Wow, the Rangers look horrendous. Is it too late to change my prediction to Caps in three?
Rangers: 1 G, 10 SOG
Ovechkin: 1 G, 10 SOG
So, who’s gonna keep track of all this? I think Batman gets the nod. 
4-3 Rangers right now. They may just make it to four games.
Theodore gave that one away. Washington was the better team, but Lunqvist outplayed Theodore badly.
Seriously? I could outplay Theodore half the time.
Word is that Boudreau is considering putting Varlamov in the net for game 2.
We could make a game of this. A point system NHL bracket perhaps? Two points for each correct prediction for the first round, double each successive round. One extra point for each series you call in the exact amount of games. We could go a round at a time, or just predict all the way after the first round. No reward for the winner, just bragging rights.
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
I think that Boston is vastly overrated and benefited greatly from playing in a weak division, but the Canadiens have been in disarray all year. The key for Boston is to stay ahead in this series. If the Canadiens take a lead in the series then the media will be talking non-stop about the history between these two teams and asking whether Boston is headed for another choke. The Bruins really don’t want to deal with that kind of distraction.
Boston in six
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames
Calgary hasn’t made it out of the first round since the lockout, and their response was to pick up Bertuzzi – who’s never been further than the 2nd round – and Jokinen – who’s never been in the playoffs before. Phaneuf is looking less and less like the second coming of Scott Stevens and Kiprusoff has had an subpar year despite the gaudy record. The Blackhawk’s biggest weakness is their inexperience. Often a young team has to suffer an early playoff loss or two. Khabibulan needs to come up huge for them, and I think that he will.
Chicago in six
Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
They may be the defending champs, and they may have improved themselves on paper in the offseason, but this isn’t the same team. Chris Osgood has shown once again why he’ll never make the Hall of Fame despite his three Cup rings. The defence has slipped as well, and the combination of the two makes a title defence an iffy proposition. Still, Columbus is a very young team riding a rookie goaltender. This team, I think, is going to have to suffer a lesson in how to win in the playoffs before they take down a team like Detroit in the first round.
Detroit in seven
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim does not impress me. Neidermeyer’s play has dropped off dramatically since his “I’m retiring oh wait no I’m not” offseason. Gigeure lost his job as the starter. To be honest, the Sharks don’t impress me either, but everybody knows that they wait until the second round to choke.
Sharks in five
The Bruins looked very nervous in the first half of the period. That first goal was the turning point for them – they relaxed a bit after that.
Also, who do the Boston scorekeepers think they’re kidding? 15 shots for the Bruins in the first? Not a chance.
Tied in Detroit in the second. Wings scored and the Blue Jackets tie it within edit window.:mad:
Wings up 4 to 1 in the 3rd
East:
Bruins vs. Canadiens
Despite Montreal’s historic dominance of Boston in the playoffs, I think they have been too disorganized since Christmas to even make this series interesting. Boston in 5.
Capitals vs. Rangers
Washington has enough firepower that, even if Lundqvist stands on his head, they score their way to a win over the length of the series. Washington in 6.
Devils vs. Hurricanes
The two previous times these teams faced each other in the playoffs, the winner went on to take the cup. That will almost certainly not be the case this year, but is sort of interesting. Carolina has been the better team towards the end of the regular season, but New Jersey has Brodeur, and in the playoffs, that can be the difference. New Jersey in 6.
Penguins vs. Flyers
Pittsburgh is a better team over all, plus have home ice. Philadelphia may bruise their way to a couple wins, but that’s it. Pittsburgh in 6.
West:
Sharks vs. Ducks
San Jose should run away with this series, especially if Anaheim gets into penalty trouble, as they have a tendency to do. It doesn’t matter whether they play Hiller or Giguere (though Hiller has been the better of the two, and will likely start the series.) San Jose in 5.
Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets
If there is to be a big upset this round, i think it might be here. Columbus is inexperienced, but with Mason in net and Hitchcock behind the bench, they won’t be rolled over. Still, Detroit is a powerhouse. I would not be shocked if Columbus pulled this out in 7, but am calling Detroit in 6.
Canucks vs. Blues
St Louis has the other goalie named Mason, who is probably the reason they are in the playoffs. But Vancouver has Luongo. Vancouver in 6.
Blackhawks vs. Flames
Chicago has youth, speed, and goalie who has gone all the way before. Calgary has been inconsistent, but still they have a goalie who can steal a series, plus experience and leadership. Calgary in 7.
Detroit takes a 1-0 series lead. Boston just scored an empty net, looks like they’ll be doing the same.
Well that wound up being a much better game than I thought the refs were going to allow. First half of the first period was all whistles. And who’d a thunk that after even game one that Ozzie would be the sharper of the two. He hasn’t looked that good all season. Biggest concern for Detroit is still the defense. Ozzie looked good tonight but who knows what the next game would bring, so stop coughing up the puck.
Columbus caught some bad breaks on two goals bouncing off Columbus players in front of the net. For their sake I hope Mason can shrug it off and bounce back for game two. Other than that, they need to keep up the pressure on Detroit’s defense and force them to cough the puck up. Their lone goal came that way. They’ll need more to take one from Detroit in the Joe.
Quack.
Ducks beat the Sharks, despite being outshot 2-1 and having a bunch of penalties. It was kind of a flukey game though. It wasn’t as fun as when the Ducks swept Detroit in that one awesome series when Giguere snuck that puck magnet into his gigantic pads, but it really looked like something was getting into the Shark’s heads, leading to that Getzlaf goal.
That used to be the case, but that’s completely gone to shit since the lockout and the rule changes. Now it’s almost the inverse.
And god dammit, defenders crossing in front of the crease drives me fucking bonkers. That’s how Columbus got their goal last night.
The beginning of the game showed two pretty evenly matched teams, but Columbus just couldn’t hang. It’s a first round series; I’d expect a quick exit for Columbus. 6 is their best-case scenario, and 5 is more optimistic.
Yeah, it’s called “embarrassment.” The Sharks looked like they were on cruise control the whole game, which is what knocked them out of the playoffs the last few years. 
Not if they can keep up the pressure on the Detroit defense and force more turnovers or mistakes. Ozzie played absolutely brilliant last night, but it was one game.
Both the Canucks and Penguins take 2-0 series leads. Canes knot series at 1 in overtime.