IMO as a habs fan i have to say they are going all the way but if they lose my choice here would be Detroit. Even though San Jose had the most points Detroits experince and players can not be matched, the only thing shaky is Osbad and Ty Conklin.
Funny Stat Ty Conklin was in 3 Stanley Cup finals and with that team has never won it. Could it be a trend? haha
I am going for the habs too. Price looks like he is finally in control of his game. My second pick would have to be the flames. I will be hoping for all the canadian teams first. After that I guess the Hawks.
BRUINS BABY!!! ♦
Habs don't stand a chance, and if Boston can get them out early, then they're going to represent the EAST for sure!
Winning it all though? tough call...the WEST is so strong
Here is how the first round will break down.
East:
Boston>Habs
Capitals>Rangers
Caronlina>NJ
Pens>Fliers (Going to be very entertaining)
West:
Ducks>Sharks (Upset)
Detroit>Columbus
Vancouver>St.Louis (Go Canucks Go, Already flying my flag)
Chicago>Calgary (Going to be boring)
I'm willing to make bets. I'm also cheering for Vancouver of course. I want boston to take the East because I'm a Lucic fan. And I HATE the Habs. They are an over hyped terrible team. Watching them play twice a week because that is the only thing TSN will put on other than the Leafs just burns my eyes.
Carolina to BEAT the Devils?
Ducks over Sharks?
Chicago over Calgary?
Not liking your choices on those three at all. What wager are you offering, and what if any odds? Might be interesting.
Nice to see another Hab Hater on this site too ♦
Lol I'm willing to wager on the Carolina one. I have my roll on Pokerstars so easy transfer there. I'll have to see what vegas is saying on the odds.
The Ducks>Sharks was made of several factors. Ducks always play very well against the Sharks. There isn't really a home advantage for the Sharks since they are within driving distance. The Sharks have played bad in the playoffs against teams that play them hard in the past 3-4 years. The last and most imporant reason is that the sharks are still banged up bad. Their record in the last month has been sub par and they have 6 (If they are not inserted back into the lineup) starters out.
Calgary is just a tired weak team. Sutter overlooked thier salary cap and they have been playing games with 16 skaters. They just called up 3 players from the farm because they have 3 starters out. Thier top line has no chemistry, no one passes and everyone shoots. Joe Quinvil (spelling) easily out coaches Keenan. Keenan is a motivator who runs his course in different cities faster than the bullet trains. They are 0 for 31 on thier last 31 powerplays and have not scored a powerplay goal in 6 games.
Carolina and Devils. Carolina is 9-1-0 in thier last 10. Devils are almost exactly opposite. Cam Ward is lights out when it comes to playoffs, although Brodour is in a class all by himself when it comes to experience and skill (Luongo may match the skill factor). Out front is where the difference is made. Defensively both teams are solid, but forward skill has a huge gap. Not only does Carolina have more skill, but they have more chemistry. Of course the great equilizer is NJs coaching. Paul Marice in my opinion doesn't have the same stratigical abilities as Sutter. That being said he coached Toronto for 3 years and he may have been the best coach in the world, but Toronto sucks.
And now that I explain my picks i realize I probubly ruin my chances at getting bets, but I feel the need to explain 
As Ive been For The Habs my whole life ( im from montreal) hehe !
I still Hope to see them bringing an other cup to montreal !! The last one i was only 5 years old so I dont remember much about it 
But against the bruins its gonna be a hard one , I think its going to be a 6 or 7 match playoff like every time ! We can only hope that Laraque will be on the ice a lot to shake those bruins hehe !
I definetly vote for habs but dont think they have a chance against The west conference
Realistically, I can't see ANY eastern team beating the west this year, but can you imagine Thorton...back in Boston...and NOT wearing a Bruins jersey?
JUSTICE BABY!
I'd like to see Vancouver vs Boston to shake the curse of Cam Neely.
I still cry myself to sleep about how that one ended. That is basically the Joe Thorton trade if you think about it. Same exact thing.
Very true. The trades Boston done over the years have always confused me...no, more upset than confused, they made zero sense.
But I'm happy as hell the management is letting the players play real hockey this season instead of the sissy 'no touch' way they've been playing in the past. Chara has done a lot for the Bruins that way. Thomas still scares the bejesus out of me though.
The NHL playoffs are finally here and the second season can finally begin. Lot of strong teams this year. Looks like the first round will go sort of deep I think. Only a couple of match ups might be short. And I doubt Boston will make it out of the east. Theres lots of good teams in the east including Boston but I don't see them as the favourite.
Boston/Montreal
I'll take Boston in this one, they have been the better team so far this year but it will be a long series.
NJ/Carolina.
Carolina was one of the hottest teams down the stretch and think they can pull the upset here. For those of you betting Carolina is getting good value as the dog here.
Pittsburgh/Philly
This is going to be a tough series, Im watching every game in this series. This is going to be the best one. If the richards line is going to check the crosby line who is going to be checking the malkin line. Fleury is alot better then biron/nittamaki. Goaltending is the difference in this series even though philly has more scoring power.
Wash/NYR
I'll take washington in this one.
San Jose/Anaheim
Don't think San Jose will do much in the playoffs this year but should get into the second round. Joe thornton and co always seem to disappear in the playoffs.
Detroit/Columbus
Columbus first time in the playoffs. Columbus has played them pretty tough this year but will side with the defending champs here. Too much talent on the detroit side but columbus could keep it close.
Vancouver/St.Louis
Another hot team in Vancouver down the stretch. Will sunding finally get his stanley cup ring. Hmmm, maybe. Vancouver wins this one.
Calgary/Chicago
Although calgary played badly the last few weeks of the season Im taking them in this one.
NHL playoffs mean less poker time. Damn. Enjoy the playoffs everyone.
Pittsburgh wins the cup this year against Detroit.
NHL.com has the feeds but you have to pay. There are other sites that have them for free (I dont know them off my head) but you can also get them on satalite.
The first game is in.....6 hours and 23 minutes and I'm pumped. Pens and Fliers will be the first game I'm watching, and even though Pens will win the series I think Philly will take game 1.
Then the Canucks play the Blues later which is the game I care about. Living in Vancouver the city is pumped. Its like a holiday here right now, no one is doing any work everyone is just talking about the game. I got my duel Canucks flags flying from my car. My friend has the keg ready. Its going to be a blast for the next month. Did i mention its sunny and 20 degrees Celcius? Go Canucks Go!
Originally posted by STR82ACE
BRUINS BABY!!! ♦
yah Mtl is toast
I think boston can take the cup this year!
Just curious what you meant here verre?
"Cam Ward is lights out when it comes to playoffs"
Considering Ward won the cup in his rookie year i hope your not saying he is not good in the playoffs.
my 1st round picks
NJ
PIT
BOS
Was
SJ
Det
Chi
StL "My dark horse team"
Originally posted by Cardbender
Just curious what you meant here verre?"Cam Ward is lights out when it comes to playoffs"
Considering Ward won the cup in his rookie year i hope your not saying he is not good in the playoffs.
my 1st round picks
NJ
PIT
BOS
WasSJ
Det
Chi
StL "My dark horse team"
'lights out' is usually used to describe something awesome, etc.
My 1st round picks:
NJ (my team!!! solid first win tonite!)
PIT
MTL (I think Price will wake up and have a monster series)
WAS
SJ
DET
CGY
VAN
Here's my first-round predictions:
East:
Boston > Montreal in 5
New Jersey > Carolina in 6
NY Rangers > Washington in 7
Pittsburgh > Philadelphia in 6
West:
Anaheim > San Jose in 7
Detroit > Columbus in 6
Vancouver > St. Louis in 6
Chicago > Calgary in 5
Then again, there's a very good reason why I don't bet on sports... I think Maggie the Monkey has a better track record than I do. 
Overall, I'd like Vancouver to win it this year. Not just because they're my hometown team, but also to hear the anguished screams of Leafs fans as Sundin hoists the Cup.
Originally posted by Gamer135
Overall, I'd like Vancouver to win it this year. Not just because they're my hometown team but also to hear the anguished screams of Leafs fans as Sundin hoists the Cup.Yea...I'm from BC too... ♦
