Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
It has been an interesting season in Washington. They stumbled out of the gate and played a fairly lengthy stretched of truly uninspired hockey. It looked as though coach Bruce Boudreau's days behind the bench were numbered.
But once the midway point of the season arrived, the Caps went on a tear that saw them climb all the way to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Alexander Ovechkin is rested, healthy and focused. This is bad news for the New York Rangers.
Also bad news for the Rangers is the fact that Ryan Callahan is out for the playoffs and that they have seemed like a team in turmoil, unable to come forward with solid performances down the stretch when it really mattered.
Call: Washington in 5.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres
If I were a Flyers fan, I'd be very nervous about this match-up.
The Buffalo Sabres have been playing playoff hockey for the last couple of months, as the cliche goes, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, whereas the Flyers went 3-4-3 over the same span.
With the health of Chris Pronger a big question mark and a sputtering power play, the Flyers seem to be in a heap of trouble.
An edge in momentum and in goaltending puts the Sabres in a good position for a first round upset.
Call: Buffalo in 7.
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Emotions are still running high in both cities on the heels of the controversy that followed the hit that Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara laid on Hab forward Max Pacioretty which resulted in the latter suffering from a concussion and a fractured vertabra.
Regardless of where one stands on the legality of the hit, this is clear. The Montreal Canadiens have not been the same team since and were it not for Carey Price standing on his head down the stretch, there is a good chance that the Habs would be on the outside looking in in terms of this year's playoffs.
Boston has the edge in scoring, size, and with his record setting .938 save percentage, Tim Thomas gives the Bruins goaltending to rival Montreal's.
Look for Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic to have a big series for the Bruins.
Call: Boston in 6.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
It was looking as though this was going to be the best season of Sidney Crosby's short but remarkable career. That is until he was sidelined by a concussion in early January.
Most observers figured that with the loss of Sid the Kid and that of Evgeny Malkin, the Penguins were, as Tiger Williams would say, done like dinner. Yet without two of the game's top players, the Pens did not implode as was widely expected In fact it was quite the opposite, they were in the thick of the run for first overall in the East right until the end.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has one of the most potent attacks in the NHL. However, one big cloud looms on the horizon, the recent Steven Stamkos scoring drought.
After appearing as though he would run away with the NHL's goal scoring title, Stamkos has scored just 5 goals in the last 28 games. The good news for Tampa Bay is that there are plenty of players on the club to help take up the scoring slack in guys like Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St-Louis and Simon Gagné.
This will also mark Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher's first appearance in the NHL playoffs, a series that should interest Quebec hockey fans as both teams count many key players from La Belle Province.
The outcome of this series is very difficult to predict given the uncertainty surrounding the return of Sidney Crosby, but based on the assumption that number 87 will not be back...
Call: Tampa Bay in 7
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