Considering that my left index finger is jammed from something I did at the game in an electric MSG atmosphere, well at least the title kinda fits. I can’t really think of anything else except that the darn ice didn’t help much. Oh well.

Onto what was a successful Rangers home opener with a 4-2 win over the Original Six Blackhawks last night in which the newly acquired Aaron Voros had a big game notching his first goal as a Blueshirt and tallying an assist for a multi-point night playing alongside super soph Brandon Dubinsky and Russian lightning rod Nikolai Zherdev.

The newly formed trio combined for three goals and four assists in a well earned victory over a game Chicago squad which really has no more excuses for not qualifying for the postseason. With young talent like new captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien, this team is loaded up front and was dangerous when they attacked the Rangers.

The good news for Tom Renney’s club was that a jittery start which saw a few too many turnovers with speedy Hawks getting behind the D didn’t result in any goals against due to some shots fired wide and the clutch play of Henrik Lundqvist, who was busier than in the first two wins making 30 saves including some timely stops like one on Sharp in close denying him.

Despite the Hawks’ speed, it was the Rangers who drew first blood when the 25th captain in franchise history Chris Drury wisely floated a low shot at new Chicago No.1 goalie Cristobal Huet which he couldn’t control caroming out to Wade Redden, who blasted into the top portion of the net for his second in two games 6:47 into the contest. Markus Naslund also picked up an assist.

The goal didn’t deter Denis Savard’s young squad as they picked it up carrying the play by attacking the Rangers with an aggressive forecheck leading to some neutral zone turnovers. However, they couldn’t get one past Lundqvist until late in the period when Kane was left alone behind the net to find a Brian Campbell rebound tying the game at 17:18.

Playing a more up tempo style which even was against Renney’s liking due to it favoring Chicago, the Rangers managed alright getting the only two markers of the second. Both came off their own attack forcing the Hawks into bad decisions.

First, a couple of Chicago players had trouble playing a puck due in large part to the aggressive forecheck of Voros, Dubinsky and Zherdev with the trio taking it away before the second-year pivot handed off to the ex-Wild grinder who buried the chance from 15 feet for his first as a Ranger at 5:15.

Before Dubinsky tallied his second of the season 10:21 later on an outstanding solo effort showing strength before blasting one upstairs, the Hawks forechecked vigorously getting their chances including an excellent one for defenseman Duncan Keith, who couldn’t beat Lundqvist as King Henrik got his blocker up brushing it aside. The play of the fourth-year 26 year-old Swede was the difference. He was just a little better than Huet, who by no stretch was bad in turning aside 25 of 29.

Trailing by a pair, the Blackhawks came hard in the third and it paid off when they kept the Rangers pinned in allowing converted forward Byfuglien to dish off to a cutting Keith in the slot who made no mistake ripping one top shelf to slice it to 3-2 with 12:47 remaining. Sharp also registered an assist.

However, just when it seemed the younger club would make the climb all the way back, some more heady play from Dubinsky, Voros and Zherdev resulted in huge insurance when the trio combined in the neutral zone to setup Zherdev on a three-on-two with the exciting 23 year-old ex-Jacket making no mistake wristing one top shelf for his first in True Blue, making it 4-2 just 2:20 later. Where Mama hides the cookies to quote legendary Buffalo play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret.

Most impressive on the well executed play was the perfect cross-ice feed from Voros, who notched 16 points a season ago with Minnesota. I knew he was a hard worker and liked the addition right away because of his energy and forecheck ability. What I didn’t realize was his ability to read plays. A great pass from an underrated player who fans will really grow to appreciate.

No question this Voros came to play in front of a fun atmosphere debuting well much like the other Voros. He earned No.1 star with Dubinsky getting No.3 while rookie center Lauri Korpikoski earned second star logging 12:43 in his third NHL regular season game. Not bad for the hard working Finn who looks to have promise. He played alongside Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan with the speedy trio providing solid energy with a couple of near misses from Korp’s linemates.

If Renney wasn’t satisfied with the track meet his team prevailed in, he had to at least come away pleased with how his club protected a two-goal lead. Despite Chicago outshooting them 13-7 in the final 20 and 32-29 overall, the Blueshirts were sharper in the last 10-plus minutes following Zherdev’s goal keeping Hawks outside and limiting opportunities.

All in all, I’ll take it.

Three Stars

3rd Star-Fredrik Sjostrom, NYR (11:23 TOI, two hits)

2nd Star-Brandon Dubinsky, NYR (goal, two assists, plus-two, 5 hits, 4 SOG in 16:15, 11-4 on draws)

1st Star-Aaron Voros, NYR (goal, assist, plus-two, 4 SOG in 14:38)

Ranger Lines

Naslund-Gomez-Drury

Voros-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Dawes-Korpikoski-Callahan

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Rozsival

Staal-Mara

Kalinin-Girardi

The Rangers warm up for home opener

Both teams during pregame skate

Quick Hits:

-The Rangers are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 1989-90.

-In his first game this season, Fredrik Sjostrom played well in 11:23 demonstrating good speed while playing fourth line, killing penalties and nearly had his first on a great effort with a forehand stuff try missing wide.

-There were a couple of scraps with Callahan getting the decision over Colin Fraser and Paul Mara showing some character in a win over Jack Skille earning cheers. A crowd will always appreciate when a defenseman drops’em though I’m not sure how wise it is when our roster only has six due to being overstocked up front.

-Marc Staal was very good getting the second most minutes on the blueline to Michal Rozsival (23:15) with 20:21 finishing plus one and winning the majority of the battles in his end. He looks very polished. I also feel Mara has played well with him. He really has worked hard.

-One shaky moment for the new Malik Dmitri Kalinin but otherwise the former Sabre was alright.

-Blair Betts played a decent game working diligently and even getting a shorthanded chance testing Huet’s glove with a slapper labeled.

-Drury was very active and really seems to have chemistry with Scott Gomez and Naslund. The question is will they remain intact?

-I thought Keith was good for the Hawks offensively but he was minus-two despite his goal. He did play big minutes (29:46) along with partner Campbell (29:06).

-The Hawks have a solid top four that are young and can all skate but the bottom couple Jordan Hendry and rookie Niklas Hjalmarsson hardly played combining for less than 10 minutes which puts a lot of pressure on the other four with James Wisniewski out indefinitely due to a torn ACL.

-While Toews, Kane, Sharp and Byfuglien all had good games, Havlat was awfully quiet with only one sharp angle shot which Lundqvist ate up. He’s in a contract year and really needs to stay healthy and play inspired if this team is to make the playoffs.

-Chicago held the edge in the circle going 32-23 in faceoffs.

-Each team went 0-for-3 on the power play.

-The Rangers are back at it tonight in the Flyers home opener with Sarah Palin dropping the ceremonial first puck. Scrooge trashed it. I’m iffy on how I feel about John McCain’s running mate being there but she’s a “hockey Mom”. Gee. Golly.

-Couple of surprises from last night with the Thrashers scoring seven on the combination of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson for a 7-4 win over the Caps. Bryan Little notched two goals and an assist and Niclas Havelid had three helpers to offset a pair of Mike Green power play goals. Kari Lehtonen (39 saves) came up big thwarting Alexander Ovechkin on a penalty shot with the game tied in the third before Atlanta erupted for three in 2:10.

Also getting a win was Columbus despite blowing a 4-2 lead in the last 3:18 with Brad Richards and Trevor Daley scoring on consecutive shifts to help Dallas force OT. But Jackets’ captain Rick Nash stepped up for the deciding tally with 21 seconds left finishing off a three-on-two by wristing one past Marty Turco for a 5-4 road victory. Jason Chimera notched his second assist on the winner and ex-Ranger Christian Backman got a secondary helper finishing plus-two. Stephane Robidas chipped in three assists for the hosts in a tough loss.

There were two other ex-Rangers in this one with Sean Avery playing 16:54 registering no points and a slashing minor playing with Mike Modano. On the winner’s side, Fedor Tyutin donning his familiar No.51 logged 23:07 picking up two minors while finishing plus-one.

Other winners included:

-The Blues 5-2 over Nashville getting two goals from Keith Tkachuk and two assists from Paul Kariya.

-The Hurricanes defeated the Panthers in their home opener 6-4 getting goals from six different players including new defenseman Joni Pitkanen with Tim Gleason netting three helpers offsetting a goal and assist efforts from ex-Cane Cory Stillman and David Booth.

-The Sabres made it a successful home opener by a 2-1 count in the shootout over the Canadiens. New Hab Robert Lang tallied for the visitors and Thomas Vanek answered in the first with Teppo Numminen returning with a primary assist after missing 81 games last season due to heart surgery. Both netminders were solid with Carey Price finishing with 35 saves while Ryan Miller had 27. Ales Kotalik and Drew Stafford each tallied in the skill competition giving Buffalo the extra point.

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

Alexander Radulov has officially left the Predators, defecting back to Russia after signing with Ufa (Salavat Ulaef) of the Russian Super Elite League.

The 22 year-old right wing who achieved career bests in goals (26), assists (32) and points (58) this past season decided he’d rather go home where he could get more money than remain with Nashville for the final year of his entry level deal. The former 2004 15th overall selection was set to make $984,000 for the upcoming 2008-09 season. Instead, he’ll earn more money while returning home for what could be as many as three years.

This comes on the heels of the NHL and a Russian hockey league  finally reaching a transfer agreement which would prevent players from leaving for greener pastures in the Western Hemisphere. Apparently, that didn’t prevent Radulov from doing what veteran Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr and lesser goalies Ray Emery and former Islander Wade Dubielewicz did.

Why? Because the Russian Federation and the IIHF still haven’t come to a similar agreement as IIHF president Rene Fasel noted in yesterday’s release:

“There is no sense to make a war. Everyone agrees we could make a war very easily, but with no winner. The loser will be the game. … Even if we don’t have a transfer agreement today we have a very good understanding of each other.”

So much for that good understanding. What should be also pointed out is that Radulov gave fair warning to the Predator organization that he had the desire to return home and had superior contract offers coming in. Apparently, they never bothered to call back according to what the player informed the Russian media:

“I told my bosses in Nashville that I wanted to play at home and some Russian clubs were offering me much better conditions than I had in Nashville. … They said they would call me back but never phoned. It seems that they were either not really interested in me or just did not believe I could return home. One way or another, I’m happy to come home.”

No matter how you slice it, this is a blow to the NHL. Especially that such a young promising Russian player who had the potential to be a star opted to go back home this early in his career. Paging Glen Sather.

The Preds still made the postseason last Spring but already dealt away defenseman Marek Zidlicky to Minnesota and now have lost the services of one of their best scorers after just a couple of seasons. In 145 games, Radulov amassed 44 goals along with 51 helpers for 95 points to go with a plus-26 rating.

Not only will he be missed by his team but by fantasy owners as well particularly in keeper leagues who were banking on the young Russian’s continued improvement production-wise. If you already submitted your keeper list with Radulov on it, the joke’s on you.

Fortunately, my two leagues haven’t required us to submit official lists yet as I believe Radulov was a guy on one of my teams I was considering. That takes care of that!

I really liked Radulov’s game as he boasted plenty of talent reminding me of a young Alex Kovalev. We bid Dac Vee Daniyah to you for now and hope you’ll return to the NHL.

Best of luck.

In an attempt to make our site easier to read, I’ve eliminated a lot of categories. Many became excessive and didn’t really have a place on Battle.

Now, it should be much easier for our blog team to categorize entries without as much confusion. Something which was much needed. Only a few superstar players have been retained as categories. Most players don’t deserve to have their own categories. There might be a couple of other local stars who could still get added. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Tomorrow, the NHL will announce Hall of Fame inductees. Igor Larionov and Pavel Bure are two of the leading candidates. The list also includes Glenn Anderson who should be in along with Mike Vernon, Mike Richter, Tom Barrasso, Adam Oates, Doug Gilmour, Phil Housley, Pat Verbeek and Dino Ciccarelli.

No. I’m not going to include every candidate because that would be insane. Figure two or three to make the cut. Larionov should be a lock. I would like to see both Bure and Anderson get in. Each had Hall of Fame caliber careers. If there’s a place for Cam Neely in Toronto, then the Russian Rocket should be in. He was one of the most lethal finishers of his time and an impact player. As for Anderson who was part of all those Oiler Cup teams, it’s a travesty that he’s not in. We’re talking about a money playoff performer here not to mention he won yet again with the Rangers. He’s always been the overlooked Oiler. It’s time!

In other news, the Predators re-signed defenseman Ryan Suter to a four-year $14 million deal yesterday. The 23 year-old posted career bests in assists (24), points (31) and penalty minutes (71). He could’ve become eligible for Group II free agency. So, this was a no-brainer for Nashville. Solid move locking up one of their top defenders.

Photo Copyright Getty Images

The octopus reigned supreme in Detroit earlier today as the Red Wings doubled up on the Predators 4-2 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the first round Western Conference match-up.

A familiar name from Cups past struck for the Wings when gritty veteran Darren McCarty got the home club on the board 2:26 in. The Preds fired 15 shots on Dominik Hasek in the first but couldn’t beat the 43 year-old proven winner.

Following a Nick Lidstrom power play tally, some luck finally went their way when Alex Radulov retrieved a dump-in which hit a stansion and fired into an open net for a power play goal to slice the deficit in half at 2:19. The good run continued as just 11 seconds later, Jordin Tootoo took a Shea Weber feed off an Andreas Lilja turnover and beat Hasek five-hole to suddenly tie Game Two.

Nashville continued to buzz around the Detroit net hitting at least three posts along with a pointblank Jan Hlavac chance which the ex-Ranger missed five feet wide (yikes) burying his head for good reason. The continued pressure finally forced Detroit coach Mike Babcock to call a timeout to regroup his team.

The move paid immediate dividends on a bit of a break. On an apparent offside, Kris Draper’s centering pass went off Greg de Vries’ skate past a startled Dan Ellis to reclaim the lead with 15:00 left in the middle stanza.

The goal seemed to settle down Detroit, who played more like a No.1 seed taking the play to the Preds. They outshot them 27-12 over the final 40 minutes including 13-7 in the third. A period which saw Tomas Holmstrom do what he does best capitalizing on a loose puck which caromed out to him for his first at 10:03.

Pavel Datsyuk and former Devil Brian Rafalski assisted on the insurance marker which for all intensive purposes ended any realistic hope Barry “The Evil Czar” Trotz’ club had of gaining a split before the series shifted back to Music City.

Even a late six-on-four advantage with Ellis pulled resulted in nothing with way too many passes. Why do teams do that? They were down by two! Just makes no sense.

Holmstrom finished with a goal and assist. Hasek made 25 saves and Detroit dominated in the faceoff circle winning 40 of 64 draws.

They also once again did a solid job on Preds’ captain Jason Arnott, limiting the former A Line center to one shot and a minus-one rating. He has only that one shot with no points so far in the series. That must change back home in Nashville starting Monday if his club is to get back in it.

I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In an hour, the Canadiens host the Bruins in Game Two looking to make it 10-for-10 counting the regular season. The late game features Dallas at Anaheim with the defending champs looking to play a lot better and square that series. Faceoff is after 10.

All Photos Copyright Getty Images

The home Original Six top seeds in each conference drew first blood in their respective best-of-seven quarterfinal series tonight.

Montreal jumped on rival Boston with two goals in the first 2:02 from Sergei and Andrei Kostistyn en route to a 4-1 home triumph to take a 1-0 series lead- improving to a perfect 9-0 this season against the Bruins.

Shane Hnidy got the B’s on the board but goals by depth players Bryan Smolinski and Tom Kostopoulos gave the Habs a final comfortable margin of victory in a game they controlled outshooting the Bruins 32-18.

As expected, Montreal captain Saku Koivu wasn’t back with instead leading scorer Alex Kovalev donning the ‘C.’ AK27 was dangerous all night in a high tempo game setting up teammates for quality chances and missing a lay-up off a great setup.

The thing which impressed me the most was the physical nature of the Canadiens as they continually pounded Boston booing target Zdeno Chara, who definitely looked to be feeling the effects of a late season injury. Mike Komisarek was pretty good in this one and the rookie Carey Price stopped 17 of 18 shots for his first NHL postseason victory.

Boston was outshot 22-12 the final 40 minutes. They’ll need to mount a better attack for Game Two Saturday night. Especially with a back-to-back the following day back in Beantown.

As for the other game, the Red Wings got a pair of third period Henrik Zetterberg goals to hold off the Predators 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena.

Johan Franzen gave the Wings the lead in the first but some solid netminding by Nashville’s Dan Ellis in a busy second in which he stopped all 17 shots gave his team a chance. Enforcer Jordin Tootoo got the Preds even at 17:47 when he neatly deflected home a Greg Zanon point shot past Dominik Hasek.

Undiscouraged, the Wings responded with a splendid final stanza outscoring Nashville by two and outshooting them 13-3.

Their leading finisher came through with the money goal off a nifty Pavel Datsyuk setup one-timing one past Ellis to convert a two-on-one to put Detroit ahead for good 2-1 with 13:06 left.

The Preds would pull Ellis for an extra attacker but couldn’t get anything close to a quality opportunity as the Red Wings played solid D. With the Nashville starter who kept his club in the contest with 37 saves on the bench during a draw outside the Detroit zone, Kris Draper won it right to Zetterberg, who didn’t miss to salt Game One away with 19 ticks left.

Game Two between the Central rivals is Saturday afternoon at 2 ET on NBC.

Dallas and Anaheim are facing off now for Game One on Versus while San Jose looks to even their series up against Calgary on Center Ice.

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 dangerous. Adrian Aucoin also has rebounded under Keenan. But after Robyn Regehr, who should see plenty of Thornton, it gets very thin.

Due maybe to all the work and a D which can wear down, Kiprusoff wasn’t as effective this season. While it’s tempting to take the Flames as fellow blogger Hasan did, I think they might run out of gas.

Pick: Sharks in 6

(3) Minnesota Wild vs (6) Colorado Avalanche- Five years ago in the old NHL, Lemaire’s Wild stunned the Avs coming back from 3-1 to win in the opening round. Though both rosters have changed, a few key players still remain including Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Adam Foote on the Colorado side. They’ll be out for redemption against a Wild team led by Gaborik.

The game’s most overlooked superstar scored 42 goals including eight winners, which tied for the team lead with Brian Rolston. They’ll need strong support from Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Pavol Demitra, Mikko Koivu and Eric Belanger. Demitra’s been known to take the second season off. Bank on Koivu to show up.

Brent Burns might be the most underappreciated D in the tournament. He logs big minutes and can impact games getting plenty of power play time. He’ll need to step up along with vet Kim Johnsson with Nick Schultz and Kurtis Foster likely both out. That also means that No.1 goalie Niklas Backstrom better be ready for the onslaught against a potent Avs’ team which also includes Paul Stastny, gritty forward Ryan Smyth, Andrew Brunette and Wojtek Wolski.

Colorado will get offense from John-Michael Liles, Jeff Finger and key pickup Ruslan Salei. Their best defender is Scott Hannan, who brings experience. Foote is old and slow but knows how to play at this time of year.

Jose Theodore has rediscovered the form which won him a Hart but would you trust him in any series? Bet the over in the goal department as this promises to be a goal fest. Now watch every game morph into a Ranger-Devil struggle. Blame me if it does!

Pick: Avs in 6

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs (5) Dallas Stars- This shapes up to be a good match-up. Can the Stars finally win a round with Marty Turco in net? It probably won’t be his fault if they fall short. Believe it or not, it’s the Ducks that have a hard time scoring goals getting just 197 during the regular season.

They rely heavily on emerging star Ryan Getzlaf, who paced the club with 82 points and a plus-32 rating. He’s such a force down low but can’t do it alone. They better get Corey Perry (29 goals led club) back or they could be in trouble. Teemu Selanne has played well since returning and Chris Kunitz is such a solid player. After that, it gets sketchy with playoff choker Todd Bertuzzi, rookie Bobby Ryan and top checkers Sami Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer.

Good thing the Ducks boast the most lethal blueline featuring Hall-bound Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and the ageless Matt Schneider. Along with Francois Beauchemin and less scrutinized Kent Huskins, they’ll provide Anaheim with a decided edge against anybody.

That guy in net Jean-Sebastien Giguere ain’t bad either despite what he’s been called in Devil parts.

So, do the Stars have a shot here or am I crazy? Probably the latter. Mike Ribeiro (27-56-83) has been awesome and even deserves a few MVP votes. Captain Brenden Morrow is a winner who netted career bests in goals (32), points (74), PPG (12) and game-winners (7). This is his team. It’s time for him to step up.

Vets Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Stu Barnes always show for the playoffs. Deadline pickup Brad Richards must perform like he did in his Conn Smythe year in order for the Stars to advance. Don’t sleep on Niklas Hagman, who scored a career high 27 goals including four shorthanded and eight deciding markers. He’s been money all season.

So much of what Dallas does depends on the blueline where they’re hoping Sergei Zubov can return from Germany miraculously healed from sports hernia surgery. Philippe Boucher missed more than half the season but is healthy and must contribute. Stephane Robidas and rookie Matt Niskanen had nice seasons.

Turco had a very good season and might even get nominated for the Vezina. He usually comes up with key saves which keep his team in games. He sure would love to knock off the defending champs and get that monkey off his back.

This is a difficult series to call but it’s very difficult to go against that Duck D.

Pick: Ducks in 7

The Wild Wild West

Conf. Semis: (1) Wings over (6) Avs in 6

(2) Sharks over (4) Ducks in 6

Conf. Final: (2) Sharks over (1) Wings in 6

Stanley Cup Final: (1) Canadiens over (2) Sharks in 7

Conn Smythe: Carey Price, Mtl

With a lot of hockey taking place this weekend, I figured I’d bring back my total randomness and give you a little insight. So, here goes:

1.Some HNIC announcer pointed out that Detroit doesn’t have much offensive depth up front outside of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom. Well, you don’t say. It’s much easier to conclude that when Lidstrom, Rafalski, Chelios, Hasek, Cleary and Kronwall are out. How many teams can play good hockey when so many key contributors are out including Detroit’s best player? There’s no doubt that they could use a little more toughness up front. Maybe Darren McCarty’s comeback pans out. You sure hope so.

2.How bad is the Devils radio cast? It’s already sad enough that they have the worst announcers in the overmatched Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross but they were just about to go to commercial and screwed up. God. How can a successful franchise that’s won three Cups and produced such great players like Brodeur, Parise, Elias, etc. have such an awful radio broadcast?

It was a much better listen when John Hennessy and Randy Velischek were calling games. Sure. Velischek accentuated the positives but he was a decent analyst and Hennessy was a real play-by-play man. Isn’t it about time the Devils scrap this failed experiment? Loughlin’s a solid studio host where he worked extremely well with Stan Fischler in the infamous Matt & The Maven segment which always were a blast. Ross is a much better hockey writer for the Daily News than color commentator.

3.For NBC to be airing golf today instead of hockey is a joke. The network’s done an admirable job in its third season covering the sport. The team of Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire is a big improvement. They’re really good and not afraid to pull punches. However, with the trade deadline looming, you’d think the NHL’s network TV station would have some games on. It’s disappointing.

4.Coach of the year candidate: Barry Trotz, Nashville. This guy is just a phenomenal coach. He loses his No.1 goalie along with arguably his best defenseman because of the franchise’s uncertainty and still has this team in the playoffs if the season ended today. Oh. He still has good players. J.P. Dumont has been terrific and Alexander Radulov is an emerging star. Jason Arnott has assumed the leadership role and played very well. His best hockey since he helped the Devils win their second Cup. Still, with Chris Mason and Dan Ellis sharing the No.1 goalie duties and an alright blueline which has seen Shea Weber miss a lot of time and no Steve Sullivan up front, this team is overachieving. Trotz really deserves a lot of credit. Especially if they get in in an extremely tough West.

5.Say this for the Kings. They might not be making the playoffs this year but they sure boast an exciting crop of young forwards which will make them an improved team for the future. If Jonathan Bernier develops into the top netminder the franchise expects, they’ll be much better. Patrick O’Sullivan has joined a talented roster which features Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Michael Cammalleri and Dustin Brown. Jack Johnson will get better on the blueline. He made a great hustle play yesterday to allow his team to rally from four down to force OT before falling on Patrick Sharp’s rebound goal.

6.Did anyone have Sharp leading the Hawks with 29 goals including an NHL best seven shorthanded?

7.Brodeur’s stoning the Caps here. He’s made at least four great saves including a big one on league leading finisher Alexander Ovechkin.

8.Do the Canucks have enough scoring to make the playoffs let alone go far? Mats Sundin sure would look good playing alongside countrymen Markus Naslund, the Sedins and Mattias Ohlund.

9.Where will Marian Hossa land?

10.He won’t get much recognition but Rick DiPietro has been extremely valuable to the Islanders. The stats say otherwise but anyone who watches that depleted team as they grind their way to stay in this race knows better. How about nominating him for the Vezina alongside Brodeur and Roberto Luongo? It won’t happen.

11.I’ve been pushing him for a while but Andrei Markov needs to be up for the Norris even if it’s going to Lidstrom.

12.Hidden superstar: Ryan Getzlaf. If you see any of the Ducks, then you know why. He just does it all. The definition of a power forward who makes teammates better and strikes fear into the opposition.

13.How are the Canes still winning without Rod Brind’Amour and Justin Williams? Plus they unloaded Cory Stillman and key cog Mike Commodore to the Sens. That’s a great coaching job by Peter Laviolette.

14.Paul Martin won’t be up for the Norris but he’s having his best season and really means so much to the Devils’ success. A very solid skater who’s extremely smart in his end. Now he’s finally jumping into the play and finding offense.

15.When Jaromir Jagr decides to play, he’s still pretty tough to stop. Too bad his confidence in his ability to score is shot.

16.Who would you rather have? Daniel Briere or Derek Roy? Looks like the Sabres made the right choice.

17.Underrated defenseman: Meet Mike Green. Don’t let him wind up or you could pay the price.

18.Jonathan Toews has really raised his level since returning to the Hawks.

19.How does Radim Vrbata have 27 goals in The Desert?!?!?!?!?!

20.Wayne Gretzky’s done an unbelievable job with the ‘Yotes. Remember when they were a laughingstock? Not anymore.

21.The Sharks still don’t look like they have enough scoring to win more than a round.

Flyers 5-0 Rangers
Key Goal-Getters: Mike Knuble - 2 Goals, Sami Kapanen, Mike Richards (PHI)

Leafs 4-3 Bruins (Shootout)
Key Goal Getters: Phil Kessel (BOS), John Pohl (TOR)

Blues 3-2 Thrashers
Key Goal Getters: David Perron (STL), Marian Hossa - 2 Goals (ATL)

Senators 2-1 Canadiens
Key Goal Getters: Jason Spezza (OTT)

Red Wings 5-2 Penguins
Key Goal Getters: Kris Draper, Henrik Zetterburg - 2 Goals (DET), Evgeni Malkin (PIT)

Capitals 2-1 Lightning
Key Goal Getters: Alexander Semin (WSH), Martin St. Louis (TB)

Hurricanes 1-4 Predators
Key Goal Getters: Jason Arnott (NSH)

Oilers 5-4 Flames (Overtime)
Key Goal Getters: Jarret Stoll, Shawn Horcoff (EDM), Alex Tanguay, Jarome Iginla, Marcus Nilson (CGY)

Quick Hiatus Break for new jerseys:

Pens

Predators

Canes are available at NHL08.com