Here are the first round matchups for the drive to the Stanley Cup championship along with my predictions.
Western Conference
- (1) Detroit Redwings vs. (8) Nashville Predators
Pick Detroit to win series 4-2 - (2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) St. Louis Blues
Pick San Jose to win series 4-3 - (3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Calgary Flames
Pick Calgary to win series 4-3 - (4) Colorado Avalanche vs. (5) Dallas Stars
Pick Dallas to win series 4-2
Eastern Conference
- (1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (8) NY Islanders
Pick Tampa Bay to win series 4-1 - (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens
Pick Montreal to win series 4-3 - (3) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
Pick New Jersey to win series 4-2 - (4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) Ottawa Senators
Pick Toronto to win series 4-3
We’ll see how many I get right at the end of it all. It’ll be interesting to see what you, the readers, predict. Feel free to agree or disagree.