars have won the season series 2-1. I couldn't be less interested in this series. It will be interesting to see what the Ducks do in goal between Jonas Hiller & Frederik Andersen whether they split the games or ride the hot hand. I have the Ducks winning this one in 5.
Prediction: Ducks in 5 games.
2 - San Jose Sharks (2nd in Pacific) vs. 3 - Los Angeles Kings (3rd in Pacific)
Key Injuries: Rookie phenom Thomas Hertl (Sharks) has recently returned from injury. Drew Doughty (Kings) has recently returned from injury himself. Other than these two, both teams are pretty healthy which will make for a great series.
Player(s) to Watch: I love me some Logan Couture (Sharks). He is one of my favorite NHL players and it doesn't hurt that he's a Buffalo Bills fan. This series is stacked with great players across the board including two great goaltenders. Pavelski, Thornton, Marlaeu, Couture for the Sharks and Kopitar, Carter, Richards and Williams for the Kings will supply us with plenty of great highlights.
Breakdown: Kings came out on top of the regular season series 3-1-1. This is by far my favorite series of the first round and I don't plan on missing a second of it. This series has all the makings of a 7-game series. Who will prevail in that 7th game? I have the Sharks. They haven't been the best playoff team in recent years, while the Kings have but I think this year is different. The Sharks are balanced, being the 6th best offensive team and 5th best defensive team in the NHL. The Kings are a bit more one-sided, being the best defensive team, rated 1st in GAA but leaves a lot to be desired in the offensive category, ranking 26th in goals per game. The Sharks get revenge from last years knockout at the hands of the Kings.
Prediction: Sharks in 7 games.
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Predictions:
1 - Boston Bruins (1st in Atlantic) vs. 3 - Montreal Canadiens (3rd in Atlantic)
Breakdown: It's not often you see a team with an easier matchup in the 2nd round than the 1st round but that's the case for the Bruins. I think the Bruins beat the Canadiens in less games than it takes them to beat the Red Wings. Carey Price is an excellent goaltender and will keep them in some games but the offense of the Bruins and their 3rd most Goals Per Game this season will be too much to handle. A key to watch in this series will be Boston's 3rd Power Play vs. Montreal's 4th best Penalty Kill. Boston advances in 5 games thanks to David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Jarome Iginla.
Prediction: Bruins in 5 games.
1 - Pittsburgh Penguins (1st in Metropolitan) vs. 3 - Philadelphia Flyers (3rd in Metropolitan)
Breakdown: The in-state rivalry that I'm hoping for comes to fruition as the Flyers knock off the Rangers in the 1st round. This series will be a battle fueled by hate alone however when you factor in the talent aspect, the Penguins prevail. The Penguins are proven and are better in every aspect of the game than the Flyers including Special Teams where Pittsburgh is ranked 1st in PP and 5th in PK. The success on Special Teams is usually directly correlated to good coaching and that holds true where the Penguins hold a significant edge over the Flyers with Dan Bylsma at the helm. Bylsma is a guy I gained a lot of respect for watching him on HBO: Road to the Winter Classic. I like the way he conducts his business and demands the respect of his team. Like I said, this series will be a battle and I like Bylsma as a leader. I plan on keeping a close eye on how Philadelphia and their pests (Giroux, Rinaldo, etc) plan on interrupting Sidney Crosby with their physical play.
Prediction: Penguins in 6 games.
Western Conference Semi-Finals Predictions:
1 - Colorado Avalanche (1st in Central) vs. 3 - Chicago Blackhawks (3rd in Central)
Breakdown: Colorado has the 3rd lowest payroll in the NHL, playing well above their expectations, one season removed from picking 1st overall where they took stud Nathan MaKinnon. They were last year's second worst team but won the lottery that allowed them to pick 1st. The team is led by Patrick Roy on the bench who has found quite a bit of success in his first year as a head coach. Roy is bringing out the best in goaltender Semyon Varlamov who has been solid all year long. I think the lack of playoff experience for the Avalanche will hurt them in this series. The Blackhawks will take advantage of the Avalanche defense and win this series in 6 games.
1 - Anaheim Ducks (1st in Pacific) vs. 2 - San Jose Sharks (2nd in Pacific)
Breakdown: The high scoring Ducks vs. the balanced Sharks. This series could go either way but having a goaltending controversy heading into the playoffs is never a good thing. The Ducks have two talented tenders but that's not always a good thing. The Ducks coach recently said that Jonas Hiller lacks the confidence and Frederik Andersen is still unproven. The Ducks are two deep with scoring forwards while the Sharks can go as deep as 5 if Hertl is healthy. I'll take the Sharks and the momentum they're riding from their Round One battle with the Kings. At this point, they'll look like a serious Cup contender but will their back-to-back 7 game series strengthen them mentally or exhaust them physically? However if this game does go to Game 7, into OT specifically, I wouldn't mind seeing the Finnish legend Teemu Selanne get the GWG. That would send some serious chills down my spine.
Prediction: Sharks in 7 games.
Eastern Conference Finals Prediction:
1 - Boston Bruins (1st in Atlantic) vs. 1 - Pittsburgh Penguins (1st in Metropolitan)
Breakdown: Boston swept Pittsburgh year in the Eastern Conference Finals so the Penguins will have revenge on their mind. This time around won't be a sweep for Boston, but I do anticipate the end result to be the same. I look forward to seeing how Boston plays against Sidney Crosby and I can already picture his whiney face, clamoring for a call after a clean body check. I dislike both teams, but both teams I respect a great deal. I feel cliché sending this series to 7 games but as long as Fleury can avoid a mental breakdown, this series should go the distance with Boston having the edge playing the final game at home. The difference will be which team stays out of the penalty box because both teams are excellent on the PP. The team with the most chances ends up winning this and when you're at home in Game 7, the refs aren't going to be calling many penalties against you.
Prediction: Bruins in 7 games.
Western Conference Finals Prediction:
3 - Chicago Blackhawks (3rd in Central) vs. 2 - San Jose Sharks (2nd in Pacific)
Breakdown: Both of these teams have tough First Round matchups so if they make it this far, it'll be well deserved. The Sharks will have home ice advantage if this series were to make it to the 7th game but I don't think it will. We go through two Blackhawks series breakdowns and I failed to mention their leading scorer, Patrick Sharp. He has had a great season with 34 goals and 78 points leading the team in both that categories and that says a lot with the talent on their roster. Marian Hossa, another veteran on the team, has always been known for his scoring touch but has had a real good season defensively with a +28 rating while chipping in with a balanced stat line of 30 goals and 30 assists. The Sharks are 2-1 against the Kings this season and I think they steal this series, winning 2-3 games in OT. Get ready to stay up because these late games will be well worth the entertainment.
Prediction: Sharks in 6 games.
Stanley Cup Prediction:
1 - Boston Bruins (1st in Atlantic) vs. 2 - San Jose Sharks (2nd in Pacific)
Breakdown: So far I've broken down each of these times three separate times in their series breakdowns above. At this point, you know why each team made it to the Stanley Cup. The Sharks and Bruins met twice this year with Boston winning 2-1 and 1-0. These are the type of games I'll expect in the Stanley Cup despite the Bruins and Sharks being two of the top 6 scoring teams in the NHL. While they are good offensively, they are just as good defensively with both teams ranking in the top 5 with Goals Against Average of 2.1 (Bruins) and 2.4 (Sharks). These team are balanced so they can lock it down and win low scoring games and put up enough goals if the game turns into a shootout. The Bruins, at home, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup gives them the advantage. It's a series like this, coming down to the home environment and fan base that goes to show how important the Regular Season and playoff seeding is. The dream season for the Sharks falls short, proving that they can make a run but while still leaving themselves open to criticism when it comes to sealing the deal and actually winning a Cup. The Bruins are built the right way and they outlast the Sharks. They have a nice balance of youth, veteran leadership and a handful of players in their prime hitting their stride at the right time. I predict Daniel Paille with the GWG in 3OT of Game 7. I'm just playing, but that would be awesome.
Prediction: Bruins in 7 games.
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