PlasmaTwa2
The Second-Hottest Man in my Mother's Basement
Obviously my homer pick is a Vancouver/Boston final with the Canucks winning, but I'm going to go with my gut feeling in these picks.
Western Conference Quarterfinals:
Vancouver Canucks Vs. Los Angeles Kings - Canucks in six (The Canucks are simply better. Quick will win a game or two for the Kings but Luongo will be playing to win.)
St. Louis Blues Vs. San Jose Sharks - Blues in five (The Sharks will be embarassed this year and there are going to be huge changes this off-season.)
Phoenix Coyotes Vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Coyotes in seven (The Coyotes are on fire and if Smith plays like he has been the Hawks won't have an answer for him. Plus Doan is an absolute beast in the playoffs.)
Nashville Predators Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings in six (I desperately want to see the Predators make a run this year but I just have a feeling the Red Wings will be able to handle them without problems. I really hope I'm wrong though, because the Predators can win the Cup and I don't think the Wings can.)
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals:
New York Rangers Vs. Ottawa Senators - Rangers in seven (For some reason, I see the Senators being a tough team for the Rangers to eliminate, but the Blueshirts are just too good to be stopped in the first round.)
Boston Bruins Vs. Washington Capitals - Bruins in four (Washington has no chance to win with their goalie problems and Ovechkin won't be a factor against a defensive powerhouse like the Bruins.)
Florida Panthers Vs. New Jersey Devils - Devils in six (If the Panthers keep playing like they have been, they'll get knocked out in four. If Theodore can remember how to stop the puck, they'll last a little longer, but the Devils are better than their position suggests.)
Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers in seven (This series is going to be great. Both teams are equally matched, but the Flyers are the more powerful team. They'll knock the Penguins around if they have to. I'm also predicting the winner of this series will not win the Cup. They'll be too beat up to play three more series.)
Western Conference Semifinals:
Vancouver Canucks Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings in six (I just have a feeling that, even though Vancouver is the superior team, Detroit will go far in these playoffs.)
St. Louis Blues Vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Blues in five (Would be an awesome goaltending battle, but I'd count on the Blues basically suffocating the Coyotes every game. Score a goal or two and use their defence to beat them.)
Eastern Conference Semifinals:
New York Rangers Vs. New Jersey Devils - Rangers in six (Pretty good matchup, but I'd take the Rangers' goaltending and defence over the Devils' offence.)
Boston Bruins Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers in five (I don't see Thomas standing on his head again this postseason. Everyone said the Bruins beat the Canucks last year because they were the tougher team, and here they'd lose to the toughest team in the league.)
Western Conference Finals:
St. Louis Blues Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Blues in seven (Like I said, the Wings don't have it in them to win the Cup. They'll get close, but the Blues will barely be able to stop them.)
Eastern Conference Finals:
New York Rangers Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Rangers in six (The Flyers will simply be too drained to top the best team in the East.)
Stanley Cup Finals:
New York Rangers Vs. St. Louis Blues - Rangers in six (Both teams could win, but in an actual matchup I believe the Rangers would come out on top.)
The Conn Smythe winner will be Lundqvist. I think he'll be just as good as Thomas was last year.
After last year you can call me paranoid, but I'm cautious over the Canucks' chances. I expect them to win, of course, but I'm not going to be surprised if they end up losing a series to a team like the Wings or Predators. We'll see, though!
Western Conference Quarterfinals:
Vancouver Canucks Vs. Los Angeles Kings - Canucks in six (The Canucks are simply better. Quick will win a game or two for the Kings but Luongo will be playing to win.)
St. Louis Blues Vs. San Jose Sharks - Blues in five (The Sharks will be embarassed this year and there are going to be huge changes this off-season.)
Phoenix Coyotes Vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Coyotes in seven (The Coyotes are on fire and if Smith plays like he has been the Hawks won't have an answer for him. Plus Doan is an absolute beast in the playoffs.)
Nashville Predators Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings in six (I desperately want to see the Predators make a run this year but I just have a feeling the Red Wings will be able to handle them without problems. I really hope I'm wrong though, because the Predators can win the Cup and I don't think the Wings can.)
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals:
New York Rangers Vs. Ottawa Senators - Rangers in seven (For some reason, I see the Senators being a tough team for the Rangers to eliminate, but the Blueshirts are just too good to be stopped in the first round.)
Boston Bruins Vs. Washington Capitals - Bruins in four (Washington has no chance to win with their goalie problems and Ovechkin won't be a factor against a defensive powerhouse like the Bruins.)
Florida Panthers Vs. New Jersey Devils - Devils in six (If the Panthers keep playing like they have been, they'll get knocked out in four. If Theodore can remember how to stop the puck, they'll last a little longer, but the Devils are better than their position suggests.)
Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers in seven (This series is going to be great. Both teams are equally matched, but the Flyers are the more powerful team. They'll knock the Penguins around if they have to. I'm also predicting the winner of this series will not win the Cup. They'll be too beat up to play three more series.)
Western Conference Semifinals:
Vancouver Canucks Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings in six (I just have a feeling that, even though Vancouver is the superior team, Detroit will go far in these playoffs.)
St. Louis Blues Vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Blues in five (Would be an awesome goaltending battle, but I'd count on the Blues basically suffocating the Coyotes every game. Score a goal or two and use their defence to beat them.)
Eastern Conference Semifinals:
New York Rangers Vs. New Jersey Devils - Rangers in six (Pretty good matchup, but I'd take the Rangers' goaltending and defence over the Devils' offence.)
Boston Bruins Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers in five (I don't see Thomas standing on his head again this postseason. Everyone said the Bruins beat the Canucks last year because they were the tougher team, and here they'd lose to the toughest team in the league.)
Western Conference Finals:
St. Louis Blues Vs. Detroit Red Wings - Blues in seven (Like I said, the Wings don't have it in them to win the Cup. They'll get close, but the Blues will barely be able to stop them.)
Eastern Conference Finals:
New York Rangers Vs. Philadelphia Flyers - Rangers in six (The Flyers will simply be too drained to top the best team in the East.)
Stanley Cup Finals:
New York Rangers Vs. St. Louis Blues - Rangers in six (Both teams could win, but in an actual matchup I believe the Rangers would come out on top.)
The Conn Smythe winner will be Lundqvist. I think he'll be just as good as Thomas was last year.
After last year you can call me paranoid, but I'm cautious over the Canucks' chances. I expect them to win, of course, but I'm not going to be surprised if they end up losing a series to a team like the Wings or Predators. We'll see, though!
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