Eastern Conference Playoffs Rundown

It's that time of year for the Playoffs in the National Hockey League. Sixteen teams are in the race to see who will bring home the Stanley Cup. Eight teams in the east and eight 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

If you read my predictions a few months ago, you will know that the Washington Capitals were my underdog team to make the Playoffs. I was on pins and needles this past month waiting to see if they would make it. Well, they just had to wait until the absolute final game of the regular season to kick the Carolina Hurricanes out of the third playoff spot, and essentially out of the playoffs completely. The final race was very close in the Eastern Conference with so many teams either tied for the last few spots in the conference or within one to two points of each other.

This is the first time that Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin finds himself in the post-season. This is 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. Oh, and believe me, they want this win badly!

Now, my prediction that they would make it into the playoffs, does not necessarily mean I believe they will win it all, but if they do that will be one amazing feat. No matter if the Capitals win or lose in the playoffs, there are strong shouts (not whispers) throughout the league that Boudreau will be up for coach of the year at the NHL Awards. He’s done some miraculous work turning a losing team into a winner. He definitely deserves the praise.

Going up against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Capitals need to worry about an onslaught of scoring talent, including Daniel Briere (who is a scoring phenom), and what was known as the Broad Street Bullies back in the 1970s is now alive again and kicking derriere all over the ice. With goons like Steve Downie, the Capitals need to keep their eyes focused on everything around them and not find themselves placed in a position where they could be seriously injured and taken completely out of the Playoffs. Believe me, I wouldn't put it past the Flyers to do something like that. Then again...I wouldn't put it past Ovechkin to do something similar. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres about that one. Actually, just Youtube it. I still laugh at how Ovechkin was kicked out of the game last season for the harm he caused to their team. Really, I was on the Sabres side with that one.

The Flyers have three scoring lines (unlike the Capitals) and as of April 17th, they are leading 2-1 in the series.

MY HOPE: The Capitals and Penguins 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. After Ovechkin hit Malkin's agent across the face last summer, the two former Team Russia teammates (and friends) fell adrift. Ovechkin has been targeting Malkin out on the ice all throughout the season in an effort to cause harm to him. Malkin is not necessarily a fighter, but will fight when he is pushed to do it. Between these two Russian superstars, there is a lot of pride on the line if the two meet up. It will be the liveliest series of the post-season if the two meet up.

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. Back in December, Alex posed for a photo for me. It was an action shot where he was hitting the puck into the net, and as he approached me, he looked right into the camera. Unfortunately for me, the picture turned out blurry. I remember looking up from the digital screen after I took the photo and looking right into Alex’s eyes, thinking ‘wow...I think we’re in for an incredible season.’ That’s what I saw in his eyes that night, and that’s the performance he’s delivered all season long, which has the NHL world abuzz of the reemergence of Alex Kovalev.

That’s not the only thing the NHL has been talking about. 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

The Ottawa Senators started off the season on a strong note, being at the top of the East throughout the first half of the season. But when the midway point came around, their top line became plagued with injuries. The Senators suffered dramatically as they went from first place to seventh place when the regular season ended. Ottawa’s main mistake is having a superstar contingency on one line. The New York Rangers suffered that mistake in the first playoffs after the lockout and were swept in the first round. Ottawa should have learned from the Rangers’ mistake, because the Senators were also swept in their first round.

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. They’ve tallied incredible goals that leave you sitting there with your mouth glued to the floor. I’ve watched footage of Malkin flying through the air to score a game winning goal. That is what makes watching the Penguins a feast for hockey lovers’ eyes. They make the Penguins look like they are the E-L-I-T-E. They are just two of the reasons why hockey in the NHL is amazing right now.

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

These are two teams that I can write about forever, especially when it concerns the rivalry between them in the post-season. This year marks the second time since living in the New York City area that I have had the opportunity to watch these two teams go head-to-head in the first round of the playoffs.

Now, I could go either way with who is the likely favorite to win in this series. 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.

As for the Rangers, they are still working on an upturn in what started off as a dismal season. Some days they were out of the playoffs, other days they picked up and won a few more games to get back into the playoffs. They’ve been on a complete roller coaster ride.

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.