by Joe Lami

Pittsburgh-NY Rangers: The Penguins are cursed and the Rangers are too good of a team. The Pens are really banged up your really looking at an injured Pen Evegeni Malkin for the playoffs. The Rangers have no problem winning this series. This one could go maybe five or six if the Pens can get by the Rangers, if they can put a quick move on early in the series. But none the less the Rangers will win this one.

Ottawa-Montreal: This series should be the best series and the Senators could get off to a lead early because the Sens have the Canadiens number during the regular season. That makes it great playing down the line in every single game into it and you know what this is going to be a great series and just like I said the Sens and Habs played a one goal game much of game one on Wednesday night with the Habs winning 4-3. If Montreal can hang with Ottawa which they did in game one they can go deep in this series to a Stanley Cup playoff run.

Detroit-Tampa Bay: There is not going to be much of an advantage for the Tampa Bay Lighting and former Detroit Red Wing Steve Yzerman going into this series against his old team from Hockey Town. The Lighting are too much of an offensive team against Detroit. The Lighting have that high flying offense and the Lighting have a great goalie in Ben Bishop and Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard is good. The Lighting will win this series and anybody can figure that out by the scouting of these two teams.

NY Islanders-Washington: This series will mark the Islanders last hurrah at Uniondale as they will be moving onto Brooklyn after the post season but first they have the task of the Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Captials at hand. I personally chose the Islanders in this series it should be close. The odds makers might like the Caps because of what Ovechkin brings to the series who creates great offense for the Caps and anything can happy in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and I like the Islanders in this series.

Winnipeg-Anaheim: The Jets like their confidence and the way their playing going into this, the Jets have not been in a post season since coming back to Winnipeg from Atlanta. The Ducks are depending on their starting goaltender Fredrik Anderson in this series as the Ducks who had seen his successful play during the regular season the Ducks also held a wide lead in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are one of the last teams to get into the playoffs they had to fight tooth and nail just to get to post season. The Jets have the size and the speed but look for the Ducks as they have a little bit more experience. You got to like the chances that Winnipeg has with home ice advantage it’s the first time they’ve made a playoff since 1996.

Minnesota-St.Louis: For St.Louis this match up is very similar to the one to the Montreal-Ottawa the Blues should be the favorite and they have improved playing in the late minutes of games and they’ve been playing great hockey of late you want to see that going into the playoffs. The Blues are one of the deeper teams in this Stanley Cup the fact is St.Louis is the favorite should be no surprise to anybody. Minnesota can make this a series however I like the Blues who can get to the Cup Finals and I like the Blues in six games.

Chicago-Nashville: The Blackhawks are one the NHL’s elite teams and you got to give them that but they haven’t been that great this season. Patrick Kane is coming off an injury and played in game one. The big question is can Kane be the big difference maker for Chicago? That’s going to be kind of how it is, if Kane plays well the Hawks should win this series. I like the Predators Filip Forsberg he’s been outstanding for the Preds leading them with 63 points and 26 goals during the season. The Hawks have the playoff experience but the Preds have Pekka Rinne who has .923 saves in goal and can help defensively to get the Preds to the next round.

Calgary-Vancouver: Two Canadian teams facing each other and in the Western Conference playoffs too and this is first time this has happened since 2004 that five of seven of the teams in the Stanley Cup are Canadian teams and it’s very exciting. Personally your looking at two rivals two teams that were not expected to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year. Calgary has to get past Vancouver.This series should run six or seven games, just the way the Flames play they never give up. They were one of the leaders in the entire league in third period come backs it’s going to have a huge factor for Calgary in that never say die attitude.

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