It's time for the second season to begin, so here's some playoff picks for the NHL.
Boston over Montreal
Bob Gainey got the Habs under control late this season, when it looked like they had peaked early. Still, they're a team that was a sleeper pick by some (myself included) to win the Cup in October; now they barely made the playoffs. Goalie Carey Price will have to be strong in net and a few Habs - Kovalev and Kostitsyn in particular - will have to play a lot better then they have throughout the season.
Boston, on the other hand, just missed winning the Presidents trophy, albeit in a weak division - the only other team from it are the Habs - but have looked great. Tim Thomas has stood out as one of the best goalies in the NHL and looks able to carry his team. And these Bruins faced a much better-playing Habs last year in the playoffs and took them to seven games. I expect this year, they won't even have to go that far. I like the Bruins in five.
Washington over New York
Yes, the Rangers look good. Even Avery. And Lundqvist looks good. But the Rangers haven't endeared themselves to me, not yet. I don't think they're deep enough, I don't know if they have enough experience and as a whole they look like a team in transition between leaders - in other words, they miss Jagr.
The Caps are great though. They can score in bunches and look to improve from last year, when they left the postseason early. Ovechkin will force Lundqvist to play great; nobody on the Rangers will push Theodore that hard. With him, they won't go deep, but I think they can outscore the Rangers in seven games, which is what I think this series will go to.
Carolina over New Jersey
Martin Brodeur has had a great season, setting records and winning games. He's bound to be feeling better then he has in any postseason in recent memory, as he's played less games this year then he has in over a decade. And he's part of a good Devils team, too, that can score.
But Carolina is peaking, as they say, at the right time. Cam Ward is hot, maybe the hottest goalie in the East, and I think that makes the Canes - excuse the cliche - a dark horse to go deep. It will be tough for them and I'm still not sold on their offense, but if Ward keeps playing at this clip, they have a good shot at beating the Devils, maybe in as little as five games.
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia
The Flyers are solid - not great, not bad - and they know the Penguins; one could say a rivalry has formed between the two teams, especially after last season's meeting between the two. They're about the same as the Penguins, in record and statistically - but they're not as deep. After a handful of heavies, they drop off pretty quickly. But I like their tandem of goalies.
I do like the Penguins, though, who are about as good as last year, if a little more shallow. But Crosby and Malkin are still the best 1-2 punch any team in the East has and Fleury's won 35 games; no easy feat in a tight division that sent three teams to the playoffs, with none seeded lower then fifth. They'll have a tough time, I imagine, but this is a winnable series for the Pens. I like them in six.
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