Playoff predictions:
Boston vs. Detroit:
Bruins in six very painful games for the Red Wings. It's phenomenal that the Wings have gutted it out this long, but their only chance in this series is to steal the first couple of games in Boston. It's not impossible, but it's not going to happen. This team's been playing playoff hockey since the Olympics, and they're going up against a Bruins team that played its best hockey down the stretch. Boston has the edge in nearly every category, and this battered and bruised Wings team is about to face a physical challenge they'd have preferred to avoid in the first round of the playoffs.
Pittsburgh vs. Columbus:
Even with the likelihood of Jeff Zatkoff taking over for Marc-Andre Fleury by game three, the Penguins have dominated the Blue Jackets this season. Columbus will put up a fight. They'll play the physical game that gets under Pittsburgh's skin, but it's unimaginable to think they can match the Penguins' scoring. The Blue Jackets aren't the Flyers; they'll make it closer than it should be, but Sergei Bobrovsky won't win this thing by himself. Pittsburgh in seven.
Philadelphia vs. New York: This is probably the hardest series to call. I don't believe anyone wants to play the Flyers in the first round, but if anyone can handle them, it's the Rangers. New York has been consistently strong defensively, and their goaltending duo has put up the best save percentage in the NHL since late January. They have gamebreakers up front, on both ends, but this is really going to come down to whether or not Steve Mason can bring his regular season game to the playoffs. Ray Emery's been good, but can he match what King Lundqvist has on the other side? My head says Philly, because they're just built for the playoffs, but my gut says it'll be the Rangers in seven.
Anaheim vs. Dallas: The Stars were one of the most exciting teams in the NHL post-Olympics, but their consistency was that of a final wildcard team. There's no doubt that Benn and Seguin are going to show up, and Kari Lehtonen can be excellent for some of the games, but this Anaheim team is too deep, too strong, and too good in all areas of the ice to lose to the Stars in round one. Anaheim was also 29-8-4 at home this season, and if you're the underdog, you need to apply the pressure on the road. Ducks in five.
Colorado vs. Minnesota: Watching this Colorado team shock the hockey world has been one of the greatest pleasures of this season, but they could very well be in for a shock against the Minnesota Wild. Minny's stingy on defense, they have a lot more experienced players in their lineup, and you have to wonder if the Avalanche can keep feeding on the underdog mentality that's pushed them to be so great, when they're clearly the top dog in this series. The pressure is on a very young Colorado team, and Roy's greatness as a coach is about to be put to the test. Is it crazy to suggest Chicago would've been a better first round matchup for the Avs? Bryzgalov's the x-factor. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm picking Minnesota in seven.
St. Louis vs. Chicago: The Blues were the best team in the league until Boston went on their streak. The moves for Ryan Miller, Steve Ott and Brenden Morrow were supposed to bolster a team that most already considered the favorite for the Stanley Cup at the halfway mark of the season. Miller's played subpar hockey down the stretch after an incredible season in Buffalo, and the Blues have either run out of gas, or suffered some sort of mental short circuit. On top of all of that, the injury bug has hit hard. David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Vladimir Tarasenko, Vladimir Sobotka, Derek Roy, Patrik Berglund and Morrow are all questionable for the start of the series. A lot of those guys will brave through it to play. On Chicago's side, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are expected to suit up for game one. Both teams are counting on injured players to play through pain. It seems illogical to suggest the Blues can rebound from losing eight of their final 12 games of the season, flipping the switch with all those ailing players, but they still represent a physical matchup the Blackhawks would've preferred to avoid in the first round. The coaching duel levels things off, and a strong start to the series for Miller could bring the Blues back to life. This is going to be a dog fight, and I believe it's going seven. I can accept that I'm likely to be wrong, but I believe the Blues are so desperate to erase previous playoff failings, they might actually find their best game right here in round one. Blues in seven.
San Jose vs. Los Angeles: I believe this series is going to be the most shocking one of the playoffs. The Kings have shown what kind of team they can be at this time of year, but they're going up against a Sharks team that's primed to finally prove they can win. The centres on both teams make this a sensational matchup. Give the Kings the edge on defense and goaltending, but the Sharks are underrated in both departments, and their scoring depth is tremendous. On paper, it would be a shame if this series ended in anything less than seven games. Both these teams are legit contenders, but I believe it's going to end up being one-sided. I've got the Sharks in five, Kings fans can eat me alive.
*****************************
Both the Canadiens and Lightning have faced and overcome adversity this season, and they pushed through with near identical records. Tampa's ability to work through the turmoil of losing Stamkos for most of the season, let alone powering through without Martin St. Louis to land with home-ice advantage was remarkable. Ben Bishop was the star of this show, but his entry to the series isn't likely to come until later, if it comes at all. A couple of key players--Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman--got a little banged up before the season ended. Both are expected to suit up, with Hedman being a certainty at this stage. Palat is not likely for game one. Valtteri Filppula is questionable. Palat and Tyler Johnson have scorched the league as rookies this year, but they've never played in the playoffs, and they can't possibly know what awaits them when this series shifts back to Montreal.
These teams both play tight, defensive hockey. Tampa lives for transition in the neutral zone, and they're a lethal threat on the rush. Montreal likes to play the same game, but they have a bit more grind to their game than Tampa does.
Can Tampa overcome Bishop's injury?
Can Montreal find a way to get their powerplay in order?
These are the biggest questions of this series. Outside of that, the notion that Carey Price still has to prove his playoff worth is nothing but a sideline. The Habs aren't asking any questions about how Price will be when the pressure ratchets up. He gives Montreal the edge they need.
As for those questions above, Anders Lindback gave the Lightning reason to believe he can shoulder the load by winning all of his games after Bishop went down. But to think he can match Price is a stretch.
The Lightning had the 23rd ranked penalty kill in the league this season, so if the Habs can't figure out how to bury a few against them, they aren't going to make it very far in these playoffs.
The season series went Tampa's way, 3-0-1, but all of them were one goal games, with the exception of the last one that Tampa scored an empty-netter in. That said, the Bolts outplayed the Habs in all four games.
The games will be close, but I believe experience and goaltending are going to tip this one Montreal's way. Canadiens in six.