Washington over New York- The Capitals have been one of the hottest teams in hockey since the All-Star break, and have the best player in the series in Ovechkin, and Callahan's absense will kill the Rangers. Only x-factor will Lundvquist. Capitals in 6.
Buffalo over Philadelphia- Two teams going in the exact opposite direction. The Flyers have goaltender issues, while the Sabres have one the best in the business between the pipes in Ryan Miller. Buffalo in 5.
Boston over Montreal- The Bruins have the best goalie and the best defenseman between the two teams. I see the Bruins physical game being too much for the Habs, but Montreal will put up a big fight. This is a series that can go either way given the home-ice advantage in the Bell Centre and the Habs success with the Bruins. Bruins in 7.
Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay- The Penguins are going into the playoffs minus Crosby and Malkin, which will hurt them in later rounds, but their playoff experience will carry them over the Lightning, the surprise team of 2010-2011, who have very little. Pittsburgh in 5.
Chicago over Vancouver- The Blackhawks just got in and are carrying that momentum into the playoffs. Corey Crawford is playing great between the pipes and the Blackhawks are just as good offensively and better defensively. This is a bad matchup for the Canucks. And ohh yeah, the Blackhawks are the defending champs. Chicago in 7.
Los Angeles over San Jose- Another upset, I love this Kings team, who have one of the best goalies in hockey in Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty, who is going to be a perrenial Norris candidate for many years to come. Meanwhile San Jose hasn't shown me much of anything, despite their late season surge. LA in 6.
Detroit over Phoenix- The Detroit Red Wings will be way too much for the Coyotes, as they help close the curtain on the Phoenix experiment in relitively quick fashion. Detroit in 4.
Nashville over Anaheim- The Ducks have the best front line in hockey in Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry, but will miss Hiller big time between the pipes. Pekka Rinne leads the Preds to a first-round win. Nashville in 5.
Eastern Conference Finals- Boston over Buffalo
Western Conference Finals- Detroit over LA
Stanley Cup- Detroit over Boston
Conn Smythe- Jimmy Howard
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