NHL Playoffs start this week

After a long, grueling 82 games, the NHL playoffs is finally here. Some teams were meant to be in the playoffs and others made a late rally to make it in the big dance. In the playoffs, the regular season doesn't matter anymore. The 121 points the Washington Capitals got this year doesn't matter in the playoffs anymore, neither does the Boston Bruins being last in the league in goals scored matters either. As much as the NHL has made me angry this year and in years past, I am actually happy with these Quarterfinals match ups. Here are the match ups and I will choose who wins the series and why.
Capitals vs. Canadiens
The Capitals have the best offensive player in the league in Alex Ovechkin, have seven 20 goal scorers, two of them scored 40 goals and are first in the league in power play success rate with 25.2 percent. However their goaltending situation is a little iffy. Neither Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov played spectacular this year so choosing which one will play will be interesting. The Candiens are actually second in the NHL in power play success rate with 21.8 percent, so they have that going for them. They also have a solid goaltender in Jaroslav Halak who could potentially be a series changing player. Even though the Candiens direly underachieved this year, they are in the playoffs which means something. The Capitals surplus of talent will be too much for the Canadiens to handle, so this series should not last long. Capitals win series in five games.
Devils vs. Flyers
The Devils have Martin Brodeur playing in net. The Flyers have Brian Boucher or Michael Leighton countering him. Definitely a mismatch in that department. The Devils finally have a scoring punch with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise that can play with anybody. Even though the Flyers were inconsistent all season, they fought and grind into the playoffs and they deserve to be there. As long as any team has Chris Pronger (in this case the Flyers do), they will hang around with anybody. However, the Devils will prove to the Flyers that they made the wrong decision winning in the last day of the season to get their ticket punched into the playoffs. Devils win in five games.
Sabres vs. Bruins
This will be the best goaltending match up in this round. Ryan Miller vs. Tuuka Rask. Both goalies are #1 and #2 in the NHL in goals against average and save percentage, Rask is #1 in both categories and Miller is #2. It will be quite a treat watching both goalies play but Miller gets the edge because he has more playoff experience and he will build on his Olympic tournament MVP performance. The Bruins did win the season series 4-2, but their lack of offense will be an even more glaring weakness once they face Miller. It doesn't help that they lost their top three defenseman and their top scorer for the playoffs due to injury either. Sabres win in six games.
Penguins vs. Senators
Even though the Senator have some injuries throughout the year, they played well enough to make the playoffs. Although, having Alexei Kovalev missing the playoffs with a torn ACL will be a major blow to their playoff chances. Daniel Alffredson and Jason Spezza will be the keys to their playoff hopes. The Stanley Cup Champions Penguins, like the previous two years, are just too deep to match up with. Their top three centers are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. No team will be able to counter that kind of talent. Penguins win in five games.
Sharks vs. Avalanche
On paper, the Sharks should crush any opposing team in the Western Conference. Since the Olympic break, the Sharks mediocre 11-7-2 record shows they can be beaten. This is the year the Sharks go deep in the playoffs or there will be a major team shakedown. The Sharks have the top first line in the league with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley and one of the top goaltenders in the league in Evgeni Nabokov. The Avalanche are a solid team all around. They have Craig Anderson in between the pipes who had stellar season with 38 wins and seven shutouts. They also have a good nucleus with Paul Stastney, Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk that will play with anyone. They will give the Sharks quite a battle, but it may not be good enough to overtake their talented roster. Sharks win in seven.
Blackhawks vs. Predators
I chose the Blackhawks to make the Stanley Cup Finals this year and I am sticking to it. Their goaltending situation is a major issue that they have to address. Christobal Huet was their guy coming into the season, but vastly underachieved so Antti Niemi will most likely take over the starting goaltending duties. Even though they have scoring talent that can counter anyone, their defensive play is just as dangerous. The Predators are a pure defensive team and they will stick to the play in this series. They don't score a lot of goals, but they have balanced scoring to make up for it having nine players who scored 10 goals or more. Pekka Rinne had a solid season with 32 wins and seven shutouts. This will be an excellent defensive series, but the Blackhawks offense will score enough goals to get past this round. Blackhawks in six.
Canucks vs. Kings
The Canucks are built to succeed in the playoffs this year. Henrik Sedin played over his head this year winning the Art Ross scoring title with 112 points. They also have a good offensive group in Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows and one of the well-known Olympic players Ryan Kesler. The player that may hold them back is Roberto Luongo. Even though he is an elite NHL goaltender, he has a resume of choking in the playoffs. Just a thought. The Kings are a weird team to me. They are sixth in the NHL in power play success rate with 21 percent but 20th in penalty kill with 80.1 percent. What are the odds that they are a playoff team with an awful penalty kill? This is a young talented group with a combination of veteran players. To me, Anze Kopitar will be the key player of the series. His massive size and offensive skills will be a difficult match up for the Canucks. They also have a good young goaltender in Jonathon Quick who posted 39 wins this season. This will be a fun series to watch, but the Canucks playoff experience will be too overwhelming for the Kings to handle. Canucks win in six.
Coyotes vs. Red Wings
The Coyotes are great story in the NHL this season. With several threats that they might move to another location and the NHL owning the team, they fed off the adversity and played like an elite NHL team all year. They have the pieces to make a deep run in the playoffs. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is scary good, posting 42 wins, a .920 save percentage and eight shutouts. He also has some experience in the playoffs. Even though their offense may not scare anyone, don't forget about Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and newly acquired Wojtek Wolski and the fact they have four 40 point scorers. The Stanley Cup runner-up Red Wings struggled throughout the first half of the season with injuries and inconsistency. But once they got healthy, they caught fire and took off with a 16-3-2 record after the Olympic break. Goaltender Jimmy Howard opened some eyes this year with his terrific play the Red Wings desperately needed. He will keep them in the season because he is tough and a gritty player. The Red Wings are at full strength with Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen all healthy and ready to go. This will be the best series in this Quarterfinals. Both teams are evenly matched and fun to watch, but someone has got to win. Coyotes in seven.