TFARCHIVE FORUMS

It's my favorite time of year soon. No, not my birthday. No, not Christmas. It's NHL playoff time! Even though my beloved Canucks didn't make the dance this year, there still are a lot of teams to cheer for. Mainly the Washington Capitals for me, since my favorite player, Alex Ovechkin, is finally in the playoffs.

First Round Predictions:

Eastern Conference:

Montrael over Boston in 5
I don't even know how Boston managed to get into the playoffs, while teams like Carolina and Buffalo didn't. Thomas is a mediocre goalie, and they are going to be without Savard for their first few games. The Habs have had too good of a season to be upset in the first round.

Pittsburgh over Ottawa in 4
No Alfie, no prooven goalie, no signs of even wanting to be in the playoffs over the last few months of the season. Pittsburgh will have it easy.

Washington over Philadelphia in 6
Apart from the Ovechkin factor, the Caps also have Huet, who has been the best goalie in the league down the stretch. Philly has been really hot as well, but I think Washington has the edge.

New York over New Jersey in 7
Broedeur is slightly better than Lundqvist, but the team in front of Lundqvist is better than Broedeur's, so I'll give the edge to the Rangers.

Western Conference:

Detroit over Nashville in 6
If Detroit was up against any other playoff team, I would be picking an upset. But Nashville basically made the playoffs because the Canucks decided to give up a month early. Don't expect Detroit to get much further after this round though.

San Jose over Calgary in 6
San Jose has been the best team in the West over the past two months. Nabokov has been playing at a Vezina level, and Thornton looks like he's finally ready to go deeper than just 2 rounds in the playoffs.

Colorado over Minnesota in 7
I think this series is the toughest to call in the first round. Minny's got great team defence, where as the Avs have great offence. I think Theodore is the X-factor for Colorado, and they have just so much more experience in the playoffs than Minny does.

Anaheim over Dallas in 5
The Ducks look even better than they did last year. Dallas looked strong midway through the season, but had a very bad finish. Add the fact that Turco hasn't won a playoff round in like 6 years, and you got a pretty easy choice here.

Very Early Stanley Cup Prediction:
Anaheim over Washington in 7

Montreal
Pittsburgh
Washington
New Jersey

Detroit
San Jose
Minnesota
Anaheim

I wish Dallas would win...

Montreal vs Boston

This should be a gimme for the Habs, but with two inexperienced goalies you can never say for sure. The Bruins have lost too many key players to injury to carry the series, but I think they'll put up more of a fight than some people are giving them credit for.

Habs in six.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa

The Penguins have three of the best forwards in the game, three serviceable goalies and a totally mediocre defence. The Sens have three of the best forwards in the game, two top-notch goalies and a great defence. On paper the Sens should take this one easily, but they've been on an atrocious skid since the All-Star break. The Penguins are too good a team for the Sens to get past them if they're not playing their best, and right now they're not.

Pens in five.

Washington vs Philadelphia

The Capitals are on an absolute tear, climbing up from last in the conference to third in half a season. The Flyers, on the other hand, have managed to get into the playoffs without impressing me with anything but goonery. They've managed to put together a good record and closed out the season with a very strong run, though. This should be an interesting series, but I think Ovechkin and Huet will be the difference-makers here.

Caps in seven.

New Jersey vs New York Rangers

The Rangers have more than a few veteran stars, a great supporting cast and an amazing goalie. The Devils, on the other hand, have Martin Brodeur, and that's about it. But if he's on his game, thats all they'll need.

Devils in seven.

Detroit vs Nashville

I hate the Red Wings and want to see them fall to another low seed like they've done so many times in the past. But to Nashville? A team that only made the playoffs because the Canucks shat themselves for the last two months? I don't see it.

Wings in four.

San Jose vs Calgary

San Jose are always contenders, but they can never quite pull it off. Why? Because they always run into a team like the Flames. A team with less talent, but a team that just wants it more. This year will be no exception.

Flames in six.

Minnesota vs Colorado

The Wild are a good team, but the Avs...the Avs have loaded up. With Forsberg and Foote back and Theodore suddenly remembering how to stop pucks, they're the better team in this series regardless of whoever won the division. They're not the powerhouse they once were, and they're not a Cup favourite this year, but they've got the talent to go deep into the playoffs if they play their cards right.

Avs in six.

Anaheim vs Dallas

Almost a toss-up in terms of stats, but the Ducks' recent playoff history is much better than the Stars'. They've also got the best defensive unit in hockey, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Like the Wings, I dislike the Ducks and hope they get knocked out. But I'm not going to put money on it.

Ducks in five.

**** you people and your stupid sport =|

Detroit
Calgary
Colorado
Anaheim

Montreal
Pittsburgh
Washington
New Jersey

Say goodnight Gracie.

Nice... that was definately a momentum swinger.

This hit is directly translated to mean "Flames in 5"

Blaster wrote: This hit is directly translated to mean "Flames in 5"

Man, I was watching that and he clearly threw an elbow to Marleau. Lousy home town refs didn't even penalize him! And no, the series is tied at 2 a piece so we'll have at least 6 games.

Yeah, the Flames sure fell apart in the last 5 minutes there. It was a shame, because Kipper played exceptional in that game. I think this series will go to 7 games the way these two are palying.

dEcEpTiCoN MEGAtron wrote:Man, I was watching that and he clearly threw an elbow to Marleau. Lousy home town refs didn't even penalize him! And no, the series is tied at 2 a piece so we'll have at least 6 games.

Marleau said it was a clean hit. When the guy who gets smoked says it's clean. It's clean.

Go cry somewhere else.

Looks clean to me.

Nice hit, that's just good hockey if you ask me...

Yay, Dallas did win.

Canadiens v. Flyers
Penguins v. Rangers
Red Wings v. Avalanche
Sharks v. Stars

Umm...

Canadiens
Penguins
Red Wings
Sharks

Again, I wish Dallas would win and I also wish Colorado would too...

So I'm a little late in my round 2 picks, but here we go:

Philly over Montrael in 6
I would like to see the Habs win, but I think Philly is a better playoff team. Price is a better goalie than Biron, but I think when it comes down to it, I think Philly will grind the Habs down and take the series.

New York over Pittsburgh in 7
Lundqvist will need to stand on his head and it'll be hard for the Rangers to shut down the Pens 'Big 3', but I think the Rangers will take them down.

Colorado over Detroit in 6
Theodore had a rough night Thursday, but if he rebound well, he'll give the Avs a huge advantage in net. With all the offensive depth the Avs have, I think they'll take it.

Dallas over San Jose in 5
I'm still not too big on Turco, but San Jose just doesn't seem like they are made to be in the playoffs. They're great in the regular season, but I think they'll fall short this round against a team that is much higher skilled than the Flames.

Blitzwing wrote:So I'm a little late in my round 2 picks, but here we go:

Philly over Montrael in 6
I would like to see the Habs win, but I think Philly is a better playoff team. Price is a better goalie than Biron, but I think when it comes down to it, I think Philly will grind the Habs down and take the series.

By blowing 2 - 0 leads? If Philly plays like that again they'll be lucky if it isn't a sweep.

also.

Canadiens in 5

Blitzwing wrote:New York over Pittsburgh in 7
Lundqvist will need to stand on his head and it'll be hard for the Rangers to shut down the Pens 'Big 3', but I think the Rangers will take them down.

Great, and then much like Ottawa, they will get killed by players like Ruutu, Roberts, Sykora, Malone etc. etc. Again blowing 3 - 0 leads will not win you series.

Pittsburgh in 4

Blitzwing wrote:Colorado over Detroit in 6
Theodore had a rough night Thursday, but if he rebound well, he'll give the Avs a huge advantage in net. With all the offensive depth the Avs have, I think they'll take it.

Forsberg's out. Advantage in net be damned, they have no D and no Foppa. Wings in 6

Blitzwing wrote:Dallas over San Jose in 5
I'm still not too big on Turco, but San Jose just doesn't seem like they are made to be in the playoffs. They're great in the regular season, but I think they'll fall short this round against a team that is much higher skilled than the Flames.

Dallas isn't more skilled than the Flames, Turco is better than Kipper though.

Stars in 6.

Montreal vs. Philadelphia
The Habs are a better team than Philly on almost all fronts. More importantly, as the first game in this series attests, they're also the luckier team. They're also a team that's been together for a lot longer than the current Flyers lineup (the core of the team, anyway), and I think that chemistry will be a major factor as the series wears on.

Habs in six.

Pittsburgh vs. New York Rangers
The Penguins proved throughout the Ottawa series that their defence can shut down the best forwards in the game. Their best players also managed to tear up a Sens' defence that sports some of the top names in the league. The Rangers have an edge in the pest category (Avery being an even bigger prick than Ruutu) but in almost every other dimension the Penguins are a vastly better team. If this was last year I'd give it to the Rangers anyway because of all the wily veterans on their roster, but Crosby, Malkin and co. have more than learned how to perform in the playoffs.

Pens in five.

Detroit vs. Colorado
The Avs/Wings rivalry has died down quite a bit over the last few years, but the return of Forsberg and Foote to the Avalanche lineup makes me hope for something like the classic duels these two teams fought in the late 90s and early 2000s. The Avs aren't quite the team they once were, though, and as much as I love 'em I don't see them pulling through. I hope they prove me wrong...but a smart man gambles with his brain, not his heart.

Wings in six.

San Jose vs. Dallas
The Stars and the Sharks were pretty close as far as their performance this season goes, but Dallas was definitely the better team whenever they played each other. The Stars have absolutely owned the Sharks in San Jose for the last two seasons, and that's going to be a major factor here. You could break this matchup down even further, but Dallas had their way with the Stanley Cup champions for much of their first-round series, whereas San Jose barely managed to squeak past the Flames. And really, that's all you need to say.

Stars in six.

Man, I'm recovering from the Sharks/Stars game I went to last night. The crowd went absolute ape sh*t when Pavelski hit the winning goal in OT to force game six. That's the type of win the Sharks need. That's a hard loss for Dallas and hopefully the Sharks can pull one out in game 6 to force a final game 7 in the tank. Here's to hoping.

Dallas let them win so my prediction would be true

Blaster wrote:Dallas let them win so my prediction would be true

Let's hope it's not.

Damn your prediction. Man, what a game last night. They gave it everything they had and it went to 4 OT periods, longest in their history. Even though they're out, I'm way proud of the run they gave the Stars being behind 3-0.

It'll be down to Detroit and Philly in the finals with Detroit winning the cup.

I watched the whole overtime... it was actually exciting. It could have ended so many times, but the goalies were both insane.

Shame about the Sharks and Habs losing this round... there really aren't any teams that I like anymore. I guess I'm going to be cheering for Philly to win it now.