NHL Home Jerseys, With the National Hockey League\'s second season upon us, I would felt it was fitting to offer the greatest fans in the world a preview and my personal insight into each series in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. As an added bonus I will make a prediction of who I believe the winner of each series will be.
#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadians
This matchup pits the NHL\'s best team against a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs and struggled as of late.
Washington is the cream of the crop. The have one of the NHL\'s most potent offenses and they NHL Home Jerseys are also very deep on the blue line. They have gotten much deeper as a team this season and you combine that with the experience they gained from last season\'s playoffs it adds up. The only question mark when it comes to the Capitals is the goaltending of Jose Theodore.
The Canadians do have a few strengths in their power play, they are finally healthy than they were during their struggles, and they do have some offensive threats.
Prediction: In the end the Capitals are just a far better team. The do not need to win 1-0 games so the goaltending should not be an issue early on because they can score with the best. The only chance the Canadians have is if they power play continues to shine and dominate a poor Washington penalty kill, and if goaltender Jaroslav Halak stands on his head. Capitals in five games.
#2 New Jersey Devils vs. # 7 Philadelphia Flyers
The flyers were able to squeak into the playoffs on the last day of the season in a shoot out nonetheless. Possibly they can harness that momentum and carry it into their first round matchup against the Devils. If anyone was not happy for the Flyers triumph over the Rangers on the final day, it was the Devils who have been beaten five out of six times this season by the Flyers.
Prediction: The Flyers will scare the Devils in this first round and create a great series against old Patrick Division Rivals. While the Flyers struggled later in the season, they proved they can beat the top teams, including New Jersey at times. In the end though it is tough to pick against on of the NHL\'s best goalies of all time in Martin Brodeur and an offense with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuck and Zack Parise. Devils in 7 games.
#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. # 6 Boston Bruins
This matchup features another team, the Boston Bruins, who barely squeaked into the playoffs. The Bruins also proved tough winning the season series against the northeast division champion Sabres, including taken them down last Thursday.
I believe this series will be a storyline of goaltender, in the Sabres being led by United States goaltender Ryan Miller, many whom believe he is the reason why the Sabres are where they are(much like Team USA), and the situation in Boston with Tuuka Rask most likely getting the start over NHL Home Jerseys veteran Tim Thomas. Should Tuuka struggle in his first NHL playoffs it will be interesting to see how short a leash he has.
Prediction: The Bruins have been battle tested all season long and they will continue to battle in a hard hitting series among rivals. In the end goalie Ryan Miller will continue to stand on his head and shut out the Bruins. Sabres in seven games.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. # 5 Ottawa Senators
Once again the Penguins will be the fourth seeding heading into the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. This proved well for them last year, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins must proof the critics wrong this season as they have showed signs of inconsistency and unable to get up for big games. They also have faced the injury bug quite a lot this season, with Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar being on the shelf for some time. Their struggles as of late also cost them from winning their division title which was very much in reach with New Jersey not wanting to take the crown either towards the end.
Speaking of being streaky, the Ottawa Senators have also done the same. At one time during the season that had established an eleven and six game winning streaks. Should this team get streaky in the playoffs they should be a force.
Prediction: In the end the Penguins will find their form. They depth up front combined with the experience the Senators possesses moves them on. Penguins NHL Home Jerseys in six games.
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