Eastern Conference NHL Playoffs

Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Canadiens, Penguins

National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs have narrowed it down to 16 teams. Eight teams in the East and 8 teams in the West will compete over the next couple of months before the winners from the east and west meet for the final showdown. Here is a current rundown of the Eastern Conference:

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

This is the first time that Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin finds himself in the post-season and his third year playing in the NHL. With all of the incredible trades that occurred right at the trade deadline, the Capitals added a few more Russians to the mix, which has helped the Capitals get to where they are now - in the post-season.

Along with the championship wizardry of former AHL Hershey Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau, the Capitals are a team to contend with this post-season. Boudreau will be up for coach of the year at the NHL Awards.

Going up against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Capitals need to worry about an onslaught of scoring talent, including Daniel Briere and what was known as the Broad Street Bullies back in the 1970s. The Flyers have three scoring lines (unlike the Capitals) and as of April 17th, they are leading 2-1 in the series.

The Capitals and Penguins should meet in an upcoming series. Seeing the two Russian superstars, Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, meeting against each other in the playoffs will be a heated match.

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

The final seed in the East went to the Bruins, who are now going up against the Habs in the first round. The Habs are currently the top pick across the NHL as winning in this series. While Boston ousted their division rivals, the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs, from making the final cut, they are not the favorite to win in this series.

Everyone in the NHL is talking about the return of Alex Kovalev. At the trade deadline, the Habs made an unbelievable deal as they dealt their starting goaltender, Cristobal Huet, to the Washington Capitals for next to nothing, giving young rookie Habs' goaltender Carey Price the nod.

The trade ended up being beneficial to both the Washington Capitals and the Canadiens. Huet stepped into the role held by Olaf Kolzig and was a detrimental character in helping to bring the Capitals into the post-season, while Price helped the Canadiens land the top spot in the East and be the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Currently, the Canadiens are ahead in the series 3-1. Really, does Boston even have a prayer in making it to Round 2? Like I said, the Bruins are not the favorite to win this series.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

Going up against the super elite youth of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the first round has sealed their fate in the post-season. Malkin has been on fire since Crosby was injured and out of the line-up through the majority of the second half of the season.

With Crosby back, the two superstars will be hard to beat, because what makes them superstars is their ability to redefine a miracle on ice. Add in another superstar named Marian Hossa to their mix with Petr Sykora and the Pens will be the Superteam of the East meeting the West.The Penguins swept the series against the Senators 4-0.

New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

Historically, the favor has been on the Rangers' side. But in 2006, the Devils defeated them for the first time in the playoffs since their inception in 1982 with a four-game sweep.This season, the Devils have posted a lackluster performance against the New York area teams by winning only one game in each series against the Islanders and the Rangers. Oddly enough, they shined dramatically against non-area teams.

With Martin Brodeur in net for the Devils, the Rangers are going to have a tough time, being as this time of year is the time when Marty becomes the most dangerous player in the NHL. On the other end of the ice, there's Henrik Lundqvist who is playing at the top of his game for the first time in his career. So far, Lundqvist has been the number one goalie in this series. The Rangers lead the series 3-1.