Get out the magic crystal ball. We’re about to embark on a long journey. Thirty teams get a fresh start where they can dare to dream of winning Lord Stanley. The most spectacular trophy in all of sports which arguably is the hardest to win.

It’s not just because you have to gut out an 82-game schedule which at times can be trying due to the tireless back to backs, three in four nights and even seven in 11 days the Rangers have beginning with tomorrow’s home opener versus Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks following a hectic preseason concluding with a two-game sweep of the overmatched Lightning in Croatia.

Such can be life in a league which seems to be pointed for expansion towards Europe emphasizing just how global the game has become with the Penguins and Senators also splitting a series in Stockholm last weekend.

Finally, the other 26 get started including an improved Devils team who dialed up Doc Brown’s time machine and went Back To The Future literally to the year of their first Stanley Cup luring free agent centers Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik for one more run while Martin Brodeur’s still good enough.

For other teams like the Islanders, the immediate future doesn’t look so bright with new coach Scott Gordon behind the bench where returning leading scorer Mike Comrie had only 49 points on what’s a rebuild around Rick DiPietro and young former No.1 Kyle Okposo. They’ll try to overachieve in an ultra competitive Atlantic where the Flyers fresh off a run to the Conference Finals losing to the Pens appear to be the favorite while Pittsburgh lost Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone and are without top D Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar for at least the first three months.

Can the new look Rangers featuring Nikolai Zherdev, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden make fans forget Jaromir Jagr or did Glen Sather slip up?

Are the Panthers ready to qualify for their first postseason since Pavel Bure was the league’s best finisher or will their revamped blueline not be enough without departed captain Olli Jokinen? Can Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals do it again even with Jose Theodore in net?

Meanwhile in Carolina, the injury bug has already hit infecting Justin Williams, Scott Walker and Rod Brind’Amour making the loss of Erik Cole big though Joni Pitkanen was brought into help anchor the D. Will Barry Melrose’s return to the NHL bench be ruined by the Lightning’s apparent weak blueline?

Should the Thashers even bother taking the ice? They’ll have company in Columbus, St. Louis and Los Angeles who all should be ticketed in the John Tavares sweepstakes. Are the Leafs going to be in this process too without Mats Sundin? Maybe Toronto fans should hope.

Can Carey Price recover from last Spring to lead what looks like an even stronger Habs roster into serious contention? Are Craig Rivet and the return of Teppo Numminen enough to get a talented Sabres team back to the postseason? Is Tim Thomas a fluke and will Patrice Bergeron be the same in Beantown? Can the Senators continue defying logic despite losing another key cog?

These questions and more will get answered in due time along with whether Hossa’s addition is enough for the Red Wings to become the first repeat winner since they did it a decade ago. They’ll have plenty of stiff competition in the loaded Stars, Sharks and Ducks with maybe a couple of newcomers sneaking into the parade.

This is how we see it:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

*1.Flyers- plenty of talent in Richards/Carter but can Biron build off last year’s run?

*2.Canadiens- adding Lang and Tanguay up front makes them scarier but it all depends on Price.

*3.Capitals- the game’s best player, a healthy Nylander plus Green and Backstrom should be enough.

4.Senators- best line in game plus deep forward corps and tougher D help despite questions in net.

5.Devils- Rolston and Holik should boost scoring, D remains question but can’t bet against Brodeur.

6.Rangers- Drury leads an improved transition game. could miss Jagr and Avery but Lundqvist helps.

7.Penguins- Crosby and Malkin get them in but we don’t like Satan or Fedotenko. Hard to take seriously.

8.Sabres- balanced scoring led by Pominville, Vanek, Roy plus better D and steady Miller in net.

9.Bruins- Ryder added to solid forward corps but it’s dependent on Thomas and system.

10.Panthers- love their new look with Ballard and McCabe but who’s scoring the goals up front?

11.Maple Leafs- Wilson will get them to play hard but there’s just not enough there to get in.

12.Hurricanes- injuries already taking toll. Laviolette’s a fine coach but Ward needs to be consistent.

13.Lightning- Stamkos should win Calder and they’ll score but the D is brutal and will tire out goalies.

14.Thrashers- Schneider was good addition but they’ll have to outscore teams until Lehtonen improves.

15.Islanders- they’ll work hard but they’re young and don’t have enough scoring even with Streit.
PLAYOFFS

Flyers over Sabres in 6

Habs over Pens in 7

Rangers over Caps in 6

Devils over Sens in 5

Flyers over Rangers in 6

Devils over Habs in 7

Flyers over Devils in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

*1.Red Wings- until proven otherwise, they’re the best team and add Hossa to mix. Conklin’s solid backup.

*2.Stars- play in top division but Avery, full year of B. Richards should be plenty. Need Zubov healthy.

*3.Canucks- scoring could still be tough but like changes and see Luongo bouncing back big time.

4.Sharks- Marleau with Thornton, Boyle, Blake plus Nabokov make them awfully tough.

5.Flames- nice additions including Bertuzzi/Keenan reunion but they’ll be hardpressed to win a round.

6.Ducks- Teemu’s back plus Getzlaf/Perry, Niedermayer/Pronger and Giguere make them lock.

7.Avalanche- Sakic takes one more shot with Tucker added but can Budaj or Raycroft do job?

8.Blackhawks- Campbell and Huet help young core led by Kane/Toews. Huet could get them in.

9.Oilers- bolstered scoring with Cole and Visnovsky. Lots of young talent but what about goalies?

10.Predators- Radulov’s departure hurts scoring. Solid D but can Ellis repeat? Trotz is a great coach.

11.Wild- possess nice blueline led by Burns/Zidlicky and Gaborik’s great but is there enough scoring?

12.Coyotes- Jokinen helps but D is thin past top 3 and they’re depending on too much young talent.

13.Blue Jackets- Umberger and Huselius boost Nash plus revamped D and Leclaire but who else will score?

14.Blues- Love Boyes and Kariya’s due for bounce back season but they’re extremely young.

15.Kings- top line of Brown, Kopitar and O’Sullivan will be fun but LaBarbera in net? They can’t be serious!

PLAYOFFS

Wings over Hawks in 5

Stars over Avs in 4

Ducks over Canucks in 6

Sharks over Flames in 6

Wings over Ducks in 6

Stars over Sharks in 5

Wings over Stars in 7

Stanley Cup Red Wings over Flyers in 7

NHL Awards

Conn Smythe- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Hart- Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

Vezina- Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

Norris- Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit (renamed The Lidstrom)

Calder- Kyle Okposo, Islanders

Selke- Mike Fisher, Ottawa

Byng- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit

Adams- Denis Savard, Chicago

Yes. It’s true that if you count the games in Europe this past weekend, the 2008-09 season already begun. I just don’t think it becomes official until the rest of the league gets going beginning later tonight when eight teams start up.

Here are the four games excluding the area locals with the Devils hosting the Islanders at The Rock Friday night before visiting the defending Eastern Conference champion Penguins, who should be well rested from their two-game split with the Senators in Stockholm:

Toronto at Detroit 7 ET, Versus, CBC- the defending Cup champs raise their banner along with new star addition Marian Hossa against a Mats Sundin-less Leaf team expected to finish near the bottom of the East with the immortal Jeff Finger their big offseason move. =-O :-\

Boston at Colorado 10 ET, Versus- the second half of a VS doubleheader pits two playoff teams against each other from opposite conferences. Can Tim Thomas have a repeat for Claude Julien and how will the 2000-01 Avs plus Paul Stastny fare with Andrew Raycroft and Peter Budaj splitting duties in net under Tony Granato?

Anaheim at San Jose 10:30 ET, CI- a classic Pacific rivalry renewed as the Sharks and Ducks clash in a possible playoff preview. How will Teemu Selanne look and what about Patrick Marleau on the same line as Joe Thornton under a new coach. Rob Blake also on the blueline led by big acquisition Dan Boyle? Figure it to be highly entertaining with two of the NHL’s elite netminders in Vezina runner-up Evgeni Nabokov and Cup winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere getting tested.

Calgary at Vancouver 10:30 ET, CI, CBC- another fun filled rivalry takes place when Northwestern Canadian rivals get together for the first of six action packed battles. Will Todd Bertuzzi be healthy enough to debut for the Flames under familiar coach Mike Keenan with also key pickup Mike Cammalleri teaming with Jarome Iginla up front? How will Pavol Demitra mesh with The Sedins on a revamped Vancouver team minus Markus Naslund looking for redemption. Can Steve Bernier help out the scoring relieving pressure from Roberto Luongo?

Fasten your seatbelts! It should be exciting to finally see some other teams get underway with the Devils and Islanders on deck under fairly differing expectations.

We’ll have more stuff later on on the 2008-09 season including where I’m ranking teams. So stay tuned.

Just a couple of quick tidbits over the past couple of days in case you missed it:

-The Rangers re-signed restricted forward Nigel Dawes to a one-year $600,000 deal. In 61 games during his rookie season, the 23 year-old Manitoban who the Original Six club selected in the fifth round back in 2003 posted 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points while pacing them with a plus-11 rating. His four deciding tallies tied with Sean Avery for third on the team and put him in a tie for second among rookies.

No surprise here that the Blueshirts brought the promising left wing back. He really made strides last season improving his overall speed and really becoming an effective forechecker. His passing also was very underrated. Figure Dawes to take that next step up this Fall with 20-25 goals a possibility.

Recently acquired forward Dan Fritsche was also re-signed.

In other club news, the team signed 24 year-old Russian defenseman Vladimir Denisov. He played in 66 games for Lake Erie of the AHL registering two goals and six assists for eight points while racking up 111 penalty minutes.

-The Oilers re-signed center Shawn Horcoff to a six-year $33 million extension. The new contract will keep him in Edmonton through 2014-15. In 53 games this past season, the 29 year-old from British Columbia tallied 21 goals and 29 helpers for 50 points bouncing back from a disappointing 2006-07 in which he had just one more point (51) while posting a minus-22 rating in 27 more games played.

Horcoff’s a nice playmaking pivot but giving him six years seems a bit much as by the end of the contract, he’ll be 35 going on 36. Is he really a $5 million dollar player? I guess in today’s crazy NHL, that’s the case.

-In a couple of minor signings, the Thrashers added former Edmonton veteran forward Marty Reasoner while Calgary brought back ex-Ranger 1999 first round pick Jamie Lundmark. It’s ashame what became of his career after the Blueshirts ruined him letting the Edmonton native waste away in Hartford before barely playing him in New York. Why did the Flames even bring him back? Amazingly, he’s only 27. So, we’ll see if he’s got anything left after splitting the past year in Moscow and Lake Erie.

As for Reasoner, I always liked him as he was a decent skater who put forth an honest effort fitting in well on Edmonton after starting his career with St. Louis. The 31 year-old Rochester native will probably play on the fourth line with Atlanta.

-The Islanders re-signed forwards Sean Bergenheim and Jeff Tambellini. The 24 year-old Bergenheim attained career highs in games (78), goals (10), assists (12), points (22) and PIM (62) last season after spending 2006-07 with Frolunda in Sweden posting near a point-a-game. He’s a solid energy player who can play in a third line role and agitate the opposition.

As for Tambellini who the Isles acquired from Los Angeles a couple of years prior, the former Kings’ 2003 first round selection has yet to develop scoring just one goal while adding three helpers in 31 games last season on Long Island. For some reason, GM Garth Snow gave the 24 year-old Calgary native a two-year contract. They’re only paying him $1.175 million which is an average of less than 600 K. Still, it would’ve made more sense to give Tambellini a year and see how he does.

-Other minor signings included the Blues inking former Leaf D Andy Wozniewski while the Sharks added a pair of veteran blueliners in Matt Kinch and Brett Westgarth.

-The Sabres re-signed forward Daniel Paille to a multi-year deal. The former Buffalo 2002 first rounder achieved new career bests in games (77), goals (19), assists (16), points (35) and plus/minus (9) while registering three shorthanded goals. For some reason, the 24 year-old out of Welland, Ontario didn’t have a link in the original TSN story. Doesn’t that seem odd considering the kind of season he had? As our Buffalo blogger might say, it’s a Buffalo thing. If it were the Leafs, well…Seems like a decent move anyway.

-From the bizarro world last night, the Kings reportedly have hired Terry Murray as their new coach giving him a three-year deal to replace Marc Crawford. He was an assistant with the Flyers the last four seasons. He hasn’t coached since 2000-01 with the Panthers.

Murray’s best known for guiding the Flyers to the Stanley Cup 11 years ago before referring to them going down 3-0 to Detroit as a “choking situation,” sealing his fate. I doubt he’ll be able to utter those words with the porous Kings. Best of luck.

From Tom Gulitti at NorthJersey.com (Link):

“It appears defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski, who signed a three-year, $5.4 million contract last summer, is on his way out. If the Devils can’t find a taker in a trade, they could place Vishnevski on waivers and, if he’s not claimed, send him to the minors, which would clear $1.8 million in cap space.

When asked if Vishnevski would be on the team next season, Lamoriello replied, “I can’t answer that.”"

If this is true, then I for one am surprised.  Vish is a bit of a mixed bag for me: He hits like a truck and is a great punisher on the blue line, but he also gives up his positioning to make these hits work.  His contract is a bit large, but he played within my expectations.

But my surprise comes from the fact that few teams would like to pick up a defenseman like him.  With players like Jeff Finger getting $3.5M per year, who wouldn’t want a player like Vish with his cap hit for 2 more years?

From the sound of things, this might be part of a bigger overall plan.  Obviously, nobody wants Vishnevski by himself (especially after hearing that he may be placed on wavers anyways), but as part of a larger package… possibly one for a defenseman, it might be do-able.  It’s pretty obvious that Lou is not done for the summer, and that the Devils need to improve their D.  With $1.35M in cap space left, the only way to achieve this is through a trade.

Which brings us to this new report from The Insider on Pittsburgh Sports (Link):

“The New Jersey Devils are having trade discussions with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. I’m hearing the Devils are looking at Hurricanes defenseman Frantisek Kaberle and Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr. Calgary is very interested in Brian Gionta.”

I don’t know how much truth this report holds, but if true, it would be a great deal.  Frantisek Kaberle had 0g, 22a, and was a -4 over 80gp.  Robyn Regehr put up similar numbers with 5g, 15a, and was a +11 over 82gp.  In playoffs he garnered 2 assists over 7 games.

Carolina currently has $8.358M free in cap space.  However, their needs are not as clear as Calgary, who recently signed Todd Bertuzzi to a 1 year, $1.95M contract.  Their current cap space is: -1.449M, which means they need to make room.  Furthermore, a cursory look at their current lineup shows a deficiency in RWs.  The big question is:  While trading Regehr for Gionta helps add a great winger to the organization, what does it do to solve their current salary cap woes (a $4M per year hit versus a $4.02M hit)?

So until Calgary clears some additional space, a straight up trade involving Gionta just won’t happen.  The only twist on this situation is that the Flames have dealt with the Devils in the past, taking in David Hale (and a 5th rounder) in 06/07 for a 3rd Rounder in the 07′ Draft, who was recently signed by the Phoenix Coyotes. Furthermore, Flames GM Darryl Sutter is brother to Devils coach Brent Sutter.

But, knowing Lou, he will surprise us all and get… oh… I don’t know… Kevin Bieksa from the Canucks.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: It appears Regehr has an NTC with Calgary further closing the door on that trade rumor.

It’s not often a graybeard turns back the clock to lift a team on his shoulders to a series clinching victory. That it happened to be Jeremy Roenick posting a memorable four point performance to propel the Sharks past the Flames 5-3 in Game Seven was pretty amazing.

Having been a healthy scratch for Game Six following no points and a minus-two rating during the series’ first five games, the 38 year-old proud veteran pivot was back in Ron Wilson’s lineup in the most important game of San Jose’s season. With his team trailing 2-1 despite dominating Calgary, Roenick scored the tying goal floating a change up through a maze of players including a befuddled Miikka Kiprusoff. That foreshadowed plenty unfortunately for the former Vezina winner.

Three minutes later while on the power play, one of the greatest American-born players found another way to score. This time, he got to a Brian Campbell rebound and deposited the puck into the upper portion for a 3-2 Sharks’ lead at 9:04 of the second period.

Up till that point, Roenick had factored in on all three San Jose goals including Joe Thornton’s power play tally back in the first which started the scoring. However, JR wasn’t done just yet.

A key sequence in the deciding game took place five minutes later when Joe Pavelski got to a loose puck and beat a down Kiprusoff who was expecting a lower shot which suddenly made it three San Jose goals in a 7:57 span. Veteran Calgary coach Mike Keenan had seen enough lifting his No.1 goalie in favor of veteran Curtis Joseph.

Earlier in this series, such a move paid off when Cujo sparked the Flames back from three down to a 4-3 Game Three win and 2-1 lead. If it was to try to motivate his lackluster team who was badly outshot, it didn’t work the second time around. In fact, on the very next shift, Roenick dished off to rookie Devin Setoguchi, who fired a tricky wrister past Joseph 52 seconds later making it four straight Shark goals in the last 8:51.

Roenick’s first four-point night in a playoff game in more than a decade was too much for Calgary to overcome. Former Shark Wayne Primeau’s goal 5:18 into the third was the only one they’d get by Evgeni Nabokov, who repelled eight of nine shots en route to 19 saves and a second round date with Pacific rival Dallas.

It’s hard to believe that Roenick would net two goals and two assists with a plus-two rating in 12:13 of ice-time. Though Islander color analyst and Versus sideline reporter Billy Jaffe revealed that Wilson’s pregame speech emphasized positive reinforcements alluding to Roenick’s Game Seven past which included four goals even telling the always colorful 500-goal scorer not to be afraid to step up.

Maybe that’s what we witnessed. Say whatever you may about JR but that was pretty storybook. Definitely what makes the Stanley Cup playoffs so compelling. You never know just who might be the hero.

With the second seeded Sharks prevailing, that sets up a Western Semifinal against the fifth seeded Stars.

Here are all the Conference Semifinal match-ups including the Game One schedule:

Thursday, 4/24

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers, 7 ET, CBC

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs (6) Colorado Avalanche, 7:30 ET, Versus

Friday, 4/25

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) New York Rangers, 7 ET, Versus

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (5) Dallas Stars, 10 ET, Versus

All Photos Copyright Getty Images

Normally, one wouldn’t think an eight seed has a shot at coming back. Especially from the 3-1 hole ex-Montreal coach Claude Julien’s Bruins entered last night in before outscoring the home Habs 4-0 in the deciding period to post a 5-1 Game Five road win.

Given how well Boston played while facing elimination along with how shaky 20 year-old rookie netminder Carey Price was, it’s hard not to like the Bruins’ chances of forcing a seventh and deciding game over the weekend. Have you ever seen a goalie come apart quite like that? Oh. It’s happened before. Just usually by more experienced ones than the kid who earlier in the third had supporters chanting, “Car—ey, Car—ey, Car—ey” before his unreal gaffe led to Montreal’s demise.

As Price made a fine glove stop to foil a Boston chance in a 1-1 game, for some reason he decided to play the puck with two attacking Bruins close by. By the time he realized his folly, it was too late as an opportunistic Glen Metropolit got just enough of the disc to put it by the scrambling goalie for a 2-1 Boston lead before a stunned Bell Centre.

Metropolit’s big goal opened the floodgates. There would be no signature, “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants on this night. More like ole ole for how unglued the Canadiens became. An undisciplined Sergei Kostistyn penalty in the offensive zone led directly to Boston captain Zdeno Chara’s first of the series coming 2:18 later which gave the B’s a 3-1 lead.

The Habs would also squander a couple of power play chances to get back in it. Once again, the Bruins had the right recipe in killing off all four Montreal power plays. In fact, the league’s highest ranked PP during the regular season gave up a crushing shorthanded goal to Marco Sturm, who beat Price from 40 feet out with a perfect wrister off the far post.

A Vladimir Sobotka tally from an awful angle in which he just threw a softie on net showed just how fractured Price was. Why did Guy Carbonneau even leave him in? There was just 2:12 on the clock. May as well have let the kid get the rest of the night off and regroup.

Instead, plenty of questions will arise during the off day by the crazy Montreal and Canadian media. How will Price respond Saturday night in Beantown?

Don’t be surprised if there’s a Game Seven. These B’s have fared well and are playing with confidence. Tim Thomas also finished a stellar night in net making 31 saves earning the game’s Second Star.  

In the other Eastern Conference series, Mike Knuble’s double overtime winner put the Capitals on the brink. Despite some highlight reel stops including a strong denial of Knuble’s wide open one-timer from in front, Cristobal Huet couldn’t save his rebound which made the Flyers 4-3 comeback winners in Game Four before a screaming sea of orange.

Washington played better than in Game Three but ultimately were done in by a mistimed bench minor for too many men on the ice which red hot Flyer Daniel Briere cashed to tie the game with 9:59 left in regulation.

Both teams had golden opportunities to take the lead but didn’t have what it took to beat either goalie as both Huet (diving glove stops) and Martin Biron (big glove save from in tight) were up to the task.

Neither team budged in the first OT forcing it to a second leading to Knuble’s heroics. Setup by linemates Jeff Carter (two goals, helper) and Scottie Upshall (2 A), the ex-Ranger got two whacks at it before burying his second past a helpless Huet with Alex Ovechkin standing around.

Not quite what the league’s leading scorer had in mind for his first playoff series unless the suddenly ice cold Russian’s planning a miraculous comeback. Sure. AO assisted on two of the Caps’ goals but one shot in 28:00 isn’t cutting it. He better start hitting the net by Saturday or his team is likely going home for good.

There were three games out West. I only caught the majority of Flames-Sharks. San Jose got two Jonathan Cheechoo goals 3:30 apart early in the third to hold off Calgary 4-3 in Game Five moving them within a win of the second round.

Calgary did rally for two goals including David Moss’ first on a stuff in which sliced the deficit down to one with 77 seconds left from Jarome Iginla with Miikka Kiprusoff pulled. However, they were unable to get another quality chance on Evgeni Nabokov, who finished with 33 saves.

Very questionable was Mike Keenan’s decision to only play Kristian Huselius sparingly including just a few shifts in the third while giving veteran Owen Nolan nearly eight more total minutes of ice-time. I like Nolan but come on. There’s not much margin for error in the playoffs.

Huselius needs more ice-time and Alex Tanguay must score if the Flames are to extend the series a seventh game.

Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny’s goals in a 79 second span lifted the Avalanche to a 3-2 Game Five road victory over the Wild, who now must win in Denver to force Game Seven.

The difference was Jose Theodore, who turned back the clock making 38 saves to stone the host Wild in a game which saw them limit Colorado to just 17 shots. The Avs are a skilled team and went two-for-three on the man-advantage. With Minny sniper Marian Gaborik again shutout, his teammates couldn’t overcome it. Brian Rolston’s goal and helper weren’t enough.

Unless Gaborik finds his offense, this series is likely over.

Also moving within a win of Round Two were the Stars, who got a superb effort from Marty Turco (27 saves, 1st Star) to shutdown the Ducks 3-1 in Game Four. Joel Lundqvist, Stu Barnes and Steve Ott tallied for Dallas before Mathieu Schneider broke Turco’s shutout bid with eight seconds to go.

The defending champions have their backs to the wall. They did get leading finisher Corey Perry back. They’ll need more offense to stave off a disappointing first round elimination on home ice.

Photo Copyright Getty Images

Evgeni Nabokov’s challenge after Game Three stood for quite a while. Finally, his teammates stepped to the forefront and transformed from boys to men (no not the cheesy do op R & B group which once was alright back in the day) coming back to take the all important Game Four over Calgary 3-2, squaring their best-of-seven first round series.

Jonathan Cheechoo’s tying goal with 4:54 left and Joe Thornton’s deciding marker with under 10 seconds to go was exactly what the doctor ordered, saving the No.2 seeded Sharks from falling behind 3-1 in the series a game away from elimination. Instead, they were rescued by their best players gaining home ice back.

In a game they somehow trailed by a goal late in the third despite a decided edge in play and shots, San Jose finally turned it up enough to get to Calgary No.1 goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. A couple of nights removed from being pulled after permitting three quick goals before his team made a stirring comeback with Curtis Joseph in net, the two-time Vezina winner was back to his stingy self denying Sharks at every turn.

Kipper’s stellar netminding looked like it would be enough to hold off a furious San Jose attack which saw them outshoot the Flames 32-10 including a combined 26-8 the final 40 minutes. However, the Sharks’ persistence finally paid off when Cheechoo saw a small opening and fired a quick wrister past Kiprusoff’s glove to tie the contest at 15:06. The hard work down low by linemates Joe Pavelski and rookie Devin Setoguchi allowed the San Jose finisher to get to a loose puck and tally his first of the postseason.

I could tell that the guys in the white and teal weren’t done. Instead of being satisfied, they kept coming after Calgary in wave after wave. The aggressive strategy resulted in Thornton’s winner before a stunned and dead silent Saddle Dome. Thanks to an outstanding shift in which they kept the Flames pinned in their end, energetic winger Ryane Clowe worked the puck to an open Doug Murray at the point, who shot without hesitation. The screening Thornton got just enough of it to tip it home for his first of the series.

A hooking minor on Calgary’s Kristian Huselius with five ticks left wrapped it up for the Sharks, who now will head back home to host the pivotal Game Five tomorrow night.

Just a gigantic win for a team which was once again being seriously doubted including by myself for taking them to the Cup Final. This was a nice character builder as they were able to overcome Jarome Iginla (goal, assist) and Dion Phaneuf (goal) along with deadline pickup Brian Campbell’s continued substandard play in his end. God. Did the Sabres know or what? With every shift he doesn’t compete hard defensively, that’s more money going by the wayside.

At least his more determined teammates were able to pick him up. The Sharks aren’t out of the woods by any stretch. But again, it’s hard to see Calgary prevailing when they continue to be severely outplayed by a wide margin. You have to figure they’re going to run out of gas.

We’ll see.

It was a busy Tuesday night with four other series going on. In one they had to have, the defending champion Ducks finally showed some life by getting the first four on Marty Turco before hanging on for a 4-2 Game Three victory to get back in their series. Chris Pronger scored twice including on a five-on-three for his first career two-goal playoff game. The defenseman also helped assist on Todd Marchant’s first which opened the scoring, restoring Anaheim’s confidence as they outscored Dallas 3-0 in sharp contrast to the first two back home.

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and assist and Jean-Sebastien Giguere rebounded from a poor showing in Game Two with 31 saves including 12 big ones in a final stanza which saw Dallas make a late charge thanks to a pair of Brenden Morrow power play goals. Giguere wouldn’t allow them to draw closer even though they had a couple of more chances on the man-advantage.

Game Four is tomorrow night with the home team 0-for-3 in the series.

Also out West, the Avalanche used a three-goal first period barrage of their own to storm past the Wild 5-1 in Game Four to even their series at two apiece. The first three games of this very competitive series all wound up 3-2 with each needing sudden death. Since Joe Sakic’s Game One winner, the Wild had taken the last two off the sticks of Keith Carney and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

Last night though as Islander goalie Rick DiPietro predicted during a Versus segment, back-to-back games in the thin air was advantage Colorado who was more used to it. They completely outplayed the Wild scoring the first five on Niklas Backstrom who was relieved by Josh Harding in the third.

Deadline pickup Ruslan Salei had a goal and assist as did third line pivot Tyler Arnason. Jordan Leopold added a pair of helpers in a game which saw the Avs get 14 power plays converting twice. Not surprisingly, it got ugly with the frustrated Wild going to the box plenty as they lost their cool.

Figure Game Five tomorrow back at St. Paul to be a real barn burner.

In one of two Eastern Conference playoff games, the Flyers had a little too much for the Capitals, getting a late penalty shot goal from Mike Richards in a 6-3 home win before a crowd of orange who enjoyed seeing their team go up 2-1 in the series. Richards also made a great pass to setup Daniel Briere’s second of the night at 19:50 of the second on the power play. Briere tallied twice and has four goals in the series.

Though the Caps got a Brooks Laich goal with 4:34 left in regulation to cut the deficit to 4-3, they couldn’t get closer due to a poor read by one of their D which led to Richards beating Cristobal Huet on the penalty shot going five-hole with 2:59 to go. It looked like a pretty good call as he had a step on the defender.

Mike Knuble added an empty netter in a game the Flyers controlled with a 32-19 SOG edge. For the Caps, Alex Ovechkin tallied just a helper and Alexander Semin (assist, -2 rating) plus rookie pivot Nicklas Backstrom (no points, 1 SOG) struggled. They’ll need a stronger effort to level the series Thursday.

As for the other game, the Canadiens did what they needed to gaining a split in Boston with a 1-0 blanking of the Bruins. Only veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois’ power play goal with 42 seconds left in the second made the scoresheet in what was a tightly contested game between the Original Six rivals.

His quick one-timer off a broken play beat Tim Thomas to give the top seeded Habs the edge they needed. The third saw the Habs buckle down allowing just six Boston shots as rookie Carey Price stopped all 27 for his first career NHL postseason shutout. The 20 year-old’s best save came with the game still scoreless when Game Three hero Marc Savard nicely setup Glen Murray in front but Price quickly slid across to make a tough stop look relatively easy.

The Habs can wrap up the 31st series between the close rivals tomorrow night in Montreal.

Later tonight, it’s Game Four between the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. See ya later!

It’s Day Six of these NHL playoffs and already we’ve had some very exciting games featuring unpredictable finishes. Last night saw three such contests take place with a couple requiring sudden death before the more desperate team which trailed 2-0 in their respective series found ways to prevail and get back in it.

The John Madden bizarre winner off Ranger defenseman Marc Staal has been covered plenty. However, Marc Savard’s heroics last night up in Beantown has not. In case you missed it, one of the game’s best playmaking pivots finally notched his first career playoff goal doing so in dramatic fashion to lift Boston to a 2-1 OT win over Les Habitants in Game Three. 

On a delayed call, the former Ranger came off the bench and took Dennis Wideman’s no-look backhand feed and beat rookie Carey Price to give the Bruins a measure of revenge before an energized Boston crowd which saw their team finally get a ‘W’ against the Habs. Montreal had taken the first 10 including all eight regular season meetings. But that no longer matters cause with one victory, the Bruins are alive and know one more win tomorrow can knot their series against a bitter Original Six rival.

For more on Savard’s big goal in only his third career postseason game, I highly recommend the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dumont’s piece on how truly special that tally was and why it took on extra meaning for Marc dating back to childhood.

That wasn’t the only other game quite a few of us might not have paid close attention to. If I weren’t so preoccupied posting my thoughts on last night’s tough OT loss once I got home, I might’ve checked out what was a stirring comeback win for the Flames at The SaddleDome.

When the WFAN update person said the Sharks led by three, I figured I’d just write instead. Little did I know that San Jose got the game’s opening three in just 3:33, the fastest such start nearly eight years to the day since Detroit did it in 3:32 on Apr.15, 2000.

Inspired by a lethal dirty clean hit by defenseman Cory Sarich on San Jose captain Patrick Marleau in the offensive zone, the Flames fought valiantly back after seeing franchise netminder Miikka Kiprusoff pulled in favor of veteran Curtis Joseph. A Jarome Iginla redirection of a Dion Phaneuf shot got the Flames within two before the first period concluded. Daymond Langkow’s second period power play tally got them within one. Phaneuf tied it when his shot went off San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic early in the third. It was just a matter of time before ex-Shark Owen Nolan scored with 3:45 left in regulation to complete the dramatic turnaround.

For more on this stirring comeback, Calgary Herald’s Jean Lefebvre had an excellent recap on Sarich’s inspiring hit which woke up his team in time to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Western quarterfinal.

While the other three series Game Three’s were on tap, the second game between the Flyers and Caps took place yesterday afternoon. Philly had blown a 4-2 lead to lose Game One 5-4 on Alexander Ovechkin’s third period winner. This time however, they got the first two on Cristobal Huet off the sticks of R.J. Umberger and Jeff Carter. Martin Biron was much better in denying strong Cap opportunities stopping all 24 shots his way for a Game Two 2-0 blanking to level the series as it shifts back to Philadelphia. 

Biron’s big day postponed his wife’s procedure where his third baby was expected to be born earlier this morning. For more on the ex-Sabre’s happy time, Phil Sheridan of the Inquirer had a nice story on the proceedings.

The Devils knew they needed to take Game Three if they were to stand any realistic chance of winning the Battle of Hudson series. For Madden, just sitting in the hotel and watching playoff hockey coverage on the tube helped his team’s cause last night.

For more on that and what was an eventful night at MSG, Rich Chere of the Star Ledger had a good piece summing up the Devs’ hard fought 4-3 OT win well.

Here’s some more info courtesy of The NHL Today thanks to the very friendly nhlmedia site:

 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF MEDIA WEBSITE NOW LIVE
To assist media members covering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the National Hockey League’s Communications Department has introduced www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com, a ‘one-stop shopping’ website that provides story lines for each series, statistical previews and other features, including a fully searchable version of Total Stanley Cup, the 2008 NHL Playoff Media Guide. In addition to providing new information at the start of each round, www.stanleycupplayoffs2008.com will be updated on a regular basis.com/

WHATS NEW ON THE STANLEY CUP MEDIA WEBSITE
The Stanley Cup media website is a good resource for regularly updated interesting facts, milestones and NHL statements on game events. Below are two examples from last night that were posted in the “Latest News” section:

– April 13, 2008 11:05 PM ET
The San Jose Sharks’ three goals in 3:33 is the fastest three goals by one team at the beginning of a playoff game since April 15, 2000, when Detroit did it in 3:32 (Shanahan, Lapointe, Draper). The record is 1:48 held by the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Islanders on May 10, 1993.

– April 13, 2008 07:19 PM ET
Video Review (New Jersey at NY Rangers, 3:01, 1st period) – Good goal. New Jersey goal. Goal counts as puck went off NY Rangers (#15 - Blair Betts) stick into net. Goal was reviewed under Rule 39.4 for a kick.

ALL IN THE NUMBERS FOR WILD’S LEMAIRE
Michael Russo writes in the MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE, “When the Wild visited Calgary three weeks ago, Jacques Lemaire hitched a ride to the game on the media bus. ‘Want to see my lines for tonight?’ the Wild coach asked. Lemaire pulled out a legal-sized piece of paper, folded in half. He then flashed what looked to be 30 line combinations: 17-38-10; 12-9-96; 24-67-10; 17-38-96; 11-15-24; 19-9-92; 12-15-10 — to name a few! There were so many numbers, the sheet could have doubled as Lemaire’s Powerball picks.”

STARS’ MODANO FEELING A DIFFERENCE
Mike Heika writes in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, “Mike Modano has noticed something different about the Dallas Stars recently. They’re loose, they’re happy, they’re confident. It’s a twist on a team that has a history of playing nervous in the postseason, of trying too hard to live up to expectations, of not enjoying itself.”

ON THIS DATE IN PLAYOFF HISTORY
April 14, 1928 - In only their second season as an NHL franchise, the New York Rangers captured the 1928 Stanley Cup with a 2-1 triumph over the Montreal Maroons in the final game of the best-of-five title series. The Rangers became only the second American team in history to win the Stanley Cup, joining the 1917 champion Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.

April 14, 1931 - Goaltender George Hainsworth blanked the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 as the Montreal Canadiens became the second NHL team to win Stanley Cup championships in two consecutive seasons. The Ottawa Senators first accomplished the feat in 1920 and 1921.

April 14, 1942 - Brothers Don Metz (3-2-5) and Nick Metz (1-2-3) led the Toronto Maple Leafs to a record-tying 9-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Final. The Leafs’ nine-goal outburst matched the Final scoring mark for an NHL team set by Detroit on April 7, 1936, in a 9-4 win against Toronto.

April 14, 1948 - The Toronto Maple Leafs repeated as Stanley Cup champions with a 7-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings, thus completing a four-game sweep of the 1948 Final. The game marked the end of a career for Toronto captain Syl Apps, who punctuated his stint in the NHL with a goal in this series-ending victory.

April 14, 1953 - Maurice “Rocket” Richard became the second NHL player to register two hat tricks in Final history, joining Howie Morenz in achieving the feat. Richard, who led Montreal to a 7-3 win against Boston, later added a four-goal performance to his record on April 6, 1957.

April 14, 1955 - Right winger Gordie Howe scored the winning goal in Game Seven of the 1955 Stanley Cup Final to lead the Detroit Red Wings past the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. The goal gave Howe a 5-7-12 scoring mark in the series, setting a new individual mark for Final competition.

April 14, 1960 - Goaltender Jacques Plante blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 as the Montreal Canadiens captured their record-setting fifth straight Stanley Cup championship. The victory marked the end of a career for Maurice “Rocket” Richard, the NHL’s all-time leader with 34 goals in the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES PARTNER ON MIKE MYERS FILM ‘LOVE GURU’
The National Hockey League and Paramount Pictures have entered into a strategic marketing alliance supporting the new Mike Myers comedy film “The Love Guru,” due out June 20, which features the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pursuit of the Stanley Cup under the guidance of the Guru Pitka, a self-help spiritualist played by Myers. The marketing alliance includes co-branded and co-produced spots featuring Myers and content from the film to air during NHL game broadcasts on NBC, VERSUS, CBC and TSN, online and in NHL arenas, exclusive NHL.com content and retail activations, all designed to promote the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the June 20, 2008 nationwide theatrical release of the comedy.

– View the ‘Love Guru’ commercial spot.

STANLEY CUP FINAL PLAYOFF ACCREDITATION APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The NHL Public Relations department has launched an online media accreditation application to help streamline the credentialing process. Please click here to submit your credential request for the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.

– Credential applications sent via e-mail and fax are still being accepted. The application may be downloaded by clicking here. The deadline for the Stanley Cup Final media accreditation application is FRIDAY, MAY 16.

For story ideas, suggestions or comments, please e-mail the NHL TODAY

THE SCHEDULE
– Game 3: Penguins at Senators, 7 p.m. (CBC, RDS) (Penguins lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Red Wings at Predators, 7:30 p.m. (VERSUS, TSN, RIS (Red Wings lead series 2-0)
– Game 3: Wild at Avalanche, 10 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC, RDS) (Series tied 1-1)

All photos Copyright Getty Images

Well, the first night of the 2008 playoffs is in the books. And already, there was a riveting game which required sudden death. That and a lot more in my total randomness postseason edition:

-The game of the night was played between the Avs and Wild at Xcel Energy Center with Colorado taking the home ice away from Minnesota thanks to always reliable captain Joe Sakic, who potted the OT winner at 11:11 to lift his team over the Wild 3-2.

But this game was so much more than that with all sorts of unpredictable entertainment which is what makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so compelling. The Avs had led by two goals off the sticks of Kurt Sauer and Ryan Smyth after 40 minutes. However, the Wild stormed back getting two in a row 3:11 apart from Mikko Koivu and unlikely source Todd Fedoruk, who left alone in front had a nifty backhand finish to beat Jose Theodore to knot it.

That’s when the game got a little crazy. The Avs took over generating quality chance after chance but couldn’t find the go-ahead tally due to superb netminding from Niklas Backstrom and his best friend- the goalposts which denied Milan Hejduk and a couple of other Colorado players. Even goal reviews went against the Avs including an odd situation where they ruled no goal on a Minny player who put his glove over the puck and basically put it over the line (inconclusive). Smyth still had a penalty shot to try to put them ahead but an unreal sliding Backstrom pad stop kept it tied forcing sudden death.

In it, both goalies made big stops including a huge denial by Theodore on a wonderful toe drag and cut by Wild defender Brent Burns just getting a piece to force it wide. Finally, all-time playoff OT specialist Sakic got to a loose Ruslan Salei rebound chance and buried a backhand past Backstrom to give the Avs Game One. It was his eighth career playoff OT tally. Two better than Maurice “Rocket” Richard and three more than Glenn Anderson.

-That sub-Av announcer is an embarrassment. I’d heard about his penchant for screaming, “Thank you, thank you, thank you” after a big goal but yikes. That was just scary. No wonder they replaced him. Too bad the real play-by-play man is sick or something. I don’t know the exact details. Sorry in advance.

-If John Madden really made that remark about his former teammate who helped him win two Stanley Cups, then he’s either a dummy or suffering from Bobby Holik diarrhea of the mouth disease. After tonight, I’m opting for the latter.

-Speaking of Scott Gomez, he was turnover-prone in that first but once he created Brendan Shanahan’s opening tally early in the second, he was the best forward out there earning every big buck. It was also refreshing to see a pulse from Sean Avery, who had been MIA over the past month.

-If Gomez was the best forward, then Henrik Lundqvist was the best player on the ice making big save after big save in helping his less than impressive Ranger team steal Game One in the Battle of the Hudson. That stop on Patrik Elias who was on the doorstep was enormous in a tie game. His goaltending at the beginning of the third saved his flat team.

-The Devils really didn’t play all that poorly establishing their physical forecheck, forcing turnovers and creating chances. They even threw a new wrinkle into their power play which paid dividends on the Paul Martin tying tally.

-Who knew that Marty Brodeur’s strength would turn into a weakness at such an important juncture of a tie game? Though I must say the hustle by rookie Ryan Callahan along with some doggedness from “third line center” Gomez is what resulted in the deciding shorthanded goal.

-If there was a shaky area for the Blueshirts despite gaining the home ice, it had to be their defensive coverage which had all sorts of trouble with the Devil forecheck. In particular, key tandem Fedor Tyutin and Dan Girardi had some brutal turnovers. Tom Renney shouldn’t be pleased with that aspect. The positives were rookie Marc Staal, Christian Backman and Michal Rozsival, who all turned in solid performances. Paul Mara wasn’t bad either in place of Marek Malik. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if Malik returns for Game Two.

-Nice performance by Hart candidate Evgeni Malkin, notching a goal and two helpers in a 4-0 home shutout over the Sens.

-The second seeded Pens also got back gritty vet Gary Roberts, who made his presence felt by starting the scoring 68 seconds in and concluding things by netting his second of the night and then taking a cheap run at a Sen who faced the boards with 12 seconds left. Just assinine. There were a couple of scraps late including out of all things a Ryan Whitney beatdown of Ottawa Tinman Wade Redden. If Game Two’s anything like this sign me up!

-Stopping all 26 Ottawa shots, Marc-Andre Fleury earned his first career NHL playoff shutout. 

-Our shot of the night has to be this classic one from outside Mellon Arena where Pens fans who couldn’t make it inside camped outside and enjoyed the action. That’s just freaking aweeesssooome!!!!!

-In the fourth game of the night, the Flames took home ice away from the Sharks by hanging on for a 3-2 win. They can thank No.1 Star Miikka Kiprusoff, who was brilliant in shutting the door on his former team finishing with 37 saves. Despite the Sharks outshooting Calgary 28-14 the final 40 minutes, Kipper’s clutch performance allowed the Flames to prevail at the Shark Tank.

-The Flames used a strong start getting the first couple of goals 2:30 apart on a Stephane Yelle deflection past Evgeni Nabokov and a Dion Phaneuf lay-up from 15 feet uncovered during a power play. San Jose’s inexplicable beginning put them in a hole the rest of the night even though Ryan Clowe netted the first of two only 49 seconds later to slice the deficit in half.

-The biggest goal came thanks to a yeoman-like effort from Calgary Mr. Everything Jarome Iginla. With his team on the defensive, the 50-goal scorer forced Brian Campbell at the point and then made a power move on a two-on-one forcing Nabokov to kick out the puck. While Iginla plowed into the net and knocked it off, a hustling Yelle wristed the rebound past the San Jose netminder. It would go to video review, which confirmed that the puck had already crossed the line before Iginla knocked the net off allowing it to stand up.

-The goal would prove large when Clowe parked himself in front and got two whacks at a nifty Joe Thornton centering feed, rebounding the second pointblank chance past Kiprusoff, who had robbed him initially. His second gave San Jose a chance to pull Nabokov for an extra attacker with 57 ticks remaining. It setup a frantic finish in which the Sharks kept the puck in at least three different times but couldn’t put the puck past Kiprusoff or the Calgary D which held on for dear life narrowly escaping with Mike Keenan’s first playoff win in 12 years since he coached St. Louis.

-Is that the longest stretch between playoff appearances for a coach? Probably not but I can’t help but wonder.

-Stay tuned for more exciting playoff coverage as Boston and Montreal get underway along with Detroit and Nashville plus Game One between the defending champion Ducks and Stars. Also, the pressure will be on the Sharks to bounceback a night later in Game Two versus Calgary.

All photos Copyright Getty Images

It’s finally the best time of year if you’re a diehard puck fan. That is unless you’re a Canucks’ fan still pondering if their choke was worse than the Memphis Tigers.

Only 16 of the 30 teams make the Stanley Cup Tournament. And that’s a good thing because there will be no more three-point games and shootouts impacting what happens. Now, it just comes down to who’s the most prepared and brings their A game.

Blink and your team could be gone faster than a BHL referee’s arm comes up when Sidney Crosby moves his chin. At least certain Hart winner Alexander Ovechkin plays the game like a real man.

There are many questions surrounding the 2008 playoffs which get underway later tonight. Will an NHL dream second round match-up between Crosby/Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin happen? Which goalie donning a No.30 jersey will shine most in the latest edition of the Battle of Hudson? Marty Brodeur or Henrik Lundqvist. Will the President’s Trophy winning Red Wings go in the tank again? Can the Stars finally win a round?

Is Martin Biron ready for primetime or the latest goalie in a long undistinguished list to go belly up faster than you do after a cheesesteak? Is Carey Price really the heir apparent to Patrick Roy? Will Boston’s risky move bringing back Patrice Bergeron be a spark against an Original Six opponent who owns them?

Should the banged up Senators just head straight for the golf course? Can a Joe Thornton-led San Jose team finally win in the postseason or does ex-coach Mike Keenan have the right recipe for guiding the Flames into May? Are the Predators going to lose in the first round again? Will Peter Forsberg’s comeback lift the Avalanche past Jacques Lemaire, Marian Gaborik, and the Wild? Can the Ducks repeat?

All these questions and a whole lot more will be answered this Spring. Let’s take a look at our magic crystal ball. Shall we?

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (8) Boston Bruins- The Habs surprised many by rising to the top of the East after trading away Cristobal Huet to the Caps and relying on the talented Price. Now comes the true test. Can a rookie win 16 games to deliver Stanley Cup No.25 back to Montreal ending a 15-year drought for Canada? Why not? Cam Ward did it already. Alex Kovalev’s playing his best hockey. A supporting cast of Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins, the Kostistyns and Mark Streit is plenty good enough if captain Saku Koivu misses the first round. Andrei Markov should be up for the Norris and Mike Komisarek hits everyone and blocks seemingly every shot. Depth isn’t a problem for the fast skating Canadiens, who should make quick work of the Bruins much like a regular season which saw them win all eight meetings outscoring their Original Six bitter foe 39-14.

Bergeron’s back for Boston. Marco Sturm and Marc Savard are the offensive leaders for Claude Julien’s club. Glen Murray will need to have a big series and Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman must contribute from the blueline. Tim Thomas had a great season and is capable of keeping his team in games. But the Bruins should have trouble scoring.

Pick: Canadiens in 5

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (7) Ottawa Senators- Let’s see. A healthy Crosby heating up at the right time. Malkin dominating in all facets with Petr Sykora reborn and Ryan Malone a constant threat. Marian Hossa and the overlooked Pascal Dupuis. Jordan Staal coming around. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. Plus Marc-Andre Fleury razor sharp. All this plus antagonist Jarkko Ruutu against a banged up team who shouldn’t even be in the playoffs. They can thank the Buffalo Sabres.

A year ago in the same round, the Pens lost in five to a much healthier Senator club who had captain Daniel Alfredsson playing like a playoff MVP and two-way threat Mike Fisher. They also had a No.1 goalie as Ray Emery played extremely well. This time, that’s a huge question with probably Martin Gerber getting the nod. They still have dynamic duo Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, who can score on any shift. Cory Stillman is a proven playoff performer. Antoine Vermette is playing his best hockey and a constant shorthanded threat who can change games. Unless the blueline plays better with the capable Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Andrej Meszaros and shot blocking machine Anton Volchenkov, the Sens will get scored on early and often in this series. Mike Commodore also is a warrior and could be important if they’re to have any chance at an upset.

I just can’t see it.

Pick: Pens in 6

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers- Everyone knows just how hot the Caps are entering their first postseason in five years with the best player in the game. This stacks up to be a very good series and a stiff test for Ovechkin and talented teammates Alexander Semin, Calder candidate Nicklas Backstrom and Cup-proven Sergei Fedorov. They’ll need the same contributions from Viktor Kozlov, overlooked Brooks Laich and even ex-Flyer bruiser Donald Brashear to play big. Mike Green is the most dangerous scorer for either D and Huet should give the Caps an edge in net.

The question is can they hold off a formidable Flyer team which boasts seven 20-plus goal scorers in team MVP Mike Richards, Daniel Briere, power forward Mike Knuble, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and key acquisition Vaclav Prospal. Scottie Upshall is healthy and playing well too. As usual, it largely depends on how the latest Flyer netminder Biron fares in his first playoff series. His D isn’t the fastest but does boast veteran leader Jason Smith, Kimmo Timonen and the emerging Braydon Coburn (for Alexei Zhitnik-nice trade Don Waddell).

Will that Flyer D be able to keep up with Jack Adams choice Bruce Boudreau’s speedy Caps? They have the scoring to stay with them. This series is awfully hard to call.

Pick: Flyers in 7

(4) New Jersey Devils vs (5) New York Rangers- Perhaps this is the best opening round match-up pitting the two bitter Hudson rivals against each other. Both are mirror images depending largely on their goalies to win in airtight defensive systems which could put fans to sleep. Yes. I’m calling my own team boring. Especially if the scores are right on par with last year’s Stars-Canucks seven-game first round. That actually was a tolerable series.

Much has already been covered on the two locals hoping to break the other fans’ hearts. Logic says a Ranger team with the very clutch Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan, resurgent captain Jaromir Jagr along with spunky rookies Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan could prove to be too much for a Devil team reliant mostly on Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner. However, never underestimate John Madden or buddy Jay Pandolfo as both know what it takes to win in the second season. Brian Gionta also is a pest. Believe it or not, the Devils’ chances could hinge on how Mike Rupp performs along with Dainius Zubrus and rookie banger David Clarkson.

The bluelines are about even with Paul Martin getting the nod over Dan Girardi as the best in the series. There probably won’t be a whole lot of scoring from either D.

Brodeur versus Lundqvist is about as good as advertised. One proven winner at this time of year while the other with lots of recent success looking for a measure of revenge.

Pick: As stated before, I’m not picking a winner. It will go 6.

Beast Of The East

Conf. Semis: (1) Canadiens over (6) Flyers in 5

(2) Penguins over (4) Rangers/(5) Devils winner in 6

Conf. Final: (1) Canadiens over (2) Penguins in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs (8) Nashville Predators- Once again, the Red Wings finished with the most points. Will it matter? Well, they should have enough to get by a Barry Trotz’ club without a No.1 goalie. Figure super duo Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to have a field day in this series. Key cogs Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary are healthy coming in. Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler, Valteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson fly under the radar. Both Mr. Norris Nick Lidstrom and ex-Devil Brian Rafalski are better than anyone Nashville has on the blueline. Chris Chelios should be in an old age home but yet logs big minutes and somehow gets it done. Keep an eye on Niklas Kronwall, who’s emerged into a solid player.

How far Detroit goes depends on Dominik Hasek’s health. Though Chris Osgood had his best season in quite some time.

The Preds do boast some dangerous offensive threats in Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont and emerging star Alex Radulov. Martin Erat is overlooked and enforcer Jordin Tootoo can do more than beat up opponents. Odd stat on a team which was only minus-6. Veteran Radek Bonk managed to go minus-31. Believe it or not, Jan Hlavac played well for Nashville down the stretch. With David Legwand nicked up, they’ll need Hlavac to continue his renaissance.

Shea Weber’s been a disappointment this season on the backline. Marek Zidlicky is the Preds’ most potent weapon while Dan Hamhuis is a solid skating defender who won’t get much credit. How can you give them a chance with Chris Mason or probable Game One starter Dan Ellis in net? I can’t.

Pick: Wings in 5

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (7) Calgary Flames- Now this promises to be a good series featuring a pair of superstar forwards in Thornton and Hart candidate Jarome Iginla plus elite netminders such as Vezina hopeful Evgeni Nabokov and former Vezina winner Miikka Kiprusoff. Toss in future Norris winner Dion Phaneuf and Brian Campbell and you got an entertaining series. Plus the two coaches Keenan and Ron Wilson are always good for a few quotes.

This should be great. The Sharks have been on fire and much is expected. Revitalized leader Patrick Marleau is playing extremely well as is Thornton. They’ll need plenty of help from Jonathan Cheechoo, underrated Milan Michalek, Joe Pavelski along with the battle tested Jeremy Roenick and Mike Grier. Patrick Rismiller and rookie Torrey Mitchell can play a little too.

A D led by Campbell along with vets Craig Rivet, Christian Ehrhoff and Kyle McLaren should be strong. Maybe nobody was more valuable to his club than Nabokov, who started a career high 77 games winning 46 while posting a 2.14 GAA, .910 save percentage and six shutouts on a team which doesn’t score much. You can make a strong argument for Nabokov winning his first Vezina.

If Iginla is the Flames, then he’s got help from Daymond Langkow, Kristian Huselius, Alex Tanguay and Matt Lombardi. Key cogs Craig Conroy and ex-Shark Owen Nolan could come in handy in what shapes up to be a physical series. If the Flames do have an edge, it’s on the blueline with the very formidable Phaneuf who can do a bit of everything. Whether it’s a big hit or an end to end rush, he’s dang