by Digger

The NHL 2008 Stanley Cup seedings are locked and loaded. All World All Sports breaks down Eastern Conference matchups in our first round of our inaugural playoff predictions.

Eastern Conference Quaterfinals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (8) Boston Bruins
Montreal swept the regular season series 8 games to 0. No reason to believe Boston will pull off a miraculous upset as the Canadiens won six of these games by no less than two goals.
Leaders: Montreal - Alexi Kovalev 35 goals, 84 points. Casey Price 24-12-3 2.56
Boston - Marc Savard 15 goals, 78 points. Tim Thomas 28-19-6 2.44

Boston is overmatched. Canadiens win in 5.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (7) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa triumphed over Pittsburgh three times in four games with two being decided after regulation. These teams will do battle each game from the drop of the puck. Pittsburgh is a team on a mission. Question is which goalie will get the nod?
Leaders: Pittsburgh - Evegin Malkin 47 goals, 106 points. Marc-Andre Fleury 19-10-2 2.33
Ottawa - Jason Spezza 34 goals, 92 points. Martin Gerber 30-18-4 2.72

Penguins win in 6.

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers
These two teams split their season series 2-2 in tough contests. This opening round matchup will be filled with heavy hits and fierce competition. Penalties could make the difference in this matchup if tempers flare. Kolzig started all 4 regular seasoners vs Philly. Huet had a much better season and needs to mind the nets.
Leaders: Washington - Alex Ovachkin 65 goals, 112 points. Olie Kolzig 25-21-6 2.91, Christobal Huet 32-14-6 2.32
Philadelphia - Mike Richards 28 goals, 75 points. Martin Biron 30-20-9 2.59

This series will be decided in seven grueling games. Capitals advance in 7.

(4) New Jersey Devils vs (5) New York Rangers
New Jersey vs New York could very well be the most intense rivalry currently running in the NHL. The Devils prevailed with home ice advantage by winning this seasons final game vs NY after the Rangers won their previous seven head to head matchups. Three games were decided by shootouts, another by overtime. Both teams have storied playoff histories. When it comes to playoff hockey, very few have been better in goal than New Jersey's Martin Brodeur. Each game will be epic battles.
Leaders: New Jersey - Zach Parise 32 goals, 65 points. Martin Brodeur 44-27-6 2.17
New York - Jaromir Jagr 25 goals, 71 points. Henrick Lundqvist 37-24-10 2.23

This series goes the distance. Devils in 7.

Stay tuned for Western Conference Quarterfinal predictions....

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