NHL Playoffs Finally Ready to Begin - A Look at the East

We are now only hours away from the beginning of the NHL playoffs, which are set to kick off Wednesday at 7:00pm Eastern time. The first game is the defending champion, 4th-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins vs the 5th-ranked Ottawa Senators. Following the opening game are the series between New Jersey/Philly, Detroit/Phoenix, and San Jose/Colorado. The Stanley Cup playoffs are sure to be exciting, physical, and fast as they are every year. What is done in the regular season means nothing now. It is all about the Cup.

This begins with the league's top team, the Washington Capitals. They locked up the President's Trophy with more than a week left and clinched the playoffs and the Southeast Division amazingly early in the year. The Capitals have a high-powered offense led by Alex Ovechkin. The only question is if the Caps can play tight enough defense to lead them to the Cup. As a Caps fan, I worry about the sometimes shaky defense and goaltending. Luckily, Theodore is hotter than ever and I hope he can carry the momentum to the playoffs.

Staying with the Eastern Conference, you always have to worry about the Penguins. As much as I hate them, and Sidney Crosby, they are a dangerous force each year. Star player Evgeni Malkin also helped lead the Penguins to the Cup. Some say he was a bigger part in the win than Crosby. Their playoff point totals, as well as the fact that Malkin won the MVP, support this theory. In the finals, Malkin had 8 points to Crosby's 3. This is the Penguins' 3rd year in a row at the #4 seed and what did they do the last 2 years? Only reach the finals, and then win it all last year. I cannot see how the Senators can get past the Penguins.

The Capitals obviously should be able to give them a run for their money, as they did in the 2009 playoffs when they fell short in Game 7. But let's also not forget about the New Jersey Devils, who with the addition of star Ilya Kovalchuk are certainly a force to keep in mind. Kovalchuk will be hungry to win after spending losing seasons with the Thrashers. Martin Brodeur is always solid in net and the Devils also have Zach Parise, another one of the best players in the NHL. If Buffalo's Ryan Miller can play like he did in the Olympics, Buffalo also has a good shot at reaching the finals. They will first have to get past the only hotter goalie in the NHL than Miller, Finnish rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask from the Boston Bruins. This should be a solid series, but I think in the end Buffalo will pull it off.

According to ESPN.com's SportsNation voting as of 04/13/10, the following is the list of the best playoff teams in order:

(#1 Votes) Points # 1 Capitals (15,499) 448,696                       # 2 Blackhawks (3,052) 396,359 # 3 Sharks (2,014) 375,430 # 4 Red Wings (4,568) 346,329 # 5 Penguins (2,589) 339,417 # 6 Devils (772) 306,094 # 7 Canucks (454) 277,586 # 8 Sabres (569) 250,707 # 9 Coyotes (143) 219,423 # 10 Kings (198) 166,529 # 11 Senators (59) 159,296 # 12 Predators (94) 135,606 # 13 Bruins (260) 133,326 # 14 Flyers (488) 117,899 # 15 Avalanche (214) 103,735 # 16 Canadiens (73) 90,222

How accurate are these votes? Only time will tell. Get ready hockey fans; it is going to be a great show.