NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: Series That Will Be Instant Classics

When you take a look at the eight first-round matchups lined up for the Stanley Cup playoffs, a handful of series look like they have the right ingredients to go the distance.

If so, that should suit fans who like a little drama with their hockey. And indeed, there's never any shortage of drama when the Stanley Cup playoffs roll around. There's no telling what can happen, and it rarely matters which team is seeded higher.

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, there is no formula for drama. It happens on its own.

In the first round, I'm looking for three series in particular to produce more drama than the rest. They're going to be instant classics.

Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals

What we have in this series is the defending champions versus a team that has a tendency to never be as good as it should be.

Gotta go with the defending champs, right?

I for one don't think it's a foregone conclusion that the Bruins are going to win this series going away. The Bruins are not as deep as they were a season ago, and Tim Thomas was not quite as brilliant this season as he was a year ago. The Bruins are still very good, but they're vulnerable.

The Capitals underachieved yet again this season, but they did finish strong down the stretch. Improved play from Alex Ovechkin had a lot to do with that, as he looked much more like his old self after the All-Star Game came and went.

So call me crazy, but I just get the sense that this series is going to a hotly contested back and forth affair. The Caps will come out and look better than their reputation suggests, and the Bruins will come out and look worse than their reputation suggests.

Does this mean I'm picking the Bruins to lose?

No, but they'll know they've been in a fight.

Bruins in 7

St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks didn't exactly fare well against the Blues this season. The Blues beat them in all four of their meetings, and they outscored them 11-3. They simply didn't have a whole lot of trouble handling San Jose's occasionally brilliant offensive attack.

Then again, the Blues didn't have trouble handling any offensive attacks this season. Not a whole lot got past Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak.

But the Sharks are going to bring the heat. Their core of Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Logan Couture, Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski is a force to be reckoned with, and they've all been there and done that before. 

More than anything, that's what should worry the Blues as they get ready to face off against the Sharks. They're about to come face to face with a team that has been to the Western Conference finals two years in a row, and the Sharks appear ready to make another deep run in their hot stretch to finish the season.

Make no mistake about it, the Sharks are going to put some pucks in the back of the net against the Blues. The Blues will be in trouble once they actually have to start scoring some goals of their own, as they simply didn't have to score goals in bunches this season.

Both teams will experience ups and downs. But in the end, I'll take the team with experience.

Sharks in 7

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

This series has everything you could ask for. These teams may have more combined star power than any two teams in the league, and the fact that they loathe each other only adds to the intrigue.

All eyes are going to be on Sidney Crosby, who has played very well since coming back and staying back in the middle of March. From March 15th through April 7th, he compiled 25 points, and the Penguins generally played very good hockey.

But the Flyers know as well as anyone that Crosby is one hard hit away from leaving the ice, and you can rest assured that they're not going to shy away from giving him a few hard licks. 

When the Flyers aren't doing that, they'll be putting Pittsburgh's defense to the test. They'll put the puck in the net, but the Penguins will come right back and answer in kind.

Make no mistake about it, this is going to be a high-scoring, physical, gut-wrenching barn-burner of a series.

In the immortal words of Bart Scott, "I can't wait."

I'm also pretty sure he would pick the Penguins if he were in my shoes.

Penguins in 7

For a full breakdown of the NHL postseason schedule, B/R's Mike Chiari has put it all the necessary info on one page. You can also head on over to NHL.com.