NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1

Hey there guys,
Well its time for the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Round 1 features some great match ups as and it will be interesting to see how they play out. The Capitals and the Penguins have the league's most recognizable players with Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, and the Sabres and Devils have the league's best goalies in Ryan Miller and Martin Broduer. Personally I like the players that you don't hear much about in the media like Vancouver's twin brother attack of Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Chicago's Patrick Kane, San Jose's Joe Thornton and Colorado's Paul Stastny. Detroit's Jimmy Howard and Phoenix's Ilya Bryzgalov are two goalies you may have never heard of that could be huge in their teams advancement. When it comes to defensemen I really like the Flyer's Chris Pronger, the King's Matt Greene, the Bruin's Zdeno Chara, and the Senator's Anton Volchenkov. Monreal Head Coach Jacques Martin has taken teams to the playoffs in 11 of his 15 seasons and the Predators Barry Trotz is one of the best in the Business at getting the most out of his players. Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Round 1

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals 54-15-13 vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens 39-33-10

Washington is just too good and the Canadiens struggled down the stretch.

My Pick: Washington in 4

(2) New Jersey Devils 48-27-7 vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers 41-35-6

Keep in mind here that the Flyers went 5-1 against the Devils. I really like Martin Brodeur though when it comes to the playoffs and in crunch time I think that having a solid goalie is what it will come down to.

My Pick: New Jersey in 7

(3) Buffalo Sabres 45-27-10 vs. (6) Boston Bruins 39-30-13

The Bruins won the season series between the two 4-2 and while I love Sabre Goalie Ryan Miller the Bruins have won 3 in a row and think that they will pull off the upset.

My Pick: Boston in 7 <----- UPSET

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins 47-28-7 vs. (5) Ottawa Senators 44-32-6

Sid the Kid and the defending champs are on odd and very inconsistent team and while I fully believe they win the series I think the Senators will pull some surprises early.

My Pick: Pittsburgh in 7

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks 51-20-11 vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche 43-30-9

While they split the season series 2-2 I don't see this series lasting very long as the Sharks are on a 3 game win streak and have won 8 of their last 10 while the Avalanche has only won 3 of it's last 10.

My Pick: San Jose in 4

(2) Chicago Blackhawks 52-22-8 vs. (7) Nashville Predators 47-29-6

The Predators are enjoying a very surprisingly successful season but I think it ends here. The Blackhawks are just too good and they know that they are going to lose some key players in the offseason so there is a sense of urgency now.

My Pick: Chicago in 5

(3) Vancouver Canucks 49-28-5 vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings 46-27-9

Vancouver took the season series 3-1, although the Kings did win the final game 8-3, but while both these teams are almost even I think that Vancouver has advantages in Goal and on Offense.

My Pick: Vancouver in 6

(4) Phoenix Coyotes 50-25-7 vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings 44-24-14

The Red Wings have spent most of the season on the injury list so they are now catching stride and they are RED HOT winning 8 of their last 10. With young goalie Jimmy Howard in the net I expect a few rookie struggles but Detroit is just too good.

My Pick: Detroit in 7

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Thank you for Reading

Batteman