Spread 'Em: Handicapping the First Round of the 2011 NHL Playoffs: East

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Today, I'm going to take a look at the Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs and pick my winners along with their odds of winning the series.  Let's take a look at the eight first-round matchups:

Washington Capitals (1) vs. New York Rangers (8)

In the Eastern Conference the No. 1 seeded Washington Capitals are taking on the No. 8 seeded New York Rangers.  This isn't the greatest matchup for the Caps as they lost three out of four to the Rangers in the regular season (with their only win coming way back on November 9th).  

The Rangers boast a 6-0 road win and a 7-0 win at home against the Caps.  With all of the pressure that comes with being the top seed for the second straight year, will the Capitals bow out to the No. 8 seed yet again?  

I say highly unlikely and like the Capitals to move on to the second round.

Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs. Buffalo Sabres (7)

The next matchup features last year's Eastern Conference Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, taking on U.S. Olympic goalie hero Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres.  

The Flyers stumbled into the playoffs losing 10 of their last 15 games while the Sabres went 8-1-1 just to get into the field.  

I am going to take the team that streaked into the playoffs so put me down for the Sabres upset here.

Boston Bruins (3) vs. Montreal Canadiens (6)

Our next series has the potential to be an all-time classic as a rivalry is renewed between the No. 3 seeded Boston Bruins and the No. 6 seeded Montreal Canadiens.  

The Habs hold the edge in the season series 4-2, including a 4-1 win where Bruins captain Zdeno Chara checked Max Pacioretty into the glass headfirst and a stretcher was required to carry him out.  

The NHL did not suspend Chara even though there was an outcry from Montreal to even press charges against him.  

Being from Boston, I'm taking the home team and hope they destroy the Habs in four games straight.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5)

The final matchup in the East is the No. 4 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins against the No. 5 seeded Tampa Bay Lightning.  These two teams split their season series 2-2.  

The Lightning have the second leading scorer in the league in Martin St. Louis, who finished the season with 99 points and also the second-leading goal scorer, Steven Stamkos, who netted 45 goals.  

The Penguins, unfortunately will be without their top two players, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, who are both out with a knee injury and concussion, respectively.  

That should swing the balance of power towards Tampa just enough to take the series.

The Picks 

Washington -260 (this means you need to bet $260 to win $100)

Buffalo +140 (this means you need to bet $100 to win $140)

Boston -200

Tampa Bay +125

Check back later today for my Western Conference preview.