The playoffs start this week and I'm really excited. Last year was a disaster for Canadian teams, this year is quite the opposite. Edmonton and Toronto look dangerous with their young guns. Ottawa and Montreal have had solid seasons overall and seem to have enough depth for cup runs.

Alright, what are your predictions? Here are mine.

Canadiens versus Rangers: Canadiens in six. Honestly, New York hasn't convinced me this season and their games against Montreal were everything but great. I saw them live versus the Senators last Saturday and they were plain horrible with less than twenty shots and a defeat against a Senators team that had a rather bad day to be honest. The Canadiens look more composed right now.

Senators versus Bruins: Senators in six. Ironically, the Bruins have played rather well after Claude Julien's departure and the team probably just needed a change. The Bruins' physical play should never be underestimated in the playoffs. On the other side, it's not the same team as five years ago anymore as it hasn't aged that well. The Senators seem to have more chemistry and depth right now.

Capitals versus Maple Leafs: Maple Leafs in seven. I know this sounds like a crazy prediction but I really think that Toronto's young guns will be in better shape than Washington's older squad. Also, it has become a tradition that Washington outplays everyone during the regular season just to decrease significantly in quality in the playoffs.

Penguins versus Blue Jackets: Penguins in seven. Both teams have had a great season but the Penguins have finished on a higher note than the Blue Jackets who have been losing quite a few games recently. Still, one should never ever underestimate a team coached by John Tortorella and I'm expecting a really big fight and tight series. In the end, Pittsburgh might just be slightly better considering individual talent and experience.

Blackhawks versus Predators: Blackhawks in five. To be honest, Calgary and Nashville didn't make the playoffs because they were so convincing but because they were not as horrible as the rest of an overall cringe-worthy Western Conference with tank teams like Colorado and Vancouver. On the other side, the Blackhawks still have an outstanding squad and are currently cup contenders each season.

Wild versus Blues: Wild in seven. The Blues were average before the coaching change but ended the season on an overall high note. However, the Wild have been more consistent all season long. They seem to have an advantage concerning the goaltenders which can be really decisive in the playoffs, so I see them being favorites here. On the other side, Blues head coach Mike Yeo knows the Wild really well, so I still expect this being a really tight series.

Ducks versus Flames: Anaheim in six. Once again, Calgary is a team that made the playoffs mainly because other teams were worse than them and not because they were fully convincing in my book. Anaheim has more experience and better chemistry and I'm quite confident they will win this series.

Oilers versus Sharks: Oilers in six. Edmonton really is on fire right now with McDavid, Draisaitl, Lucic and the others. Even though the Sharks are a very respectable team and have gone really far last season, I feel that Edmonton is on quite a run right now and difficult to stop. Their coach also knows the Sharks really well which can be an advantage.

I would predict that the Chicago Blackhawks are going to win another Stanley Cup this season but I can obviously be completely wrong. What do you guys think?

All I know is I'm cheering for Anaheim all the way. Even if Chicago is likely winning again (partly because Washington anymore seem to be the worst when it comes to the playoffs).

Good predictions overall. I'll do mine today if I can and will comment on yours.

I wish I weren't in Europe and had more time so that I could watch more NHL. But I always try to watch some playoffs. Since the Flyers didn't make it this year (the only reason for me being a fan is the fact that I've been to a game of theirs in Philly, so...), I'll have to root for someone else this time. I'll hope for a Canadian team winning (and also root for my fellow countrymen), it's been a long time coming. These are not the most informed predictions, it's based pretty much on what I've been able to follow throughout the season.

East:
Canadiens vs. Rangers -> I will root for Montreal and I believe they will also win, but it will be in 6 or 7 games.
Senators vs. Bruins -> Rooting for Ottawa, but I just foresee Boston surprising them and actually brute-forcing it into the next round in 6 games. Yay for Zdeno Chara.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs -> I believe this is the season when Washington wins many playoff games. They've matured as a squad. 5 games, WSH win.
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets -> NOT a fan of Pittsburgh, so rooting for Columbus. But I agree with the OP - this may go to 7 games and go either way. I'd bet money I don't have that Columbus wins.

West:
Blackhawks vs. Predators -> Chicago will run rings around them. 4 or 5 games. Yay for Hossa and Panik.
Wild vs. Blues -> Two teams I almost do not follow. I couldn't say.
Ducks vs. Flames -> Anaheim traditionally seems strong in the playoffs, this should be fairly one-sided.
Oilers vs. Sharks -> Connor & co. are good. Are they that good? I think they will put up a great fight and lose narrowly. Yay for Andrej Sekera.

always root for CBJ and Caps. Waltzer pretty much has my predictions. I'm hoping Caps really pull it off this year, they've been edging for awhile now.

All y'all who talk about Ottawa getting muscled around: The 1970s called. They want their image of the Bruins back. This year's Bruins are one of two Eastern playoff teams (Rangers are the other) without three players in the top 50 in hits. The Sens also had more fights than Boston, though I'll admit that tends to be a lesser factor in the playoffs.

Bruins are going to be without two key defensemen, and will have two P-Bruins called up to skate in their place. Tuukka has hit a stride late in the season, but is rather poor against the Sens, and with a weak defense that will probably spend more time screening Tuukka than helping, it'll be up to our incredibly average offense to put up at LEAST three per game to have a chance. I'd love for my B's to pull one outta their ass, but I think OTT just frustrates us too much with that 1-3-1 to put up any decent scoring. OTT in 5, maybe 6 games. What I am most excited about is JFK and McAvoy getting some playoff experience to bring to their game for next season. I hope they handle the pressure well, and rebound/learn from the mistakes they will surely make.

All the other matchups except MTL/NYR can suck my dick, what a stupid fucking first round.

I'm rooting for an all-Canada final, or a highly unlikely Bruins/Preds final...and for Washington to choke hard.

I have been very happy for the past couple of days. First time the Leafs made it to the dance in a full 82-game season since 2004. I was nine years old at that time. Fuck. (I still hate Jeremy Roenick.)

Here's my first-round predictions since I've actually been interested in keeping up with hockey this year:

Habs/Rangers: Rangers in 6. Montreal's definitely benefited a great deal from the additions of Radulov and Weber but at the end of the day, they're a team that leans on their goalie to bail them out and Price hasn't had his best season this year. The Rangers have a very complete team with a few fresh young guys like Skjei rounding out an already-great defense, and their veterans can still produce. If Price gets hot, Montreal's going deep, but if the Rangers can hold them off here I'd be surprised if they didn't at least get to the conference final. King Henrik's gotta feast someday.

Sens/Bruins: Boston in 7. This is gonna be a great series to watch, and it'll be super close, but I'm picking the B's (as much as I hate to do so) because Ottawa kind of limped into the playoffs plagued by injuries and Boston turned it around mid-season with a coaching change that led to a strong finish. Marchand's having a career year and is in the running for the Hart (god I hate that he got so good), and with an aging core, this could be Boston's last crack at another big run with the remnants of their 2011 championship team. Also, they tend to have a very, er, strong finish in game 7s, but we're not gonna go into that.

Caps/Leafs: Caps in 6. Words cannot express how amazed and proud I am of my Leafs for turning things around so fast and even making it here. They're actually fun to watch again: Matthews has lived up to the hype, Marner has had flashes where he just looks like he controls the game, and Nylander has the most disgusting fucking shot on the power play I've seen in a while. That being said, their defensive core leaves a bit to be desired, even their top-pairing guys like Reilly and Gardiner look sloppy at times (especially Gardiner but I do think he gets too much flak) and Andersen has had to put the team on his back more than a few times this season. Without the goaltending they've gotten, they'd be a solid 10 points out of a playoff spot. Anyways, the Leafs are a young team with a lot of heart and speed, but they're also far from a perfect team and still have a few flaws that hold them back from being a real contender. Washington has, like, no flaws. Superb offense, any of their top four defensemen would be a top-pairing guy on the Leafs no problem (and the addition of Shattenkirk at the deadline made their power play untouchable), perennial Vezina candidate for a goalie, they've got the closest thing to a perfect team there is. As much as I'll be rooting for the Leafs every game, my head tells me that the Caps are the superior team in every way. Even the areas where the Leafs have been really good in the regular season (powerplay, penalty kill, goals for), Washington is just as good if not superior.

The only thing going for the Leafs is that the hockey gods are on their side. No one has them pegged to win this and the Caps have a history of choking in the playoffs. At the very least, they've got lady luck and nothing to lose. Even if they get swept, I'm still super excited they're even getting this playoff experience.

Pens/Blue Jackets: Columbus in 6. It's easy to go with Pittsburgh here because they're the defending champion and a heavy favorite to win it again, but I like the storyline of Columbus. They didn't get to the top of the stacked Metro division through flashy superstars or sheer luck; they got there through playing a complete game and rolling four lines. They don't have one big star, but they're so deep it doesn't even matter. Torts has undergone a renaissance and I think the players fully buying into his system is a huge part of the reason why they've done so well (if he doesn't win the Jack Adams I'll be very, very surprised). I'm also huge on the importance of goaltending, especially in the playoffs (remember when Philly went to the final after a Michael Leighton, career backup and journeyman goalie, got hot out of nowhere?) and Bobrovsky is my personal Vezina vote for this year. It's hard to overlook Pittsburgh's ridiculously stacked offense and the one-two punch of Murray and Fleury for sure, but they have also been bitten by the injury bug a bit themselves. There's just something about this Columbus team that gets me.

(I admittedly don't watch nearly as many western conference games, so these ones will be a little more brief.)

Hawks/Predators: Hawks in 5. I like Nashville a lot, and I'll argue that Pekka Rinne is the most underrated goalie in the league, but this Hawks team is just too good. They're gonna be hungry after an early exit from the playoffs last year. I think the dynasty's got one more in them, and I find it hard to imagine any other team representing the West in the Finals than the Hawks. This would have been a great series last year when Nashville had arguably the best defense in the league, but now it looks a little bit more mismatched.

Wild/Blues: Wild in 6. Boudreau's boys are definitely one of the dark horses in the West this year. They've had a great season on the back of a couple of things: a bounce-back from Eric Staal, superb goaltending (seems to be a theme eh?) and an experienced but no less potent defensive core. Yet, I feel like they haven't really been the most talked-about of the potential contenders in the league. I kind of liken them to the San Jose Sharks last year, where no one was talking about them and then they slowly but surely made a run to the finals. St. Louis has some great players and they're a tough team to play against (I'm still bitter about Tarasenko deking out the entire Leafs team in OT this season), and Jake Allen has recovered to solidify his role as a full-blown starter, but my gut feeling says the Wild are gonna surprise a few people this year.

Ducks/Flames: Flames in 6. On the one hand, we have the young and inexperienced Flames, who made the playoffs on the back of a sudden, late hot streak in the regular season (and Elliott finally found his footing in Calgary), not to mention a surprising performance from Matt Tkachuk and a couple other fresh faces. Like the Leafs, Calgary has a lot of talent and gusto but all the pieces aren't in place yet. The Ducks are a team with tons of playoff experience, and they've managed to stay atop their division despite an underwhelming season from Corey Perry and their core slowly getting older. Statistically, the Ducks seem like the clear favorite, but I'm going with the Flames as my upset pick. Sometimes things just don't play out like they do on paper.

Oilers/Sharks: Sharks in 7. This is the most difficult one. Do I go with the grizzled vets hungry for another trip to the finals, or the sheer wow factor of Connor McDavid and company? Edmonton's actually good now, but I don't think they've fully realized their potential yet. In a couple of years they'll be in the conference finals annually, but they're playing against a team who knows exactly what skills they have and how they can use them in the playoffs. San Jose has been through countless playoff trials and tribulations in the past ten years, and for that reason I think they'll outlast Edmonton in a seven-game series. Even if McDavid is good. Really, really good.

My pick for the finals is Wild/Rangers. No particular reason for it, neither of those teams are my favorite to win their conferences, it just feels right. What happens beyond that is mere speculation.

Woh fuck off RTD, no way the Rangers are winning this!

Brief predictions since I'm tired and just want to lay on the couch.

EAST

MTL vs NYR: MTL in 6. The Rangers are slower, older and weaker. Claude Julien and Alain Vigneault are old chums but Julien is the superior coach. Henrik is a great goalie but his record against Montréal is super bad. He's not the goalie he used to and the Rangers gave his heir to the Oilers for almost nothing. The speedy Montreal forwards are gonna decimate NY's slow defense. We won our 3 games this year against them. Price has been stellar since Therrien has been fired. HABS!

WAS vs TOR: WAS in 7. It's gonna be tighter than expected. The young Leafs squad will learn a lot from this series.

PIT vs CBJ: PIT in 6. Such a shame that those two teams are facing eachothers in the first round (both in the top 5 of the ranking) but the Pens' playoff experience will give them the edge. Bob could win the series by himself though. This could go either way but one thing is for sure, this series will be lit.

OTT vs BOS. OTT in 7. The Bruins are old and slow and the Sens are young and fast. Rask is far from the elite goalie he was before. The Bruins are big and tough so it's gonna be tight but I think the Sens got this.

WEST

CHI vs NAS: Hawks in 5. This is my bold prediction. I just want to tell myself that the Habs did the right thing by trading Subban. I hope he'll be -10 after the series.

MIN vs STL: the Wild in 7. MIN got some more playoff experience when they added Eric Staal, he'll help them reach the Western conf. final this year. STL got rid of their best d-man when they traded Shattenkirk to the Caps.

ANA vs CGY: CGY in 7 'cause I hate the Ducks. I'd like to see the battle of Alberta in the semi finals.

EDM vs SJ: EDM in 6. McJesus will win this series by himself. The Sharks are doomed to never win the cup. Burns will win the Norris though.

^ Again with the big, bad Bruins perception? We're not afraid of Brad the Impaler!
Anyway, here's how I see the first round shaking down:

Canadiens - Rangers
The only significant advantage between these two is the season series, which is strongly in favour of the Habs. Plus New York's been one of the most lethargic teams, having been locked into their playoff standing for longer than everyone else.
Montreal 4-2

Senators - Bruins
By most statistical measures, Ottawa shouldn't have made the playoffs. Instead, the division title was within reach until the last couple weeks. The season sweep hints at one more Sens surprise!
Ottawa 4-3

Capitals - Maple Leafs
Much as I'd like another Canadian team to continue, Toronto just doesn't have the defence to withstand the Caps' onslaught. It'll be a fun one though.
Washington 4-2

Penguins - Blue Jackets
Yeah the Jackets really halfassed at it since that record winning streak in December. That last minute wakeup against the Leafs proves they can switch back on.
Columbus 4-3


Blackhawks - Predators
Nashville ought to feast on the Hawks' weak PK, but haven't so far. And Pekka Rinne has fallen back to every other facet of this team in its mediocrity.
Chicago 4-1

Wild - Blues
I'm done expecting anything from St Louis. The Wild got their traditional late season bout of inutility out of the way earlier and have been playing better lately.
Minnesota 4-2

Ducks - Flames
Dang ol Ducks have handled Calgary easily this year. I'm calling it a sweep, but it will be closer than that looks.
Anaheim 4-0

Oilers - Sharks
Another sweep, as long as Edmonton gets off to a lead they're a good bet to stay on a roll. Sharks have been lazy of late too.
Edmonton 4-0


Later on, I'm picking a Washington win over Minnesota in the Stanley Cup final. Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal will represent Canada in the second round; with the Oilers meeting the Flames' fate at the hands of the Ducks. Montreal will be Canada's last hope after severely pissing me off in round two, but will get soundly embarrassed by the Caps in the conference final.
Other highlights: The Wild finally overcome their problems against Chicago It'll be nice for Ovechkin to win a Stanley Cup. Should cut down on Capitals fans dumping on him in case of his defection to the Olympics next year.
Something I just realized: In an odd way, Washington is an underdog choice because the President's Trophy winner usually does not win the Stanley Cup.

Canadiens vs. Rangers, Canadiens in 5. I definitely see the Rangers being out skated and out performed here easily. King Henrik can only bail them out for so long.

Senators vs. Bruins, Senators in 7. I agree that this will be a fun series to watch, and I see both these teams giving each other fits. However, from what I've seen from these teams this season Ottawa has seemed a bit more consistent than Boston.

Capitals vs. Leafs, Capitals in 6. The Leafs over achieved, and will get steam rolled by the much more experienced Capitals team. As much as I hate Toronto, this is absolutely fantastic for these young players to get playoff experience so early. Good for them.

Penguins vs. Blue Jackets. Penguins in 5. I wanted to pick the Blue Jackets because I'm still pissed that Crosby nailed O'Rielly in the nuts from behind, but let's be honest: Pittsburgh isn't losing to Columbus here. Columbus did great in the regular season, but they definitely played some awful hockey as the season neared it's end where as the Penguins have so much playoff experience they're just gonna roll through. I seriously hope I'm wrong and they get bounced.

Blackhawks vs. Preds, Blackhawks in 5. I'm not going to lie, I'm not familiar with how the Predators played this season at all, so I'm just gonna roll with the Blackhawks.

Wild vs. Blues, Wild in 7. I'm going with Wild just because I wan't to see Pommers win it all with them. I have no ill will toward either team, and wish they weren't playing each other because I'd like to see both of them make a deep run into the West. However, similar to the Sharks, both these teams will fall out way before the finals.

Ducks vs. Flames, Ducks in 6. Ducks win this because just like the Capitals they have more experience in these long runs than the younger team they're playing against. In a year or two, I would expect Calgary to beat the Ducks. In due time.

Oilers vs. Sharks, Sharks in 5. You want to win a million draft lotteries in a row? Cool, now please be destined to bounce from the first round of the playoffs for eternity.

*shrug* It's called a lottery for a reason. Though they sure did spend a lot of years pissing that windfall away.

Anyway, not much of a hockey fan but I'll probably watch a game or two with people. It's been a decade since the GOilers were in the playoffs and people in my city are super pumped. If the team makes it past the second round I'm predicting riots (or rather, large street parties with a smattering of property damage and violence) like we had back in the '06 cup run.

I live fairly close to the new arena, so to both get in on the fun and protect myself I'm preparing an orange and blue spiked bat as we speak.

I'm a rangers fan, and I'm nervous.

Rangers under performed this year, I think. And we stunk against the habs in all three games. I feel like it will be Habs in 5, but I hope I'm wrong.

I set up a Playoff Mode file on NHL 17 this morning to imitate this year's playoff bracket and let it sim thru all the way to the Cup final, and it fucking put Edmonton and Toronto in there. I didn't sim the series, but after checking the stats from the earlier rounds, Nazem Kadri had 25G and 15A to lead the Leafs in scoring, and Leon Draisaitl had 22G and 20A to lead the Oilers in scoring. What a fun Final that would be...

^ The sim mode is aware that there are goalies, right?

Apparently not, which is why I had to mention the scoring.

I was not among those (and there were many in the Pittsburgh fan base) who thought the main reason we couldn't win in the playoffs between 2010 and 2015 was Fleury. I also didn't think the rise of Murray was evidence that Fleury had been a major weak link. Still, I have to admit that I questioned the Pens for hanging on to both starting-caliber goalies. Tonight I'm certainly glad that I'm not the one making such decisions.

Fleury is good, yeah, but man in that series last year when they finally swapped out to Murray it was like night and day. He was just a dominating presence in the net.

When your team loses, it's easier to accept if they just plain suck. That way, you can brush off serving up one real crapper because you know they have a lot more in the tank. Instead last night, the Sens played 45-50 minutes of as close to perfection as anyone can get (zero shots against in the second period!) yet only managed to score once and then buggered it up. Makes me wonder what more they can do?

I was at Canadian Tire Center last night. There were tons of nice activities before the game where one could take pictures with Sparty and the Prime Ministers, get your jerseys signed by injured players and drink some booze. The atmosphere during the first two periods was great but the crowd fell somewhat silent after the first goals by the Bruins. I continued to cheer for the team in the Sens section and at a certain point I yelled "I can't fucking hear you!" like Ozzy Osbourne in his best years and finally people started encouraging the team again. I know we're not in South America, but it's the playoffs, so you've got to cheer loudly and proudly. Shoutout to the drunk guy on the bus after the game who had apparently stolen eight bottles of booze from the loge of the Boston Bruins' GM, shared them with his friends, poured the last two cans over his head and yelled how he hates the Bruins and will beat them up and go to prison after the next home game. Other than that, not the start to the playoffs I was expecting. I'm fourteenth out of twenty-three in my hockey pool after the first night.

Yeah, fucking Christ, what the hell was that game last night? We show up and play only two out of the three periods, and still manage to pull a win out of our ass? With half of our defence in the medical bay? A 19 year old led the team in TOI? Tuukka played a strong game? WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH AIRLINE FOOD, C'MON

Possibly the first team to ever win a playoff team while also not registering 1 shot on goal in one of the three periods!

Frustrating game last night, we played good but Hank was fantastic. It's gonna be a good series.

Yeah, I'm excited about the NYR/MTL series, that's gonna be a great one even just for the goalie matchup. Also, who had Tanner Glass scoring the first goal of the postseason?

Sure one game isn't a series, but if last night's games are indicative, my playoff picks are looking like a Bruins' powerplay: 0-for-5.

I can't believe anyone would pick Columbus over Pittsburgh. Have you been watching Pittsburgh? Jeeeezus. They can score with their eyes closed. Too damn strong, too much talent.

I'm counting on Columbus to make up for the gap in offensive talent, with their much more solid defensive side. Plus the Jackets are no slouch on the attack either; they outscore practically everyone else but Pittsburgh.

So far I'd have to say that they're not closing that gap.

RADULOV!

I love Radulov! He's one of the few athletes who genuinely enjoys himself and shows that he has personality. Too many others come across as not unhappy, but just kind of robotic or wooden. Radulov's a real boy!

Yeah if by "real boy" you mean "Bond villain extra"

No for real though, that game was intense and a great example of why I was excited about this series. Fast, hard-hitting, great goaltending, and memorable, clutch scoring. Not to mention NBCSN finally got their crowd noise mix right for the broadcast; I fucking hate it when you're watching a game on TV where you've got a crowd like the one at Bell Centre and the crowd mics are dead quiet. That crowd is always loud as fuck and I wanna hear it, goddamn it. Even if they're booing my team and favorite players.

https://www.nhl.com/video/schallers-sho ... c-51460403

God fucking damnit. Anderson, from now on you keep your ass in the crease. (Also don't let in any more shit like the third goal.)

PS Tim Schaller could have had th decency to admit his goal was a pure dumbass flub-bumble, instead of regurgitating the standard interview pablum of "being hard on the forecheck", as if scoring goals is old shit for his noob ass.

Oh shut the fuck up you salty cunt, Phagneuf got y'all the OT winner in the end. See y'all in Beantown.

The mouth on this one! Yeah man, this series could take a while the way it's going, and just come down to whichever team still enough players who aren't disabled.

Also there's no g in Phaneuf, just fyi

I definitely agree with you, this is gonna be a war of attrition. I still don't really see the Bruins coming out of this series on top, our defense has been weak all year, and now with four d-men out I don't think we'll be contending late in games anymore, unless something magical happens. Also, Karlsson's setup on that Brassard goal was beautiful, and if he's gonna be pulling shit like that while not at 100%, it's gonna be tough.



Oh damn, sorry, my bad.

Pekka Rinne has more points in the playoffs than PFK: the beefy kind of chicken. Since Subban got traded to Nashville, he hasn't accomplished much. He is one of the biggest disappointments this season. At least, the rest of his team really bails him out.

Great to see some resilience from the Canadian teams, especially from my Sens but also from the Canadiens, the Oilers and even the Leafs. I'm surprised how weak the Blackhawks are. Maybe they should start Darling instead of Crawford in order to turn things around. That would also be good for my hockey pool

fuck, what a game. Defense is starting to look real thin though. Polak's injury looked terrifying and I'm guessing Zaitsev is concussed so who knows when he'll be back. Gardiner and Reilly really stepped it up last night (and Marincin played 30 freakin minutes even though I was yelling at him to get off the ice the whole time) but I don't know how long they'll be able to maintain. Still, I'm nothing short of jazzed after we got one in Washington. We basically have home-ice advantage now.

I don't think this is the last we've seen from Kapanen, either. Dude already has a knack for scoring big goals and he's learned to play with grit on the fourth line, gives them a bit of a scoring touch too.

Also, even though my Hawks-Preds prediction was already totally wrong, at least I was right about Rinne! Always good to see him get more love. Stunned that the Hawks weren't able to buy a goal...at home no less.

I took the Blackhawks in 5.... Oh boy, was I so wrong

I'm quite glad the Sens and the Leafs managed to win their 2nd game.

Missed game 2 of our series so I'm looking forward to tonight's game, go Habs!

Columbus bought to get swept.

As much as I hate the Penguins turning over the puck a million times a game, it certainly pushes up the entertainment value as they have to score their way out of slumps. Which they fortunately do! Guentzel becoming only the second rookie ever to score a playoff hat trick that is capped off with an OT tally was great to see. Crosby really elevates anyone playing beside him, good on Jake to have the skills and determination to be able to capitalize on all the chances he gets.

Hoping for a sweep, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Jackets find a way to push it to five, or even six. Torts has a way of motivating his players, especially with their backs to the wall.

Damn, not the ending of the B's/Sens game I was hoping for, but that was a classic moment showcasing why you don't make stupid mistakes in overtime...for the second game in a row...by the same player. Chara really showing his age.