Post by Sharky on Mar 27, 2008 1:40:54 GMT -5
The Florida GM should be coming out with the West soon. Enjoy
New York Islanders (1) vs. New York Rangers (8)
Phil Kenny has taken a team many thought would struggle to make the playoffs to the top of the Eastern conference. This is largely thanks to his top guns; Sid the Kid, Chris Pronger and King Henrik. The Isles are certainly not a deep team, but their stars have received some support. On offense Alexei Kovalev and Mike Modano helped Crosby out with over 120 points during the season. However, in the other end of the rink, Chris Pronger and Henrik Lundqvist have carried the defense on their back, getting little help from depth players. If the Rangers have a chance in this series, it will depend on them shutting down Crosby and Pronger. If they can do that, their superior depth might be enough to upset the Eastern conference champs. That is a big “if” though, as not many teams have been able to shutdown Crosby and Pronger and only 9% of shots have gotten passed Lundqvist. The battle of New York will undoubtedly be a heated one, but in the end the Islanders will have bragging rights until next year’s playoffs. They should take this series in 5.
Carolina (2) vs. Montreal (7)
Led by Daniel Briere and Roberto Luongo, the Canes’ managed to win the Southern division with just 90 points. The key to Carolina’s playoff success lies on the shoulders of Roberto Luongo, he will need to step up his play after a below average regular season. The Hurricane’s offense, on the other hand, had a season that was beyond anyone’s expectations. Cullen, Halpern and Parrish all contributed over 50 points and the top line was one of the highest scoring lines in the league. If the Canes’ can keep getting the most out of their offense, their chances at making it to the second round look good. The key to Montreal’s success will be in their big stars; Forsberg, Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Havlat. The “big four” had a very disappointing regular season and will need to take advantage of Carolina’s poor defense to upset the Southern champs. Because of the Cane’s huge advantage in net they should finish this one off in 6.
New Jersey (3) vs. Pittsburgh (6)
The Penguins are the first round match up from hell for the Devils (haha….ha…). After aquiring Brodeur and Gonchar at the deadline, the Pens went from being a borderline playoff team to one of the best teams in the East, going 16-5-1 in their final 22 games. Pittsburgh has underachieved the last couple seasons and will be looking to finally live up to expectations, but it will not be easy. The Devil’s are led by one of the best two-way forwards in the game (Rod Brind’Amour) and one of the best defensemen ever (Niklas Lidstrom). New Jersey is a team that is built for the playoffs; they are tough, experienced and deep. The Penguins are young, but extremely talented, and have the best goaltender in the game. This series could go either way… the only sure thing is that it will be long. I’ll go with the team that has proved itself all season long – New Jersey in 7.
Toronto (4) vs. Philadelphia (5)
The 4 vs. 5 match up in the East has gone to 7 games the last two seasons, with the 4th place team winning one and the 5th place team winning the other. Toronto should have won the Eastern conference this year, but couldn’t get it done because of an underachieving defense. Despite this, there is no doubt that the Leafs can put the puck in the net. Other than the Flames, the Leaf’s boast the deepest team in the league. They can put out three lines that can score. This is Toronto’s biggest advantage over the Flyers. To get to the next round, Philly has to play some tight defensive hockey and hope Cujo comes up with some huge saves. Joseph played very well this season, much better than Giguere, so that requirement isn’t that far-fetched. Neither is the first requirement as the Flyers placed 5th in GA. However, as good as Philly has been defensively this season, I don’t see that defense making up for their inferior offense. This season the trend of 4 vs. 5 seven game series should be broken by Toronto winning in 6.
New York Islanders (1) vs. New York Rangers (8)
Phil Kenny has taken a team many thought would struggle to make the playoffs to the top of the Eastern conference. This is largely thanks to his top guns; Sid the Kid, Chris Pronger and King Henrik. The Isles are certainly not a deep team, but their stars have received some support. On offense Alexei Kovalev and Mike Modano helped Crosby out with over 120 points during the season. However, in the other end of the rink, Chris Pronger and Henrik Lundqvist have carried the defense on their back, getting little help from depth players. If the Rangers have a chance in this series, it will depend on them shutting down Crosby and Pronger. If they can do that, their superior depth might be enough to upset the Eastern conference champs. That is a big “if” though, as not many teams have been able to shutdown Crosby and Pronger and only 9% of shots have gotten passed Lundqvist. The battle of New York will undoubtedly be a heated one, but in the end the Islanders will have bragging rights until next year’s playoffs. They should take this series in 5.
Carolina (2) vs. Montreal (7)
Led by Daniel Briere and Roberto Luongo, the Canes’ managed to win the Southern division with just 90 points. The key to Carolina’s playoff success lies on the shoulders of Roberto Luongo, he will need to step up his play after a below average regular season. The Hurricane’s offense, on the other hand, had a season that was beyond anyone’s expectations. Cullen, Halpern and Parrish all contributed over 50 points and the top line was one of the highest scoring lines in the league. If the Canes’ can keep getting the most out of their offense, their chances at making it to the second round look good. The key to Montreal’s success will be in their big stars; Forsberg, Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Havlat. The “big four” had a very disappointing regular season and will need to take advantage of Carolina’s poor defense to upset the Southern champs. Because of the Cane’s huge advantage in net they should finish this one off in 6.
New Jersey (3) vs. Pittsburgh (6)
The Penguins are the first round match up from hell for the Devils (haha….ha…). After aquiring Brodeur and Gonchar at the deadline, the Pens went from being a borderline playoff team to one of the best teams in the East, going 16-5-1 in their final 22 games. Pittsburgh has underachieved the last couple seasons and will be looking to finally live up to expectations, but it will not be easy. The Devil’s are led by one of the best two-way forwards in the game (Rod Brind’Amour) and one of the best defensemen ever (Niklas Lidstrom). New Jersey is a team that is built for the playoffs; they are tough, experienced and deep. The Penguins are young, but extremely talented, and have the best goaltender in the game. This series could go either way… the only sure thing is that it will be long. I’ll go with the team that has proved itself all season long – New Jersey in 7.
Toronto (4) vs. Philadelphia (5)
The 4 vs. 5 match up in the East has gone to 7 games the last two seasons, with the 4th place team winning one and the 5th place team winning the other. Toronto should have won the Eastern conference this year, but couldn’t get it done because of an underachieving defense. Despite this, there is no doubt that the Leafs can put the puck in the net. Other than the Flames, the Leaf’s boast the deepest team in the league. They can put out three lines that can score. This is Toronto’s biggest advantage over the Flyers. To get to the next round, Philly has to play some tight defensive hockey and hope Cujo comes up with some huge saves. Joseph played very well this season, much better than Giguere, so that requirement isn’t that far-fetched. Neither is the first requirement as the Flyers placed 5th in GA. However, as good as Philly has been defensively this season, I don’t see that defense making up for their inferior offense. This season the trend of 4 vs. 5 seven game series should be broken by Toronto winning in 6.