When it comes to predicting the Eastern Conference series, it's safe to say upsets probably will not occur. The division leaders and the Penguins are just too strong against the other four teams. They've had consistency all year the top four teams are going into the playoffs with 5 or more wins in their final ten games. So, let me break down my predictions and my personal analysis of each series.
[1]Washington Capitals vs. [8]Montreal Canadiens
Washington finished the year on top of the NHL with the most goals for, points, and wins. The team also finished first on the power play with a stunning 25.2 per cent, almost 3.5 per cent better than second place, which happens to be the Canadiens. Many have criticized the Capitals goaltending as insufficient for a long playoff run, but both Theodore and Varlamov have comparable statistics to Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh). Experience is the only real difference between Fleury and the Caps goalies.
It's honestly tough to believe the Habs have a chance at taking down the NHL's President's Award winners, but if there's a will, there's a way. Although the regular season goals allowed by both teams is only a difference of 10, recent play by Halak has shown he is the new number one goaltender in Montreal, at least until he makes a mistake in the playoffs. The Habs will only win if they can outscore the Capitals on the special teams, and making sure they limit the power play chances they give to the Capitals.
With that said, the Capitals should easily take this series in 5. I'm giving Montreal credit they can win one game here. Washington's fire power, at least for the first round, will prove an asset and will overcome any goaltending issues. Goals will be scored in this series and I will be betting the over every time.
[2]New Jersey Devils vs. [7]Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils have the best goalie in NHL history. Enough said! Well, that would have been what most would have said about the Devils in previous years, but this year the team added some fire power in Kovalchuk, and Parise and Zajac continue to produce offensively on the Devils. Langenbrunner is a perennial point-producer in the playoffs as well, and could very well be among the points leaders at the end of the first round.
The only way the Flyers can win this series is if their goalie, Boucher, can out duel Brodeur. Good luck with that. The Flyers are capable of scoring, but seem to take a lot of penalties. They are fortunate that the Devils power play is ranked in the middle of the league, however, that doesn't mean the Flyers will get away with it. The team needs to stay out of the box to increase their offensive chances. Richards who leads the league in face-off percentage (according to TSN) will provide the team with ample offensive zone wins, but they must crash the net and do what the Americans did against Brodeur in the Olympics. One other positive note is that the Flyers won the season series 6-2, but I do not expect that to translate into playoff wins.
Sadly, as a Flyers fan, I expect a very low-scoring series with the Devils winning in 6.
[3]Buffalo Sabres vs. [6]Boston Bruins
Olympic team mates Thomas and Miller will face each other in the playoffs in the first round, that is, if Thomas gets to start. Rask has been playing well enough and the team may end up going with the youngen. Buffalo's offense is average, but goaltending is spectacular. Both teams boast great penalty killing, ranked second and third.
Boston on the other hand has very little to talk about. Lowest scoring team (second to Calgary HAHAHA!) going against one of the best goalies in the league and although Rask has the best save percentage in the league, can he sustain that in the playoffs? Their best player, Savard, will not be in the line up and that equates to a short playoff journey. At least the team can celebrate a second overall draft pick, including another first rounder.
Defense will be the theme of this series, or is it a lack of offense... either or, Buffalo takes this series in 6. No Savard, no win. Bet under for each game. I wouldn't be surprised if each game is less than 4 goals, and hitting 4 with empty netters.
[4]Pittsburgh Penguins vs. [5]Ottawa Senators
It's too early to tell, but this will be the best series in the East. Two great teams going into the playoffs with good records and tonnes of confidence.
The Penguins have a lot of talent, but goaltending has been inconsistent this year. Fleury's play at the start proved the playoff hangover was a myth, but as the season wore on, we saw Fleury become a little more human. The team has enough offense to win games, but Fleury needs to step up his game if the Pens want to repeat. The team has Crosby and Malkin, who seem to be playing inspired hockey. The Pens also have the best third line in the league and will be able to get secondary scoring.
The Senators will have to prove many that they deserve to be in the second round and must resolve their problems. First, the team has lost Kovalev, and a goalie who has very little NHL experience, let alone NHL playoff games. The team's lack of success on the road will also be an issue. If they continue to lose on the road, they can not expect to win in the playoffs, especially when they do not have home-ice advantage.
For the Senators skill and potential, this series will end in 6, with their away games being extremely embarrassing. Expect a lot of scoring as well, so betting over might be best.
Well, those are my final predictions for the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. The playoffs start tomorrow, so let's hope they are great. Have any thoughts on my predictions? Post them up please.
2010 NHL Playoff Predictions: Eastern Conference Quarter Finals
The race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference proved to be one of the most exciting and dramatic finishes I have experienced. To see the Flyers win the shoot out to eliminate the Rangers and lift their team into the final playoff spot was intense. But, now the race is over, and it is time for these teams to settle down and aim for the Stanley Cup.
When it comes to predicting the Eastern Conference series, it's safe to say upsets probably will not occur. The division leaders and the Penguins are just too strong against the other four teams. They've had consistency all year the top four teams are going into the playoffs with 5 or more wins in their final ten games. So, let me break down my predictions and my personal analysis of each series.
[1]Washington Capitals vs. [8]Montreal Canadiens
Washington finished the year on top of the NHL with the most goals for, points, and wins. The team also finished first on the power play with a stunning 25.2 per cent, almost 3.5 per cent better than second place, which happens to be the Canadiens. Many have criticized the Capitals goaltending as insufficient for a long playoff run, but both Theodore and Varlamov have comparable statistics to Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh). Experience is the only real difference between Fleury and the Caps goalies.
It's honestly tough to believe the Habs have a chance at taking down the NHL's President's Award winners, but if there's a will, there's a way. Although the regular season goals allowed by both teams is only a difference of 10, recent play by Halak has shown he is the new number one goaltender in Montreal, at least until he makes a mistake in the playoffs. The Habs will only win if they can outscore the Capitals on the special teams, and making sure they limit the power play chances they give to the Capitals.
With that said, the Capitals should easily take this series in 5. I'm giving Montreal credit they can win one game here. Washington's fire power, at least for the first round, will prove an asset and will overcome any goaltending issues. Goals will be scored in this series and I will be betting the over every time.
[2]New Jersey Devils vs. [7]Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils have the best goalie in NHL history. Enough said! Well, that would have been what most would have said about the Devils in previous years, but this year the team added some fire power in Kovalchuk, and Parise and Zajac continue to produce offensively on the Devils. Langenbrunner is a perennial point-producer in the playoffs as well, and could very well be among the points leaders at the end of the first round.
The only way the Flyers can win this series is if their goalie, Boucher, can out duel Brodeur. Good luck with that. The Flyers are capable of scoring, but seem to take a lot of penalties. They are fortunate that the Devils power play is ranked in the middle of the league, however, that doesn't mean the Flyers will get away with it. The team needs to stay out of the box to increase their offensive chances. Richards who leads the league in face-off percentage (according to TSN) will provide the team with ample offensive zone wins, but they must crash the net and do what the Americans did against Brodeur in the Olympics. One other positive note is that the Flyers won the season series 6-2, but I do not expect that to translate into playoff wins.
Sadly, as a Flyers fan, I expect a very low-scoring series with the Devils winning in 6.
[3]Buffalo Sabres vs. [6]Boston Bruins
Olympic team mates Thomas and Miller will face each other in the playoffs in the first round, that is, if Thomas gets to start. Rask has been playing well enough and the team may end up going with the youngen. Buffalo's offense is average, but goaltending is spectacular. Both teams boast great penalty killing, ranked second and third.
Boston on the other hand has very little to talk about. Lowest scoring team (second to Calgary HAHAHA!) going against one of the best goalies in the league and although Rask has the best save percentage in the league, can he sustain that in the playoffs? Their best player, Savard, will not be in the line up and that equates to a short playoff journey. At least the team can celebrate a second overall draft pick, including another first rounder.
Defense will be the theme of this series, or is it a lack of offense... either or, Buffalo takes this series in 6. No Savard, no win. Bet under for each game. I wouldn't be surprised if each game is less than 4 goals, and hitting 4 with empty netters.
[4]Pittsburgh Penguins vs. [5]Ottawa Senators
It's too early to tell, but this will be the best series in the East. Two great teams going into the playoffs with good records and tonnes of confidence.
The Penguins have a lot of talent, but goaltending has been inconsistent this year. Fleury's play at the start proved the playoff hangover was a myth, but as the season wore on, we saw Fleury become a little more human. The team has enough offense to win games, but Fleury needs to step up his game if the Pens want to repeat. The team has Crosby and Malkin, who seem to be playing inspired hockey. The Pens also have the best third line in the league and will be able to get secondary scoring.
The Senators will have to prove many that they deserve to be in the second round and must resolve their problems. First, the team has lost Kovalev, and a goalie who has very little NHL experience, let alone NHL playoff games. The team's lack of success on the road will also be an issue. If they continue to lose on the road, they can not expect to win in the playoffs, especially when they do not have home-ice advantage.
For the Senators skill and potential, this series will end in 6, with their away games being extremely embarrassing. Expect a lot of scoring as well, so betting over might be best.
Well, those are my final predictions for the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. The playoffs start tomorrow, so let's hope they are great. Have any thoughts on my predictions? Post them up please.
When it comes to predicting the Eastern Conference series, it's safe to say upsets probably will not occur. The division leaders and the Penguins are just too strong against the other four teams. They've had consistency all year the top four teams are going into the playoffs with 5 or more wins in their final ten games. So, let me break down my predictions and my personal analysis of each series.
[1]Washington Capitals vs. [8]Montreal Canadiens
Washington finished the year on top of the NHL with the most goals for, points, and wins. The team also finished first on the power play with a stunning 25.2 per cent, almost 3.5 per cent better than second place, which happens to be the Canadiens. Many have criticized the Capitals goaltending as insufficient for a long playoff run, but both Theodore and Varlamov have comparable statistics to Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh). Experience is the only real difference between Fleury and the Caps goalies.
It's honestly tough to believe the Habs have a chance at taking down the NHL's President's Award winners, but if there's a will, there's a way. Although the regular season goals allowed by both teams is only a difference of 10, recent play by Halak has shown he is the new number one goaltender in Montreal, at least until he makes a mistake in the playoffs. The Habs will only win if they can outscore the Capitals on the special teams, and making sure they limit the power play chances they give to the Capitals.
With that said, the Capitals should easily take this series in 5. I'm giving Montreal credit they can win one game here. Washington's fire power, at least for the first round, will prove an asset and will overcome any goaltending issues. Goals will be scored in this series and I will be betting the over every time.
[2]New Jersey Devils vs. [7]Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils have the best goalie in NHL history. Enough said! Well, that would have been what most would have said about the Devils in previous years, but this year the team added some fire power in Kovalchuk, and Parise and Zajac continue to produce offensively on the Devils. Langenbrunner is a perennial point-producer in the playoffs as well, and could very well be among the points leaders at the end of the first round.
The only way the Flyers can win this series is if their goalie, Boucher, can out duel Brodeur. Good luck with that. The Flyers are capable of scoring, but seem to take a lot of penalties. They are fortunate that the Devils power play is ranked in the middle of the league, however, that doesn't mean the Flyers will get away with it. The team needs to stay out of the box to increase their offensive chances. Richards who leads the league in face-off percentage (according to TSN) will provide the team with ample offensive zone wins, but they must crash the net and do what the Americans did against Brodeur in the Olympics. One other positive note is that the Flyers won the season series 6-2, but I do not expect that to translate into playoff wins.
Sadly, as a Flyers fan, I expect a very low-scoring series with the Devils winning in 6.
[3]Buffalo Sabres vs. [6]Boston Bruins
Olympic team mates Thomas and Miller will face each other in the playoffs in the first round, that is, if Thomas gets to start. Rask has been playing well enough and the team may end up going with the youngen. Buffalo's offense is average, but goaltending is spectacular. Both teams boast great penalty killing, ranked second and third.
Boston on the other hand has very little to talk about. Lowest scoring team (second to Calgary HAHAHA!) going against one of the best goalies in the league and although Rask has the best save percentage in the league, can he sustain that in the playoffs? Their best player, Savard, will not be in the line up and that equates to a short playoff journey. At least the team can celebrate a second overall draft pick, including another first rounder.
Defense will be the theme of this series, or is it a lack of offense... either or, Buffalo takes this series in 6. No Savard, no win. Bet under for each game. I wouldn't be surprised if each game is less than 4 goals, and hitting 4 with empty netters.
[4]Pittsburgh Penguins vs. [5]Ottawa Senators
It's too early to tell, but this will be the best series in the East. Two great teams going into the playoffs with good records and tonnes of confidence.
The Penguins have a lot of talent, but goaltending has been inconsistent this year. Fleury's play at the start proved the playoff hangover was a myth, but as the season wore on, we saw Fleury become a little more human. The team has enough offense to win games, but Fleury needs to step up his game if the Pens want to repeat. The team has Crosby and Malkin, who seem to be playing inspired hockey. The Pens also have the best third line in the league and will be able to get secondary scoring.
The Senators will have to prove many that they deserve to be in the second round and must resolve their problems. First, the team has lost Kovalev, and a goalie who has very little NHL experience, let alone NHL playoff games. The team's lack of success on the road will also be an issue. If they continue to lose on the road, they can not expect to win in the playoffs, especially when they do not have home-ice advantage.
For the Senators skill and potential, this series will end in 6, with their away games being extremely embarrassing. Expect a lot of scoring as well, so betting over might be best.
Well, those are my final predictions for the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. The playoffs start tomorrow, so let's hope they are great. Have any thoughts on my predictions? Post them up please.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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