The Chalk Talks Loudest

It is difficult to resist going all chalk in the first round of the NHL playoffs, especially when you have that nagging feeling that someone is going to take down a top contender. (And, no, Detroit beating Phoenix, while a numerical upset, hardly qualifies as a stunner.) But it seems to happen every year: a sapling fells some big lumber. Paying no heed to that saw, here is one person's look at the opening matchups:

Eastern Conference

Washington over Montreal in six. The Capitals' goaltending won't matter at this point. They have too much elsewhere for Montreal to handle and if this series goes six games, that will be because of Jaroslav Halak.

New Jersey over Philadelphia in seven. Zach Parise may be right when he says the power play will be a key in this series. And if it seems Chris Pronger is always on the ice, that's probably because he is.

Buffalo over Boston in five. The Sabres could have the brooms out in this one. They are disciplined and resilient and if they falter even a little bit, they have a king-sized advantage behind them in Ryan Miller.

Ottawa over Pittsburgh in seven. This one goes against my inner logic but neither team has been all that impressive since the Olympics ended. Let's say that Cory Clouston really coaches 'em up, and that Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson are more like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby than the originals are. That and a couple of overtime wins by the Sens should get it done.

Western Conference

San Jose over Colorado in five. Breathe a little easier, Doug Wilson. Your team marches past this hurdle this year. The Avs backslid into a playoff spot and the anxiety over Matt Duchene points out their lack of pop up front. The Sharks need to forget previous playoff pratfalls, stick to the here and now, and they will be fine.

Chicago over Nashville in six. Possibly the nastiest of the first-round series. Chicago can play it any way you want to and play it well. The Preds will give them an early test but will eventually run out of gas.

Vancouver over Los Angeles in seven. This is the fence-sitter's special. If Roberto Luongo's play continues to soften, that could open the door for the Kings, who will need to figure out a way to close off the Sedins. Matchups will be key in this series.

Detroit over Phoenix in five. Too bad. A nice story in the desert runs aground. This series could go longer if Ilya Bryzgalov is superb but this corner believes the Wings have figured it out after a middling regular season brought on by a series of injuries.