Beasts of the East

Heading into the last couple of weeks of the season, it looked like the most exciting playoff battles were going to be in the Western conference, but thanks to the complete and utter collapse of the Vancouver Canucks the spots sorted themselves out rather quickly.

It was actually out East where all the action was. As late as Tuesday night three teams could still win the Atlantic Division. Early in the evening it looked like the Flyers had it in the bag. They had won their game, while the Rangers and Devils were both losing. New York eventually went down to defeat, but the Devils staged an impressive third period comeback to grab the division title and third seed.

Here's how things breakdown, in my books.

(1) Ottawa vs (8) Tampa Bay

Usually the 1 v 8 series is an easy one to pick. Sure it's fun to be counter intuitive sometimes and take the big upset, but in reality more than 90 per cent of poolies always go for the safe bet. It's not so easy this time. The last time the mug was up for grabs, it was the Lightning who got their names on it. The Lightning aren't as good this year, mainly because they've gotten weaker in net. But the Sens are coming in with goaltending questions of their own. In the end I like the Sens defence better and I'll take them to move on.

Prediction: Ottawa in 7

(2) Carolina vs (7) Montreal

Here's another series we're I'm willing to consider the upset. Montreal always seems to step it up a notch for the playoffs, at least the first round anyway. Their new goaltenders seem to be playing well and all it takes is for one to get hot and they can move on. On the other hand, the Canes have won a heck of a lot of hockey games this year and since I haven't seen them play even once I don't know why (but I hear that Staal kid might have something to do with it). Judging by regular season success alone, I'm taking Carolina.

Prediction: Carolina in 7

(3) New Jersey vs (6) New York

Other then the Flames series, this is the match-up that excites me the most. I don't know if it's because of the physical proximity of the two teams or the Jagr vs Brodeur duel but I think this is going to be a great series. The Devils are the hottest team in hockey, while the Rangers are one of the league's biggest surprises. I have a hunch we'll see a few overtime games in this series.

Prediction: New Jersey in 6

(4) Buffalo vs (5) Philadelphia

Buffalo, despite their solid record has not impressed me this year. Sure they gave Ottawa a run for their money in the Northeast but I can't think of one compelling reason why they are a Stanley Cup contender (hint: this is your clue to take the Sabres to go all the way). The Flyers, as always, have a strong team on paper. This year they battled injuries all season long, but are healthier coming into the post-season. According to one source in the Flyers organization the game plan is to use Philly's size to counter act the Sabres speed.

Prediction: Philadelphia in 7