Barely Informed 1st Round Stanley Cup Playoff Picks

Eastern Conference

#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators

            I’ll set the tone for this post with the following sentence…Craig Anderson stinks.

Rangers over Senators 4-1

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals

            Washington has choked so many times as a top seed that it is tempting to pick them when no one believes in them. Unfortunately for them, their goaltending situation is the worst of any team in the playoffs. Facing an unrelenting Bruins offense that is three lines deep is not the opponent Washington wanted to draw in the first round. It will take a super human effort from Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals to pull off an upset. I don’t see Claude “The Door-to-Door Vacuum Salesman” Julien letting that happen.

Bruins over Capitals 4-2

#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils

            Has there ever been a better fourth place team in a division than the 2011-12 New Jersey Devils? Martin Brodeur and company probably could care less, especially with their favorable first round match up. Florida did everything it could to give the Southeast Division away to Washington down the stretch.

Devils over Panthers 4-0

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers

            Here is by far the best first round match-up (on paper anyway). If Sidney Crosby were still on the shelf, these teams would be mirror images of each other talent wise. A healthy Sid the Kid will be the difference in a classic first round series.

Penguins over Flyers 4-3

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings

            Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is good enough to steal this series, but the lack of offensive depth will cripple them in the end. Daniel Sedin’s return from a concussion should be the boost Vancouver needs to win a close series.

Canucks over Kings 4-3

#2 St. Louis Blues vs. #7 San Jose Sharks

            Folks will be tempted to pick the Sharks based on reputation alone (after years of choking in the playoffs, they have made it to the Western Conference Finals the past two seasons), but this Blues team is for real. They are a Western Conference version of the Bruins (minus a scary looking 6-10 dude from Slovakia on the blue line) that has three legitimate scoring lines. San Jose is a stud winger short in this series.

Blues over Sharks 4-2

#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks

            Mike Smith was the MVP of both championship teams in the fantasy hockey leagues I played in this season (and also the reason the team I guaranteed would win a fantasy hockey championship was relegated to a fourth place finish), and quietly was the most surprising player in the NHL. The fact that a guy who was best known as being a complete head-case when he was with Tampa Bay (his Yahoo player picture from three or four years ago supported that sentence) somehow rebounded to become one of the ten best goalies in the league is remarkable. With all that said, Smith and the Coyotes ended up with a tough draw against Chicago. There will be more Blackhawks fans at the games in Arizona than Coyotes fans. Phoenix is resilient, but expect Chicago to win in 6.

Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-2

#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings

            If it weren’t for Jimmy Howard’s troublesome groin, Detroit would at least have earned a 3-seed. Betting on Howard’s health isn’t a very safe proposition, but that’s what we will do here.

Red Wings over Predators 4-2