The conference finals begin this evening and thus far I'm looking pretty good with my 8-4 record.  I mean after all, two out of three ain't bad, right?

These are shaping up to be the best conference championships we've seen in a few years.  These are truly four of the best teams in hockey.

Western Conference 

(1) Detroit vs. (2) Anaheim

Detroit came into the playoffs as the best team in the Western Conference and they've won enough games in the tournament to stay that way.  They've gotten some excellent goaltending from the ageless Dominik Hasek.  Though they have looked outplayed at times, primarily by a feisty San Jose team, they are still winning due to the fact that they stick to their bread and butter.  They move the puck exceptionally well, they are smart in their own zone, and they are productive in the offensive zone.

I have to hand it to the Ducks, they look much better than I had anticipated.  They are not only seeded near the top of the league, but they're playing like they belong there.  They are feisty, speedy and tough.  J.S. Giguere has returned to his Conn Smythe form from 2003.  Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger have clearly been one of the best shut down defensive pairings in the league all season long and it shows in the fact that both were nominated for Norris Trophy considerations.  And speaking of those Niedermayers, what else can I say about those brothers that hasn't already been said?  They are really leading the way for that team.

Detroit has already faced two pretty physical teams this postseason, so I don't think that is going to bother them about the Ducks.  But Anaheim is a more skilled and complete team than those other two.  Unlike the Sharks, the Ducks are capable of playing for 60 minutes.  I think this is the end of the road for the Red Wings.  I'm not sure anyone can beat Anaheim right now. 

 Anaheim in Six

Eastern Conference

(1) Buffalo vs. (4) Ottawa

It's no secret that the Sabres are one heck of a team.  They do just about everything right.  They are the standard for what a "New NHL" team is supposed to be.  Even when they aren't playing well, they still find ways to win.  If that Buffalo franchise is going to win a championship anytime soon, this is their best shot.  They are no long a team that is on the rise, but a team that has arrived.  In the age of the salary cap, however, this team is bound to take a small stop backwards next year when they can't afford to keep one of either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere.

The Senators have really surprised me this year.  Their normal playoff run usually sputters out when the going gets tough.  But this team has answered every challenge.  The difference, I think, is the fact that this is no longer just a skill team, but a grittier team.  Add that to the fact that they are getting scoring from all the right people, and this team is looking good.  Ryan Miller is going to present a real challenge, even for a skilled, scoring team like Ottawa.  But then again, these guys have already conquered Martin Broduer.

There is a lot of skill on both sides here, but I think the difference in this series is going to come down to grit.  Ottawa finally has it, and Buffalo doesn't.  I don't care what people say about the brawl these two teams had in February.  The Sabres had no choice but to fight back.  And frankly, I think the Sabres just don't like that kind of game.  They prefer a more wide open, skill sort of game.  That pays off in the regular season or against weaker teams like the Rangers or Islanders, but it's not going to be enough against Ottawa.  The Senators have finally come around and are playing the kind of hockey that wins in the postseason. 

Ottawa in Six

We saw some great hockey played in the first round of this year’s NHL playoffs.  It was a round of gritty, fast-paced hockey; the way it’s supposed to be played.

I went 6-2 in my predictions for the first round, but round two is looking like it’s going to be a lot tougher to pick.  We’ve got some really tight match ups in both conferences.

 Western Conference

(1) Detroit vs. (5) San Jose

I expected Detroit to struggle a bit with Calgary.  At times they did, but when the series was over it really wasn’t as close as the scoreboard would have you think it had been.  In my first round predictions I mentioned how hesitant I was about picking the Red Wings because of how they sometimes bow out early.  But watching that first series made that reluctance disappear. 

Calgary’s physical play just couldn’t match up with how well the Red Wings moved the puck.  It makes me wonder whether or not a physical team like the Sharks will have the same problem.  I don’t expect them too, because they are better offensively than the Flames, but it will be interesting to watch.  I’m thinking this will be a long series.

Detroit in seven

(2)     Anaheim vs. (3) Vancouver

Regardless of which team would have won the Vancouver-Dallas series, I would pick them to lose in the second round.  It was just too long and physically taxing of a series for either side to have much left in the tank when it was over.  It’s bad news for the Canucks.  Roberto Luongo will probably keep them alive for a while longer than they would have otherwise, but I don’t see how they can play a gritty team like the Ducks and come out victorious after what they just went through against the Stars.

Anaheim has a huge advantage based on the fact that they were able to end their series rather quickly with the Wild.  I didn’t get to see much of that series, but I got the impression that even though most of the games were close, the Ducks weren’t struggling much against Minnesota.  I picked against them and they won big time.  I won’t make that mistake again.

Anaheim in five

  Eastern Conference

(1) Buffalo vs. (6) New York Rangers

I expected the Rangers to beat Atlanta, but man, did they ever give them a thrashing. (Sorry for the bad pun, but I’ve reached my limit for the day so that’ll be all.)  I mean the Ranger won 7-0 in a playoff game.  That’s unbelievable.  Part of it, I think, had to do with the fact that the Thrashers just weren’t prepared to play.  But I’d say most of it just had to do with the fact that New York is hot at just the right time.  Sometimes that is all it takes to make a very long, legitimate playoff run.

 Buffalo can say that the Islanders played hard all they want, and they’d be right.  But come on, they’re the Islanders.  The fact is that the Sabres coasted in the first round, and that’s all they had to do.  There is nothing wrong with that.  They’re the best team in the league, they might as well save their energy for a real challenge.  The red-hot Rangers, on the other hand, are going to give them all they can handle.

This is tough to pick for me.  I’ve questioned the grit of both of these teams in the past, although Buffalo has improved in that area this year and the Rangers picked up Sean Avery.  In the end I have to go with the upset though.  Don’t worry Sabre fans, I know that Buffalo is the better team and will probably win.  I’m just going out on a limb and saying the hotter team takes this one.

New York in seven

(2) New Jersey vs. (4) Ottawa

The Senators looked really dominant in the first round.  They haven’t looked that way in the playoffs in several years.  They really made Sidney Crosby and co. look overmatched.  The veteran Devils will probably be a tougher challenge than the inexperienced Penguins, however.

This is shaping up to be a long series, but I think this one is going to come down to goaltending.  Martin Brodeur certainly looked human at times against the Lightning, but in the end he pulled it together.  I think he’ll be the difference in this one.

Devils in six

The best time of the year is back.

The most exciting tournament in all of sports is about to get underway.  It's NHL playoff time!

And the last stretch of the season has been just as thrilling as usual.  Those late season pushes have earned some teams, like the New York Islanders, those last few coveted playoff spots, while other teams, like the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadians, have been left on the outside looking in. 

In the case of the Avalanche in particular, we actually had a team with 95 points miss the playoffs.  It just goes to show how competitive the West is this year.

Well without further ado, let's get to the good stuff.

Western Conference

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Calgary

Last year I stated my reservations about the Red Wings in the playoffs.  They are just one of those teams that is always feast or famine in the postseason.  They're in it for the long haul or they fall flat on their faces immediately.  I knew that last year and picked them to have a good run anyway.  And then they chumped out in the first round.

This year I'm going to make the same mistake!  Detroit is such a deep team.  From their forwards to the blue line to the net, they're as solid as it gets.  They're pretty much built for playoff success.  While they may be perfectly capable of just blowing it early by being overconfident against a team that decides to get hot at the right time, I don't think they'll bow out too quickly two years in a row.  Then again, last time they faced the Flames in playoff action in 2004 they got pushed around by the eventual Conference champions.  Right now though I think Miikka Kiprusoff will keep it interesting, but I just don't feel right picking against the Red Wings.

Detroit in seven.

(2) Anaheim vs. (7) Minnesota

I think this is a really interesting match up.  Coming in the obvious choice would be to just pick the Ducks and move on, but I'm not so sure.  Anaheim has had their ups and downs this season, though partially due to injuries, and Minnesota has been one of the hottest teams in hockey at just the right time.

When goaltender Manny Fernandez went down earlier this season for the Wild, rookie Niklas Backstrom came in and didn't miss a beat, which is exactly the sort of thing a team needs to do in order to have success in the playoffs.  While Anaheim is a very good, very tough team, I just see the Wild as one of those teams that can come out of nowhere to make a great push.  I have to go with the upset in this one.

Minnesota in six.

(3) Vancouver vs. (6) Dallas

An intriguing bit of information about this series is that although Vancouver is the higher seed due to winning the Northwest division title, they actually finished two point and one win behind the Stars in the standings.  Therefore, this is a more even series than just your typical three against six seed.

Though Dallas has suffered some injuries to top players this year, they have really come on strong in the latter part of the season.  If it were not for one factor, I would be picking the Stars right now due to their strong second half and the fact that the Canucks have not been getting quite as much production out of their top players as they would probably like. 

But the X-factor here is goaltending.  This series really comes down to Roberto Luongo versus Marty Turco.  Turco has never thrived in the playoffs and Luongo has never been there.  While Turco is clearly an excellent goaltender, his postseason shortcomings make me heisitant to side with Dallas.  Though Luongo will be tasting postseason play for the first time in his seven year career, he's big, he's athletic, he's proven himself to be one of the best in the business, and I don't think he blows this chance.

Vancouver in six.

(4) Nashville vs. (5) San Jose

Talk about deja vu, the exact same teams in the exact same seeds in the exact same round as last year.  This is going to be a tough one.

Nashville was riding high in the Western Conference for a large portion of the year, but when injuries really started to plague them they yielded the top seed to Detroit.  They're still ####ed up but managed to win or earn points in seven of their last 10 games to finish with a highly respectable 110 points.

Aquiring Bill Guerin at the trade deadline was a great move for the Sharks that is really going to help them down the stretch.  A veteran talent like that can really boost a team.  He'll be especially helpful to this one that looked poised to make a run at a division or conference title at the beginning of the year before stumbling a bit.

The bottom line here is that the Predators' goaltending situation makes me nervous.  Last year in this match up I went with Nashville and got burned.  I think this year's series has the same result, minus the me being wrong part.

San Jose in six.

Eastern Conference

(1) Buffalo vs. (8) New York Islanders

The Islanders are in the ultimate door prize position.  They've made the playoffs, now it's probably just sort of a "thanks for stopping by" type of situation.  Realistically, even with Ryan Smyth, it doesn't look good for the Islanders against Buffalo, particularly without Rick DiPietro.  It's going to take a miracle for them to survive the first round.

The Sabres are clearly the class of the league.  They are at their zenith this season.  And by that I don't mean that I think they'll drop into oblivion after this year, just that this is the best chance they are going to have at a Cup run before the salary cap starts chipping away at their talent pool.  They are a perfect "New NHL" team.  They skate well, they pass well, they score well and they get great goaltending.

But having said that, I get a bad feeling about the Sabres in the long run.  I don't see them winning the Cup this year.  Frankly, I don't think they'll win the East either.  Maybe it's because I still have my doubts about their toughness, which is still an important factor in the long playoff stretch.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that I just don't buy into all this "New NHL" stuff when it comes to the playoffs.  I think if they come up against a good defensive, experienced team like New Jersey, the Sabres might find themselves shut down in a hurry.  Or maybe it just has to do with the fact that Buffalo teams always just have this air of bad luck that seems to follow them around.  Either way, I think it will haunt them, just not yet.

Sabres in four. 

(2) New Jersey vs. (7) Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay played fairly well in the last part of the season in order to earn themselves a playoff spot.  Largely, it was thanks to Vincent Lecavalier, who many are calling the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP.  He's a crucial factor if the Lightning are going to have any sort of playoff success this year.  Their blue line and goaltending situations do not auger well for a long postseason run.

New Jersey on the other hand is in the strange, yet familiar position of having General Manager/President/CEO/Ice Girl/Any-Position-Other-Than-Player Lou Lamoreillo take over as head coach late in the season.  That isn't the sort of thing that I expect to bother them much, however, because they are a skilled, veteran team.  Most importantly, they have one of the most talented, consistent goaltenders in NHL history in Martin Brodeur.  There is a good chance he'll get passed over for the Hart and possibly the Vezina as well with the play of Luongo, but if the team in front of him gives him something to work with he may just bring home the Conn Smyth and some even prettier hardware.

Devils in five.

(3) Atlanta vs. (6) New York Rangers

The Rangers are another one of those teams that really came on strong at the end of the season to push themselves into playoff position.  Even after significant injuries and low points in the year, they played well enough in the back end to get all the way up to the sixth seed, dodging the bullet of having to play against Buffalo or New Jersey in the first round.  Jaromir Jagr is experienced and more than lethal, and will put his team in position to win in the playoffs.  Brendan Shanahan has been a huge signing for the team, his age not seeming to be much of a factor in a brilliant personal season with 62 points and a less tangible, but still important leadership role.  Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist looks primed to shake off a poor showing in last year's postseason with a .917 save percentage.

On the other side, Atlanta has a great mix of veterans and young talent.  A team that looked to be fading six weeks ago, they became rejuvenated at the trade deadline by picking up veterans Keith Tkachuk and Alexi Zhitnik.

In this series it just seems to come down to the fact that New York is the hotter team.  Both have veterans and good young players as well as talented young goaltenders with limited playoff experience.  The Rangers have just been playing better during the last month or so.

New York in seven.

(4) Ottawa vs. (5) Pittsburgh

The pressure is high for the Senators to finally have a long, successful playoff run.  A team that has finished near the top of the standings for most of the decade, they have yet to win the Eastern Conference.  Heads will roll in the Canadian capital if the Sens fail to make this year's postseason worthwhile.  That's a lot of weight to put on the shoulders of inexperienced goaltender Ray Emery.

The Penguins, on the other hand, are in largely uncharted territory.  Their city is not only happy that they're in the playoffs for the first time in several years, but also happy that they are staying put instead of moving to Kansas City.  They have a good mix of highly talented youth, some key veteran players and a skilled young goaltender.  It sounds slightly familiar ('06 Hurricanes anyone?).

Without the same pressure to win now, I think the happy-to-be-there Pens are going to play a more comfortable, relaxed style of hockey than the Senators.  Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal may have some early jitters, but they'll settle down and just out-flash the less comfortable Senators.

Penguins in seven.