Opening Round 2009 Playoff Predictions
By Ray Calder HockeyObserver.com
Boston vs Montreal
Analysis : Other than seeing Pittsburgh face Washington right out of the chute, this is the one rivalry everybody wanted to see . For the Canadiens the script is
not how they would have envisioned in this their 100th season . I have no idea which Montreal team will show up . Will Alexei Kovalev put them on his back and
be the top offensive performer he can be ? What will Carey Price play like ? Too many questions here and Boston is a deep team , they ranked 2nd in the entire
league in offense, and 1st in defensive ranking . The pick here is Boston pretty convincingly .
Washington vs New York Rangers
Analysis : The Caps have a significant edge here in offensive firepower as they boast both the likely NHL MVP (Ovechkin) and the Norris Trophy winner (Mike Green) . Where the Rangers make up some of the gap is that they have a huge edge in netminders with Henrik Lundqvist being an elite talent, while the Caps Jose Theodore is a question mark . There's no way the Rangers can play run and gun with this team - if young defensive pair Marc Staal and Dan Girardi can slow the third ranked Caps offense then the Rangers will have a chance . The pick as much as it pains me from a fans perspective is Washington .
New Jersey vs Carolina
Analysis : Carolina might be the most underrated team entering this tournament . In February it was far from a sure thing they'd be here . Goaltender Cam Ward was brilliant and the offense clicked in big time after Erik Cole arrived at the trade deadline . The Devils looked like the strongest team in the East for much of the year . Their play while the face of the franchise Marty Brodeur was out of the lineup injured was terrific . When Brodeur returned they had a few solid games, but have looked very shaky leading up to the postseason .
Should be an outstanding series and maybe the best battle of goaltenders in round 1 . I'm picking New Jersey to slow Carolina enough to advance to round 2
Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia
Analysis : The battle of Pennsylvania . They know each other well and don't like much about one another . Neither team is overwhelmingly strong in net, and the club that loses this one will probably get blamed for that weakness as they head into the offseason . I've seen both teams at their very best, and I'd expect a high scoring series . With that being the case, the pick is Pittsburgh as I don't believe the Flyers will be able to stop both Crosby and Malkin (though both are going to get hit and hit a lot I would think).
San Jose vs Anaheim
Analysis : The Sharks are here again and fans are asking will this year be different ? In round one they get a team with plenty of playoff experience, but one that cannot match them in depth or in net . The Ducks were only 15th in the league in offense and ranked 18th defensively . As recent as Sunday it was an open question as to who would start in goal for Anaheim . The pick here is San Jose .
Detroit vs Columbus
Analysis: The Red Wings are deep on the blueline and deeper up front . The Jackets are more of a system team with very few stars . The big edge Columbus does hold is in net where rookie Steve Mason has had a much better season than either Chris Osgood or Ty Conklin . I think the Jackets have a lot to look forward to in the coming years, but this postseason the Red Wings are just going to be too much to handle . The pick here is Detroit .
Vancouver vs St. Louis
Analysis : The Blues got here on the strength of some great performances from young players (Oshie, Berglund ) and riding their goaltender Chris Mason who wasn't even the starter until late January . The Canucks have more veteran talent and certainly more depth . The Blues ranked 19th in the league offensively and are going to have to be much better than that showing if they are going to beat the Canucks and Roberto Luongo . I love the patience and smarts John Davidson showed in putting this Blues team together and they'll be better for this experience . The pick however is Vancouver .
Calgary vs Chicago
Analysis : I have no idea what to make of the Flames . None . Every time I tuned in they were either awful or they looked like one of the leagues three best teams . There was no middle ground . They hold a huge edge in playoff experience and definitely one in net . Chicago is still a very young team, and they also have Nikolai Khabibulin backstopping them - a guy that's pretty well battled tested in his own right . I'm going to pick the upset here more on gut and appearances than anything else . Calgary is rightly favored, but I do see them having trouble with the likes of Kane , Toews, and all the quality puckmovers on the blueline (Keith , Campbell and Seabrook).The pick here is the upset Chicago .
So my picks are Boston , Washington , New Jersey, Pittsburgh , The Sharks, Detroit, Vancouver and Chicago . I'll update the record after round one when I post the second round predictions .