My (almost) Annual Stanley Cup Predictions

Every year I look at the sixteen teams that are in the Stanley Cup playoffs and try to pick the winners.

I use a process of elimination. Single line teams or teams with suspect goaltending can be eliminated rather easily. This usually winnows the two conferences down to two or three teams. Then the fun starts.

So, here is my analysis by conference.

Starting with the Eastern Conference. We can expect that the Penguins, Red Wings and Islanders will be eliminated rather easily in the first round. None of these teams have the goaltending and balanced scoring that are required to make a long playoff run. That has Tampa Bay, the Rangers and Washington advancing to the second round. The Montreal and Ottawa series is interesting. The Canadians should advance, but I wouldn't put anything past Hammond. The Senators may be this years Cinderella team.

In the second round, I expect the Rangers to advance against the Capitals. The Tampa Bay and Montreal match up is a toss up. That would put the Rangers against either the Lightning or the Canadians. I expect the Rangers to advance to the Cup Finals from the East. They have the goaltending and experience to advance.

Now, for the Western Conference. The West is very strong this year. I am picking St. Louis, Nashville, Winnipeg and Calgary to advance out of the first round. The deciding criteria are, once again, goaltending, balanced scoring and experience. I have Nashville and Winnipeg advancing to the Conference Finals and Nashville advancing to the Cup Finals from the West.

That would give us the New York Rangers against the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup finals and I expect the Ranger's experience to prevail.

You can laugh at my predictions over the next two months.

NHL Playoffs 2010

This is my favorite time of the year. I love the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I love that teams play every other night, unlike the endless delays in the NBA playoffs. It does not take long for teams to develop a strong dislike for each other during a playoff round. Because the coaching and film study have advanced in recent years, each team knows the other's tendencies and can develop counters for them.

I love playoff overtime. The overtime games tend to end either very quickly or go on and on.... As long as I don't have to get up for work the next morning, I will stick it out to the bitter end.

Here are a few things that I will be watching for during the first round (I refuse to call them "the conference quarter finals"):

• Which of the goalies that are in the playoffs for the first time will shine? Jimmie Howard? Bryzgalov? Quick? Rask? Halak? Niemi? Wow. That's a lot of teams that are relying on untested goaltenders.
• Upsets. The first round always seems to give us an upset.
• San Jose. Can the Sharks make it out of the first round?
• Officiating. Which games will be decided by a crucial call or non-call?
• Who will step up and who will disappear? The playoffs usually give us an unlikely hero as well as some disappointing performances by "stars"?

Let's enjoy the next two months.