Rangers 3rd Jersey, It\'s that time of the year again for all the puck heads out there to rejoice. Does it get any better than this? I know that hockey isn\'t the most popular sport anymore, but NHL playoffs are in my opinion some of the best around. The intensity involved is second to none. Playoff hockey also has some of the greatest atmospheres out there for any sporting event. Even if you aren\'t a huge hockey fan, I highly suggest tuning it, you won\'t regret it. NHL playoffs have a 2-2-1-1-1 format. This means that they play 2 games at the higher seed\'s building, then 2 at the lower seed\'s rink and so on. Let\'s dig into the matchups.
1st seeded Washington Capitals (-600) vs. 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens (+400)
Washington\'s offensive explosiveness is unparalleled in the NHL. With the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom they are going to be tough for anyone in the league to stop. With 313 goals for during the regular season and the next closest being only 268, the Caps were far and away the top offense in the NHL. Their offense makes up for a fairly average defense, which gave up 227 goals during the season. Expect this series to be high scoring, with Montreal throwing everything that they can at the net to keep up with the high powered Caps. Montreal\'s advantage might come in their crowd. The Bell Centre holds one of the most hostile crowds in all of sports, and is tough for any visitor to Rangers 3rd Jersey go into under any conditions and grab a win. While the Capitals are certainly a favorite to win Lord Stanley\'s Cup, we know from recent history that anything is possible.
2nd seeded New Jersey Devils (-250) vs. 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers (+210)
While the Capitals rely on their offense to take care of them, New Jersey\'s bread and butter is the defensive side of the ice. Giving up 186 goals for a 2.24 goals against average for the year, puts them at the top of the league. Led by Rangers 3rd Jersey all time wins leader for a goalie and all time shutout leader Martin Brodeur, the Devils have somewhat been overlooked throughout the year. Although they had a middle of the pack offense, they certainly have some natural scorers. Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise will lead the way and will look to give the team a spark offensively. On the other side, Philly has made it to the playoffs through intensity and grit. The Flyers lead the league in penalty minutes and will look to out-muscle New Jersey. Although this is a 7 vs. 2 Rangers 3rd Jersey matchup, there is a bright side for Philly fans. The Flyers actually won the season series with the Devils 5-1.
3rd seeded Buffalo Sabres (-165) vs. 6th seeded Boston Bruins (+145)
One of the more interesting first round match ups for me. Buffalo relies heavily on goalie Ryan Miller, almost as much as the Bruins rely on Tuukka Rask. The Bruins are dead last in the league in goals for this season, leaving the defense to carry the work load. Boston\'s defense ranks 2nd in the league in goals against, behind only New Jersey. The totals of these individual games could be something to keep an eye on, as this series features a couple of the hottest goalies in the league to go along with a not so great offense and simply a brutal offense. The underdog in this one also won the season series in convincing fashion, with Boston claiming a 4-1 advantage.
4th seeded Pittsburgh Penguins (-300) vs. 5th seeded Ottawa Senators (+250)
We all know how much skill the Penguins have. Young guns Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin and Jordan Stall are all threats to score at any given time. Most people automatically put them in the conference finals because of their recent success. Do the Sens have a shot in this one? With Alexei Kovalev tearing his ACL and being out for the year, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza will look to lead the Senators. Virtually unknown goalie Brian Elliot will have to bring his A game if they have a shot at making it to the next round. If years past have taught us anything, it\'s that if you have a hot goalie the boundaries are limitless as to how far you can go. The season series was split 2 games each.
There you have it. Now all that\'s left is to sit back and enjoy!
