2007 NHL Playoff Preview

It's here!! The 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive tomorrow night!! The greatest title chase in sports gets underway with 4 series starting up and 4 more on Thursday night.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) N.Y. Islanders
--The amazing run the Isles had just to make the playoffs was incredible. After the Devils scored with 0.9 seconds remaining Sunday afternoon,the stunned looks were caught by TV cameras,and people could feel it all slipping away. But, the exciting shootout win did propel them into this first round match-up with the Sabres. The status of Rick Di Pietro is still undetermined, but even if he plays, the talent differential is huge. This IS the NHL playoffs,though,and anything is possible. The Isles are very capable of winning a game or two on the Island,but asking them to win the series may be too big of a task for this overachieving group.
MY PICK: SABRES IN 5

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
--The Devils are finally healthy again, and as the late rally Sunday afternoon showed, are still playing very aggressively. Brodeur is having his best season ever, Gionta and Elias are back healthy and the team is conjuring up memories of the 2000 squad that rolled to a Cup victory. Tampa has a lot of talent on the ice, but defensively and between the pipes the 'Ning do not match up well with the Devils. This has mismatch written all over it.
MY PICK: DEVILS IN 5

(3) Atlanta Thrashers vs. (6) N.Y. Rangers
--This is a very interesting match-up. The blue shirts have their fans all pumped up for the first time in years. Last year was basically a cameo appearance for NYR, this year they have hopes for a run. The young Thrashers are making their first playoff appearance in the franchises' young history. It's the predominantly young Atlanta team versus the strong vets on the Rangers. This could come down to playoff experience,and I agree with the experts that this series is ripe for an upset.
MY PICK: RANGERS IN 7

(4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
--Arguably the best first round series in the east, and one of the best overall. This is the first glimpse of the postseason for most of the young Pens. Phenom Sidney Crosby leads his team against the always tough Senators. The late year battle for home ice may very well prove to be the difference maker in this one. Counting just wins and losses,Ottawa was 25-16 at home this year, while the Pens were 21-20 on the road.Two of the top 4 scorers in the NHL will be on display in Danny Heatley and Crosby. This one is so close, that I just have to go with experience and home ice advantage.
MY PICK: SENATORS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames
--Interesting tidbit here...one of these teams had the most home wins and best home record this year. It was NOT Detroit! The Flames won 30 games at home to Detroit's' 29. Conversely, that means that Calgary has the worst road record of any playoff team. That will hurt them,as will just the fact they are playing the Red-HOT Wings. Calgary is a better team that the #8 seed would imply,but they are over-matched in this one.
MY PICK: RED WINGS IN 5

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7)Minnesota Wild
--The Wild has the stingiest defense in the league, and that is saying something with NJ,Detroit,Dallas and others featuring great defenses as well. A very fun match-up here, and it is always fun to see playoff hockey in the Twin Cities. It would not feel like a true "upset" if the Wild were to win this series. Indeed, only 6 points separated these teams in the regular season.
Very, very tough one to pick...I will go with my "gut" here and take the Wild to advance.
MY PICK: WILD IN 6

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6)Dallas Stars
--Another great match-up, this has "classic" written all over it. Seven games seem to be in order for this match-up as the westernmost NHL team meets the team from the heart of Texas. For east coast fans, this is the series to stay up late for as the very talented and deep Ducks will battle the equally deep and talented Stars tooth and nail (or bill and wing?). I will go with the hotter goalie,and for once it is NOT Marty Turco...Roberto Luongo has had a season second to, well only Brodeur. Canucks in a classic.
MY PICK: CANUCKS IN 7

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
--Even though this match-up makes NHL purists cringe, these are two very talented teams. The Preds are making their playoff debut, and the Sharks are once again in the NHL's biggest stage. The star-packed lineup is too hard to ignore, no matter how tough the Sharks are defensively. I think Nashville makes history in Music City and moves on to the conference semis.
MY PICK: PREDATORS IN 6

Not wanting to hang myself out there too much, I will make my picks on a round-by-round basis. That said, I cannot wait until tomorrow night, when the greatest playoff season in sports kicks off! Most games are on Versus (formerly OLN) and it is available on most standard digital cable packages,and on satellite. Enjoy, and LET'S GO DEVILS!!!