First-round NHL playoff predictions
Matthew Kimel
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Sports
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
DUCKS-SHARKS: While the Anaheim Ducks are currently on a hot streak, they barely made the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks, on the other hand, won the Presidents' Trophy for being the team with the best regular season record in the 2008-09 season. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller has been impressive at times, but nothing he has faced in his career will prepare him for the pressure of the playoffs. San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov has plenty of playoff experience under his belt, and that should make all the difference in the world.
PREDICTION: Sharks in six.
BLUE JACKETS-RED WINGS: I'll be honest … I'd love to see the Red Wings lose this one. But realistically, it's just not going to happen. The Columbus Blue Jackets are making their first-ever playoff appearance in their nine-year existence, and like Hiller vs. Nabokov, playoff experience is going to reign supreme. Detroit has legions of players who can run up the scoreboard and Columbus has, well, Rick Nash. That's about it. Oh, and congratulations to rookie goalie Steve Mason. The guy had a great year, but the train stops here.
PREDICTION: Wings in five.
BLUES-CANUCKS: The Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues met for the fourth time this season about two-and-a-half weeks ago, and the Blues walked away with a 4-2 win. The victory was one of the Blues' nine in their last 11 games (9-1-1). The Blues have the most momentum of all teams heading into the playoffs and after being eliminated from contention three years in a row, the motivation level of St. Louis to win will be high.
PREDICTION: Blues in seven.
FLAMES-BLACKHAWKS: Speaking about not making the playoffs for … years, how about the Chicago Blackhawks? The Blackhawks, despite their youthfulness, have been sharp all season, and two wins over the Red Wings to cap off their season put the icing on the cake. The Calgary Flames were leading the Northwestern Division, but then went south in the standings. I'm expecting the Flames to take another downward dip here.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks in six.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
CANADIENS-BRUINS: The Boston Bruins vs. the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs? Sounds familiar and bound to be a classic, right? Wrong. This year's rendition of the Canadiens were disappointing to say the least and they barely held on for the eighth playoff spot. And this year's Bruins are much, much better than the No. 8-seeded version that beat the No. 1-seeded Canadiens the last time around. While I'd love to see Boston lose too, it's not happening. Yet.
PREDICTION: Bruins in five.
RANGERS-CAPITALS: The New York Rangers started off the season great and looked like they were going to be even better post-Jaromir Jagr. That quickly proved to be false. The Rangers, like the Canadiens, nearly failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And it won't be long before Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals send them out.
PREDICTION: Capitals in five.
HURRICANES-DEVILS: The New Jersey Devils' season will come down to whether the Marty Brodeur who wins shows up or the one who loses makes the appearances when games matter most. And if the Carolina Hurricanes, who came out on the top half of a 2-1 decision against the Devils on March 28 during a recent nine-game win streak, have any say, the bad Marty will show up. I'm siding on the bad Marty showing up, too.
PREDICTION: Hurricanes in seven.
FLYERS-PENGUINS: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers meet in the playoffs, again. And in my opinion, the two teams are as evenly matched as ever. Don't believe me? Check the standings (99 points apiece). While it's tough to separate the two, the Penguins have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And the Flyers don't have two names to equalize the equation. Still, the series will go deep.
PREDICTION: Penguins in seven.
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