It’s the most exciting time of the year for hockey fans. The 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will provide great matchups and some of the best hockey you will ever see. The first round promises to be very competitive with virtually no chance of any first round sweeps. Let’s get started with the preview and predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference Round 1

1 Boston vs. 8 Montreal

This is perhaps the most lopsided matchup in the playoffs. The Bruins finished with the most points since their Cup winning season in 72′. This is a great rivalry that should be mentioned, but with Vezina candidate Tim Thomas in net and captain D Zdeno Chara leading the way. The Bruins have nothing stopping them. Montreal’s 100th season will result in a 4-1 series loss to rival Boston.

2 Washington vs. 7 NY Rangers

Star power galore in this one. Hart trophy winner Alex Ovechkin (yes he will win), Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom for the Caps. Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden for the Rangers. The most intriguing matcup is G Henrik Lundqvist against the scoring onslaught of the Capitals. Henrik will be lucky to win 2 games in this series, but I will give him two as the Caps win 4-2. JR’s boy Sean Avery is back in the playoffs. What will he do this time? (Avery is really not JR’s boy, J/K)

3 New Jersey vs. 6 Carolina

I’ve been going back and forth on this one. Carolina has finished the season better than any playoff team. G Cam Ward is as good if not better than their Stanley Cup run a few years ago. New Jersey on the other hand has finished the season in the worst way. Going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games was not how they wanted to enter the playoffs. Eric Staal is primed for another great postseason for the Canes. Carolina wins 4-2. A record season for Brodeur will go down in flames.

4 Pittsburgh vs. 5 Philadelphia

Coach Dan Bylsma has taken the Penguins from the bottom to home ice in the first round. Amazing accomplishment considering how abysmal this team was playing in February and early March. Nonetheless it’s a rematch of last years conference final. Crosby and Malkin is all you have to say about Pittsburgh. Yes Gonchar will be a factor on defense, but lets be honest. Everyone will be watching the Kid and Malkin. Philly isn’t too shabby either. Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere are great forwards. Kimmo Timonen is healthy for this rematch. Ultimately it will all come down to goaltending. Go figure. Martin Biron for the Flyers and Marc-Andre Fleury for the Penguins. Who will outduel the other? I have Fleury and Pens in 7 games.

Western Conference Round 1

1 San Jose vs. 8 Anaheim

President’s Trophy winner for the best record San Jose has to play division rival Anaheim who played probably the best hockey of anyone just to get in. I could go on and on about the Ducks, but I will hold back. Thanks to the great play of the Niedermayer brothers, Chris Pronger and Bobby Ryan down the stretch along with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and goalie Jonas Hiller the Ducks are in position to upset their rivals. The Sharks have had rotten luck in the past. You can attribute that to bad finishes, sluggish starts or some have said flat out quitting when it comes to the postseason. I think it’s different this year. Rob Blake and Dan Boyle were great additions. Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau are the backbone of their attack. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov has to be up to form to stop the Ducks if they want to contend for the Cup. Randy Carlyle has a tough decision at goalie. Go with experience (J.S. Giguere) or go with youth (Jonas Hiller). I have a saying that I got from someone else whose name escapes me, “Go with what got ya there.” With that said I have to go with my head and not my heart. Sharks in 7 games.

2 Detroit vs. 7 Columbus

Poor Columbus. Their first postseason birth since coming into existence and they have to play the defending champs. Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetteberg. Oh, and Nicklas Lidstrom. That is all I have to say about Detroit. Really, same team from last year with Marian Hossa. That’s the Red Wings. Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason (yes he will win) and his 10 shutouts for a rookie goalie will make some amazing plays in this series, but it won’t be enough. Everyone who doesn’t know already will finally get to see Rick Nash in the national spotlight for the Blue Jackets. Nash will get at least five goals, but Columbus will lose to the defending champs 4-2.

3 Vancouver vs. 6 St. Louis

The Canucks came up and basically slapped Calgary out of the division lead. Vancouver is a great defensive team and will not allow easy goals. Goalie Roberto Luongo is in my opinion the best goalie in the NHL today. The Sedin twins are solid and even late arrival Mats Sundin is playing good hockey. The Blues have had a ressurgence in the blink of an eye this year. No one had them in let alone getting the sixth seed. Paul Kariya is banged up which will hurt the Blues tremendously. Good defense, but inexperienced. As is goalie Chris Mason, but he might surprise some people. He was doing that all season long (27-21 W-L, 2.41 GAA, .916 S%, 6 SO). The Canucks have the advantage though in all the important areas. Cancuks win 4-1.

4 Chicago vs. 5 Calgary

The Blackhawks are here to stay. First playoff appearance since 2002. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Martin Havlat have lead the way on offense. While Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have on defense. Sammy Pahlsson was a great addition for the Hawks and it will show in the postseason. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has returned to Stanley Cup champion form at the right time for this young team. If Khabibulin continues, it will lead to a conference final for these guys. Calgary struggled after their deadline deals. The Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold deals were supposed to ignite the Flames (pardon the pun) into a competition for the second seed with Detroit. Alas it backfired and resulted in losing out on the second seed, the division title and home ice in the first round. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who lead the NHL in wins, still has something left. With Jarome Iginla playing at a high level the Flames will not go out that easily. Youth will prevail in this series. Chicago is a darkhorse in these playoffs. Blackhawks win 4-2.

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