2009-10 Playoff Previews: Eastern Quarterfinals

For hockey fans, the most wonderful time of the year is just a day away. The NHL's "second season" is about to kick off, and the 16 remaining teams have a pile of hockey ahead of them on their way to Lord Stanley's hardware. Today will feature a quick spin through predictions for the first round in the East. Tomorrow, the West will get it's chance to shine.

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Top seeds can lose in the first round. Just ask last year's San Jose Sharks team. However, when the top seed features one of the best players the league has right now, and a stellar supporting cast, the odds of them getting bumped out right away are pretty slim. Especially when you factor in an opponent who can be less-than-consistent night after night.

The Capitals are a high-flying team. They have far from the best goaltending and defense in the playoffs, but they'll survive the same way they did all season; the scoring that they put on the ice is just sick at times. Even once you move beyond Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps are a deep offensive team, and their moves at the trade deadline helped shore up some of the role positions that could have lead to question marks.

Meanwhile, Montreal is a team that almost didn't find itself in the post-season, and they have a lot of ground to make up. Jaroslav Halak will be relied on to make incredible saves, and Michael Cammalleri is the biggest offensive threat for the Canadiens. However, they'll be playing back on their heels all series long, as the Caps will come gunning, looking to enter the second round with momentum. Washington should send Montreal home in 5.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs #7 Philadelphia Flyers
The New Jersey Devils have the best goaltender ever to play the game in Martin Brodeur, and they've got skilled players in every corner of the ice. Whether it's Zach Parise on the offense, Jamie Langenbrunner on defense, or a wicked slap shot from Brian Rolston, the Devils have assembled a tough team to play against. Add Stanley Cup winning coach Jacques Lemaire back into the mix, and New Jersey could be a viable contender for the Eastern Conference crown.

The Flyers, on the other hand, are a team that's been scrambling for the last month or so, hoping to solidify a playoff spot, which they did (barely), by beating the New York Rangers in their final game of the season. The Flyers are a team that's willing to get dirty and play the physical side of the sport, while still seeing contributions from Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. The biggest problem for Philadelphia? They don't have a legitimate goaltender. The Devils will slap the Flyers around, taking the series in 5 games.

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs #6 Boston Bruins
Buffalo should be concerned. While they've got a fantastic goaltender in Ryan Miller, the rest of the team has stayed pretty much under the radar. Not many people outside of Buffalo may know who plays for the team, aside from Miller, but they've still gone about their business, taking their division with relative ease.

Their first-round opponent, the Boston Bruins, on the other hand, have some players you can't miss, but their goaltending isn't where they're most noted. Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara provide a physical side to the game, and Marc Savard, David Kreci, and Patrice Bergeron should provide an offensive kick. The question remains, however, if the Bruins have enough left in the tank to advance to the second round. They overcame the distractions of Phil Kessel's situation to start the season, and will overcome the Buffalo Sabres in 6 games.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Ottawa Senators
The Stanley Cup champions, with Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of their cast, are looking ahead to their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Their first obstacle is the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins have a ton of offensive firepower, and it's no secret that the league itself wants to push them to the elite status, even despite potential burn-out from people getting tired of hearing about Crosby.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators had their own problems to deal with this season, but the loss of Dany Heatley may actually prove to be a gain. The Senators have a solid four lines of hockey, and they may have found their goaltender for the future. Unfortunately for Ottawa fans, it won't be quite enough, and the Senators will get bounced by the Penguins in 6 games.

2009-10 Game Sixty-Seven: Wild 3, Sabres 2

Friday, the Minnesota Wild skated into Buffalo. For the team to have any real hope of making it into the post season, they need to just about win every remaining game, and get a lot of help with the teams ahead of them losing. After losing to the Detroit Red Wings the night before to the tune of 5-1, things certainly didn't look good. Things got more dicey for Minnesota when it became clear that Niklas Backstrom will be out for more than just one game.

No worries, Wild fans. Josh Harding answered the call with some amazing goaltending, and the Wild tapped into some grumpiness, complete with the Wild's grizzled veteran, Owen Nolan, sparking the team with physical play and a tough fight. Minnesota also put the puck on the net, beating Buffalo at their own game. Things got interesting at the end of the game, thanks to a late Buffalo goal, but the Wild ended up helping themselves the only way they could, finishing off a very tough Sabres team.

Game pluses:

- Guillaume Latendresse. One game earlier, and Latendresse was being sent off the ice to visit the hospital, thanks to a stick to the back of the head. In this game, he was a strong presence for Minnesota on the ice, scoring a nice goal to put his team up by two.

- Andrew Ebbett. The Wild were looking to get a good start to the game, and Ebbett helped out with that effort, knocking the puck into the net for a rare Minnesota power play goal. Even better, he did it against one of the best penalty kills in the league.

- Josh Harding. Harding did not play well against Detroit, and he admitted to it afterward. Against Buffalo, he played amazingly well, knocking aside 43 shots to keep the Wild in it, and keep them from experiencing another collapse similar to the one they faced against Florida.

Game minuses:

- Killer instinct. The Wild almost gave up another late lead, and it was only the play of Josh Harding that kept them on top of the final score. There were shots that were passed on that might have helped lock things down for the Wild, but they didn't seem insistent after getting a three-goal lead.

- Discipline. The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of weapons, and the Wild kept putting them on the power play. While a few of the penalties were questionable, Minnesota needed to do better to keep themselves out the box.

- James Sheppard. Anyone who thinks that Sheppard is the Wild center of the future is fooling themselves. Sheppard once again was one of the more ineffective players on the ice, either through poor puck handling, or horrible positioning.

Next up: The Wild look to keep playing like they've got nothing to lose when they face another team in a must-win situation, with a game against the St. Louis Blues

2009-10 Game Sixty-Six: Wild 1, Red Wings 5

One team is looking to break into playoff positioning, and is playing like they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. The other team is starting to look like they're trying to break into the NHL's bottom five, and playing like the only thing they have to gain is a top draft pick. Unfortunately for Wild fans, their Minnesota team is the one that's struggling, and having a tough time putting together a complete game.

Admittedly, injuries haven't helped this team, and they may have suffered one of the biggest ones yet, with top-scoring Guillaume Latendresse going to the hospital after taking a stick to the back of the head. It wasn't intentional by a long shot, but it was still a scary moment. Of course, on the ensuing power play, the Wild did what they've done more than anyone else this season, as they coughed up a back-breaking shorthanded goal. One power play goal for Minnesota, and the Detroit lead would have closed to one. Instead, the Wild found themselves staring down a three-goal deficit, and no real flow to their offense.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. It was good to see the Wild's spark plug on the ice, hitting and playing his game.
- Rookies. If the season is really over, and it's starting to look that way, then the Wild would be smart to give some of their younger AHL players a chance at cracking the roster and getting a little NHL experience. Robbie Earl and Jamie Sifers got that opportunity against the Red Wings, and while neither looked amazing, they both showed flashes of brilliance.
- Greg Zanon. Just about the only Wild defenseman who played a consistent game, Zanon just calmly did what he did all season.

Game minuses:
- Josh Harding. True, he was rusty. True, he wasn't expecting to start. True, some of the goals he surrendered were fluky. No excuses for a team trying to make up lost ground, and a player desperate for a chance to start.
- Power play. The Wild power play reverted to its momentum-killing self, with no time more apparent than with the short-handed Detroit goal.
- Puck possession. The Wild want to be the kind of team that holds the puck, and wears down opposing players. When they did this briefly against the Red Wings, they generated chances. Unfortunately, the Wings play a similar style, and they are much better at it.

Next up: It certainly isn't about to get any easier, as the Wild play against the Buffalo Sabres tonight.