Eastern Conference:
No. 1 Montreal Canadiens vs. No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers — The key phrase for this matchup is “power play.” A large part of the Flyers’ success comes from the power play. They were ranked second in the league during the regular season, with a 21.8 percent success rate. The only team which had a better power-play percentage during the regular season was the Montreal Canadiens (24.2 percent), but oh, how the mighty have fallen: They’re sitting at a 9.4 percent success rate for the playoffs. Montreal has scored only three times on the power play, whereas Daniel Briere alone has scored four times for the Flyers. Briere has been one of the best players in the postseason, scoring a league-leading 11 points and six goals. Montreal goalie Carey Price has been a key component to the Canadiens’ success, with a .925 save percentage to go along with a 2.09 goals against average; both good for fifth among goalies. Either Briere or Price will have to cool down this series, and the way they’ve been playing, it is tough to say which one will. Montreal won the season series against the Flyers in decisive fashion, 4-0.
Prediction: Montreal in seven
No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 New York Rangers — Let me start by saying that I, once again, underestimated the Rangers’ playoff abilities. They proved me wrong, and I believe now that they really do belong where they are. That said, they have a tall order ahead of them. Pittsburgh just demolished the defending Eastern Conference Champion Ottawa Senators, outscoring the Sens 16-5 in a four-game sweep. When Mario Lemieux won his first playoff series, he finished with three goals and two assists; in his first series victory Sidney Crosby certainly outdid the great Lemieux, posting two goals and six assists. Before the first round started, Pittsburgh was unsure who would start in net: Marc-Andre Fleury, who had just come off an injury, or Ty Conklin, who practically carried the team on his back during Fleury’s absence. Fleury got the nod to start the series and did not disappoint; he posted a .955 save percentage and a 1.26 goals against average. The Rangers got some help from Jaromir Jagr, who finally found his legs and put up a team-leading eight points to march past the Devils in the first round. New York was 5-3 against the Penguins during the regular season, with two of those wins coming in overtime. If New York was playing any other team in the league, I might pick them to win. But the Pens could easily win the Cup. Sorry Rangers fans.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in six
Western Conference:
No. 1 Detroit Red Wings vs. No. 6 Colorado Avalanche — This matchup reminds me of the late 90s battles between these two teams: remember the 1997 brawl with Red Wing keeper Mike Vernon dropping the gloves against the great Patrick Roy? This postseason Joe Sakic has reminded everyone why he is called “Captain Clutch,” posting six points in the first round, including a game-winning goal in the first game just 10 minutes into overtime. But Colorado goalie Jose Theodore stole the stage in the last three games of the series. With the Avalanche trailing 2-1 in the series against Minnesota, Theodore let in just four goals in the final three games on a total of 100 shots. The former MVP has regained his form and looks unstoppable in net, but if any team can take him down, it is the Red Wings. After the Wings jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the Nashville Predators, starting goalie Dominik Hasek fell apart, letting in seven goals on just 42 shots. He was pulled during the middle of game four and replaced by Chris Osgood, who went on to single-handedly win the series against Nashville. Osgood finished the series by stopping 53 of 54 shots, leading Detroit into the second round. Detroit won the season series against Colorado 4-0, outscoring the Avalanche by a total of 11-2. This series is going to come down to the goalies and Detroit has about 30 seasons of playoff experience in net.
Series Prediction: Detroit in six
No. 2 San Jose Sharks vs. No. 5 Dallas Stars — For a team that finished the regular season 18-2-2, the Sharks didn’t look all that impressive in their seven-game series win over Calgary. Meanwhile, the Stars ran through the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks in six games. San Jose was led through the first round by … Ryane Clowe? Clowe scored just eight points in a measly 15 games during the regular season, and already he has four goals and four assists in seven playoff games. Vezina trophy-nominee Evgeni Nabokov was less than stellar in net. Mike Ribeiro continued to shine for the Stars (no pun intended), putting up eight points in the first round. Ribeiro led the Stars during the regular season with 83 points. But the surprise “Star” in Dallas (pun intended) was Stephane Robidas, who has six points in six games. In games where he has scored a point, the Stars are 3-0. Dallas won the season series going 4-2-2. This was by far the toughest series to predict a winner, but I think Nabokov will play better in the next round than he did in the first round.
Prediction: San Jose in seven