Apr 15 2009
NHL Playoff Preview - Round 1 - Part 1
Image from www.thehogs.net
NY Rangers (7) vs. Washington Capitals (2) - The Rangers did everything in their power down the stretch to choke away a playoff spot until the last few games, but the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers couldn’t take advantage. Meanwhile, the Capitals have been solid throughout the season, overtaking the Devils for the 2 spot during NJ’s late season slide. This series is actually not necessarily a bad matchup for the Rangers, as their strengths match the Capitals strengths. And ordinarily, I’d take Henrik Lundqvist over the Varmalov/Theodore pair in a heartbeat. But I can’t bring myself to pick against the powerhouse Caps offense, and frankly, I think they’ll make pretty quick work of the Rangers despite the goaltending disparity. Caps in 5.
Image from www.cbc.ca/sports
NJ Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6) - The Hurricanes enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NHL, carrying a 13-3-2 record through the last 18 games. The Devils meanwhile, stumbled their way down the stretch, fumbling away the 2 spot in the process. Simple recipe for a Hurricanes upset, right? Wrong. The Devils may have looked unsteady down the stretch, but they are a completely different team once the playoffs begin. And as good as Cam Ward has been in the second half of the season, I’m willing to bet that in a playoff series against Martin Brodeur, Ward blinks first. The Canes will battle, but Devils in 6.
Image from http://farm1.static.flickr.com
Philadelphia Flyers (5) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4) - Two teams going completely opposite directions recently. The Penguings were destined to miss the playoffs until Dan Bylsma replaced Michael Therrien behind the bench. Now they enter the playoffs on a tear, moving from the 11 spot to the 4 spot in that span. Meanwhile, the Flyers looked like a lock for the 4 spot for a long time, until they stumbled down the stretch and fell below the Pens. Not exactly the way you want to head into the real important part of the season. But, this is Penguins vs. Flyers. Throw the records out the window, because it’s going to be a war for the ages, as it always is between these teams. While the Flyers will put up a serious fight, the Pens offense will be too much for the Flyers. Penguins in 7.
Image from http://cache.boston.com
St. Louis Blues (6) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3) - Two of the NHL’s hottest teams in the second half of the season meet here. The Blues were close enough to dead to be considered a possible seller as late as the trade deadline, while the Canucks spent the entire season firmly behind the Flames in the Northwest Division until a late surge timed perfectly with a Calgary slump to hand the Canucks the division crown. The Canucks have the edge in experience and goaltending, while the Blues have better special teams and youthful exuberance on their side. In a playoff series that is reasonably even, I’ll take the youthful exuberance to pull out that one extra game. Blues in 7.
The Canucks cannot be stopped! They’re going to handle the Blues, handily.
-Head
Well, so far you’re right.
But that’s why they play (up to) seven games. We’ll see how it shakes out in the end.
Since my (lousy) Sabres didn’t make the dance, I’ve adopted the Blues. So I had to pick them regardless. But I really think they can pull it off.