Hockey, hockey, hockey.

Most of the country fazed the sport out of their lives after the phenomenal Olympic tournament.  With the NHL playoffs now on the horizon, hopefully folks will wander back towards the greatness of hockey (assuming they have the patience to seek out Versus on their television guide.)

Back in the ancient days of the Reilly Sports Blog, I made some preseason predictions about how the season would shake out.  Looking back on those, it's pretty clear that I'm not nearly abreast on the Western Conference as I am the East.  Seven out of my eight playoff teams correct on the right side of the map.  Out west, a pathetic four-for-eight (including all 3 of my predicted-last place teams qualifying for the postseason.  Ouchy.)

Nevertheless, the regular season has come and gone.  It's tee time for the Islanders and Rangers, while the Devils join 15 other teams in the epic quest for the Stanley Cup.  So how 'bout some variety this year?  Pittsburgh and Detroit have been the Finals participants in each of the past two seasons, with each team winning the prize.  I for one would rather see some new blood on that Stanley Cup ice rather than round 3 between the Penguins and Red Wings.  Both teams are in the tournament...it will be up to the other contenders to seize their playoff opportunities and knock them off. 

These playoffs take months to complete, so I'll observe them on a round-by-round basis.  Just to remind the newcomers, the entire playoffs are decided in best-of-seven game series.  The action starts tonight in Pittsburgh, and here's how I see in all shaking out...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Capitals over (8) Canadiens in four games.
Montreal fought valiantly at the end to sneak into the playoffs.  They finished with 6 more wins than losses.  Washington was barely able to squeak by them in the standings by winning 39 more games than they lost.  The Capitals' domination of the regular season was comical at times.  If Montreal pulls a miracle it would have to be considered the biggest upset in NHL playoff history.

(2) Devils over (7) Flyers in seven games.
Philadelphia was the oddest team of the 2009-10 season.  Hot start, fall into the abyss, fire the coach, get hot and cold at a disturbing rate, hold on until the final day, beat the Rangers in their final game to sneak in.  Easy, right?  At their best, Philly can match New Jersey across the board.  Who knows if their best will show up, though?  Give me the consistent, steady Devils.

(3) Sabres over (6) Bruins in six games.
I really wanted to go for the upset here.  But I just can't put a realistic scenario together.  Even if I reached and said Boston was even with Buffalo in terms of offense, what's the Bruins answer for American Bad Ass Ryan Miller?  I'm rooting for to Boston pull it out and add a bit of chaos to the first round.  But a lot of things have to bounce right.  Too many things.

(4) Penguins over (5) Senators in five games.
I know.  I hate it just as much as you do.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Sharks over (8) Avalanche in five games.
Believe me, Colorado is no slouch as an 8-seed (their 95 points would have placed them 5th in the East.)  But San Jose has been a top-5 teams for years and years now.  Their maddening playoff failures won't continue...in this round, at least.

(2) Blackhawks over (7) Predators in six games.
Those toddlers in Chicago will scare their fans as they take some time to get going.  They are sure to advance far in this tournament, though.

(6) Kings over (3) Canucks in seven games.
Just giving some respect here to Los Angeles.  i picked them to finish in last place, and they proved me wrong once.  I'll ride along with them as maybe Quick outplays Luongo to steal a series.

(4) Coyotes over (5) Red Wings in six games.
If I throw a bone to the Kings, I might as well pick Phoenix to win the whole damn thing.  Nobody expected this team to sniff the playoffs, and all they did was go about their business and had a tremendous season.  Getting Detroit in the first round isn't exactly ideal, but the Wings have flirted with mediocrity for the better part of the year.  The Coyotes can make for a great story if they can get past this tough first opponent.

Those are some things to look for as these series progress in the coming weeks.  Not a lot of upsets, I know.  But as the tournament progresses and my brain starts churning, I'm sure I'll concoct some diabolical predictions in the coming rounds.  Until then, enjoy some hockey, people.  I promise you won't regret it.

Thanks a lot for reading.