The Official NHL Playoffs Thread

[evank15]

1 Buffalo vs 8 New York Islanders

Easy win for the Sabres.

2 New Jersey vs 7 Tampa Bay

Pretty easy win for NJD. Tampa's efense and awful goaltending is going to kill them.

3 Atlanta vs 6 New York Rangers

Neither of these teams is a threat to do anything at all in the playoffs, who wins this crapfest is a tossup.

4 Ottawa vs 5 Pittsburgh

The opposite of the crapfest from above. Tough series, two great teams. My money is on Pittsburgh. I'll take young and unproven over older and proven chokers any day.

WEST

1 Detroit vs 8 Calgary

One of the easiest series to pick imo. Calgary should take this one pretty handily. Detroit is too old, too European, and Datsyuk and Zetterberg are proven chokers. Calgary may have the best team in the nhl on paper and the playoffs is their time to shine.

2 Anaheim vs 7 Minnesota

Anaheim is a powerful team. Minnesota is a great team, but Anaheim is just that much better.

3 Vancouver vs 6 Dallas

Marty Turco is a joke. I hate the Canucks, and Luongo has proven nothing, but nothing is better than proven awful. Canucks take this one handily.

4 Nashville vs 5 San Jose

Two great teams. It's too bad one of these teams gets tossed in the first round. I have no idea who takes this one. Toss up.

My "power rankings" going into the playoffs:

1. Buffalo
2. Anaheim
3. Calgary
4. San Jose
5. Nashville
6. Minnesota
7. Vancouver
8. Pittsburgh
9. Ottawa
10. New Jersey
11. Detroit
12. Dallas
13. Tampa Bay
14. NYR
15. Atlanta
16. NYI

[1C5]

wtf, cal just lost 4 games in a row and are not playing good hockey.

They have been suspect pretty much all year. Put them closer to 16th than 1st.

To say Cal will win easily is laughable. Det has home ice and are 29-4-8 at home this year.

I give Det the easy win.

But I guess I should post all my picks to be fair so you can rip mine apart also.

[Triumph36]

Yeah, Calgary as #3 is a joke. They're the 8th seed for a reason. They have a team that could possibly go places - but Detroit isn't exactly a bad team either.

[1C5]

EAST

Buf over NYI in 5.

Might be a sweep, total mismatch.

NJ over TB in 5.

NJ is a playoff team, plain and simple. I expect Marty to shine as usual. TB goalies suck and goalies win games in the playoffs.

Atl over NYR in 7

Tough one as both teams have similiar offense (Jagr vs Hossa/Kovalchuk) and similiar goalies.

I like Atl but can go either way.

Ott over Pit in 6.

Tough call here as Pitt is dangerous but I think Heatley/Spezza cancel out Crosby/Malkin and the rest of Ott is deeper than Pitts.

2nd rd

Buf vs Ott Buf in 6
NJ vs Atl NJ in 6

3rd rd

Buf vs NJ Buf in 7


WEST

Det over Cal in 6

Cal sucks this year. Det is solid as long as Hasek is healthy, they beat Cal no prob.

Ana over Min in 5

Min has a good playoff team but Ana is just too deep and too strong.

Van over Dal in 6.

This will be a very tough series but Luongo will be the difference over Turco in this one. You read it here, Luongo's 1st time in the playoffs and he is going to shine, he has been waiting his whole career for this chance.

SJ over NSH in 7

Wow, what a series this will be. This could easily be the West finals based on the caliber of the teams. I am picking a minor upset here as I like the Thornton/Cheechoo/Guerin/Marleau offensive combo even more than the great offense of NSH.

Looking forward to this series more than any other. Well this and Pitt/Ott.

2nd rd

Det vs SJ Det in 7
Ana vs Van Ana in 7

3rd rd

Det vs Ana Ana in 6


Stanley Cup

Ana over Buf in 7


There we go!!!

[g-bebe]

That's insane. Calgary, the best team on paper? You're joking, right? Besides Huselius and Iginla, this team doesn't have much serious scoring power, and their defense isn't outstanding. The only way I see them beating the Wings, or ANY other team in the Western Conference is if Kiprusoff stands on his head, a la 2003-2004. I'm not saying the Flames don't have a chance; they do, just like every other team, but I feel Detroit's forwards will be the difference.

[stealthcow]

[ QUOTE ]

My "power rankings" going into the playoffs:

1. Buffalo
2. Anaheim
3. Calgary
4. San Jose
5. Nashville
6. Minnesota
7. Vancouver
8. Pittsburgh
9. Ottawa
10. New Jersey
11. Detroit
12. Dallas
13. Tampa Bay
14. NYR
15. Atlanta
16. NYI

[/ QUOTE ]



[/ QUOTE ]

This is a pretty funny list. You really think that...
6 of the top 7 teams are in the West?
The 4 worst are in the East?
The Devils are 10th?

[TruFloridaGator]

Go Bolts!

[bluef0x]

[ QUOTE ]

This is a pretty funny list. You really think that...
6 of the top 7 teams are in the West?
The 4 worst are in the East?
The Devils are 10th?

[/ QUOTE ]

Happy 40th!

[evank15]

[ QUOTE ]
That's insane. Calgary, the best team on paper? You're joking, right? Besides Huselius and Iginla, this team doesn't have much serious scoring power, and their defense isn't outstanding. The only way I see them beating the Wings, or ANY other team in the Western Conference is if Kiprusoff stands on his head, a la 2003-2004. I'm not saying the Flames don't have a chance; they do, just like every other team, but I feel Detroit's forwards will be the difference.

[/ QUOTE ]

Calgary - 6th in NHL in scoring, 2nd in Western Conference. 11th in NHL in GA, 8th in West.

Detroit - 10th in NHL in scoring, 2nd in GA.

Calgary - 4 players in the top 35 in scoring.
Detroit - 1 player in the top 35 in scoring (and that player averages 0.36PPG in the playoffs).

Calgary - Easily the best top to bottom defense corps in the NHL. A top 3 goalie and reigning Vezina winner in goal; The best leader currently in the playoffs.

A team full of playoff warriors. Iginla, Regehr, Huselius, Conroy, Langkow, Friesen, Kiprusoff etc etc.

What do the Wings have? A bunch of soft euros, a 41 year old goalie and a thug "superstar". Nik Lidstrom is the only player on that team worth talking about.

Buffalo is the only team that can match the Flames on paper.

I'm going to predict it right now - Buffalo/Calgary SCF. Who wins...I don't know. But it'll be a hell of a series.

[1C5]

How is Huselius a "playoff warrior"? He played 7 playoff games in his career.