NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

NHL First Round Selections

After 7 long months and over 1,300 games played, the NHL playoffs have finally arrived. Picking who will win these matchups is oftentimes an exercise in futility. Yet like so many out there, every spring we lay out what we believe is the correct path to the holy grail of hockey, the Stanley Cup. Sometimes it's a team no one expects that comes out of nowhere. Sometimes it's a big favourite that goes out early, unable to handle the playoff pressure. Other times a goalie might stand on his head, single-handedly stealing a series. Throw in injuries, which nobody can account for, and you can see the difficulty in picking these games. However, like so many before me, I'll give it my best shot.

Ottawa at Carolina

Ottawa was one of the hottest teams down the stretch. Written off many times during the season, Ottawa stormed up the standings, eventually grabbing the final playoff spot in the East. Despite that, I just don't see them hanging with Carolina here. Carolina is better on the power play, 5-on-5, and the penalty kill. Carolina is relentless on the forecheck. They're better at playing with a lead. They can play from behind as well. Then there's the question of Linus Ullmark, who brings a .891 save percentage into the playoffs. How will he hold up against the pressure Carolina will bring? Their styles might be similar, but Carolina is simply better at it. Upsets are always possible, of course, but I don't see one here.

PICK: CAROLINA in 6

Boston at Buffalo

Don't worry you’re not hallucinating, nor do you need reading glasses. Buffalo! Yes, Buffalo is in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. And therein lies one of the major problems for the Sabres: the lack of playoff experience. While there are several players on the roster with playoff experience, that list doesn't include some of their best players, such as Rasmus Dahlin, who has yet to play in the postseason.

The other problem is Jeremy Swayman, considered by many to be a top 3 goalie in this year’s playoffs. Swayman is more than capable of stealing a game or two against Buffalo, which could make all the difference in a 7 game series. Buffalo, on the other hand, has better depth. The Sabres' goaltending duo of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon are no slouches either. Czechia native David Pastrnak will present problems for Buffalo, but I think head coach Lindy Ruff will be able to contain him.

This, for me at least, is a classic coin-flip series. An argument could easily be made for either side. I'll roll with the more experienced head coach and the team with home ice.

PICK: BUFFALO in 7

Montreal at Tampa Bay

This is my favourite series in the first round. You have some of the biggest stars in the league going head-to-head, two great head coaches, and two teams that battled each other hard down the stretch, both literally and figuratively.

Tampa Bay is a significant favourite in this series, but I'm just not seeing it. They split the season series down the middle, two games apiece. Montreal is one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs. Montreal won the two most recent meetings against Tampa Bay. Yes, the Lightning have arguably the best coach in the league, Hart Trophy candidate Nikita Kucherov, along with home ice advantage. Still, that doesn't faze me. Montreal is the faster team here, and while Dobes might not be able to match Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, I don't think this will be the mismatch people think. Montreal has also upped their physicality of late. Montreal's top line will also be a huge problem for Tampa.

I'm going against the grain here.

PICK: MONTREAL in 6

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh

Ah yes, the good old Battle of Pennsylvania, as some are calling it. Not sure how the players on the ice feel about each other, but one thing is certain, these two fanbases hate each other.

At first glance, it looks like an easy series victory for Pittsburgh until you realize who's in net for these two teams. Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs don't exactly inspire confidence between the pipes. On the other side, Dan Vladar has quietly had a solid season. That's where the buck stops, though. The Penguins are better in just about every facet offensively. The same is true on special teams, where Pittsburgh has a decided advantage. Pittsburgh's 7th-ranked power play vs. Philadelphia's 32nd ranked power play is a great example of that.

I'll side with Crosby and company here, but Pittsburgh's goaltending scares me almost as much as it should scare Pittsburgh.

PICK: PITTSBURGH in 7

LA at Colorado

No reason to overthink this one. You have the best team in the league points wise vs. the worst playoff team points wise. Anything is possible, of course, but I'd be stunned if the Kings won more than one game, let alone the series.

PICK: COLORADO in 5

Utah at Vegas

Leading up to the playoffs, I swore on my mother's life that Vegas would be out in the first round. Then they went and fired Bruce Cassidy and brought in John Tortorella, and now I'm convinced Vegas makes it out of the first round and possibly a lot further.

Even though I didn't agree with the move, since Cassidy did win a Cup with Vegas and, in my mind, deserved at least the courtesy of finishing out the season, one can't ignore that the team looks better under Tortorella. That's true for many teams though fire a coach and the team plays better. The good old coaching bump. Vegas seems to be getting that bump right now, which I think spells bad news for Utah.

The trio of Marner/Stone/Eichel should provide enough offense for Vegas in what should be a low-scoring series.

PICK: VEGAS in 6

Minnesota at Dallas

In a perfect world, this matchup wouldn't be happening, not in the first round anyway. This matchup is a good reason why the NHL should go back to the old playoff format. You have some elite playmakers going toe-to-toe here. Robertson, Rantanen, Johnson, etc. vs. Kaprizov, Boldy, Hughes, and company. Goals shouldn't be hard to come by here.

This series might be decided by which goalie can make a key stop here and there. This one will likely go the distance. I'll bet against the team that hasn't gotten out of the first round in over a decade.

PICK: DALLAS in 7

Anaheim at Edmonton

Who else was sweating a potential Oilers vs Kings first-round matchup? I think a lot of people were. Fortunately, an Anaheim win at Nashville spared us all a bad case of déjà vu. I'm looking for a reason to pick the Ducks here, but I'm having a hard time coming up with anything other than maybe a herculean performance by Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal. Anaheim struggled mightily down the stretch, and now they head north to play an Oilers team playing much better hockey. A red hot McDavid and the league's best power play spells trouble for the Ducks.

To make matters worse, Anaheim is one of only two teams with a negative goal differential in the playoffs, LA being the other team. I fully expect the Oilers to light up Dostal in this series. McDavid and company should be able to feast in this matchup.

PICK: EDMONTON in 5