Free for All, Pt. 2: NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Now I present you with a taste of things to come. There's no doubt in my mind that the Eastern Conference quarterfinals are going to be nothing less than a dogfight among eight very hungry, very angry pitbulls.

All the teams are in.  All the divisions are clinched, but the order still isn't completely secure. 

Below the division leaders, the remaining five teams below are all still jockeying for position and matchups, but we are going to peer into our looking glass anyway, and set the scene for your 2009.

Let's start with the possibility of Boston-Montreal Part 2.

Isn't it so interesting the difference a year can make?  Last season, it was Boston who held on to the final games of the season to clinch the eighth and final playoff berth, and Montreal was riding a wave of grandiose expectations. 

As I recall it now, Boston nearly stole that series from Montreal, fighting back from a 3-1 deficit to force a dramatic game 7 in the Montreal Biere Garden.

Now, the tables are turned.  This Boston team has gone from a rabble of luck driven overacheivers to a team to be reckoned with.  Boston has solid and steady goaltending from Tim "No Respect" Thomas.  Montreal does not.

Carey Price still has never gotten his sea legs all season long.  He goes through periods where he looks like the second coming of Patrick Roy, but then will go through stretches where he will melt with a forward in front of him.

It surprised this writer that Montreal did not at least attempt to pick up a veteran goaltender at the trade deadline.  The Canadiens have made their bed, now they must lie in it.

On to Carolina-Philadelphia. 

There's nothing more satisfying to me than to watch a team that no one thought would go anywhere at the one-third mark in the schedule march their way up the standings and now are chasing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In this series especially, home ice is going to be huge.  Regardless of what you may believe about the effect the crowd has on players, there is no denying that the Wachovia Center is one of the most hostile postseason buildings to play in.

Not that Carolina's home turf is any better on players.

Right, there are players!

There are two things you need as a team to have longevity in the NHL postseason.  The first is reliable goaltending.  Reliable? Martin Biron? We didn't think so.

The second thing is a durable, strong defensive corps.  The Flyers lack that as well.

However, what the Flyers do have is a strong offensive corps and sheer brute force. Jeff Carter's success in the postseason will end up being the key to this team going far. 

However, the Hurricanes put the band back together, so to speak.  The crowd is rowdy.  Eric Cole is back, acquired at the trade deadline from Edmonton.  Eric Staal is huge for the Hurricanes, literally and figuratively.  Cam Ward is hot.

This matchup has the potential to be quite compelling hockey.  Three of the four regular season matches these two teams played ended up in overtime.

Another compelling series is the possibility of a white-hot Penguins team going head-to-head with an ice-cold New Jersey team.

This one could go either way.  New Jersey seems to have simply given uptheir quest for another Stanley Cup moments after Martin Brodeur became the winningest goaltender in history.

The Penguins have rebounded nicely from certain doom during their midseason slump.  At one point, this season it was doubtful if Sidney Crosby and Co. were going to even make the playoffs, let alone be in a three-way tie for first round home ice advantage.

Isn't it amazing what a late-season coaching change can do?

Speaking of which, our last matchup is Washington-New York.  

This may just be Ovechkin's year.  He has fought off injury, a brutal slump, and Don Cherry.  

Not only that, Mike Green has emerged as one of the premier puck-moving defensemen in today's NHL.

The Rangers have undergone a late season reorganization of sorts and a late season coaching change.  Can this past week's emotional wins over Montreal and the clinching game against the Flyers carry weight against the onslaught of a Capitals team that is also on a roll?  

Let's first look at goaltending.  Jose Theodore matching up against all-world netminder Henrik Lundquist does not really make up a great goaltending duel, and Lundquist can be assured that he will be busy early and often. Can Tortorella's fire-and-brimstone routine motivate this Rangers team through the first round?

So, now it begins.  In five days it all opens wide and the flood and fun of the playoffs begin.  Fire up that DVR and grab that remote, because Lord Stanley's Spring Carnival begins soon.

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