A PREVIEW OF THE NHL PLAYOFFS

A PREVIEW OF THE NHL PLAYOFFS

Well the NHL postseason has gotten under way, and I for one am pumped up! And yeah, sure, we're halfway through the first round, but it's never too late to try. I forget what the saying is. Yeah, we're around game 4 in each series, and for this article, I'm going to put down my predictions for each series, and predict a winner. ALRIGHT. LET'S DO THIS.

Eastern Conference:

1 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS 8 NEW YORK ISLANDERS

SERIES: 2-2

This series is closer than I think anyone could've imagined. Well, I can think of one guy. Still, this is one of the most exciting series so far this postseason. I can't believe that I'm glued to Islanders games. 8 year old me would've punched myself in the face. I mean, Michael Peca? No thanks. Nowadays, you got young upstarts like Tavares, De Haan, Cizikas, all those guys. Grabner! That guy is fast! It's ridiculous. This series is great, and I don't want it to end, but as the old adage (adage? Is that right?) says: All good things have to come to an end. And with that end, must come a victor.

I'm going with Pittsburgh in 7 in this one. I like the Isles, and I think in any other division, they're playoff contenders each and every year, but it's too hard to ignore the first place penguins. With three top 2 picks in 3 years (Marc-Andre Fleury (1 in 03), Evgeni Malkin (2 in 04) and Sid "Vicious" Crosby (1 in 05), this team becomes too powerful to ignore.

2 MONTREAL CANADIENS VS 7 OTTAWA SENATORS

SERIES: 3-1 OTT

I think this series is going just how everyone imagined it. The Senators, although finishing 7th, are a much stronger team than they appear. They are reminiscent of last years Los Angeles Kings. Without an injury to Erik "The Red" Karlsson, I firmly believe that the Sens would've contested for number 1 in the northwest division. The young up-and-coming team now has a chance to show the league that they're not just a "barely make the playoffs every year" team. As much as I hate to say it.

I have to take the Sens in this series. If it were the beginning of the series, I probably would've taken the Habs. It's hard to overlook Gally and Gally 2: Electric Boogaloo (Guess which one is which? I double doggy dare you). Also, what is up with Raphael Diaz? Did he just decide "Hey. I'm not going to show up this year." Now that goal off of him in game 4. Tsk, tsk. Yeah, Sens in 6.

3 WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS 6 NEW YORK ISLANDERS

SERIES: 2-1 WSH

This series is just a product of the "Each Division Leader gets a top 3 spot in the playoffs" rule, and also whatever the Southwest Division is doing. The Rangers fell from last year, and with that came trade deadline deals that brought in some good players. Ryane "You never" Clowe and Derick "Derelict" Brassard, namely, were both key players in the Rangers second half. The Caps, on the other hand, are one of those up and down teams. You never really know where they'll finish. 

I'm going with the Rangers in this series. I feel like a team that finishes with 26 wins in the toughest division (arguably) in the NHL can beat a team that had 27 in easily the weakest.  This series has been close throughout, but I'm fairly certain the Rangers can eke out a win in this one. Rangers in 6.

4 BOSTON BRUINS VS 5 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

SERIES: 2-1 BOS

I know. I was as upset as you were when you heard the Leafs made the playoffs. AND IN FIFTH? WHY DON'T YOU JUST SPIT IN MY FACE? I mean, they might have deserved it. I haven't paid attention at all to their season. I kind of assumed that it was a lost cause. But Phil "Lee Cheese Steak" Kessel and Joffrey "Lawyers always find a" Lupul are a strong tandem, and I can't bring myself to count them out. The Bruins, on the other hand, have always been a strong playoff team. I mean, remember 2011? 

I'm taking the Bruins here. The Bruins have too much experience in the playoffs compared to the Leafs. I have nothing else to say on the matter. Rask is great, the Boston offense is great, and Zdeno Chara is just a machine. No questions asked. Bruins in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS 8 MINNESOTA WILD

SERIES: 3-1 CHI

Wow. What a season from the Hawks. I mean, what is there to say that hasn't already been said? HALATOOMEE! I bet no one has said that. The Blackhawks have always been a strong team. The story here is definitely in the Minnesota Wild. After an offseason that saw the Wild sign Zach "Gangster's" Parise and Ryan "Zoot" Suter, the two most coveted free agents on the market, the Wild played their hearts out, and only came up with 8th place. They snagged Jason "In the Town of" Pominville at the trade deadline, and made their way through the year.

I'm taking the Blackhawks here based purely on the fact that they lost 12 total games this year. The Wild are getting stronger, but they're not at Stanley Cup contender level yet. The Blackhawks are just too strong. Blackhawks in 5.

2 ANAHEIM DUCKS VS 7 DETROIT RED WINGS

SERIES: 2-2

This series is more or less equal. The Ducks had a strong year, a year that surprised everyone. Many people said that the Kings would take the division, but no, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim managed to pull out a win. The Red Wings, on the other hand, are reeling from Nicklas Lidstrom's retirement, managed to have a decent season, the 22nd in a row they've made the playoffs. With rookie sensations Gustav "I just can't Quist You" Nyquist and Damien "Blade" Brunner, the Red Wings are now tied 2-2.

I'm going Red Wings on this one. As for liking said teams, I'm divided in between the two teams. They've both got strong two way centers that I really like (Nick "Of Time" Bonino and Darren "Captain at the" Helm) and two prospects I really like as well (Emerson "If You've Got Sandwiches" Etem, and Andreas "What Kind of Nickname could I have" Athanasiou. The Wings, I think, are just a stronger team overall. Wings in 7.

3 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS 6 SAN JOSE SHARKS

SERIES: 4-0 SAN JOSE WINS

Well, that sucked. 

4 ST.LOUIS BLUES VS 5 LOS ANGELES KINGS

SERIES: 2-2

This series is by far my favorite this postseason. Two extremely similar teams go head to head. This series is conference final material, and we get it first round. Two strong number one defensemen: The Kings Drew "Without A" Doughty and Alex "Repeat, Repeat, Three" Pietrangelo. (Kind of forced that one) Strong two way forwards: The Kings Dustin "The Wind" Brown and Mike "Richie" Richards and the Blues David "Never Look" Backes and Alex "New Adventures of Old Christ" Steen. This series is amazing.

I've never had a more difficult time picking a team to win in my life, but after careful deliberation (Three minutes?) I've decided to go with the Blues. The Kings are a strong team, as evidenced by last years SC victory, but the Blues just have something. These teams are just too similar. Blues in 7.

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS: PIT VS OTT, BOS VS NYR

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS: CHI VS DET, STL VS SAN

PITTSBURGH VS OTTAWA - Pit in 7

BOSTON VS NEW YORK - Bos in 7

CHICAGO VS DETROIT - Chi in 6

ST.LOUIS VS SAN JOSE - Stl in 7

EAST FINALS: PIT VS BOS

WEST FINALS: CHI VS STL

PITTSBURGH VS BOSTON - BOSTON IN 7

CHICAGO VS ST.LOUIS - ST. LOUIS IN 7

STANLEY CUP FINALS: ST.LOUIS VS BOSTON

ST.LOUIS IN 7

Welp, these are my predictions. I'll continue to update my predictions as the playoffs go on. 

Comment with your predictions. Check out the next Sports With Simmons 

podcast!