Eastern Conference Playoffs..., Round one! | Kev316's Blog

A while back I predicted the top 8 in the Eastern Conference and ended up 7/8 (thanks Carolina!) Anyway, with the playoffs a day away, I thought I'd predict the winners of the first round. I know, it's been done to death but I had an extended weekend off and just got back from Northern Ontario..., four days of nothing but relaxing and thinking about my favorite time of year, the playoffs!

1) Boston vs 8) Montreal - a replay of last years first round but the roles are reversed. I picked Boston a while ago to win the East..., their goaltending is better than Montreal's, their defense is tougher and with Savard, Kessel and Wheeler hitting the net a lot, this series isn't the matchup I think Montreal wanted. Price is not, I repeat, not the answer to the Montreal Canadiens and Thomas and Fernandez (Jennings trophy winners) can stop anything headed their way. And with Markov out for the first round and maybe beyond..., Boston wins this series.

Boston in 5

2) Washington vs 7) New York Rangers - I like this matchup. The Rangers have been playing better since Tortorella came on board and their acquisition of Antropov at the deadline was underrated. But still..., the Caps have Ovechkin and Green and I think that may be enough to get them through to round two. It'll be a long series..., Lundqvist has to steal a couple for the Rangers for them to have a shot. Redden, Morris and that defense won't be enough to stop Ovechkin, Semin and Green, especially in a long series like this one is shaping up to be.

Washington in 7

3) New Jersey vs 6) Carolina - I am going with Carolina in this one..., call it a hunch but I think Maurice has his Hurricanes playing hotter than ever lately and Cam Ward is getting into a groove. A lot of people I know are taking Jersey for Brodeur but, since he got his win record, he hasn't always played up to the hype. Don't get me wrong here..., I like Brodeur but if Carolina can score quickly and build momentum, this series will be over. Staal is one of the better centers in the league and if he can start off well, it'll put a lot of pressure on Brodeur and that Jersey defense to come up big, creating mistakes that will end up as goals.

Carolina in 6

4) Pittsburgh vs 5) Philadelphia - My Pens nearly gave me a heart attack earlier in the season but now I am good. They're in the playoffs, have home ice and against the hated Flyers..., this is going to be a close one. Crosby and Malkin vs Richards and Carter is going to be awesome and I am going with the Pens..., I'd rather take Fleury over Biron in goal and even with the loss of Whitney to the Ducks, the Pens have a better defense than the Flyers. Crosby always seems to bring his A game to the ice for this season and it won't be any different and Kunitz and Guerin will contribute for this team. Philadelphia's relying on Carter and Richards but it won't be enough..., when they exit in the first round, blame their goaltender.

Pittsburgh in 6

This is how I see the first round of the Eastern Conference..., enjoy the playoffs.