NHL Playoffs: Quarter-Finals Match-Ups, Part 4

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Nashville Predators    (DET in 5) 

2. San Jose Sharks vs. 7. Calgary Flames     (SJ in 6) 

3. Minnesota Wild vs. 6. Colorado Avalanche     (MIN in 5) 

4. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5.Dallas Stars    (DAL in 6)

Eastern Conference

1. Montreal Canadians vs. 8. Boston Bruins    (MON in 5) 

2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7. Ottawa Senators    (PIT in 5) 

3. Washington Capitals vs. 6. Philadelphia Flyers 

4. New Jersey Devils vs. 5. New York Rangers 

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers

How far can Alexander Ovechkin take this team? Take him out of the equation and this team does not make the playoffs. That is exactly what the Flyers will be trying to do as they meet the Capitals for the 5^th time this week. The teams split their regular season series 2-2, so if it is any indication, this match-up should be close.

Injuries have robbed experienced playoff veterans from both teams including Chris Clark from Washington and Derian Hatcher from Philadelphia. Clark (groin) has a chance to play in the series as his condition is improving, but defenseman Hatcher will be out for at least game one while he tries to recover from suffering a broken leg earlier in the season. Daniel Briere (knee) on the other hand should be good to go in game one, unlike Simon Gagne who will be out for the remainder of the season while recovering from a concussion. The injuries may have swung this game a little more in Washington’s favor.

If you have read my past articles, you will have noticed that I think a lot of playoff series can come down to goaltending and this one is no exception. Washington has the obvious edge here with two goaltenders that could step in any day and earn the victory (Olaf Kolzig and Cristobal Huet). Philadelphia on the other hand has to rely primarily in Martin Biron who has yet to prove himself as a solid goaltender. The Flyers do have a bit better offense (248 GF compared to the capital’s 242 GF), but the tandem of Kolzig and Huet should be more than enough to ground the Flyers hopes of advancing.

Bottom Line: Capitals in 6

New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

This should be a fun series to watch. You get to see a bitter rivalry, one of hockey’s best goaltenders and a cast of veteran superstars fighting for another chance at glory. The Rangers have dominated the Devils all season, except for their recent shoot-out loss, which consequently lost them home-ice advantage in this match-up.

Injuries won’t be holding any big name players out of the start of the series, but they could affect playing time as the series moves on. Both Brendan Shanahan (leg) and Scott Gomez (Ribs) of the Rangers are going to be playing, but don’t be surprised if either one starts to see reduced ice time due to their previous injury nagging at them. The same goes for Devil’s forward Patrik Elias who recently came back from a knee injury.

So how does this east-coast match-up breakdown? Both teams have top ranked defenses (Devils at #4 and Rangers at #5) and both teams have cellar-dwelling offensive numbers (Devils at #26 and Rangers tied at #23). So what separates these two teams? New Jersey has the edge in net with Martin Brodeur who has more than proven himself in the playoffs, while New York has the edge on offense with more veteran firepower. If the Devils are to advance Brodeur needs to stand on his head, unfortunately for him he isn’t as young as he used to be. All in all, I see the trend more or less staying the same from the regular season.

Bottom Line: Rangers in 6