NHL Eastern Conference Quarter Finals Preview
NHL 2009 Playoffs Preview: The East's First Round + Predictions
Apr 14, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
(1) Boston Bruins vs (8) Montreal Canadiens
Boston and Montreal seem to meet in the playoffs almost every year, the teams meet as the first and eighth seed for the second year in a row, though their roles have been reversed. The Bruins will be looking to improve upon their current record against Montreal having lost 24 of their 31 postseason meetings.
Expect a physical and potentially fiery series between these two bitter rivals, Boston enters the series as heavy favorites having led the Eastern Conference in goals scored and fewest conceded while the Canadiens barely stumbled into the playoffs, however last year’s match up proved that the regular season doesn’t matter as the eighth seeded Bruins almost caused an astonishing upset only losing in game seven.
Prediction: Boston has just a little too much talent for Montreal and the Canadiens have to be concerned about Carey Price in net, the Bruins to win in 7.
(2) Washington Capitals vs (7) New York Rangers
This series supports the theory that opposites attract as the offensively dominant but defensively fragile Capitals meet the defensively resilient but offensively challenged Rangers. The Capitals won the season series 3-0-1; they will certainly hope that the games are as wide open and high-scoring in the playoffs as they were in the regular season.
An interesting key match up will be between Washington’s 25.2% power-play (2nd in the NHL) and New York’s 87.8% penalty kill (1st in the NHL), whichever can remain most effective may well be the deciding factor in the series. Washington will also have a concern over the performance of goaltender Jose Theodore who only managed a .900 save percentage over the course of the regular season.
Prediction: In the playoffs defense and goaltending becomes that much more valuable, the Rangers lack of scoring and poor power-play will undoubtedly hurt them at some stage but they probably won’t mind this match up in spite of the Capitals impressive array of talent, Rangers to win in 6.
(3) New Jersey Devils vs (6) Carolina Hurricanes
In contrast to the Capitals/Rangers series, the contest between New Jersey and Carolina pits two very similar teams against one another. The Devils enjoyed an impressive season especially considering they were without star goaltender Martin Brodeur for a long stretch; however it is the Hurricanes who enter the playoffs in top form having put together a nine-game winning streak in March to catapult them into the postseason.
Both teams are fast-skating, sound defensively, have balanced scoring behind a star forward and boast Stanley Cup winning goaltenders. Brodeur will give the Devils every chance to win, it is the performance of Cam Ward that is less certain, inconsistent for much of his career Ward caught fire in the last couple months of the season demonstrating the sort of form that saw him lead Carolina to the cup in 2006.
Prediction: New Jersey and Carolina are extraordinarily similar, the main difference is in the ability of the Hurricanes defensemen to contribute offensively with all six being solid two-way players. Carolina’s slightly better balance in defense and great form entering the playoffs will be enough to gain them a second round place, Hurricanes to win in 6.
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia meet in a re-match of last year’s Eastern Conference Final; this Pennsylvania rivalry should provide a riveting series between two highly-skilled offensive teams. The statistical similarities are quite striking as both teams finished with 99 points and each scored 264 goals, the Penguins conceded just one goal more (239) than the Flyers (238).
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both have excellent looking offenses with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter competing in this series, however it is two defensemen who could hold the key to the series. The Penguins were just over .500 when Sergei Gonchar returned from injury and have gone 18-3-4 since, meanwhile Kimmo Timonen is a key member to the Flyers blue-line and his absence from last year’s playoff series was undoubtedly a huge blow.
Prediction: Possibly the pick of the series to watch, Pittsburgh stole home ice advantage from a faltering Philadelphia team that struggled for consistency at the end of the year. However, the Flyers have a balanced team with the potential to do some serious damage in this year’s playoffs, Flyers to win in 7.
NHL Playoffs 2009
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