Last of the NHL spots filled now it’s time to drop the puck on the second season

Caps first upset victim

The first round played true to form with the exception of Capitals who forgot to bring their defense to the rink as they gave up four goals to the Rangers, giving up home ice in the process, and now must go to “Da Garden” and get a win in front of a rowdy crown in a city that will not be watching the other team that shares the venue as their season is over. Now the Caps find themselves in a ‘must win’ situation early in the series, let alone the playoffs.

The book on the NHL Eastern conference was closed Thursday night as the last of the eight playoffs spots was spoken for. Friday the West followed suit with St. Louis and Anaheim both winning to add playoff berths to their big late-season surges. So now that the match-ups are set, what club is poised for the upset? View the playoff seedings here.
In the first round the best series could be a 4/5 matchup where seven games may not be enough to decide it as three of the four regular season meetings between Philly and Carolina this year have gone into overtime with the Flyers taking three of four. The other 4/5 may not be as fun to watch as Chi Town have “blown out” the Flames in all four meetings this year. The worst draw could be (3) seed Devils who must deal with the (6) seeded penguins whom they have already played six times this year, alternating victories each time for a 3-3 split. The Bruins (1), deservingly so, have the best matchup as they have already taken 5 of 6 from their first round foes the Canadians. Are the Sharks due to fall short again this year? At one point the most dominating team in the NHL cooled off near the end of the year and takes on a Blues club that they have split four meetings with this year. Hardly the dominant record you expect to see in a 1/8 series. So let’s drop the puck and get ready for one of the most competitive post seasons in years. What team do you think will come out of each division? Let us know here and in the NHL chat rooms and team pages.





NHL Playoff Pairings
*******WEST********************
(1)Sharks vs. (8)Ducks
(2)Red Wings vs. (7) Blue Jackets
(3)Canucks vs. (6) Blues
(4)Blackhawks vs. (5)Flames

*******EAST********************
(1)Bruins vs. (8)Canadians
(2)Capitals vs. (7)Rangers
(3)Devils vs. (6)Hurricanes
(4)Penguins vs. (5)Flyers