Eastern Conference Playoff Picks

1. Washington Capitals vs. 8. Montreal Canadiens

In an unfortunate turn of events, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves facing Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in round 1. Due to a late push from the 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal was forced into facing the Presidents’ Trophy winners.

Led of course by Alexander Ovechkin, Washington dominated the league in the 2009-2010 season. Suspecting many to believe that this is indeed the team of the new decade. They have some of the best scoring depth and balance in the league and they are not just a one-man show anymore.

Mike Green also has been a force on the blueline throughout his young career and often jumps in on the offense as well. It appears now as if all of their talent will hit their primes in unison. The only question mark could be where it matters most actually, in the between the pipes. Jose Theodore will start the series for Bruce Boudreau, but who is to say that Semyon Varlamov will not finish (as it occurred last season against the New York Rangers in game 1.) Yet, there is much more riding on this season for an emotionally-charged Theodore who lost his infant son in the off-season.

Montreal is riding the wave of a hot net minder right now and surprisingly enough, his name is not Carey Price. Jaroslav Halak has been the best goalie down the stretch and if he continues to do so, Montreal may challenge Washington. While it will take far more than this to put their backs-to-the-wall, anything is possible when a goalie is playing out of his mind like Halak is currently. Montreal has scoring depth, and will need a lot of it to win this series. Their main aspects will be Halak and a shutdown defense in front of him because quite frankly, there is no reason to get into a high-scoring affair with Washington.

The first 2 games of the series will be rather telling. Washington boasts the league’s best home record. If Montreal can halt Washington at home, they immediately boost their chances of taking the series. This though is easier said than done as the Caps have lost only 11 games at The MCI Center this season. Caps in 6.

2. New Jersey Devils vs. 7. Philadelphia Flyers

This could very well be the best series of the 1st round of play. Brian Boucher is the key to this entire series. He does not necessarily need to steal games or even outplay Martin Brodeur (we are not holding our breath waiting to see that.) He just has to make key saves when they count and be steady all the way around for Philadelphia. And for those that do not recognize the head-to-head stats are foolish. Trust me!

Once he arrived in Philadelphia, Head Coach Peter Laviolette’s plan was put into place to make teams like New Jersey second guess their blueprint. Laviolette has out-coached Jacques Lemaire, hell, I’ll go as far as to say that his team has outworked the Devils this season. Laviolette has the “system” guys that are playoff-built and can pass the test that the trap defense presents.

Chris Pronger is a major player for Philadelphia. While he may not always be able to oppose Devil sniper Ilya Kovalchuk, he can make his shifts miserable when they do match up. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards need to be the leaders that will push their club into The Eastern Conference Semifinals. Yet, keep in mind that Jersey is not thin on leadership by any means.

This will be an interestingly, physically draining best-of-seven set with the winner being the squad that makes fewer mistakes. Philadelphia may have actually engraved fear/doubt into the 20 heads of the New Jersey locker room. If the Flyers are able to apply the psychological game to the series, it will be an obvious swing their way. For the first time in a long time, maybe (EVER!) facing New Jersey is not a nightmare for the Broad St. Bullies.

New Jersey plays a very disciplined system while the Flyers play quite physical and often take boneheaded, uncharacteristic penalties. Welcome Scott Hartnell! Even though New Jersey’s Power Play has not been a threat, there is no reason to give them a chance with a man advantage. Flyers in 6.

3. Buffalo Sabres vs. 6 Boston Bruins

Ryan Miller can steal games during this time of year and may have to against divisional rival Boston. Opposing Miller will be Finnish sensation Tuuka Rask, the league leader in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage. Miller, the goalie who lead Team U.S.A. to within one shot of an Olympic Gold, has been the NHL’s best this season. Miller should finally be able to claim the Vezina Trophy as his own this season (crazy to think that Tim Thomas, now Boston‘s backup took home that piece of hardware last season.)

Buffalo is a team with much offensive weaponry that should have the firepower to make some noise in the playoffs this time around. Their leading scorer Derek Roy has evolved over the past few years into a formidable option as an offensive threat. While Buffalo has not fully recovered over losing co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere a few summers ago, they are back playing post-season hockey thanks to Miller’s play.

The Bruins are a team that has been trying to form its own identity all along. They do not have the scoring to contend with many teams in the league, but they will stay with Buffalo thanks to Rask and their tenacious defense. They are not naïve enough to think that they can score with other teams, so it is no longer a part of their gameplan. Their defense is sufficient enough for them and could possibly win them a series.

This would most likely work against anybody but Miller. Many may not believe this but this may be an epic series and a defensive struggle for seven games. It should be thisclose and if Rask is willing to go shot-for-shot with Miller, it very well could be just thatclose. Sabres in 7.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh’s two missiles are locked, loaded and ready to launch at any time. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, fresh off of a Stanley Cup title, are two of the best players in the league and once again, the Pens go as far as this terrific duo leads them. While they were not quite as dominant as they were a season ago, they remain a force to be reckoned with in a wide open East. Now they face a 1st round test with an Ottawa Senator team that is thin on depth, yet play well together as a unit.

Ottawa continues to be engineered by Captain Daniel Alfredsson, one of the best leaders in the sport. But if they are going to succeed in this series, they are going to need Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek to step up greatly, especially in the absence of the well-seasoned Russian Alexei Kovalev. Mike Fisher remains one of the top grinders in the game and now is the Sens’ leading goal-scorer as well. Mr. Carrie Underwood (Fisher) must continue to add to his career year.

Marc Andre Fleury, he who has not been the same since the Olympics, must return to his past playoff forms if Pittsburgh is going to return to the Finals for a 3rd consecutive time. Brian Elliott, not the Sens’ offense could be the beneficiary of Fleury’s troubles in this series. The emergent Elliott does not need to steal games in this series, rather his being able to be more steady and consistent than Fleury ought to be sufficient enough.

Then, on second thought, the Sens will need a lot to contain the Pens’ explosive offense, not just Malkin and Crosby. Pittsburgh’s machine is among the best in the league around this time of year and they will not be stopped, their depth is unsurpassed as they boast numerous scoring lines. This series will be determined by which goaltender falters ultimately since Fleury’s poor play as of late, but even so, Pittsburgh’s firepower will be too much in the end. Pens in 6.