Stanley Cup Playoff predictions – Round One

By Rick Morris

EDIT: Updating with late-breaking picks from The FDH New York Bureau, Senior Producer Steve Cirvello.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1 San Jose over 8 Colorado in 5 – A young, fading, battered team is just what the doctor ordered for a team always scared of the latest NoCal spring choke job.
2 Chicago over 7 Nashville in 5 – Like the Sharks, the Hawks draw the first-round matchup they need in a squad unlikely to cause a crisis of confidence in net.
3 Vancouver over 6 Los Angeles in 7 – Notwithstanding a very surprising regular season, the pesky Kings still don’t appear poised for an upset of this magnitude, but they should be in it all the way against a Canucks team built for a deep run.
5 Detroit over 4 Phoenix in 6 – Desert Dogs get dealt a cruel hand as their awesomely-overachieving regular season only buys them a first-round confrontation with the surging and supremely-tested Winged Wheel.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1 Washington over 8 Montreal in 4 – This series is a joke, not because Montreal is awful – they’re squarely amongst 18 mediocre-to-below-average NHL teams – but because none of them would stand a chance against a team with this historic level of firepower.
2 New Jersey over 7 Philadelphia in 6 – Throw out the regular-season record between the teams; the Flyers won’t get past their underachieving regular-season record with the disparity in goaltending.
3 Buffalo over 6 Boston in 6 – Shades of the above series with the underdog having won the season series and having underachieved through the year – and with the same outcome, because it’s impossible to imagine Ryan Miller letting the Sabres go out early after the year he has had.
4 Pittsburgh over 5 Ottawa in 5 – The Cinderfella Sens meet their reality check.


ROUND TWO

WESTERN CONFERENCE
5 Detroit over 1 San Jose in 6
2 Chicago over 3 Vancouver in 6

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1 Washington over 4 Pittsburgh in 6
2 New Jersey over 3 Buffalo in 7


CONFERENCE FINALS
2 Chicago over 5 Detroit in 6
1 Washington over 2 New Jersey in 5


STANLEY CUP FINALS
Washington over Chicago in 6


And here are the first-round playoff picks from The FDH New York Bureau, Senior Producer Steve Cirvello:

Washington over Montreal
Philadelphia over New Jersey
Boston over Buffalo
Pittsburgh over Ottawa
San Jose over Colorado
Chicago over Nashville
Vancouver over Los Angeles
Detroit over Phoenix