NHL Playoff Predictions

With the NHL playoffs upon us, Adam and I would like to take a look at each individual matchup and our predictions. We will start with the West.


THE WEST:

               (#1 Seed Canucks)                         (#8 Seed Blackhawks)


Evan's Prediction: Canucks win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Canucks win in 6.
Our take on the series: Chicago is a huge threat, especially as the #8 seed.  Expect them to give the Canucks a run for their money or even pull out a series win.  Statistically though, Vancouver is just too good. They have to President's trophy, the Sedin twins, and Luongo.

                 (#2 Seed Sharks)                            (#7 Seed Kings)


Evan's Prediction: Sharks win in 5.
Adam's Prediction: Sharks win in 5.
Our take on the series: San Jose is notorious for choking in the playoffs but we think they'll escape the first round.  LA is still a young team and they're without leading scorer Anze Kopitar.

                 (#3 Seed Red Wings)                       (#6 Seed Coyotes)


Evan's Prediction: Red Wings win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Coyotes win in 7.
Our take on the series:  This ones a toss up.  Last year the Coyotes took this series to 7 games and barely lost.  This year the Red Wings are a year older and age is not on their side.  We consider this series to be the dark horse for best first round series.

                   (#4 Seed Ducks)                          (#5 Seed Predators)


Evan's Prediction: Predators win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Ducks win in 6.
Our take on the series:  The Ducks are a really really good team.  They have one of, if not the best lines in hockey (Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry), and they're just an all around really strong team.  The Predators on the other hand are a very shifty team.  They are very young and are going to need goalie Pekka Rinne to come up huge.  They don't get much scoring so a strong defense game is a must for Nashville.




THE EAST:

                (#1 Seed Capitals)                            (#8 Seed Rangers)

Evan's Prediction: Rangers win in 6

Adam's Prediction: Rangers win in 7.

Our take on the series:  The Caps are a solid team, but they cannot get the job done in the playoffs.  Also, the Rangers stack up very well against the Capitals, especially in the regular season this year.

                  (#2 Seed Flyers)                            (#7 Seed Sabres)

Evan's Prediction: Flyers win in 5.

Adam's Prediction: Flyers win in 5.

Our take on the series:  The Flyers will just overpower a Buffalo team.  If they want to stay in the series they are gonna need Ryan Miller to step it up, but he has just recently returned from an injury and we question if he is at 100%.

                (#3 Seed Bruins)                            (#6 Seed Canadiens)

Evan's Prediction: Canadiens win in 7.

Adam's Prediction: Bruins win in 4.

Our take on the series:  So myself and Adam have vastly different choices here.  He claims that the Bruins will sweep the Canadiens because they have such a good track record against them.  I feel like Montreal is a scrappy team that will hang with the B's and pull it out in 7. Only time will tell.

                 (#4 Seed Penguins)                      (#5 Seed Lightning)

Evan's Prediction: Penguins win in 7.

Adam's Prediction: Penguins win in 6.

Our take on the series:  We both live in Pittsburgh so naturally, we'll take the homer pick. Tampa Bay is a dangerous team especially with Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Stamkos but they have a weak defensive core and their goaltending in the playoffs might be questionable.  Pittsburgh will need a big series from Marc-Andre Fleury, and they will need players like Chris Kunitz and James Neal to step it up.  If Crosby returns this series there is no doubt in my mind that the Penguins can take the series.


So, as the playoffs are about to begin, who is your prediction to win the Stanley Cup?