Traditionally the Eastern Conference has been full of first round upsets - in 1999 the Buffalo Sabres went to the Stanley Cup Finals as a No. 7 seed. This season, however, the Western Conference has eight outstanding teams battling it out in the first round, and as you will see, the potential for upsets is very high.
Editor's note: Staff Writer Nick Pezzino also contributed to this article by picking every series. His selections are under the heading "Pezzino's Picks."
Eastern Conference
No .1 Boston Bruins (43-24-6-9, 101 pts) vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens (36-31-12-3, 87 pts)
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Champions of the Northeast Division, the Bruins are the most dangerous offensive team in the Eastern Conference, sporting two players that scored more than 40 goals: Glen Murray (41) and Bill Guerin (41). They also have Brian Rolston, who tallied 31 goals. But what is best thing about these three players? They all play on different lines.
Butterflies will be buzzing in the stomachs of the inexperienced Canadiens, who are seeing their first playoff action in five years. The emotional return of Captain Saku Koivu from a bout with cancer has given Montreal a lift. The Habs lost their last two games, but were in the playoffs already anyway - they won seven straight prior to the two-game slide.
As in every playoff series, goaltending will be a big key. Boston's Byron Dafoe will out-duel the inexperienced Jose Theodore. The Canadiens will have a hard time handling the depth of the Bruins. Boston in five games.
No. 2 Philadelphia Flyers (42-27-10-3, 97 pts) vs. No. 7 Ottawa Senators (39-27-9-7, 94 pts)
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What do you think if someone mentions the Flyers? Talented, physical, bruising forwards that can win the small battles and put the puck in the net. Older, warrior-like defenseman. Unproven playoff goaltending. Those things pretty much hold true in 2002; Philadelphia will once again stare Roman Checmanek between the pipes in this year's first round series.
Now, what about the Senators? Smaller, quicker team that just cannot seem to win a playoff series. Once again, not far from the truth, the Sens have bowed out of the playoffs in the first round in each of the last three seasons.
Someone here has to shake the first round blues, and it will be the Flyers. Checmanek will play just as well as Ottawa's Patrick LaLime, and his deeper, more physical teammates will do the rest. Philadelphia in 5 games.
No. 3 Carolina Hurricanes (35-26-16-5, 91 pts) vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils (41-28-9-4, 95 pts)
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Carolina is a team looking for respect and they would get it if they were to beat the Devils. The Hurricanes play in the NHL's weakest division, leaving most of their critics to chalk up the team's success to 15 regular season games each year with Tampa Bay, Florida and Atlanta.
The defending Eastern Conference Champion Devils no longer need to prove themselves, but an off year has shaken the team's confidence slightly. To add to the problem, New Jersey will be missing forward Stephane Richer for at least the first two games of the series, and fourth-leading scorer Peter Sykora is questionable for game one.
Yet the Devils are a playoff hardened team that won their last six games in the regular season. New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur is just plain better than his counterpart - Arturs Irbe. New Jersey in 6 games.
No. 4 Toronto Maple Leafs(43-25-10-4, 100 pts) vs. No. 5 New York Islanders (42-28-8-4, 96 pts)
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The Leafs are a familiar playoff performer, the Islanders are not. The storyline is clear heading into the beginning of this first round match-up.
Toronto's goaltending situation, however, is quite foggy. The sainted Curtis Joseph will return to the lineup for game one after missing most of the second half of the year with a broken hand but may not be at 100 percent. Tom Barasso, who was signed by the Leafs to fill the void left by Joseph, broke his hand in his final regular season game and is out indefinitely. Corey Schwab will backup Joseph.
New York's Chris Osgood will make the Leafs goaltending situation a moot point, as he will help his team win in their first playoff appearance since 1994. Osgood will finally silence his critics by winning a playoff series without the talented Detroit Red Wings playing in front of him. New York in seven games.
Western Conference
No. 1 Detroit Red Wings (51-17-10-4, 116 pts) vs. No. 8 Vancouver Canucks (42-30-7-3, 94 pts)
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Not many people are giving the Canucks a chance to win against the NHL's version of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Red Wings lapped the field in the league this season, compiling 16 more points than any other team.
Momentum, however, is not on Detroit's side. They won just once in their last 10 games. Vancouver, meanwhile went 8-0-1 in their last nine.
Detroit's Dominik Hasek is not as dominant as he used to be, and his team will not be as dominant as they were in the regular season either. The Canucks will start strong and pull off the biggest upset since . well, since the Red Wings lost to the Los Angeles Kings last season. Canucks in seven games.
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche (45-28-8-1, 99 pts) vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Kings (40-27-11-4, 95 pts)
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Two versus seven match-ups do not get much closer than this one. The Kings and Avs split their season series and needed seven games to decide a winner (Colorado) last year in their second round war.
Close series are almost always decided by goaltending, and I would take Colorado's Patrick Roy over the Kings' Felix Potvin any day. Colorado in six games.
No. 3 San Jose Sharks (44-27-8-3, 99 pts) vs. No. 6 Phoenix Coyotes (40-27-9-6, 95 pts)
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Sean Burke should win the Hart Trophy in the NHL, given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The Phoenix goaltender, a longtime league veteran, has guided the Coyotes to another playoff appearance despite the fact that the team has lost stars like Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuck.
Burke will stand on his head to push the Coyotes into the second round for the first time in the six seasons they have spent in Phoenix. Phoenix in seven games.
No. 4 St. Louis Blues (43-27-8-4, 98 pts) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (41-27-13-1, 96 pts)
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One could probably flip a coin to pick this series, but I would prefer to take the analytical approach.
The Blues won eight of their last 10 games while Chicago went 2-4-1 in April. The Blackhawks also have doubts between the pipes as backup Steve Passmore made a push for the starting job when Joceyln Thibault went cold down the stretch.
Goaltending problems and controversies are generally bad news for playoff teams. St. Louis in five games.
Fans in Buffalo can watch first round games nightly on one or all of these stations: ESPN, ESPN2, and CBC. Also, ABC will televise regional action on Saturday afternoons.
Pezzino's Picks
Eastern Conference: Boston in six games, Ottawa in seven games, New Jersey in four games, Toronto in seven games.
Western Conference: Detroit in five games, Los Angeles in seven games, San Jose in six games, Chicago in seven games.
