Stanley Cup playoffs filled with exciting matchups: Eastern Conference

By Joe Patarino
STAFF WRITER

It’s about that time again. Whether you’re a die-hard hockey fan or merely your everyday sports fan, buckle up because the NHL playoffs are upon us. No sport has provided the grueling intensity, game-in, game-out grind than the National Hockey League — and this year will be no different.

The playoffs come after a regular season which showcased the Detroit Red Wings (again), who won their third President’s Cup trophy in the past four seasons. Alexander Ovechkin wowed us night-in and night-out with his 65-goal, 112-point campaign. Locally, the Hockey Gods punished the Buffalo Sabres for their off-season moves by becoming the third team since the expansion era in 1967 to miss the playoffs just one year removed from their President’s Trophy season.

But that was the regular season. There are no guarantees come playoff time. Take the 2005-06 season, where each of the top four seeds in the Western Conference were eliminated in the first round. With no shootouts, rather multi-overtime games in demanding best-of-seven series, only the strongest, most determined teams will advance. Who will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2008? Time will tell, and it starts with round one:

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins

Reason to watch: Carey Price. Rochester Americans’ fans may recognize this name as he took the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs past Rochester en route to Hamilton’s Calder Cup Championship. Handed the reigns at the trade deadline with the trade of Cristobal Huet, Price went 12-3 — including six straight wins to end the season — since taking over as the No. 1 goaltender. For some reason, he’s not being mentioned enough as a candidate for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie — an award he should win.

Season Series: 8-0, Montreal

Food for thought: Dating back to last season, the Canadiens have won 11 straight games against Boston and have a 13-3 overall record in the past two seasons. Also, in the two teams’ intense, 84-year rivalry, the Habs hold a 23-7 series edge in the playoffs.

Series Outlook: Along with strong goaltending, the Canadiens can score as they have the league’s top power play (24.2 percent), led by Alexei Kovalev (47 power play points). It’s still uncertain whether or not Captain Saku Koivu (ankle) will be ready to go, but the rival Bruins are banged up as well with forwards Marc Savard (back), Chuck Kobasew (ankle) and Patrice Bergeron (concussion) out of the lineup. It’s no secret as to why Boston had a hard time putting the puck in the net (five goals in last four games) the last week of the season.

Prediction: Montreal in five.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators

Reason to watch: Evgeni Malkin. “What? No Sidney Crosby?” No. If you haven’t realized Sid the Kid’s greatness by now, then you’ve been living under a rock the past two years. The name most don’t know is Malkin. Due to injury, Crosby missed 30 games this season and it was because of Malkin that the Penguins won the Atlantic Division. Leading the team in goals (47), assists (59), points (106) and power play goals (17), the big, talented Russian is the real deal.

Season Series: 2-1-1, Ottawa

Food for thought: This is a rematch of last season’s first-round bout (which Ottawa won 4-1). The Sens come into this one without captain Daniel Alfredsson and forward Mike Fisher — who are both out with knee injuries. Alfredsson was second on the team in goals (40) and in points (89), while Fisher provided strong two-way play, and a career high in goals (23).

Series Outlook: Malkin and Crosby are not alone. Since being acquired from Atlanta at the trade deadline, Marian Hossa picked up three goals and seven assists in 12 games. Defenseman Sergi Gonchar is lethal on the blue line, particularly on the power play (46 power play points). Marc-Andre Fleury had a strong finish to his season. Ottawa is skilled enough to make this an exciting series to watch, but with inconsistent goaltending and no Alfredsson, expect a first-round exit from Canada’s capital city.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in six.

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Reason to watch: Alexander Ovechkin is the top candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player and it would be a catastrophe if he didn’t get it. He’s hands down the most exciting player in the league with 63 goals and 112 points, and Ovechkin gets better the bigger the game; scoring 17 goals and 30 points with a plus-20 rating over the final 18 games of the season, helping his Caps clinch the Southeast Division in the team’s final game.

Season Series: Tied, 2-2

Food for thought: Since being acquired from Montreal at the trade deadline, goaltender Cristobal Huet is 11-2 (including nine straight wins to end the season), solidifying a spot in net which had previously been manned by Olaf Kolzig for more than a decade.

Series Outlook: The Flyers are hot (7-2-1 in last 10), but the Caps are hotter (9-1 in last 10). Along with Ovechkin, Rookie of the Year candidate Nicklas Backstrom (14 goals, 69 points) and Alexander Semin (26 goals, 42 points in 63 games) give Washington an explosive offense. With Daniel Briere (31 goals, 72 points) and Mike Richards (28 goals, 75 points), the Flyers have a strong offense themselves, but can they keep up with the high tempo play of Washington? I say no.

Prediction: Washington in six.

(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers

Reason to watch: Martin Brodeur vs. Henrik Lundqvist. Two of the league’s best net-minders square off in a battle of Atlantic Division rivals. For Brodeur, the likely Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goaltender, it was business as usual — 44 wins on a team with little offensive punch. Lundqvist anchored a Rangers team that has gone through stretches where they struggled to find the back of the net. Posting 37 wins and a league-best 10 shutouts, don’t expect many goals in this series.

Season Series: 7-0-1, New York

Food for thought: This cross-river rivalry is so intense that the Rangers are the only team with which New Jersey has never made a trade. Chants are traded back and forth between venues among these die-hard fans. In their four playoff series meetings, New York won the first three in the ’90s, but in 2005-06, the Devils — 19 points out of the division lead at one point — overtook the Rangers in the division, then went on to dominatingly sweep New York. Don’t think the Rangers — or their faithful fans — have forgotten that series.

Series Outlook: The goaltending is strong for each team, which will make this a long series, but New York does provide much more of an offensive threat. Forwards Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka have each lifted the Cup in the past and are surrounded by a good, young core of forwards in Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes and Hilton High School graduate Ryan Callahan.

Prediction: New York in seven.

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