07 Apr '04 - + 81 - 42 Eastern Conference playoff preview
I know, I know. Here it is, mere hours before faceoff, and you still don't know who to pick in the East?
Neither does anyone else. The West picks are a cakewalk compared to the
East. I'll eat those words by missing all four of my Western Conference
picks, I know, but I don't think anyone wants to pick a winner in
Philly-New Jersey or Toronto-Ottawa. But I'll go out on a limb anyway.
#8 New York Islanders at #1 Tampa Bay Lightning
It's not the no-brainer pick that Detroit is (more words I'll regret,
I'm sure), but the Lightning sure look poised to move on to the second
round. Martin St. Louis is the single most exciting scorer in the NHL,
for one thing. And Di Pietro barely has NHL experience, much less
playoff experience. The Islanders barely beat out the latecomers in
Buffalo to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Lightning were trying for
the Presidents' Cup. Does this sound competitive to you?
Yet there is one reason to like the Islanders. In the season series,
Tampa Bay won game one, 3-2, and then lost three straight while being
outscored 11-3. Apparently New York matches up well against this team,
something that has many writers picking the Islanders for a big upset
win. Not me, though.
Tampa Bay in six.
#7 Montreal Canadiens at #2 Boston Bruins
Boston looks pretty sharp this year. Raycroft, despite being a rookie,
has been solid. On the other hand, Montreal was even more of an
underdog last time these two teams met in the postseason, and Theodore
backstopped the Canadiens to the biggest upset of the playoffs.
Montreal's fortunes ride on the shoulders of their goaltender. They'll
need a stunning performance reminiscent of two years ago if they plan
on repeating their upset performance. You know what? I predicted that
upset. I don't this time. Give me the
Bruins in five.
#6 New Jersey Devils at #3 Philadelphia Flyers
These two teams may be three seeds apart, but they're incredibly evenly
matched in talent. The very last day of the season, Philadelphia
overtook New Jersey and switched places in the standings; this could
just as easily have been the #6 Flyers visiting New Jersey.
New Jersey has a lot of things to like. As the defending Stanley Cup
champions, the Devils have incredibly stout defense and the most proven
goaltender in the league. It's tough to pick against them when they
have Brodeur, defense, and tradition on their side.
But Scott Stevens is missing, and Philly is just getting healthy and is
playing great hockey. Hitchcock, who faced the Devils (and lost to
them) in the 2000 Finals while coaching the Stars, knows what it takes
to win in the playoffs and knows how New Jersey plays. If Philadelphia
didn't have such a puzzling goaltending situation I would take them in
a heartbeat over a beaten-down New Jersey squad. I still will, but I'm
not excited about it.
Philadephia in seven.
#5 Ottawa Senators at #4 Toronto Maple Leafs
There is no more evenly matched series in the playoffs. This playoff
series is going to be a dogfight, and I for one can't wait to watch it.
Ottawa has a younger team, and while Lalime is no Brodeur, he is
perenially underestimated and is more than capable of winning this
series. Ottawa's offensive weapons are many and fun to watch. These two
teams finished one point away from each other in the standings, and for
good reason.
But there's a good reason Toronto has been the media's darling all
year. Adding Joe Neiuwendyk to an already sterling squad gives them the
veteran skills to go with a very mean lineup. Joe's impressive hardware
collection includes the Conn Smythe trophy for the playoff MVP of 1999,
and if you remember that season you'll recall that his main competition
for it was teammate Ed Belfour. These guys know how to win, and are the
poster child for tough hockey this year.
Toronto in seven.