Stanley Cup Playoffs Discussion

[BREAKINGBEN]

Note to mods: Didn't see anything like this here, so sorry if it was already made.

OK, as some of you know... not know... or may not care... the Stanley Cups Playoffs start today with four games.

For those of you who don't know, the Stanley Cup is the award given to the winner of the Playoffs in the National Hockey League (NHL). There are four rounds and all are played best-of-seven, meaning four wins and you move on. There is also a tradition of throwing an octopus onto the ice after a team's eighth win to signify the halfway mark (eight wins to go).

For those of you who DO know, what are your predictions for the Playoffs?
Here are my first round predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Pittsburgh V Ottawa

I pick Pittsburgh in 5 or 6. They have a lot of young talent, and the home ice advantage against the falling Sens. The Senators went on a losing skid towards the end of the year (3-6-1) and have yet to rebound. Also, their Captain Alfredsson is out for the first time in a playoff game, and the rest of the team lacks the chemistry and experience to advance. Plus, Crosby and Malkin will out score/out-skate the Senators.

Montreal V Boston

I pick Montreal in a clean sweep (4). Boston has yet to beat Montreal this year (0-8) and they have not been in the playoffs for a few years. Montreal will just outplay the whole Bruins team and advance with ease. The only chance Boston has to win is to beat up Carey Price (Montreal's rookie Goalie) with many goals in the first two games. That might shake the Habs up enough to knock them off their feet and keep them down... but I think just Kovalev will be enough to conquere the B's.

Washington V Philly

I pick the Caps in 6 or 7. Most of the players on the Caps have yet to be in a playoff game, so they lack the experience that most Flyer players have. But... knowing Ovie and his scoring ways, the Capitals will get along just fine and gain experience FAST, propelling them over the 8 seeded Flyers. Plus... they have OVECHKIN!!!

New Jersey V New York (Rangers)

I don't have a clear pick in this one, but I'm going with the Devils in 7. I say that I don't have a clear pick because, A.) The Devils can't score but have the defense (Brodeur) to back them up, and B.) The Rangers have had bad luck as of late in the Playoffs and Jagr is getting old... he won't be a huge factor in this one. The Devils win if they can muster up more than 1 or 2 goals a game, and the Rangers win if they can solve Marty and have a consistent Lundqvist.


WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Detroit V Nashville

Detroit in 5... plain and simple. Their experience in the playoffs, and their style of play will be enough to take down Nashville. Unless this is another upset like Edmonton was a few years back, Detroit will cruise into the Semi-finals.

Minnesota V Colorado

This is a tougher one, I'll pick the 7th seeded Avalanche to upset the Wild. These two are evenly matched and this series can go either way. Colorado has a lot of talent (Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth) and can skate with the best in the West. Now I'm not saying that the Wild don't have talent (Rolston, Demitra?, Gaborik) they can easily string a few together and pull this one out. I think it will all come down to both team's home openers in games 1 and 3.

San Jose V Calgary

Barry Melrose on ESPN picked the Sharks to win it all this year, as I predicted them to win last year and the year before, and I definitely think they have more than enough to beat Calgary. The Sharks can score (Cheechoo, Thornton) and have good Defense (Campbell) AND an Iron Man Goalie (Nabokov), all of those combined create a champion team. Final thought- Sharks sweep (4).

Anaheim V Dallas

Now I don't know much about this series, I don't hear a lot about the pacific division where I live, but I can make a pretty good guess. I like the defending Stanley Cup winners (Ducks) in this series, so about 6 games for the win. They have Defensemen in Pronger, Neidemeyer, and Beauchimen (sp?) and plenty of scorers in Getzlaf and Perry. The Ducks also have the luck with vets Weight and Selanne putting out decent numbers for their age. Dallas has an equally good chance with Modano and the new addition, Richards. Turco is a better Goalie than his numbers have shown this year, and if he can get over his playoff demons, the Stars can also win this one. The key in this series is GOALTENDING GOALTENDING GOALTENDING!


Now that the long part is over, what are your thoughts?

UPDATE:
New York is leading New Jersey 2-1.
Pittsburgh lead Ottawa 2-0.
Minnesota/Colorado are tied 1-1.
Calgary/San Jose are tied 1-1.
Detroit leads the series 2-0.
Montreal leads the series 2-1.
Dallas leads Anaheim in their series 2-0.
Washington/Philly are tied 1-1.

 

[Sweet Candace]

I'm a fan of all the Dallas based teams (except the Mavs and Rangers) and I'd like to see Dallas in the Western Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals:
Washington vs. Pittsburgh--Crosby vs. Ovechkin
(WAS in 7)

Western Conference Finals:
Minnesota vs. Dallas--Could be Modano's last shot at a title...
(DAL in 6)

Stanley Cup:
Capitals vs. Stars
(WAS in 6)

I just think Dallas or whomever comes out of the West can't handle the type of player Ovechkin is

Stanley Cup MVP: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington

My predicition

 

[dtrain24]

The Rangers are now with a 2-0 series lead over the Devils. In tonights game, with 8:00 left in the 3rd period, it's tied 3-3.

 

[Tanooki]

The Senators are the most absolute pathetic team I've ever seen in my life. I'm ashamed to say I'm actually a fan of this lame, loser team. A 15-2 start turns into one of the worst, most turmoiled seasons ever (unless you include the Alexei Yashin - Alexandre Daigle draft years, which far outweigh this). But still, it's really terrible that they fell off like this. If GM Bryan Murray doesn't get rid of Ray Emery and Wade Redden this summer, I'm rooting for another team, because those two in particular are the ones who caused this downfall.

Now down 3-0 in the series to Pittsburgh, I have no choice but to root for someone. The Detroit Red Wings are really good, as are the San Jose Sharks, so I both see them going far. In the East, both Pittsburgh and Montreal (bleh) seemed to be the most talented to win that conference.

Overall, I think we'll see a Detroit - Pittsburgh final. At this point, it's hard to tell who would come out on top, as both teams are really good.

 

[dtrain24]

Matchup-Penguins vs Rangers
PredictionPenguins in 6. They have Crosby and Fleury! But, the Rangers just beat the Devils in 5, but the Pens swept the Senators in 4! I think the Penguins got it.
Penguins lead 1-0

Matchup- Flyers vs Canadiens
Prediction- I'd have to go with the Flyers in 7. Biron is awesome against the Caps, but the Canadiens are great also. But the Bruins survived 7 games, and almost won the last game as well. Close, but I'd say the Flyers in 7.
Canadiens lead 1-0

Matchup- Sharks vs Stars
Prediction- Sharks in 6 or 7. Both tough teams, and fabulous goalies. (Nabokov and Turco). I still think the Sharks will muster the series out. They have Cheechoo, Thornton, and Marleau!
Stars lead 1-0

Matchup- Red Wings vs Avalanche
Prediction- Red Wings in 4 or 5. Their just a far better team overall. Avalanche are good, but don't stand a chance against the Red Wings.
Red wings lead series 1-0.