By Denis J. Puska
Let the official race to Lord Stanley's cup officially get underway.
After a terrific NHL season that featured many surprises and great stories, the Stanley Cup is now in sight for one of 16 remaining teams.
Puska the Prognosticator is back with my Stanley Cup predictions for Round One. So here we go:
Eastern Conference:
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens: This is a mismatch on paper that unless the Capitals get over confident or their goaltenders have a major malfunction then they should win the series. Jaroslav Halak of the Habs needs to stand on his head and Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez must be great.
Result: Capitals in Five. Give the Canadiens one win on home ice.
New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers: This is another mismatch on paper that New Jersey should take rather easily. Martin Brodeur is a terrific post season netminder, but is this the best chance for Ilya Kovalchuk to win a Cup? Philly needs to outwork their opponent and their goaltending must come up big.
Result: Devils in five games.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins: This could be closer than any of the first round series. Ryan Miller must be in Olympic form and there needs to be a supporting cast. Boston's goaltending has to sort itself out with one person to carry the weight. Tim Thomas has proven to be solid in the post season but is the center stage time for Tuukka Rask.
Result: Buffalo in six but several of these games will go into overtime.
Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Some may say the Sens have a decent change in this - I say that goaltending is their major weakness. Ottawa would have to get a split in Pittsburgh to have any shot at the series. The Penguins can't get over confident or this series could last longer than they had hoped.
Result: Pittsburgh in five. Ottawa does get a home-ice win.
Western Conference:
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Eagles: The San Jose Sharks have struggled in first round series and this is another land mine that they must avoid. Colorado had a great bounce back year with Joe Sacco behind the bench. The Avs are young and eager to prove that the regular season was no fluke, but do they have the offensive firepower to compete with the Sharks? The Sharks are just too deep of a team but seem to struggle in the first round of the series.
Result: San Jose in six games. Overtime will be prevalent in some of these games and Colorado will prove to be a hard team to get rid of.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators: So some of the experts are predicting the Blackhawks to win the championship. As one broadcaster would say, not so fast. Chicago has a great team but tends to stumble in key moments. Goaltending for the Blackhawks has been inconsistent at times and should that happen then the series could be longer than the experts believe. Nashville has a bunch of great young players but don't have the firepower to compete.
Result: Chicago in five games.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings: Well this series is extremely difficult to call because my Canucks are pitted against one of the really good teams in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings. I like the Canucks and the way they are playing right now. Many people think this team has a chance to go a long way. This is a great battle of offense and even better in net with Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Quick. The difference is Luongo and the Sedins. The Kings are a great team but missing a weapon or two to be really deadly.
Result: Vancouver in six games. This is going to be the better of the first-round series.
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Redwings: The Coyotes had an amazing return to glory and they have Dave Tippett to thank. This Phoenix team has plenty of confidence and can play well defensively. Their only downfall is youth and lack of playoff experience. Detroit barely got into the playoffs and has not been in rare form at all this season. I think the Coyotes speed will prevail and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov will be the difference.
Result: Phoenix in six games.
Let me know what you think of my predictions. Email me at puskamediasvc@gmail.com.