2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs: First round predictions

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pittsburgh Penguins [1] vs. New York Islanders [8]
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who were the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, face the New York Islanders, who surprised everyone by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. Pittsburgh are hoping to have their top player, Sidney Crosby, back in the lineup by the opening game. The Islanders have not won a playoff series since 1993, and have not finished higher than the eighth seed since 2001-02. Due to having more firepower and experience, Pittsburgh is the favorite here by leaps and bounds.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in five games.

Montréal Canadiens [2] vs. Ottawa Senators [7]
After a miserable 2011-12 campaign in which they sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Montréal Canadiens rebounded by winning the Northeast Division title. The Ottawa Senators were expected to disintegrate after losing their top defenseman, Erik Karlsson, and one of their top forwards, Jason Spezza to injury early in the season. But with excellent goaltending and solid defense, Ottawa managed to make it to the playoffs. This marks the first time the Canadiens and Senators have met in the playoffs.
Prediction: Montréal in six games.

Washington Capitals [3] vs. New York Rangers [6]
The Washington Capitals rebounded after a terrible start to the regular season to climb all the way to the top of the Southeast Division. The New York Rangers had a disappointing first half to the season, but played excellent hockey down the stretch. This marks the third year in a row that the Capitals and Rangers meet in the playoffs. In 2012, the Rangers won in the second round. In 2011, the Capitals won in the opening round.
Prediction: New York in seven games.

Boston Bruins [4] vs. Toronto Maple Leafs [5]
The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the regular season being the only team in the NHL since the 2004-05 lockout cancelled season not to have qualified for the playoffs at least once, but they finally managed to return this season. Many were hoping for a Montréal-Toronto first round matchup, but due to Montréal winning their last game of the season and Boston losing to Ottawa on the final day of the regular season, the Leafs face the Bruins. The last time the Bruins and Leafs met in the playoffs was in 1973-74, when Boston swept the Leafs in the opening round.
Prediction: Boston in four games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Chicago Blackhawks [1] vs. Minnesota Wild [8]
The Chicago Blackhawks, who finished the regular season with the best record in the NHL, will face the Minnesota Wild, who are in the post-season for the first time since 2008. Chicago have been first round casualties in both playoff appearances they've made since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. Minnesota have not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2003. This marks the first time that the Blackhawks and Wild meet in the playoffs.
Prediction: Chicago in five games.

Anaheim Ducks [2] vs. Detroit Red Wings [7]
The Anaheim Ducks face the Detroit Red Wings for the fifth time in franchise history (they have faced the Wings in the playoffs more often than any other team). The Wings won the first two (1997 and 1999), and the Ducks won the last two (2003 and 2007). The Red Wings have the longest current consecutive playoff appearances (22), but the 7th seed is the lowest the Red Wings have ever had since the current playoff format began in the 1993-94 season. The Red Wings are a team that will likely begin rebuilding next season.
Prediction: Anaheim in six games.

Vancouver Canucks [3] vs. San Jose Sharks [6]
The Vancouver Canucks finished at the top of the Northwest Division during the regular season for the fifth consecutive season, and in the first round, they face the San Jose Sharks, who are one of only two teams who has qualified for the playoffs every seasons since the 2004-05 lockout cancelled season (the Detroit Red Wings are the other). This marks the second time that the Canucks and Sharks have met in the playoffs. In the first meeting, back in 2010-11, the Canucks defeated the Sharks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
Prediction: Vancouver in seven games.

St. Louis Blues [4] vs. Los Angeles Kings [5]
The Los Angeles Kings, who won the Stanley Cup for the first time ever last season, will face the St. Louis Blues in the opening round. This marks the fourth time that the Blues and the Kings have met in the playoffs. Last season, the Kings and Blues met in the second round, and the Kings swept the Blues in four straight. In fact, every single time the Kings and Blues have met in the playoffs, the series was a sweep (the Blues won the other two, which were in 1969 and 1998).
Prediction: Los Angeles in seven games.

Yes! Stanley Cup Playoffs time! I'll come up with my predictions later.

Penguins - Islanders
Islanders in 7. Being lead by John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Nabby, the Isles take a stunning 3-1 lead, but the Pens make a series out of it. In game 7 overtime, Marc-Andre Fleury shoots the puck at Douglas Murray's rear end, from which it bounces to his own net.

Canadiens - Senators
Senators in 6. Senators find a way to win one game in Montreal, despite the ridiculous homer officiating. Habs are just not a good team at the moment.

Capitals - Rangers
Rangers in 4. Two of the hottest teams in the East meet and it's a low scoring, tight battle, with the Rangers winning every game 1-0. Ovechkin cannot get past the brick wall called Henrik Lundqvist.

Bruins - Maple Leafs
Bruins in 5. Phil Kessel rises to the occasion and scores 8 goals, but it's not enough to battle against the depth of the Bruins.

Blackhawks - Wild
Hawks in 6. Hawks lose the second and the fifth games. Perfect road record.

Ducks - Red Wings
Detroit in 6. Ducks continue their downward trend and lose both games 1 and 2 at home. Road wins only in the series, until Wings win the series at home in game six.

Canucks - Sharks
Sharks in 5. Canucks win game 1, but from game 2 onwards Henrietta Sedin gets owned by Joe Thornton and his big line and the Canucks all fall apart.

Blues - Kings
Kings in 4. Blues don't know what hit 'em. Jonathan Quick returns to form.

I so hope the Red Wings go down.

Go Blackhawks.

First round starts tonight with three Western Conference game 1s:

Minnesota @ Chicago
Los Angeles @ St.Louis
Detroit @ Anaheim

Justin Williams ties the game in the final minute in St.Louis, and now both games MIN@CHI and LA@STL are going to overtime. Both tied 1-1, too.

Good beginning to the playoffs. Won't make any predictions, I'll just be rooting for the Penguins !

Where we stand:

Chicago - Minnesota 1-0 (OT win, but the better team won)
Anaheim - Detroit 1-0
Vancouver - San Jose 0-1 (San Jose have won their last six games against VAN)
St.Louis - Los Angeles 1-0 (OT win Blues after a mighty blooper by Quick)

Pittsburgh - NY Islanders 1-0 (a 5-0 rout)
Boston - Toronto 1-0

Another four games tonight:
Ottawa @ Montreal
NY Rangers @ Washington

wtih a pair of Game 2s:
LA @ St.Louis
Detroit @ Anaheim

Interesting to see how Jonathan Quick and the Kings get themselves together after that back breaking loss. And the Rags and Caps, that should be a pretty good tilt.

Another week gone. I've watched every Hawks game, one Toronto game, one Rangers game and one Kings game so far. For the rest it's been only highlights for me.

Pens and the Isles are tied at 2 wins each. I predicted NYI to win in 7 so I'm well on track.

Ottawa leads Montreal 3-1. A lot of the hockey world seems surprised, but I called it.

Caps and Rags are tied 2-2. I went with a Rangers win which is still very much a possibility, though the sweep I predicted will not happen.

Boston - Toronto 3-1. I had the B's in 5, so it's going as planned.

Chicago - Minnesota is currently 3-1. Nothing surprising there. Game 5 is tonight.

Anaheim leads Detroit 3-2. I had the Wings picked, and this is the only series where I'm currently off in that regard.

The Sharks swept the Canucks 4-0! This totally shocked the hockey world, but I knew the Sharks will win.

LA Kings are up 3-2 against the Blues. I had the Kings, though it's not the sweep I predicted. Incredible hockey though. Hard and physical.

The Penguins are winning tonight 3-0 after two periods.

The Islanders have surpassed expectations, though. The series could very easily have been 3-1 Islanders at this point.

My Blues are struggling with the Kings....as usual.

Blackhawks win as they should. I hope they play the Wings and crush them.
Surprised at NY but the Pens will take it.

Tomas Vokoun is just what the doctor ordered for the Penguins.

Detroit wins game seven in Anaheim and the Western Conference semis are set:

Chicago - Detroit
LA Kings - San Jose

Chicago was the only team that kept home ice and beat their lower seeded opponent in rd 1. Also, I'd like to point out how I picked all four winners correctly.

Yes, you are a genius.

Wow. That was simply an epic collapse Toronto had tonight.

It was. Can they overcome that emotionally.

Lari wrote:

Tomas Vokoun is just what the doctor ordered for the Penguins.

Yep. He pulled their fat out of the fire. They lose that series if Fleury stayed in. Regardless, on to the next round and the Senators. Go Pens !

I went 7/8 in the first round. Only the Islanders failed me.

2012 Kings
2011 Bruins
2010 Blackhawks
2009 Penguins
2008 Red Wings

8 teams left, and the last 5 Stanley Cup champions are all still in it.

Second round starts tonight, now let's see....

Tonight it's San Jose @ LA Kings. I like the Sharks here. One team had a sweep and should be well rested, the other had to play six bruising games against Ken Hitchcock's St.Louis Blues. I also think guys like Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton will feel like they have a lot to prove. So many playoff failures haunting them. The Kings just achieved the holy grail last year, and might not be able to find that extra motivation you need. I guess having a Sutter as a coach helps with that, but oh well. I'll stick with Sharks in 6.

The Chicago Blackhawks are also destined to play Raffi Torres once again.

Detroit is pretty healthy right now. They have also improved their play steadily. And Henrik Zetterberg is a playoff beast. Regular season records are out the window now, in my opinion. But still, the Hawks should be able to handle them. Call it homerism, but I just can not and will not imagine losing to Detroit of all teams. Hawks god-like penalty kill should neutralize any special teams tactics the Wings deploy.

Let's say Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games. Hopefully not more.

The Pens and Sens series also starts tonight. I think it will go 7 games. Penguins team defense sucks, and Erik Karlsson thrives when he gets time and space with the puck. Senators will also get guaranteed stellar goaltending from Craig Anderson, so I think they have the edge.

What the Pens have going for them is insane talent up front, and also forward depth. They will win a couple of games just because of Sidney Crosby and Geno Malkin. I already picked the Penguins to lose in the first round, so I should probably stick with that, but I think I'll change it up. Penguins in 7.

Finally, you have Rangers and Bruins. On paper the Rags have the best defense in the league. They also have arguably the best goalie. They are also hungry. And a real good home team. There's also top-end talent (Rick Nash, Brad Richards...) that has gone untapped so far. I think they have another gear left in their game. Last season they had a monster regular season, but failed in the playoffs. Now it could be the opposite. Rangers in 4.

The Bruins are still pretty good, but they were exposed by the Leafs in the first round.

Wow that was a long post. Let's play some hockey already!

Wait, was there supposed to be a separate second round predictions thread?

I guess it doesn't matter. The discussion here didn't even get past first page yet. Pile it on.

Second round starts in one hour and 20 minutes!

The Sharks looked great in the first round. I'll stay with them in 7.


The Blackhawks are damn near unstoppable. They should take this series in 6.


I'll take the Pens in 6, I guess.


The Bruins will outlast the Rangers in 7.

That game 7 comeback by the Bruins was absolutely amazing. Down 4-1 in the third period, all hope is practically lost, and they find a way to climb back in the game and beat Toronto in OT. They showed that proverbial never-quit attitude by scoring two goals in the last 82 seconds after pulling the goalie.

EDIT: the same can't be said for some of their fans, as a couple of thousand left the arena after the fourth Leafs goal. I hope they enjoyed their traffic-free drive back home. One must wonder if they really think it was worth missing one of the most awesome moments in the 90 years of Bruins history.

Lari wrote:

That game 7 comeback by the Bruins was absolutely amazing. Down 4-1 in the third period, all hope is practically lost, and they find a way to climb back in the game and beat Toronto in OT. They showed that proverbial never-quit attitude by scoring two goals in the last 82 seconds after pulling the goalie.

EDIT: the same can't be said for some of their fans, as a couple of thousand left the arena after the fourth Leafs goal. I hope they enjoyed their traffic-free drive back home. One must wonder if they really think it was worth missing one of the most awesome moments in the 90 years of Bruins history.

One of the best playoff games EVER.