Gearing Up With Added Fun

Like the anticipation of the season starting in October, the "Second Season" begins in the NHL on Wednesday and I, for one, could not be more excited. The intensity and drama should hit their peaks in the coming weeks. Playoff beards will begin to develop. Heroes will be born, and dreams will be dashed. Teams will prevail, while others will shake hands while thinking of the long summer ahead. Yes, it's NHL Stanley Cup Playoff time, and there's no better time during the hockey season!

Here are the matchups with my predictions. Again, don't listen to a word I say because 99% of the time I'm wrong. This is strictly my feelings towards each of the series. Oh, and I suggest you read right to the bottom of this article.

Eastern Conference

#1 VS. #8

Without a word of a lie, I'm giving this series to the Montreal Canadiens in a sweep. The Canadiens throttled Boston during the season, winning all eight games they played against the Bruins. Montreal is 11-0 in their last eleven games against the Beantowners. It will only be a matter of time before they are 15-0.

#2 VS. #7

The Senators cannot be happy about playing the high-flying Penguins without captain Daniel Alfredsson and scoring agitator Mike Fisher. Marc-Andre Fleury has been brilliant since returning from injury, and the Penguins will have all their aces in the game. That will spell trouble for an Ottawa defensive unit who has looked lost on most night. I'm saying Pittsburgh in six games.

#3 VS. #6

The Washington Capitals did the impossible by leap-frogging Carolina into the third-seed by winning the Southeast Division. After starting the season 6-14-1 under Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau came in and led the Capitals on a 37-17-7 run to end the season. Alexander Ovechkin will be pestered by Scott Hartnell all series long. The Capitals will need their second and third lines to come up big for them if they want to get past the hard-hitting Flyers. Cristobal Huet has the obvious advantage in net over both Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki. My guess is that the Capitals' speed and powerplay help them to win this series in seven games.

#4 VS. #5

This series looks to be low-scoring as both Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur were arguably the top goalies in East. The Rangers will need players like Drury, Gomez, Jagr, and Straka to score goals, as well as having their grinders score timely goals as well. The Devils will throw the always-dangerous John Madden, Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, and Jamie Langenbrunner out there to answer the call. Both teams rode steady defence into the playoffs, but the Devils will look to wear down the Rangers in a tight-checking affair, much like they did to Tampa Bay a year ago. My predicition is the New Jersey Devils in six games.

Western Conference

#1 VS. #8

The Red Wings didn't fare very well against the Central Division this season, so this one may be tighter than what it appears. Nashville has been playing very good, team-first hockey while getting quality goaltending from Dan Ellis and Chris Mason. The Red Wings have their high-octane offence ready to go. The X-factor will be Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek. At times, they have looked unbeatable. At other times, they have trouble stopping a beach ball. Detroit should be able to shut down the Predators in a series, though. I'm going with Detroit in five games.

#2 VS. #7

The Sharks haven't been very good against the Flames this season, and the big reason why would be Joe Thornton. Thornton had only one assist against the Flames all season in the four games they played. Wayne Primeau and Robyn Regehr can be blamed for that, and Big Joe should expect more of that kind of treatment. Evgeni Nabokov has been brilliant all year, and the Flames are hoping that Miikka Kiprusoff is up to the task of playing just as well. If Patrick Marleau decided to reappear in this year's playoffs, the Sharks should move on. If not, Doug Wilson will have some explaining to do. My predicition is Calgary in six games.

#3 VS. #6

This series looks to be offence versus defence. You know that Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire will want to get a lead, and then suck the life out of any Colorado offensive rush by trapping like there's no tomorrow. I expect the Wild to rough the Avalanche's stars up a bit, with guys like Boogaard, Fedoruk, and Simon doing the dirty work. Personally, Jose Theodore will have to go back to being his MVP-calibre self if the Avalanche are to advance. My guess is that the Wild will advance in six games.

#4 VS. #5

The Ducks and Stars will tangle in an interdivisional matchup. Personally, the Ducks look like they may run the table again after getting Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer back in the fold. Marty Turco's playoff woes have been well-documented as he's 11-18 all-time. The Stars look old, and Brad Richards' production has fallen off as of late. Without Zubov on the powerplay, Dallas may not compete at all. I'm going with the Ducks in five games.

Ok, let's get to the good part. Hockey Blog In Canada is proud to present its first annual PLAYOFF LINE POOL. Here's how it works:

1. Select three forwards, two defencemen, and one goaltender from any of the playoff teams. They may all be from different teams, or any combination of players from one team.
2. Goals and assists are worth one point each. Goaltender wins are worth two points. Goaltender shutouts are worth five points.
3. Players will be "removed" from your line as they are eliminated from the playoffs.
4. The entrant with the highest point total at the end of the playoffs will win SCHWAG!

Free stuff is always good. Ok, so send your picks into cdnuniguy@gmail.com. You'll have until Wednesday at 6PM CST to get in on it. It's absolutely free, and I'll keep a running total of the leaders on this very blog. And please, for the sake of fairness, don't enter 600 times. One entry per person, please.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!