clinched playoff spot, going against Philly in the first round. with any luck they'll lose their next game and the Pens will have home ice advantage for the first round. Malkin clinched the Art Ross & as long as the voters aren't ****heads he'll probably win the Hart trophy as well. standings are sealed, so here you go...

my predictions for the rest of the first round (East):
Boston wins in 6
Washington wins in 5
Jersey in 7 (this one's gonna be tight)

My nucks got the northwest after everyone saying it was basically impossible to catch Calgary with the lead they had. Hottest team in the NHL since Feb. Cant wait for playoff hockey.

So...Bruins, Sharks or Wings?

Bruins haven't been a playoff contender for a while, i wouldn't bet on the East this year. however, apart from the Sharks and the Wings the East could rip apart any other team. just so happens that the next shit six are gonna lose in spectacular style.

Yeh, Wings/Sharks winner puts a huge smackdown on Boston or whoever else comes out of the East.

The cream usually rises to the top, but anything can happen in the post-season. It's all about which goalie gets hot... which special teams is clicking...

The Sharks and Wings have enough speed, talent, and depth to overcome something as basic as a goalie on a hot streak, but other teams- ? I honestly would not be terribly shocked to see any of the following win: Canadiens, Rangers, Hurricanes, Flyers, Flames, or Blues. I actually am confident 4 out of 6 of those listed will win the series.

I have a feeling that the Canes are gonna do well, even though they are playing Brodeur in the first round. Ward has shown he can do it in the playoffs plus he was 3-0 against NJ this year. Staal will be gunnin also...

Flyers and Flames scraped into the playoffs coming off huge slides. not to mention their playoff history isn't exactly sparkling. it really all depends on whether Biron & Kip are willing to show up to the playoffs.

of those six i think two MIGHT win, probably the Canes if anyone at all. Habs & Rangers are both in the same place so to speak, and neither will fare well against the Bruins or Caps (though the Bruins are a much bigger threat as a 'lockdown' team). i'm not really acquainted with the West but i could see the Blues pulling it off, they had a strong March showing.

all in all i think the Cup final is very much a tossup (unlike last year when it was almost guaranteed that the Red Wings & Pens were in), but i'm very confident the West will take it again.

Wait when you people say 'win it' you mean the cup? Frankly any team besides the Wings, Sharks, Caps and Bruins are long shots, and the last two I listed are big underdogs.

Hardly, dude. You do realize that just two seasons ago an 8-seed dispatched Detroit, San Jose, and Anaheim- then pushed the Stanley Cup finals to 7 games?

I mean, I'm not saying that's the norm- I'm just pointing out that there are no locks. Vancouver is dangerous, if they get past the Blues. Anaheim and San Jose always match up well. Detroit's got punch but their goaltending still leaves them vulnerable.

I don't know, I personally don't see a #1/#2 vs. #1/#2 matchup as a guarantee at all.