EASTERN CONFERENCE
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Buffalo (1) vs. New York Rangers (6)
Buffalo swept the season series with the Rangers, but the Rangers were a vastly different team when they last played on Dec. 1st. Many took the Islanders lightly, but they played the Sabres much tougher than most people expected – and the Sabres still won in five. The Rangers will offer more of a challenge, but the Sabres are up to it after acknowledging that they need to play better. The Rangers took advantage of an easy first-round matchup with the overrated Thrashers and wiped them out in four straight, but the train stops here. Sean Avery will not be able to throw Buffalo off its game as easily as he did with Kovalchuk, Hossa, and Kozlov, and the Rangers’ D is slow and exploitable. Sabres in 6.
New Jersey (2) vs. Ottawa (4)
Ottawa easily beat a young and shell-shocked Pittsburgh team, while New Jersey struggled a bit against the one-line Lightning. But now, the Devils and Senators enter a matchup in which the opposition has just as much depth and experience. As a Sabres fan, I hope these two teams beat the hell out of each other. Martin Brodeur will not be able to get away with mediocre play as he did in the first three games against Tampa. Ottawa in 7.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
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Detroit (1) vs. San Jose (5)
Don’t look at the rankings here – the only reason Detroit finished a mere six points ahead of San Jose was because of the easy-pickings division they play in. Although Detroit overwhelmed Calgary, it took them six games to do so – and San Jose is far, far better than Calgary. San Jose beat Nashville in five games despite going only 2 for 30 on the powerplay, and if they get it on track in this series, Detroit is done. San Jose in 6.
Anaheim (2) vs. Vancouver (3)
Anaheim won the season series 3-1 and held Vancouver to an average of 2 goals per game. In its previous series against Dallas, Vancouver scored a mere 13 goals in 7 games – only eight of which came in the final six games. These are not auspicious numbers for the Canucks. Marty Turco was stellar in the first round, but let’s face it, the Canucks are extremely mediocre offensively – and now they get to face Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Does Roberto Luongo have four shutouts in him? He might need to for the Canucks to have a chance. Anaheim in 5.