Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions

The 82 games are through. The Olympic break has come and gone. The quest for the most historic trophy in pro sports is upon us, at last.

Questions, both old and new, loom. Can Pittsburgh defend their title? Will San Jose finally sack up? Who's the favorite in the ever-competitive Western Conference? Can the Capitals win a cup employing their run-and-gun style?

All of these questions will be answered. Stars will emerge. Third-liners will become household names. Goalies will steal the show. As the current NHL promotion goes, "history will be made."

Here's who I like to emerge victorious from the first round...

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

On paper, this may seem like an easy call. The Caps have amassed 15 more wins and 33 more points than their first round foe. But, as we saw last year when the Rangers took the Caps to seven games, playoff games aren't played on paper. The Habs sport excellent goaltending in the form of Jaroslav Halak, a decent one-two punch down the middle with Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez, and a power play that is second only to Bruce Boudreau's squad. Washington will need to a) stay out of the box, and b) improve on their 25th ranked penalty kill. Montreal is a sub-standard team at even-strength - if this series is played at even-strength, Montreal should get worked. It will be largely upon the shoulders of Halak and Andrei Markov to see to it that Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and Mike Green are "contained" - there's no chance a team like Montreal can shut them down, but they can certainly slow them down. Speaking of Mike Green, it will be interesting to see if he can improve on his abysmal post-season performance from a year ago.

Prediction: The Habs are able to muster a couple of wins, despite being outplayed in each and every game of the series. At the end of the day, Halak won't be enough to cover up Montreal's even strength deficiencies.

Outcome: Washington in six.

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

What would the first round be without a good, old fashioned Atlantic Division showdown? The Devils appear to be poised to contend for Lord Stanley's Cup with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk, the return of Paul Martin, and the securitization of the second spot in the East. The Flyers, on the other hand, have had a regular season that nobody could've seen coming. The addition of Chris Pronger - who has been, by and far, their top player this season - was supposed to make the Flyers a Stanley Cup favorite, not a team that needed a shootout win on the last day of the season just to get an invitation to the spring dance. But, the Flyers have the tools in place to wreak some havoc. Pronger will log big minutes on the backend for Philly - you can bet that one of him or Kimmo Timonen will be on the ice at nearly all times. For the Flyers to upend the Devils, they'll need great performances upfront from Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, and a Herculean effort from Brian Boucher in between the pipes. Righting the ship with the man-advantage certainly wouldn't hurt, either. For the Devils, the recipe for success is simple. Clog up the neutral zone, feast off of turnovers, and push the Flyers into situations where they'll be forced to take foolish penalties. Zach Parise will find a way to make a difference, regardless of Pronger's presence. Will Martin Brodeur show the hockey world that he's still capable of coming up big in big situations - something he's failed to do lately, both in the playoffs and the Olympics? I think he will.

Prediction: The Flyers find themselves in deep doo doo with a parade to the penalty box. The Devils clog up the neutral zone and feast off of turnovers. Pronger's had a heckuva season, but I think he's past the point where he can single-handedly carry a team in the playoffs.

Outcome: New Jersey in five.

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

If you're a big fan of 1-0 and 2-1 hard fought, tight checking games, this series should be just the ticket. The Sabres and Bruins are very similar teams - both boast great goaltending (Ryan Miller vs. Tuukka Rask), as well as a hulking defenseman leading the charge from the back-end (Tyler Myers vs. Zdeno Chara). The main difference comes in the form of scoring. The Sabres rank tenth in goals for, while the Bruins rank dead last in the entire NHL. The Bruins leading goal scorer is Marco Sturm. Mark Recchi, at 42 years young, is legitimately one of their go-to-guys up front. If the Bruins advance to round two, expect Chara, Rask, and Patrice Bergeron to bring their A-game. Buffalo will need to keep doing what they've been doing all season, which is receive top-end goaltending from probable Vezina Trophy Winner Ryan Miller, and get well-rounded scoring up-and-down the lineup. It will be interesting to see how underachieving forwards Tomas Vanek and Michael Ryder, who both enter the playoffs coming off of some hot games, fair throughout the series. The Sabres need Vanek to produce if they have any hope of emerging from the Eastern Conference. The Bruins, who will be in tough to score against Lindy Ruff's Club, need some production from their disappointing sniper.

Prediction: A lot of one goal and overtime games. I expect both clubs to show up and perform, but the Sabres are simply more talented.

Outcome: Buffalo in six.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

The Pens' defense of their 2009 Stanley Cup Championship will begin against a team that has surpassed the majority of the hockey world's expectations coming into this season. Cory Clouston has done an excellent job of bringing his players together, and getting them to buy into his system built around strong team defense. Daniel Alfredsson has been consistent from Day One, as usual, Jason Spezza has performed excellently since returning from his seemingly yearly bout with an injury, and Mike Fisher has enjoyed his best season as an NHLer. You can count on Alfredsson, Spezza, Fisher, Chris Phillips, and Anton Volchenkov showing up to compete. What will be interesting to see is how goaltender Brian Elliot and 19-year old defenseman Erik Karlsson perform. Elliot will need to come up with his fair share of big saves against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin & Co, while Karlsson will need to continue to be a game-changer, both offensively and defensively, from the blue line. For the Penguins, everything seems to be falling into place. Crosby - my bid for the Hart Trophy - has been playing like a man possessed over the Pens' most recent stretch of games, Malkin and Sergei Gonchar are back from injury, and the recently acquired Jordan Leopold has done a solid job of shoring up the Pittsburgh backend. So long as the Penguins are throwing out Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Staal down the middle, it's hard to pick against them.

Prediction: The combination of Crosby, Malkin, and Staal becomes too much for Ottawa to handle. Staal's line will limit what Ottawa's top guns are able to do offensively, and Crosby will continue to play at his best.

Outcome: Pittsburgh in five.

Check in soon for my Western Conference predictions, as well as my pick for this year's Stanley Cup Champ.

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, Oh No It's the Wings

With 12 days left in the NHL Regular Season, the Flyers, Habs, Bruins, Thrashers, and Rangers find themselves jockeying for the final three spots to the spring formal.

The Bruins, Thrashers, and Rangers were all able to grind out huge wins last night. Nik Antropov came up big for Atlanta - as has been much case for John Anderson's club all season long - and scored the game-winner in the third period against his former mates in Toronto. For the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron - their top forward by a wide margin this season - was able to propel the B's past the Devils 1-0 in the extra session. Meanwhile, the Rangers were able to shake off a disgusting first period performance to top the rival Islanders 4-3.

Philadelphia, Montreal, and Boston currently hold the enviable sixth, seventh, and eight playoff spots. Each team has 82 points with six games remaining. Atlanta sits two points out with five games left, while the Rangers remain four points back with six games to go.

Of Atlanta and New York, you'd have to think the Rangers have the best shot of overtaking one of the three squads with 82 points. The Thrashers remaining schedule features two games against Washington, two games against Pittsburgh, and one contest against the Devils - Ouch. The Rangers next four games feature Tampa Bay (14th), Florida (12th), Buffalo (3rd), and Toronto (15th), before finishing the season with what should be a two-game playoff series against the Flyers.

Let's be real - if the Rangers can't come away with at least three wins in their next four, they don't deserve to get into the playoffs. The Rangers don't need to be scoreboard watchers if (big if) they can just take care of their own business. Their schedule sets up well - no excuses anymore.

While the absence of Ryan Callahan and Sean Avery could be devastating down the stretch, it's been great to see P.A. Parenteau bringing a much needed spark to the Rangers lineup. But, like John Tortorella said after the Leafs game, if Parenteau is one of his top forwards each night, the Blueshirts are in trouble...

First, it was "are they too old?" Then, it was "will they even make the playoffs." Now, the only question left is "how high will they finish?"

Detroit is healthy, well situated in net, and has run roughshod over their opponents upon seeing many of their previously injured players step out of the infirmary and back onto the ice. They are 9-0-1 in their last ten, are currently sporting a six-game winning streak, and are in a great position to finish as high as fifth in the Western Conference, which would most likely result in a first round matchup against the Coyotes.

A closer look at how Detroit has faired against the top four teams in the Western Conference proves that the Wings are still a sure-fire contender: Detroit is 10-3-4 against the Sharks, Hawks, 'Nucks, and 'Yotes.

Anytime you need to go up against a team over the course of a seven-game series and they can throw out Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg down the middle and Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, and Niklas Kronwall on the back-end you're in a for an uphill dog fight. One big difference this season, too - they've received excellence and consistency in net thanks to Jimmy Howard.

Don't discount Detroit.

Rangers Still in the Hunt, Top-Eight All but Set out West, Mueller Not Taking Any Days off in Colorado

Just when it was beginning to look like they were done, the Rangers found a way to pull themselves back up. Now - believe it, or not - the Broadway Blueshirts control their own destiny. (*EDIT - Technically they don't control their own destiny since Atlanta is ahead of them, but I think it's safe to say Atlanta won't win out.)

With the Flyers 4-1 loss to the Penguins earlier this afternoon, The Rangers find themselves five points back of Philadelphia with a game in hand. While the Bruins have the same number of points as the Flyers, it's beginning to look as if the Flyers are the squad the Rangers will be chasing. Why? The Rangers will take on the Flyers in a home and home in their final two games of the season.

If the Rangers can find a way to beat the Maple Leafs tonight, the Rangers will be three points behind the Flyers. Theoretically, if they were to win out (which would see the Flyers lose their final two games of the season), they're in, guaranteed.

Now this may sound pretty good in theory for John Tortorella's Club, but you better believe this will be a difficult uphill climb.

Chris Drury needs to continue his excellent post-Olympic play (and by the way, how about "Dru" coming up with the biggest goal of the Rangers' season to push their Thursday night game with the Devils into overtime? Simply clutch). Sean Avery needs to continue toeing the line while employing his shenanigans. Ryan Callahan, who will miss tonight's game, needs to get healthy. Marian Gaborik needs to up his level of play, healthy, or not (no way he's remotely healthy - I'd put him at 75%, tops). And, it goes without saying; Henrik Lundqvist will need to be Tortorella's best player.

As inconsistent and frustrating as the Rangers' play has been this season, I can't help but tip my hat to the team's ability to come up with two big wins to stay in the hunt...

With Calgary's ugly 5-0 loss to the Bruins earlier this afternoon, it appears as if the divide between the top eight and bottom seven teams in the Western Conference can be drawn in permanent marker.

The streaking eighth-place Red Wings (four straight wins) now command a five-point lead over the ninth-place Flames, and also hold a game in hand.

So much for Jay Bouwmeester getting his first taste of post-season action this season, huh?

While the top-eight teams may be shoe-ins, nearly all the seedings are still very much up in the air. The Predators (5th), Kings (6th), Avalanche (7th), and Wings (8th) are separated by all of two points. San Jose (1st), Chicago (2nd), and Phoenix (4th) are also separated by just two points, and will continue to battle for the top spot in the Conference down the stretch...

How does Joe Sacco's Club do it? Chris Stewart. Brandon Yip. T.J. Galiardi. 18-year olds Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly.

The number of young Avalanche players that have busted out this season is simply dumbfounding. Seriously, I'm beginning to think I could sign with the Avalanche and put up numbers.

Trade deadline acquisition Peter Mueller has been the latest addition to this enviable trend.

After posting just four goals and 17 points in 54 games with the 'Yotes, Mueller has exploded for five goals and 15 points in 11 games while playing alongside Duchene on the Avs' "second" line. The eighth overall pick in the 2006 draft has been able to regain some confidence and swagger, and it's resulted in points in 13 of the 15 games he has played in an Avalanche Sweater.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Joe Sacco's propensity to put young players in positions to succeed, while also maximizing their contributions to the team is something special.

The Wild, Wild West: Why the Western Conference Is Wide Open

"Had to find some higher ground.
Had some fear to get around.
You can say what you don't know.
Later on won't work no more.
Last time through I hid my tracks.
So well I could not get back.
Yeah my way was hard to find.
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind.
Square one, my slate is clear.
Rest your head on me my dear.
It took a world of trouble, took a world of tears.
It took a long time to get back here."
- Square One, Tom Petty

This year's road through the West to Lord Stanley's Cup is riddled with questions, mystery, and unexpected roadblocks.

Over the last couple of years, handicapping the Western Conference has been a piece of cake.

There was Detroit and everybody else. Questions would loom about the Sharks ability to perform come spring, while a handful of other teams would linger behind the Wings.

This year is a different story. Detroit is older, has been riddled with injuries, and is currently just hoping to hold onto a playoff spot. San Jose is facing the same old questions, and are also winless over their last six games. Chicago has a big year of playoff experience under their belt, and although they suffered some recent injuries, are still arguably the top team out West. Young upstart squads - Los Angeles, Colorado, and the Coyotes (who are riding an unbelievable nine game winning streak) - have enjoyed great seasons, and should see their first playoff action in some time. Vancouver boasts top-shelf goaltending as well as the top scoring team in the Western Conference (who saw that coming?). The Predators are one of the toughest opponents in the NHL, and boast a league best nine players with 30 or more points.

And those on the outside looking in - Calgary, St. Louis, Anaheim, and Minnesota - are far from walk-over's.

But, every team has some big concerns. Can the Hawks overcome questionable goaltending? Will Phoenix be able to ramp it up and score enough goals in a playoff atmosphere? Can the Canucks overcome some defensive injuries and continue to get well-rounded scoring? Is San Jose going to finally shake their playoff demons? Can Nashville score enough goals consistently? Does Los Angeles have enough experience? Can the Avs continue to employ their "bend but not break" approach successfully? Does Detroit have enough left in the tank for a long playoff run?

If the playoffs were to start today, we'd be looking at these four matchups:

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (8) Detroit Red Wings
(2) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (7) Colorado Avalanche
(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings
(4) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Nashville Predators

Are any of these matchups easy to project? A healthy Detroit team that finally has some goaltending versus a Hawks team that has taken some hits on defense and boasts a duo of questionable tenders? Two inexperienced teams (Phoenix and Colorado) who have both been successful in tight games throughout the season? A tough-skinned Canucks squad against a young, well balanced team (Kings) who dominates along the boards? A Sharks team (winless in six) going in one direction and a Predators team (five-game winning streak) heading in the other?

The one thing I can guarantee - watching the eight Western Conference Playoff teams duke it out is going to be a treat.

Big Weekend for the Rangers, Poor Colin Campbell

It's the worst sight any non-Ranger fan can lay eyes on.

Sean Avery throwing his patented "celly" to the Garden faithful, both hands pumping to the sky, a slight grin on that face that oh so many players would love to throw a fist into.

But for Rangers fans, the above picture is Picasso-esque.

Coming off of a healthy scratch the game before, Avery brought one of his best games of the season to the Garden ice on Sunday, scoring two goals, drawing three penalties, taking one penalty, and bringing a whole bunch of nasty to the table against the Flyers.

And for that, kudos to John Tortorella.

Without Avery in the lineup, the Rangers came storming out of the gate against the Thrashers on Friday - it was a must win for the Rangers, and they sure played like it. They worked their tails off, drew some Atlanta penalties early, and capitalized.

On Sunday, Tortorella got just what he wanted from Avery, along with another excellent performance from the team as a whole. The Olympics did wonders for the confidence of Chris Drury, who picked up four assists on the weekend while continuing his great play defensively, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. The Rangers Captain has found his groove playing on the right wing, and has seemed to gain back some of his "mojo" playing the front of the net on the Rangers' top power play unit.

Wade Redden - yes, that bum - played arguably his two best games of the season. Redden is a plus seven over his last nine games, and was able to eliminate any "five star" mistakes from his game this weekend.

The Rangers are getting contributions up and down the lineup, have seemed to find the right line combinations, and have seen their agitator get back to his agitating ways. If the Rangers can carry this momentum forward - including their big game tonight against the Canadiens - they can become a formidable opponent down the stretch. It's also worth noting that the eighth place Bruins will be without their top offensive player, Marc Savard, for the season, and have also lost their last two contests.

I don't want to get my hopes up (let's be honest, would anybody be surprised if the Rangers laid an egg tonight versus Montreal?), but this weekend was very, very encouraging for the Broadway Blueshirts...

I've been critical of Colin Campbell a lot over the past. So have everyone else, media, teams, and fans, alike.

But of late, I have to admit I've grown a little sympathetic to the guy. Let's start with the Matt Cooke hit. Simply put, the hit was not a suspendable offense under the current NHL rules. The hit was dirty, malicious, and we all know what Cooke was after, but it was a shoulder check to a player that didn't break any rules. And yet, seemingly every member of the media is calling for a suspension. Some have had said they should've suspended Cooke under "intent to injury," while others have made up various other reasons to suspend the Pittsburgh agitator.

The Cooke hit was a black-eye for hockey (wish I had a dime every time I said "black-eye for hockey"), but the bottom line is it was within the rules, precedent had been set (Mike Richards on David Booth), and there were zero grounds for suspension.

And yet, the ridicule still poured in.

I can understand the animosity towards Cooke - I'm not a Bruins fan and I still wanted to hop through my television set and jump the little scumbag - but you can't suspend a player who doesn't break any rules.

Things got worse this weekend. Alex Ovechkin absolutely rocked Brian Campbell, sending him to the infirmary, and now word is out that he is done for the season with a broken collarbone and broken ribs. Everyone has an opinion, and funny thing, they are all different! Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire thought the hit didn't warrant a game misconduct. Over on TSN, Matthew Barnaby and Bob McKenzie were happy with the two game suspension handed out. Darren Dreger wanted three or four games.

So here's the situation Colin Campbell faces. Arguably your most marketable player just got ejected from a game. Many in the media are condemning the hit, labeling Ovechkin as dirty, wreckless, and a player in need of a lesson. Others maintain that the hit wasn't that bad, and was a result of Campbell turning weirdly and Ovechkin just being ridiculously strong. He's already been suspended once this season, but because half a season passed (41 games) since, he's no longer listed as a "repeat offender." And to make matters worse, the player Ovechkin hit looks to be done for at least the regular season. Plus, you just suspended a player (Maxim Lapierre) four games for a hit that many people find eerily similar, despite the fact that they definitely aren't.

It's a no win situation. Any decision Campbell makes is going to piss off people who already hate your guts (not that this previous malcontent isn't at least some what...err, very...warranted).

I saw the hit live. I've watched it at least 15 times since. I still cannot make up my mind whether the hit was suspendable or not. Live, I said no chance, that Campbell knew he was there and just maneuvered weirdly, and that Ovechkin shouldn't be punished for being ridiculously strong. On the other hand, it does seem to be from the back, and it was fairly reckless by Ovechkin to finish his hit with Campbell in that position.

Talk about shades of gray.

But, my sympathy for Colin Campbell came and went after hearing that Steve Downie wouldn't be suspended for his leg-lock takedown of Sidney Crosby.

Downie clearly, clearly is trying to hurt Crosby in this situation. If Crosby was hurt, I'd bet any amount of money Downie would've gotten the book thrown at him, as has been his case in the past. We are talking about a player who was suspended 20 NHL games before ever playing an NHL regular season game.

Guessing whether or not a player is going to be suspended or not, and for how long, has become virtually impossible. Here's hoping we can talk about hockey for the rest of the season - not this crap.