Predictions:
East:
MTL/OTT- Habs in 7. Ottawa gives them fits, but Price bails Habs out again and Hammond continues to regress.
TB/DET- TB in 6- Very tough. Two of the top 3 possession teams in the league here, should be a doozy. In the end, Detroit's shaky goaltending sinks the Wings.
NYR/PIT- Rangers in 5. Just seems like the Pens are in disarray.
WSH/NYI- Going with the upset, Isles in 6.
West:
STL/MIN- Blues in 7. Blues are on the upswing up this year headed into the playoffs. How long can Dubnyk keep his play up?
NSH/CHI- Hawks in 6. Don't think the Preds have the horses to run with Chicago this year. A hot Rinne could change things.
ANA/WPG- Ducks in 7. I'm not a fan of this Ducks team, but I don't think the Jets can overcome Getzlaf/Perry.
VAN/CGY- 'Nucks in 7. Flames miracle season comes to an end.
Semi's:
East:
MTL/TB- TB in 6. Tampa has the speed to match the Habs and the scoring depth to beat Price.
NYR-NYI- Isles in 7. Just a hunch. Don't love the Rangers scoring depth and they were a mediocre possession team a year, despite the Presidents trophy. Rangers are similar to Montreal, mediocre is most areas, got some luck (101.6 PDO). They should regress at some point.
STL/CHI- Hawks in 7. Coin flip.
ANA/VAN- Ducks in 6.
Conference Finals + Cup:
TB/NYI- Tampa in 7. Hell of a series here.
CHI/ANA- Hawks in 5. I really don't think Anaheim is very good, they just have an easy path here. Overwhelmed by the Hawks.
TB/CHI- Chicago in 6. I love Tampa, think they're a bit too young and inexperienced to over come Chicago. Hawks win #3.