Eastern Conference capsules
(1) Montreal vs. (8) Boston
Season series: Montreal, 8-0
OK, we know how the regular season went, but that was before Patrice Bergeron was cleared for action, and before Canadiens captain Saku Koivu cracked a bone in his foot. Maybe the Bruins will have a different look, remain more composed. Maybe the Habs will be vulnerable. Or that could all be wishful thinking on behalf of Bruins fans, who have seen this postseason matchup 29 times, and the Habs win 24 times. Even without Koivu, the Canadiens have the best power play in the business, led by the likes of Alexei Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, and Andrei Kostitsyn up front, and backed by Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek. Their soft spot could be - again, could be - in net, where star rookie Carey Price has not logged a minute of playoff action. Not to be dismissed, though, is the fact that Price went an impressive 15-6 for Hamilton (AHL) in last season's playoffs, and his success has followed to the NHL. The Bruins, back in the playoffs for the first time since the Canadiens dumped them in Round 1 of 2004, inched into the No. 8 seed by relying on Tim Thomas (another netminder with zero Stanley Cup minutes) and an oft-suffocating defense. What they lack, though, is offensive pop. Of the 16 playoff teams, the Bruins were the only club to score fewer goals (212) than they allowed (222). If they remain upside down, they're sure to go belly up, and quickly. An X factor here for the Bruins is their towering captain, Zdeno Chara. And an X for the Canadiens, at least against the Bruins, is that they're the Canadiens.
PREDICTION: Montreal in six.
(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Ottawa
Season series: Ottawa, 3-1
No surprise that the Senators are in the playoffs, but what in the world are they doing here, in the seventh seed? They opened the season with a mesmerizing 15-2 run, fresh from their trip to last year's Cup finals, looking like they might set a league record for wins. Along the way to Plummetville, their coach (John Paddock) got canned, and they came stumbling down the stretch with only nine wins in their final 26 games (9-13-4), a .423 winning percentage. If the regular season had lasted another couple of weeks, they almost assuredly would have seen their playoff string snapped at 10 seasons. The Penguins, though sometimes shaky behind their blue line and with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury yet to prove his playoff mettle (1-4, 3.76 goals-against average last spring), have exciting striking power with two of the elite young forwards in today's game - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Those two alone are capable of shattering Ottawa's confidence (the little that remains). Ex-Bruin Sergei Gonchar added 65 points from the blue line, finishing second to Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom (70) among defensemen. The Penguins souped up their offensive equation by acquiring Marian Hossa at the trade deadline, willing to outbid all others (including Boston) with a juicy package of prospects and picks. They still look a little light in all-around defense to make a long run. But with the Senators up first as club-level sparring partners, the Sons of Mario might gain valuable early momentum with a first-round KO.
PREDICTION: Penguins in five.
(3) Washington vs. (6) Philadelphia
Season series: Tied, 2-2
Just get yourself in front of the tube Friday night for the series opener, toss the clicker in the basket, and wait for No. 8 to come rolling over the boards for the Capitals. Remember when we used to wait for No. 8 to do the same in the Hub of Hockey? Alex Ovechkin, who scored more goals (65) and points (112) than anyone else this season, is the best take in the game, and potentially its Michael Jordan of this era. He can win games alone, just one of the reasons he will be named the Hart (MVP) winner in a landslide (check the June 12 award ceremony). Under coach Glen Hanlon, the Caps came out flatter than the lawn at Constitution Mall, prompting general manager George McPhee to summon Bruce Boudreau from the minors. Then came the deadline deals that added No. 1 goaltender Cristobal Huet and aged Russian icon Sergei Fedorov (38). The Capitals went a blistering 15-4 (a Celtic-like .789) the rest of the way, and jiggled into the playoffs by winning their 82d game - knocking the Hurricanes summarily out of the Southeast Division championship, the No. 3 seed, and the entire postseason. The Flyers, one of five teams to make the playoffs this year after a DNQ in '07, spent much of the season more intent on hurting people (see: Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Alberts) than actually trying to win games, or even play hockey. In fact, when the league finally got around to telling them to back off the kill shots, they looked extraordinarily ordinary, though the return of Danny Briere, who's confident he'll play after a knee injury, might help. Oh, and if you can take your eyes off Ovechkin, look for fellow Cap Nicklas Backstrom - he should be at the awards ceremony as rookie of the year.
PREDICITION: Capitals in five.
(4) New Jersey vs. (5) NY Rangers
Season series: NY Rangers, 7-1
For all the splash they made in the offseason, with the pricey acquisitions of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, the Rangers finished 3 points ahead of the Bruins. Take that for what you will, but the Rangers should have been better. Frankly, without the cross-Hudson club to beat like a Yellow Cab this season for 15 of those 97 points, they might have missed the cut. Meanwhile, the formula is much the same for the three-time Cup champion Devils, who make the most of the limited offense the likes of Zach Parise, Brian Gionta, and Patrik Elias provide. This is a franchise that never met a crowd it couldn't put to sleep, even back when it had higher-end performers such as the all-Scotts (Stevens, Neidermayer, and Gomez). Neither side gets the edge in this series, most of all because of the quality of the goalies. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur next season will sneak ahead of Patrick Roy for No. 1 in the career wins category. His counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist, turned in sensational numbers for a third straight season, and now has to be considered among the elite backstops. Fading Ranger superstar Jaromir Jagr has only 19 playoff points since '01, and he had a mediocre regular season (25-46 -71), considering his world-class skills. If he were to make himself a factor, as he did all those years with Pittsburgh (including two Cups), the Blueshirts could be the postseason version of what everyone thought they would be all season. A better chance, though, that Chris Drury once again fashions a miracle or two.
PREDICTION: Rangers in seven. 