The best-of-seven conference quarterfinal series get underway with four games on Wednesday and four more on Thursday.
The Colorado Avalanche begin defense of the title they won last year in seven games against New Jersey on Thursday with the start of an opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings nearly took the Avalanche out in the second round last year, posting a pair of 1-0 victories in Games 5 and 6 to stay alive after falling behind three games to one, but Colorado used four third-period goals to advance with a 5-1 triumph in Game 7. The Avalanche won their eighth straight division crown, taking the Northwest title and earning the second seed in this year's playoffs. The Kings, meanwhile, had a struggle just to reach the playoffs, but posted their third straight 90-plus point season and enter the post-season as the seventh seed.
The Detroit Red Wings head into the playoffs as the best team in the NHL and will have home-ice advantage throughout, starting Wednesday with the opener of their first-round series against Vancouver, but they have struggled a bit recently with nothing to play for. The Red Wings, who finished with a league- best 116 points, did not post a win in April (0-3-2-2) and will take on one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch in the Canucks. Vancouver has won five straight and is 8-0-1 in its last nine games. The Canucks lost just twice in their last 16 outings (13-2-1), but the strong run left them only as the eighth seed in the tightly-contested Western Conference. Vancouver was also the eighth seed last year and made top-seeded Colorado work for three one-goal victories in a four-game sweep. The Red Wings, back-to-back Stanley Cup winners in 1997 and '98, were eliminated in the first round last year by Los Angeles, dropping the last four games of the series -- all by one goal -- after winning the first two. This will be the first-ever playoff meeting between the Wings and Canucks.
The San Jose Sharks won their first-ever division title this year, taking the Pacific crown with a franchise-record 99 points and will meet the surprising Phoenix Coyotes in the opening round. Game 1 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday in San Jose. The Sharks are making their fifth straight playoff appearance, but will be higher seed for the first time ever. San Jose lost in the first round in six games to St. Louis last year and will play Phoenix for the first time. The Coyotes return to the post-season after a one-year absence, as Wayne Gretzky hopes his team can duplicate some of the magic his Canadian Olympic team did in winning the gold medal at the Salt Lake Games this past February. However, the Phoenix franchise has not won a playoff series since 1987 when the club was located in Winnipeg.
The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the chase for Lord Stanley's chalice for the first time since 1997 and open their first-round series against St. Louis on Thursday in the Gateway City. The Blackhawks have had the longest Stanley Cup drought, last winning it in 1961. They reached the playoffs this year as the fifth seed with 96 points, their most points since 1993 when they won the Norris Division with 106. However, that year they lost in a first-round sweep to a familiar opponent -- St. Louis. Chicago does, though, own a 7-2 playoff series record against the Blues. St. Louis extended its pro sports record playoff appearance streak to 23 straight years, but needed a strong finish to do it in the tough Western Conference. The Blues were in danger of missing the post-season for the first time since 1979, but finished the year 8-2-0, including a home-and-home sweep of Detroit this weekend. St. Louis finally made some noise in the playoffs last year, reaching the third round for the first time since 1986, but lost the conference finals in five games to Colorado.
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will renew their long-time playoff rivalry, starting Thursday at the FleetCenter. The Bruins won the Northeast Division and captured the top seed in the East with 101 points, while the Canadiens made an incredible late-season push to claim the eighth and final playoff spot. The Canadiens won seven straight down the stretch and rode the emotional return of Saku Koivu to earn their first playoff spot since 1998. It will be the 29th playoff meeting between the two Original Six rivals and first since 1994 when Boston won a conference quarterfinal series in seven games. The Canadiens have won 21 of the previous 28 playoff matchups, but the Bruins have captured the last four series.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators will square off in the post-season for the first time, starting Wednesday in Philly. The Flyers survived a late- season slump -- 2-7-1 in their last 10 games -- to capture the Atlantic Division title and second seed in the East, while a similar slide (4-6-1-2) by the Senators dropped them into the seventh slot. The Flyers are making their eighth straight playoff appearance, but have been eliminated in the opening round in three of the past four years. Philadelphia reached the conference finals two years ago and went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997. The Senators have reached the post-season each year since 1997, but have won just one series -- a first-rounder against New Jersey in 1998. Ottawa has been eliminated in the first round in each of the past three years and has a dismal 3-14 road playoff record, including 12 straight road setbacks.
The New Jersey Devils will begin their quest for a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup finals the same way it began last year -- with a first-round series against Carolina. The Devils beat the Hurricanes in six games last year, holding on after winning the first three games of the series. This year, though, Carolina will have home-ice advantage after winning the Southeast Division title and will host Game 1 of the series on Wednesday. The Carolina franchise has lost nine straight playoff series dating back to its lone post-season series win -- a sweep of a best-of-five set against Quebec in 1986 when the club was located in Hartford. The Devils were one of the strongest teams down the stretch, winning their final six games of the season and posting a 14-3-0-1 record in their last 18. New Jersey has also felt at home on the road in the playoffs the past two springs. Despite losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to the Avalanche last year, the Devils are 18-6 on the road in the last two post-seasons.
The New York Islanders are back in the playoffs after a seven-year hiatus, thanks in part to newcomers Michael Peca and Alexei Yashin. New York finished as the fifth seed in the East and will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who came within a point of winning the Northeast Division and earning the top spot in the conference. The Leafs will host the opener on Thursday. The teams have met in the post-season twice, each winning once. The Leafs took a thrilling seven-game victory in the 1978 quarterfinals, while the Islanders swept a preliminary series in 1981 on the way to their second of four straight Stanley Cup titles. Toronto is making its fourth straight playoff appearance and has won a first-round series each of the last three years, but is still trying for its first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since winning its last title in 1967.
In terms of an underdog, I think the KINGS have the best chance of pulling an upset.
Picks to come tomorrow
