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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.

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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!

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There were three other playoff games last night which bared watching. So, while there was an intense Game Two between the Hudson rivals, the other trio of games on Night 3 of the NHL postseason all had exciting and unpredictable finishes. That’s our main point of emphasis in this totally random Spring edition:

-Great game in the nation’s capital between the Flyers and Caps last night. It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t really get into it due to Rangers-Devils but just from catching the highlights, this looked like an unbelievable first game between two evenly matched teams. The Flyers led 4-2 after 40 minutes on the strength of a pair of goals from Daniel Briere and Vaclav Prospal. Trailing by a couple, the Capitals rallied back with three unanswered including two straight blueline blasts from the deadly Mike Green which tied it up.

For most of the game, the Flyers kept Alexander Ovechkin in check but the league’s leading scorer sprung to life when his team needed it most making an unreal play which resulted in the winner. In his first NHL playoff game, the 65-goal sniper forced a turnover stripping the puck away from Lasse Kukkonen. The electrifying 22 year-old Russian then patiently outwaited Martin Biron before wrapping the puck past the Flyer netminder for the deciding tally with 4:32 left. The certain Hart winner’s heroics helped the Caps overcome a two-goal deficit as they outshot the Flyers 12-3 in a dominant third to take a 1-0 series lead in what shapes up to be a great first round match-up.

-Another fun conclusion took place at Mellon Arena where the Pens withstood a good challenge from the Sens, getting a late Ryan Malone power play tally along with an empty netter to pull out Game Two 5-3- allowing the East’s No.2 seed to take a 2-0 series lead.

Early on, it looked like it would be just as easy as their dominant 4-0 Game One victory the other night. The Pens cashed in on a five-on-three when Evgeni Malkin setup a Sergei Gonchar bomb to go up 1-0. Another nifty passing play which saw Sidney Crosby and Malkin combining to setup Petr Sykora for a second power play goal 5:22 into the second. The dynamic duo hooked up yet again on an even better Malkin feed with the ex-Devil not missing for his third of the postseason.

Three goals down, the Sens could’ve packed it in. Instead, they came right back less than a minute later when Shean Donovan tallied in front to cut it to 3-1. A Cory Stillman PPG off a nice Dany Heatley pass gave them life headed to the final stanza. When rookie Cody Bass finished off a play in front, the game was suddenly tied at three with 11:09 remaining.

Discipline had been an issue all night for the Sens and came into play when Martin Lapointe hooked down Jarkko Ruutu with 1:14 to go in regulation. It took the Pens just 12 seconds to make Lapointe pay as Crosby and Marian Hossa helped setup Ryan Malone’s wraparound at 18:58. Malone also iced the game firing into an open net with seven ticks left.

Game Three is not till Monday in Ottawa.

-Perhaps the best game was Game Two between Northwest rivals Colorado and Minnesota. The two teams had battled hard in the first game with the Wild forcing sudden death only to see Colorado clutch captain Joe Sakic add to his playoff record with an eighth career goal in playoff overtime.

Jacques Lemaire’s club needed to level this series and found a way to do it requiring more than 60 minutes again with it going their way. Peter Forsberg got the Avs on the scoreboard first with a beautiful vintage finish off a Jeff Finger feed, wristing one by Niklas Backstrom at 17:06 of the first. The Wild cameback to knot it in the third when there was a Pavol Demitra sighting. A rarity this time of year as the Slovak fired a perfect wrister past Jose Theodore for a PPG 1:37 into the middle stanza.

It looked like all of St. Paul would celebrate a regulation come from behind win when Mikko Koivu stole a puck and then wired one past Theodore with 1:51 left. But the Avs drew a late power play and got even when Ryan Smyth deflected home a John-Michael Liles point shot with 44 seconds to go. The goal was credited to Milan Hejduk.

Either way, the same two teams once again went overtime but before I could get back to see it, it was over quickly thanks to out of all people Keith Carney. Off a broken play with some excellent grunt work by Koivu, who was the Wild’s best player, the American-born vet got to a loose puck and beat Theodore cleanly with a slapper from the left wall at 1:14 of sudden death.

Not surprisingly, it was Carney’s first ever OT winner. Good for him.

The series shifts back to the Rocky Mountains Monday and Tuesday for Games Three and Four.

-Maybe the Sens can build off a strong night in goal by Gerber, who made 49 saves. We’ll see what they’re made of starting Monday when the series shifts to Kanata, Ontario.

-That reaction by first-year Devil coach Brent Sutter where he slammed the stick after a dreadful icing call against his club was classic. He had every reason to be upset. Loved the intensity.

-He’s annoying to no end but Sid the Kid is still a great hockey player as evidenced by his four secondary assists. If he and Malkin are both in high gear, the Pens are going to be very tough to stop. Especially if they’re getting the benefit of the stripes as Ottawa coach Bryan Murray asserted to some missed stuff on Pittsburgh last night.

-Watching Forsberg in the first couple of games between Minnesota and Colorado, it becomes evident just how brilliant he really is. Even with all the injuries and foot problems, Peter The Great is still looking like an elite player. And if that’s the case, the Avs should be heard from this Spring.

-From listening to Lemaire about his young club after a vital OT win, you can tell how much the former Devil coach who guided that franchise to their first championship enjoys coaching his players. That enthusiasm is still there. He definitely seems to be having more fun these days which tells you he was a great hire a few years back for that franchise.

-They also have great fans. Boy. Do they make a lot of noise.

-Guess Jacques Martin just couldn’t push the right buttons to get it turned around in Florida.

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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.

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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

Per Kuklas Korner.

Sean Hill to the Wild. They don’t think Sean “Knowingly took any banned performance-enhancing substance. “

Minnesota re-signed Wez Walz for 1 year.

Vancouver signed Curtis Sanford - 1 Year, $600K

Raffi Torres re-signed in Edmonton. 3 Years, $6.75M total.

Kings signed Brad Stuart - 1 Year, $3.5 Mill. Kings continue to build.

Brad Ference is signed with the Red Wings.

Speaking of the Kings, Jason LaBarbera signed a 2-year extension with them. Finally, they can keep him at the NHL level.

After a year in Raleigh, he signs a 3 year deal worth 5.2 Million.