OT: Stanley Cup Playoff predictions...

[VaNtyLion]

First Round
Rangers over Pens in 6 - extended break and no expectations will help Pens make this more of a series
Caps over Isles in 5 - Caps are maybe most healthy team in playoffs and Holtby is in the zone
Habs over Sens in 7 - Sens will peak around game 4 in this one but Hamburglar comes crashing out of his dream
Bolts over Wings in 5 - Tampa too deep and too talented. This is the biggest lock of the playoffs.

Ducks over Jets in 7 - Jets and Sens are those teams you just don't want to play in round 1 but Anaheim is to strong.
Blues over Wild in 7 - This will be the best of the first round matchups
Hawks over Preds in 6 - It's Chicago, it's postseason
Canucks over Flames in 7 - Both teams overachieved but Vancouver built better for 7 game series

Second Round
Rangers over Caps
Bolts over Habs

Blues over Hawks
Ducks over Canucks

Conference Finals
Lightning over Rangers
Blues over Ducks

Cup Champ - St. Louis Blues


With most of these matchups, particularly in the West, throwing darts blindfolded may be more accurate. The East seems more top heavy but any one of these teams can lose...Rangers could be overconfident; Caps could turn into the Caps; Sens could keep rolling while Habs struggle to score...and Pens could see postseason as a clean slate and play loose with everyone picking against them (no Letang though is too much to overcome).

 

[Skeller]

Pens won't take any more than one game in this series..

not unless they can some how managed to put up more than 2 goals per game. Rangers are a terrible matchup for them.... then again, most of the league is based on the nose-dive they've been in. If they can't take one at MSG, they may get swept. Oddly enough, they look better on the road lately.

 

[LinebackerU]

I really wouldn't mind seeing Blues win

Cup. As long as its not the Rangers, I will be happy.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Only ? for STL is goaltending....

But they're built the right way to make a deep run. Problem for them has been their first round matchups have been brutal to get by and this year may be just as tough with the Wild playing extremely well.

I'm not sold on the Rangers and the Cup usually does not smile kindly on the President's trophy winners that coast down the stretch. They're good in all the right places but I don't think they're great in any of them.

 

[Mister Magoo]

Rangers over Blackhawks


NYR over Pittsburgh
Caps over Icelanders

Sens over Les Habitants
TB over Detroit

NYR over Wash
TB over Ottawa

NYR over TB


Chicago over Nashville - Dangerous series for Hawks if Rinne is on his game
St. Louis over Minnesota

Anaheim over Winnipeg - Longer series than you think. I'd pick Winnipeg if they had a goalie.
Calgary over Vancouver

Chicago over St. Louis - The team from Missouri has to show me they are a contender.
Calgary over Anaheim

Chicago over Calgary

 

[fairgambit]

The only series I care about is Pens/Rangers and I see the Pens done in 5.

 

[flameshockey26]

First Round[/B]
Rangers over Pens in 5. Pens are in a free fall and the Rangers have a talented team, with the best 1-2 goalie punch in the league even if Lundquist got hurt the pens don't have much of a chance.
Sens over Habs in 6. Sens are on fire. The Habs haven't played great recently and their top scorer is out for at least game one. The Habs have problems scoring goals, and the Sens have gotten to Carey Price all year somehow.
Tampa Bay over Detroit in 5. I was going to predict a sweep but Detroit might sneak one out in the motor city. Tampa Bay is good and Detroit is in the same boat as the Pens.
Caps over the Isles in 5. I have a large bias in this one being a caps fan, but this is the most complete Caps team that has ever been put together.

Ducks over Jets in 6. Ducks are too talented for Jets to pull off the upset.
Blues over the Wild in 7. The Blues are a very solid team but the Wild are talented and deep, this one could go either way, wouldn't be surprised if this one went the other way.
BlackHawks over Preds in 5. Blackhawks are getting Kane back for game one. They know how to win this time of year, and Preds have been slipping recently. Only chance Preds have is if Renne steals a few games in Chicago.
Flames over Canucks in 6. I don't know anything about either team just playing a hunch.

Round 2
Caps over Rangers in 7
Tampa Bay over Sens in 6

Ducks over Flames in 6
Blackhawks over Blues in 7

Conference Finals
Caps over Tampa Bay

Chicago over Ducks

Finals
Blackhawks over Caps

 

[VaNtyLion]

"but this is the most complete Caps team that has ever been put together."

Ok, forever is a long time

I like Trotz a lot and he deserves very serious consideration for the Jack Adams but if Holtby is just good this year, the Caps may not be a playoff team when you look at the final standings and how many games he stole....even with Ovie's heroics and his big goal numbers. The Caps can certainly make some noise if Holtby keeps it up but if he cracks a little I don't think this team has the scoring depth over 7 games unless they get very timely power plays.

 

[flameshockey26]

The only Caps team that I can remember that was as complete as this one was the 98 Caps team that went to the finals. But the scoring for this team is better. Coaching is by far better. and this is the best defensive group the caps have had since the 80's in not before that. I agree with you about Holtby that he has played extremely well. I don't think it is all Holtby though, his defense has been the best in front of him since he came to D.C. He has played well but his team in front of him is by far better. Goaltending always plays a big part in playoff hockey whoever gets a hot goalie will go far.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Caps were inexplicably flat tonight. None of the emotion one would have expected...flipping b/w that and the Habs/Sens, was like going from a dance recital to a rock concert.

 

[flameshockey26]

Caps looked awful tonight, From Ovechkin to Holtby and everyone in between. Made the Islanders look like the future cup champions. Caps need to regroup big time.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Four days to hear about how bad the isles are playing and how the caps are peaking is a long time, and some teams Cana make that transition to the clean slate of the playoffs better than others. This is more or less the same islanders team that gave the pens all kinds of trouble 2 yrs ago except they're deeper and more mature now...and they did end up with same number of pts as the caps

I can totally see capuano playing up the "no respect" card behind closed doors. NY looked a lot more hungry