NHL Playoffs 2012: Capitals and Lower Seeds That Will Make a Big Splash

You do not want to be playing the Washington Capitals right now, sorry Boston.

After being stuck in mediocrity for the majority of the season, finally everything is coming together for one of the most talented teams in the NHL.

Alex Ovechkin is back to his play-making self and Alexander Semin is on fire. He has registered a point in nine of his last 10 games and enters the playoffs as one of the hottest player’s in the game.

But perhaps the biggest difference has been rookie goaltender Braden Holtby. He made 35 saves in the Caps season ending 4-1 win over the No. 1 seeded New York Rangers, upping his record to 4-1-1 in his last six appearances. He has notched a 1.99 goals-against average and .936 save percentage over that span, giving him plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs.

Considering No. 7 seeded Washington is playing No. 2 Boston, a team they have beaten 3 of 4 times this season, a Caps series win would not be a shocker.  

Here are two other teams that may not have the home ice advantage, but are more than capable of pulling off the first round upset.

No. 6 New Jersey Devils

The Devils are proud owners of six-straight victories and a Southeast Division title. They will be playing a No. 3 Florida team that hasn’t made the postseason since 2000 and has very little experience in the NHL’s second season.

Ilya Kovalchuk has notched eight points in his last five games and is going to be a nightmare for the Panthers to defend. With netminder Martin Brodeur playing his best hockey of the season (17-9-2, 2.05 GAA, .920 save percentage since All-Star break), the Devils should be favored to take out the Panthers.  

No. 7 San Jose Sharks

This may be the hottest team in the NHL right now.

The Sharks have won 7 of 9 games including four-straight to close out the regular season. The difference has been a suddenly resurgent offense. During this impressive run, the Sharks have scored three or more goals in six of them, including 14 goals in the last three games of the season.

While first-round opponent St. Louis is no push-over, if the Sharks keep it up offensively, they can pull off the big upset.

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.