NCAA Lacrosse Championships. #7. Virginia vs. Maryland

Virginia upset Cornell to get to the final four and then man-handled Denver to get to the title for the first time for their senior class. Maryland upset basically everyone. North Carolina, Syracuse, and Duke to get here and they are ready to pull off another upset. Here are the keys for each team.

Virginia: Get Stanwick and and Chris Bocklet involved.

It's no surprise to anyone these guys have lead the charge for Virginia with Shammel and Rhammel Bratton being out for the tournament after conduct detrimental to the team. If they keep playing the way they have been, Maryland should be out of this game very early.

Maryland: Win it for Ryan

Ryan Young's mother tragically passed away from cancer this season, and since then the Terps have been playing in her honor. Ryan knows there's nothing his mother would like more then for her son to lift up the national championship trophy. And although that's not a replacement for his loss, at least he knows his teammates won it in her honor.

Prediction:

The dream season rages on for the Terps. Maryland wins it 8-7.

ESPN Monday Night Baseball: Philadelphia at St. Louis

Team Records-Philadelphia (25-14, 12-7 away); St. Louis (22-19, 10-9 home)

Projected Pitchers-Philadelphia: Cliff Lee. St. Louis Jake Westbrook

Weather: 45 degrees with a chance of light rain

Storyline

Philadelphia: Last season, Ryan Howard hit .412, 1 home run, 2 doubles, and 2 RBI in 4 games at Busch Stadium. He's back and is expected to make a big outcome for the Phillies

St. Louis: Tony La Russa is expected to come back into the dugout today. He was out for a good bit of time after a battle with shingles. He is still uncertain but his return predicted return date was Monday. The Cardinals could use their skipper in the dugout tonight.

Prediction-Phillies are two hot to handle. Cliff Lee is a monster, and Ryan Howard is a beast at Busch Stadium. Phillies win it 5-1.

Western Conference Finals: #1. Vancouver vs. #2. San Jose

2 teams that have oddly similar postseasons. And by oddly similar I mean their series are the same. First series for Vancouver against Chicago, Vancouver goes up 3-0, blows it, and wins game 7. In San Jose's first series against Los Angeles, San Jose won game 1, lost game 2, won games 3 and 4, lost game 5, and won game 6. For their second series, just switch the games around and the same order in which they were won. Regardless, they are both here now. Here are my 3 keys to the series.


1. Thornton vs. Kesler.

Joe Thornton playing arguably his best playoff hockey right now while Ryan Kesler is arguably playing the best hockey in the entire world right now. But this should be interesting. Kesler is a huge body that lays in hits defensively but also plays fantastic offense netting 5 goals and helping out his team with 10 assists. Joe Thornton has 2 goals and 9 assists, both less then Kesler, but Thornton isn't so far behind Kesler thanks to his stellar play defensively. "Jumbo Joe" has been a monster defensively always intercepting passes, and making good passes to get the puck out of the zone which is good because if you've watched the Sharks this year you know most the goals the Sharks give up are when they can't clear the zone. With Thornton on the ice that doesn't happen. Let's also not forget the face-off power these guys bring. Kesler is 53% while Joe Thornton is 61%.

2. A Year of Anniversaries.

San Jose and Vancouver are both celebrating team anniversaries. Vancouver is in their 40th season and San Jose is in their 20th season. Now both teams have a chance to bring home that Lord Stanely's Cup for their anniversary year. Doesn't it just touch your heart? No, because it's hockey and they still have work to do. It may be their anniversary year and one of them is going to have a chance. But that doesn't mean they win. Be happy about your anniversary year after you win the cup. For now, focus on how you need to get past the team your playing now to even get a chance at it.

3. A Nation United.

The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993. That's 18 years ago. Let's take that into perspective. In 1993, gas was $1.16, the World Trade Centers were bombed for the first time, and the most popular movie was Jurassic Park. Yes, the first one. That was a long time ago. Sure teams have come close with Calgary in 2004, and Edmonton in 2006. But they fell short. Vancouver is the clear cut favorite by many people for the Cup and they have an entire nation backing them up. Talk about a large fanbase.


Players To Watch:

Vancouver: Sedin 1 and Sedin 2.

Talk about duds. The most hyped up players in the regular season enter the postseason and do basically nothing. They are going to need to step up and take charge of this team to send them to the Cup Finals.


San Jose: Patrick Marleau.

2 goals against Los Angeles. 1 POINT alone against Detroit. This guy was the leading scorer in the regular season, just like the Sedin's, and needs to step up. The Sharks will not get far with Marleau struggling.


Prediction: This is the toughest pick all year long so far. Vancouver has outplayed the Sharks in the regular season but that was when the Sedin's were doing well. I don't expect them to do well again in this series. Give me the Sharks in 6 games folks.

Eastern Conference Finals: #3. Boston vs. #5. Tampa Bay

Bruins got revenge last series and did it while dominating the Flyers in 4 while the Lightning also got themselves a sweep except they took out the number 1 seed in the east in Washington. Now these two teams battle off for a place in the Stanley Cup Finals. The last time Tampa Bay wonthe Stanley Cup was in 2004 when they beat the Calgary Flames in 7 games. The last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup was in 1972. They beat the New York Rangers in 6 games. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

1. Goaltending.

Well well well, looks like we have ourselves a battle. Two veteran goalies finally getting a chance to prove himself and both are putting on a clinic. Tim Thomas is 37 and has an 8-3 record while allowing 23 goals past him. He has the second best save percentage and goals allowed average in the NHL right now. Who has number 1? His counterpart, Dwayne Roloson. The 41 year old wants one more shot before he retires. He was the Edmonton Oilers goalie for the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals but was injured in game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He finally is one step away from another shot. He leads the NHL in save percentage and goals allowed as I mentioned earlier and he played a potent Washington Capitals offense and a injured but still strong Pittsburgh offense. The goaltending in these games will be huge. It will make or break this series.

2. Patrice Bergeron.

Bergeron was injured in the series clinching game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers getting hit by Claude Giroux. Giroux's helmet hit Bergeron and the Bruins are saying he has a concussion. Not a big concussion, but a concussion regardless. He has been the powerplay monster for the Bruins and without him their struggling powerplay takes an even worse hit. Here's to hoping Bergeron makes a recovery and can return for the series against Tampa Bay.

3. Sean Bergenheim.

This guy has kind of flew into the spotlight. He spent the regular season playing 80 games and netting 14 goals, ranking 174th among active players. But in this postseason he has played 11 games and has 7 goals which leads the league. If he continues to put goals in the net like that (unlikely with a wall like Thomas between the pipes) he is my pick for the Conn Smythe winner.


Players to watch:

I'm not even going to write anything here. Read key 1 to the series and you'll understand who and why.


Prediction: Tampa Bay has been the hottest team this postseason and they have postseason leaders like Vinny Lecavalier and Martin. St. Louis. That's something the Bruins don't have. Give me the Lightning in 6.

Western Conference Semifinals #1. Vancouver vs. #5. Nashville.

Vancouver almost choked and fell to history as they lost a 3-0 series lead but, fortunately for them, won game 7, while Nashville won their first playoff series in team history. (Also they have Carrie Underwood as a fan.) Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Rest or Rust?

Vancouver played 2 nights ago in a fantastic series win. They are start game 1 tonight against Nashville. Nashville on the other hand had more time to rest. Or did they rust? The question of all questions. Is having more time to rest better? We will find out with how Nashville does.

Number 2: Sedins M.I.A.

Sure games 1, 2, and 3 the Sedins were huge. Then the rest of the series, including the Canucks game 7 win, the Sedins were mediocre at best. The biggest players arguably in the NHL went missing. That is not good at all for Vancouver. They need to find their game or this could be ugly.

Number 3: Shea Weber (and his beard.)

You guys know that Shea Weber's slapshot has it's own Twitter account? Weird right? No. Not weird. His slap shot is incredible. Strikes fear into the hearts of goalies around the NHL. But enough of his slapshot. His defensive talent is incredible. Notice above how I said the Sedin's went missing. Do you want to know why they went missing? They went missing because Chicago played tough, physical defense. Guess what Nashville plays? Tough, physical defense. They keep that up and Vancouver could be in for a lot of trouble.

Players to Watch

Vancouver-Roberto Luongo.

"Luuuuuuuuuu" wasn't to hot for most of the series against Chicago except for game 7. He has had playoff struggles in the past against Chicago so many Canucks fans are hoping that was the only issue. If he struggles against a Nashville team with something to prove, they might not be so lucky to get out of the series alive.


Nashville-Pekka Rinne

He stood on his head in the first series and played very well to shut down Corey Perry and the Ducks. However, despite Vancouver not having Corey Perry they are still more talented offensively. Rinne better be ready for a strong offensive attack or Vancouver will skate circles around him and win easily.

Prediction

Vancouver did not impress me enough to win this series when Nashville has something to prove. UPSET SPECIAL! Nashville in 6.

Eastern Conference Semifinals. #1. Washington vs. #5. Tampa Bay.

Washington did have some close games but stuck it out and won their series. Tampa Bay became the 24th team in NHL history to come back from a 3-1 deficit against Pittsburgh. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Momentum

Tampa Bay played extremely well in games 5, 6, and 7. That comeback must have been huge to help them out. Steven Stamkos got his first playoff goal and got over that hump. If Washington lays back a little, that momentum can carry over and really kill Washington.

Number 2: Ovechkin.

He had a good series which is always good for the Caps. He needs to keep that up. Ovechkin is the leader of this team and there is nothing he wants more then a Stanley Cup. He just needs to get over this hump and he's one step closer. That excitement could not only lead to a Stanley Cup but maybe a Conn Smythe coming Ovi's way.

Number 3: Neuvirth

Michal Neuvirth has never lost a postseason series in his life. If that isn't good for the Caps I don't know what is. He kept that streak alive with the win over the Rangers. Tampa Bay shouldn't be a huge threat so that series should stay alive if he can stand strong.

Players to Watch

Washington-Mike Green (if he plays)

Mike Green missed the rest of the regular season after he took a puck to the face against Pittsburgh. He is a huge defensive help for the Caps and without him their talent ticked down a full notch. Game 5 against the Rangers, Mike Green took a puck to the face. Again. Washington fans have to hope he can play through the pain. He can help this team out dramatically.

Tampa Bay-Dwayne Roloson

How CLUTCH was this guy against Pittsburgh? Game 5, 6, and 7 he was absolutely fantastic for Tampa Bay. The best trade made this season was Dwayne Roloson to Tampa Bay. If he stands on his head like he did against Pittsburgh, don't be surprised if he is on the right end of the handshake line at the end of the series.

Prediction

Like I said Washington had close games and Roloson was fantastic. That's not enough to ignore the fact Washington is much more talented then Tampa Bay. Washington takes it in 5.

Western Conference Semifinals #2. San Jose vs. #3. Detroit.

Sharks were expecting an easy road over a beat up Kings team and didn't get one, while Detroit came out firing against Phoenix. Last year the Sharks eliminated the Wings in the Western Conference Semifinals. Detroit's looking for revenge. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Zetterburg.

Absent in the first series. Not an issue. Coming back this series. GIANT help. With him Detroit is just a better team overall and with how they played last series, that is frightening. Expect him to light the lamp or at least help light the lamp many times.

Number 2: Goaltending.

Jimmy Howard last year and this year during the regular season hasn't been fantastic against the Sharks but was excellent against Phoenix last series. On the opposite side, Niemi was fantastic against the Wings this regular season going 3-0 but struggled during the first series against Los Angeles. It's going to be interesting to see which one of them shows up. Fair warning. If you like defensive games, do not watch this series. With high powered offenses and goalies who have had their share of struggles, these games are going to be high scoring.

Number 3: Overtime.

Detroit better hope they can close out the games during regulation. Sharks had 3 overtime games against Los Angeles. L.A's defense is great. Jonathan Quick is great. And somehow the Sharks won all 3 of those overtime games. They turn it up a notch in overtime and if they can beat Quick, my guess is Howard won't be as tough.

Players to watch: San Jose-Joe Thornton

Some people said Thornton got the "choker" label off his back with his game 6 overtime goal. (In my personal opinion he was never a playoff choker. Just because he didn't produce as many points as people thought doesn't mean he didn't play hard defensively and give his team chances to score.) Well if people still think he is a choker he can make it a little bit better with a good series against Detroit. Like I said above he doesn't need to produce points. He is the captain. Captains help their team get over humps and win games. If he does his job as a captain, he has a good series in my book.

Detroit-Jimmy Howard.

Like I said he's been mediocre against San Jose this year and last years playoffs. He will need to be clutch to stop a high powered offense like the offense of the San Jose Sharks. Detroit will rely heavily on him. There may be a game where for some reason they just can't find the net and that's when Howard will need to step up. If not, this series will be awful for Detroit.

Prediction

San Jose has regular season success against the Wings going 3-1 (3-0 with Niemi as the starting goalie.) Sharks win it in 7.

Eastern Conference Semifinals. #2. Philadelphia vs. #3. Boston.

Two teams coming off of game 7's. Philadelphia got lucky with a poor performance from Miller but what's done is done. Philadelphia and Boston both move on. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1. Goaltending.

Philadelphia has been the story of the playoffs with the goaltending issues. Start with Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky struggled. Move to Boucher. Boucher struggles. Move to Leighton. Leighton struggles. Move BACK to Boucher and they win the series. Goalie questions will not help them win this series let alone a Stanley Cup. On the other side, Tim Thomas. One of the goalies that was considered for the Hart Trophy, along with Montreal goalie Carey Price. If the goalie struggles continue for the Flyers, don't expect the offense to bail them out with Timmy Thomas between the pipes for Boston.

Number 2. History WON'T be repeated.

Everyone remembers last year. Boston up in the series over Philadelphia 3-0 and they blow that. Then in game 7 they go up 3-0 and they blow that and lose. Do NOT expect that to happen again. With an experienced team and a coach that witnessed it last year, if the Bruins get out to an early lead, do not expect them to lay back. They will do whatever it takes to get that precious 4th win.

Number 3. Experience.

Philadelphia has been there. The Stanley Cup Finals. The greatest stage in hockey. The outcome didn't turn out the way they wanted it to, but they will do anything to get back. They have the experience. They know what it takes to not only get to the Cup Final but to get past Boston. Expect the veterans from last years team to step up and give them key help on how to take down Boston.



Players to watch.

Philadelphia: Mike Richards.

The love for the captains is back! They need to be solid for their team to win. Bad captain=not getting anywhere. Mike Richards was physical in the first series against Buffalo. That's great for the Flyers. When Mike is physical the team gets excited. He doesn't even need to produce goals. The Flyers have the players to do that. All Richards needs to do is play physical get the puck back defensively and the Flyers will have a chance to win.

Boston: Tim Thomas

There is one big way to win any game. Keep. The. Puck. Out. Of. The. Net. Tim Thomas is the guy that will make Boston win this series. Like I said the Flyers have great offensive players but it doesn't matter. Tim Thomas makes incredible saves that seem impossible and he will be fantastic all series. Count on it.

Prediction.

Flyers goalie issues too much to move on. Boston wins it in 6.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: #1. Vancouver vs. #8. Chicago.

The defending cup champions, who barely made the postseason this year, will try to take down the President's Trophy winner for the 3rd straight year (San Jose in 2009 and Washington in 2010). Here are my top 3 things to watch.

Number 1. Goaltending.

Roberto Luongo is a fantastic goaltender and won the gold medal in Vancouver for Canada in last years Winter Olympics but people are saying that Luongo will become the next Nabokov if he can't get Vancouver a cup. I personally don't think so but one persons opinion doesn't matter. Then again neither do other people's. But if Luongo can't bring that cup home he will have a rough going by fans and analysts to get that playoff monkey off his back. Then there's the other side of the rink where Chicago throws in young netminder Corey Crawford. You might think throwing in a young rookie goaltender is a terrible idea and will not work against Vancouver's potent offense. But the last time Chicago threw in a young, inexperienced goalie was last year with Antti Niemi. They won the cup.

Number 2. The Swedes.

Daniel and Henrik have played hockey together their entire life. That is a ridiculous amount of chemistry for Vancouver. Daniel Sedin being this years leading scorer and Henrik being last years. Their passing and smart plays will make Corey Crawford miserable in the net.

Number 3. The Star First Line.

Chicago has easily one of the best lines in hockey with Toews, Kane, and Sharp. Toews being the leader and great playmaker and Kane and Sharp being the snipers. If they can keep up their season dominance they can really contend with the Sedins on being the best players out there.

Players to watch. Vancouver: Ryan Kesler.

Surprising I know that I didn't pick a Sedin but honestly Ryan Kesler has been huge for Vancouver. He is a great goal scorer and he also plays the powerplay and the penalty kill for Vancouver. He does it all. His health and stamina out there will be huge.

Chicago: Jonathan Toews.

Toews was the Conn Smythe winner last year and racked up points for Chicago on their way to the cup. If he plays like that again they can pull a big upset like the past two years.


Prediction: Despite Chicago's experience and great first line of Toews, Kane, and Sharp, they just haven't done enough to impress me over Vancouver. Vancouver in 6.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: #1. Washington vs. #8 New York Rangers

Washington needs to get over the big loss to Montreal last year and everyone knows Alex Ovechkin wants that Stanley Cup. But they haven't had great success in the postseason and now they need to play hard to get that monkey off their back. Here are my top 3 things to look for the series.

Number 1: Alex Ovechkin

The Washington captain needs to produce which is something he has struggled to do in postseason games and in this one he has to produce or the series will be awfully tough and mighty embarrassing for Washington. I don't see him having a big issue but he very well could against a great goalie like Henrik Lundqvist.

Number 2: Ryan Callahan

Well one of the best players, if not the best, on the New York Rangers is out of the postseason. That is a huge blow for New York and could really hurt them in this series. If they fail to get play well without him it will be a cakewalk for Washington.

Number 3: No More Shootouts.

The New York Rangers have a lot of shootout victories which is obvious when you have a goalie like Henrik Lundqvist. He is a monster in shootouts. But this is the postseason and in the postseason there are no shootouts. If you don't get it settled in one overtime, you go to another, and another, and so on. That means the Rangers won't get easy wins thanks to Lundqvist's excellent netminding.

Players to watch: Washington: Alex Ovechkin

Can he finally get his team a Stanley Cup? Well it starts here in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. If he produces and puts up good points this series it could be the motivation he needs to get his team a Stanely Cup.

New York: Henrik Lundqvist

His team is highly outmatched all around against this great Washington team. If Lundqvist stands on his head, the Rangers can beat the Caps in a few games and get momentum to win the whole series like Montreal did last year against Washington.

Prediction: Lundqvist puts up good numbers in a few games, but his team doesn't get him the goal support he needs. Capitals in 5.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: #2 San Jose vs. #7 Lose Angeles.

California matchup. Sharks fans hate the Kings and Kings fans hate the Sharks. That enough makes this one of the most intriguing matchups of the playoffs. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Sharks Playoff Disappointments.

Every hockey fan goes through this every year. San Jose puts up fantastic numbers in the regular season and then fails miserably in the playoffs. This could be the year they get over that hump with the goalie that knocked them out of last years playoffs in Antti Niemi between the pipes.

Number 2: Kopitar M.I.A.

Anze Kopitar is the star of the Los Angeles Kings. Big problem is he is out with an injury. Los Angeles better figure out a way to get by without him because if they can't I don't see this getting past 4.

Number 3: Antti Niemi.

BIG question heading into this postseason for me is "Why was Antti Niemi so good in the playoffs last year?" This year we are going to find out if it was him or if it was the Chicago Blackhawks defense. The Sharks defense is nowhere near the talent of last years Chicago defense. Should be interesting to see how Niemi handles the playoffs with a less impressive defense.

Players to watch: San Jose: Joe Thornton

The new San Jose captain has been known to struggle in the postseason. Last year Joe "Little Joe" Pavelski was more impressive then Joe "Jumbo Joe" Thornton. Joe Thornton needs to have a big series. When players see the captain doing well, they strive to do well.

Los Angeles: Jonathan Quick

The Sharks have one of the most potent offenses in all of the NHL. If they do what they have done all season and average 35 shots a gme, Quick is going to have to be huge for the Kings. If he was one bad game like he did at the end of the season against San Jose, don't be surprised if the Sharks rout them again.

Prediction: Sharks offense will put up goals and L.A. will struggle to keep up without Kopitar and the poor production of Penner. Sharks in 5.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: #2. Philadelphia vs. #7. Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo charged into the postseason thanks to the stellar play by their backup goalie Jhonas Enroth. Meanwhile, Philadelphia limped into the playoffs losing 5 straight games. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: The Struggles

Philadelphia has a very good roster but as I said above they really struggled late in the season. If they continue the struggles, they won't last very long in this postseason.

Number 2: Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller missed late in the season while they were barely hanging on to a playoff birth. After his injury, they really hit their stride and flew into the playoffs. That can't be good for Miller's confidence. Knowing that his team did better with him not there. If he can overcome that and not worry about the pressure then the Sabres can in fact take down the mighty Flyers (although they don't look so mighty at the moment).

Number 3: BOBROVSKY!

Sergei BOBROVSKY!! can be the reason the Flyers win the cup. He can be that goalie that finally gets Philadelphia a cup. Leighton got them there last year and Bobrovsky took over his position this year. The Flyers organization obviously has him set to be the goalie that brings home Lord Stanley's Cup.

Players to watch

Philadelphia: Mike Richards. The player that almost won the Conn Smythe needs to put up those numbers again to get the Flyers out of their slump. He is the captain. Captains pick up their team when they are down. If he does his job properly the Flyers can get out of this series alive.

Buffalo: Ryan Miller/Jhonas Enroth. The reason I have 2 here is because I believe Buffalo will not settle for Miller if he struggles. They saw Enroth's talent late in the year if Miller struggles they will put in Enroth with no problem.

Prediction: Flyers struggles are too much to overcome. They chose a bad time to get cold. Sabres pull the upset in 7.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: #3. Detroit vs. #6. Phoenix.

Detroit's shaky goaltending has been an issue all year with young Jimmy Howard at the reigns and Phoenix has been the surprise the past two years being a team that doesn't even have an owner to get into the playoffs. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Henrik Zetterburg Out

With Zetterburg out, the Red Wings will struggle to win game 1. They struggled to beat San Jose last year and in game 4 Zetterburg was the single reason they won. If he's out, they may not win game 1. If he's out longer, Detroit could really struggle in this series.


Number 2: Goaltending.

Ilya Bryzgalov is a huge help for the Coyote's chances and taking down Detroit with his excellent play this season being a top goalie. On the other side a young struggling goalie in Jimmy Howard goes between the pipes. If he struggles, it won't help anyway. Chris Osgood, the veteran backup, is still recovering from his sports hernia and will not be available. Grand Rapids Griffins goalie (the Detroit Red Wings AHL affiliate) Joey MacDonald will be the backup goalie.


Number 3: Last Year

Last year, the Coyotes and Red Wings went 7 games which was a huge shock. A team who had been to two Stanley Cup finals couldn't put away a young inexperienced team in less then 7 games. Now the Coyotes have that experience which can really hurt Detroit. They might not be able to survive this year.

Players to watch: Detroit: Jimmy Howard. Detroit will be Detroit. The offense will succeed. The defense will succeed. It all depends on Jimmy Howard. He can not give up juicy rebounds or easy goals. He also can't give up terrible goals like the one against Logan Couture last year. If he struggles, there is no question on who wins.

Phoenix: Ed Jovanovski. Coming back from an injury, this guy is a huge help defensively for the Coyotes. His veteran status gives the Coyotes experience to win this series and to shut down Detroit's offense.

Prediction: Phoenix has experience now and that will be the difference. This time Phoenix wins game 7.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal: #3. Boston vs. #6. Montreal

Two original 6 teams meeting in the playoffs is always interesting. When they have as much history as Boston and Montreal do, it makes it exhilarating. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Goaltending.

Two of the best in the NHL go head to head. Expect this series to be low scoring when Tim Thomas (Boston) and Carey Price (Montreal) go between the pipes. They were both so good that there was talk they would win the Hart trophy as MVP of the league. If both goalies play their best and I expect they will, this series will be incredibly low scoring.

Number 2: The Pacioretty Effect.

Everyone has seen the injury that sidelines Max Pacioretty for the season with a broken neck after the brutal hit by Zdeno Chara. Every Canadians fan hates Chara for doing that and, because Chara is a Bruin, they also hate the Bruins. The fans in Montreal will be louder then ever when Boston comes to town for games 3 and 4. Also, don't be surprised to see the Montreal players laying in some big hits when they get the chance.

Number 3: The Pacioretty Effect Aftermath.

After the Pacioretty injury, the Canadians played the Bruins with the look for revenge on the Boston Bruins by hitting them hard and shutting them down and scoring all over them to slap them right back in the face. They failed. Boston lit up Montreal 7-0 in the rematch. It was an even bigger slap in the face and without a doubt made Montreal mad. To most Montreal players in fans, this series would be the second most important series to them if they went all the way number one being the Stanley Cup finals. They want to destroy Boston. This could help or hurt them depending on how they use the anger.

Players to watch: Boston: Tim Thomas. Tim Thomas has been stellar this year. He's been the main man. Earlier in the season the Bruins wanted Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas to battle it out for the main goalie spot. Thomas won in a landslide. He has been huge for Boston this year and it's obvious his play determines how Boston will play.

Montreal: Brian Gionta. The captain needs to play well. Captains are the most important players on the ice. When their team is down, the pick them up and bring them back like Richards did against Boston not only when they were down 3-0 in the series but when they were down 3-0 in game 7. Gionta needs to produce points and help out his teammates for them to be successful.

Prediction: Montreal may be mad, but it won't matter at all. Boston in 5.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: #4 Anaheim vs. #5 Nashville.

Anaheim has been one of the hottest teams lately and Nashville was just one of those teams that when you look at their roster, you think there is no way that team would make the playoffs. Once again, they silence doubters. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Corey Perry.

When someone scores 50 goals, you know you have an advantage. If he puts up goals like that, then his teammates will do what they've done at the end of the season and produce points and help them out. The Ducks automatically have an advantage there.

Number 2: Pekka Rinne.

If Lee Corson covered hockey, he would say "not so fast my friend!" to that last statement. But he doesn't. So I will have to do the honors. Not so fast my friend! Perry has been a monster and has been scoring goals but Pekka Rinne is the most underrated goalie in the NHL. The man is a monster between the pipes. Perry may have netted 50 goals, but it will not be easy against an underrated talent like Rinne. Expect Rinne to be huge.

Number 3: Teemu Selanne.

Do not be surprised if he produces points. Selanne is old now. This could be his last run for a Stanley Cup and he wants to help out his team has much as possible. With him, the Ducks are better. But when he is playing like it's the last he will ever play in the NHL, the Ducks could be unstoppable. Selanne is a great talent and I'm thrilled to see how he does in the playoffs.

Players to watch: Anaheim: Corey Perry.

The guy scored 50 goals. Enough said right there.

Nashville: Shea Webber.

If you haven't noticed, I do have a big thing for captains. He is the captain of Nashville and is a huge defensive talent for Nashville and if he produces with the defensive talent and the leadership this underdog team can win this series.

Prediction: Nashville keeps on rolling my friends. They win in 7.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal: #4. Pittsburgh vs. #5. Tampa Bay

Pittsburgh surprisingly succeeded without Crosby or Malkin or half their team for part of the season. Injuries really plagued this group of players. Tampa Bay was on top of the southeast division but surprisingly cooled off. Well they either cooled off or stayed the same while Washington burst into flames to take over the division lead. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Steven Stamkos

Stamkos had a fantastic first two seasons in the NHL. But this is his first postseason. Who knows how he will be under the pressure. Luckily some of the spotlight will be off of him and be on players like Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. But the pressure will still be on the young gun. Against a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in Marc-Andre Fluery, it will be tough to get off to a good start.

Number 2: Sidney Crosby

Well, no big surprise here. Sidney Crosby is a top story of the series. Word is he will be back halfway through. If that is true then I feel bad for Lightning fans. Pittsburgh is an entirely different team with Sidney Crosby. They are cup contenders.

Number 3: The Penguins other players.

I know it's shocking but they do have other players besides Crosby! And if Crosby doesn't come back they will have to step it up. They did a good job doing that in the regular season and they can do it now. But this is the playoffs. It could be harder.

Players to watch. Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby.

Obviously this has to be Crosby. Without him this team is not a cup contender. If Pittsburgh wants their 2nd cup in 3 years and start a new dynasty they need Crosby.

Tampa Bay: Martin St. Louis.

Yes Stamkos scored a lot but St. Louis has been an all around player. He can make or break a series depending on his play. And don't expect him to struggle. He has a cup. He understands the pressure and he will handle it with great success.

Prediction: Pittsburgh gets Crosby back and is too strong for Tampa. Pittsburgh in 6.