The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to get underway on Tuesday.  This means you still have a day to get in your series winner bets before they get underway.  Below I have given each of my 8 picks, with 1 to 3 stars attached to each one.  I’ve also included the sportsbook where you can currently get the best odds, but these will change so I suggest checking the bookies for yourself.

Eastern Conference

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (8) New York Islanders

The Penguins are simply too good.  They might not get Crosby back for this entire series, but it shouldn’t matter.  The Islanders are inexperienced when it comes to the playoffs and they will likely be overwhelmed by the Pens.  I like the odds for the Penguins in this one.

**Play: Penguins -333 (888Sport.com)

(2) Montreal Canadiens vs (7) Ottawa Senators

The Habs and Sens will play a playoff series for the first time since the Senators joined the league again in the early 1990’s.  The Habs had some trouble down the stretch, but they finished the season off strong with 2 big road wins over the Jets and Maple Leafs.  The Habs have to hope that they can keep this momentum going against a Senators team that seems to be playing fairly well and just got their best player back from injury in Karlsson.  I think this series will be a battle that could really go either way, but I don’t give the Habs any edge whatsover.  For that reason I like the Senators as underdogs in this one.

**Play: Senators +150 (888Sport.com)

(3) Washington Capitals vs (6) New York Rangers

The Caps were a ridiculous 11-1-1 in their last 13 games with their only 2 losses in that span coming against the Ottawa Senators.  They are firing on all cylinders, but they come up against a Rangers team that has all the potential in the world.  The Rangers added Nash and were the favourites to win the Cup before the season began, but they qualified for the playoffs in 6th position.  I see this series also going either way and would probably stay away from it, but I’m leaning towards the Rangers based on the odds.

*Play: Rangers +102 (PinnacleSports.com)

(4) Boston Bruins vs (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Bruins didn’t finish the season very strong and this dropped them down to 4th position in the Eastern Conference and a first round matchup with the Maple Leafs.  They might be feeling ok about finishing the season with only 2 wins in their last 9 games though as Toronto is likely an easier out than their other potential opponents would have been.  The Bruins are the superior team in this series, but these could be very tight games.  That said the Bruins should be able to use their playoff experience to come out on the right side of these and eventually win the series.

***Play: Boston Bruins -200 (888Sport.com)

Western Conference

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (8) Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild were able to get a win on Saturday and hold on to the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, albeit just barely.  Being in 8th though has them up against the Chicago Blackhawks who have looked unstoppable at points this season on their way to the Presidents Trophy for the best regular season record.  The Blackhawks have too much firepower this year and their goaltending problems seem to be solved.  I like the Blackhawks to win this series handily.

***Play: Blackhawks -300 (888Sport.com)

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs (7) Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings had to win 4 straight games to make the playoffs and they did just that.  Now they will look to continue to get wins and avoid a let down when they take on the Ducks.  Anaheim was dominant early in the season, but they did slow down of late and have actually been about a .500 team for the second half of this shortened season.  I like the Red Wings in this one because I simply don’t believe in the Ducks this year.

**Play: Red Wings +130 (SportsInteraction.com)

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs (6) San Jose Sharks

The Sharks and Canucks are both peaking at the right time and the winner of this series could do some serious damage in the Western Conference.  I think the Sharks made some great moves at the deadline just getting rid of some of their slower players in Douglas Murray, Clowe and Handzus.  The Sharks are a strong defensive team, but they do have forwards that can score with the likes of the Sedins (Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, Couture and Havlat for example).  I think the Sharks will be eager to show that they can dominate a playoff series against the Canucks, who beat them in the Conference Finals 2 years ago.

*Play: Sharks +123 (PinnacleSports.com)

(4) Los Angeles Kings vs (5) St Louis Blues

The Kings are the defending champs and they seem to have the Blues number over this season and the last.  I expect this to continue into the playoffs and the Kings will become the road warriors that earned them Stanleys Cup last year.  They just have slightly better pieces at the important positions and I think this will be the difference.

***Play: Kings -105 (PinnacleSports.com)

Tagged with: Anaheim Ducks • Boston Bruins • Chicago Blackhawks • Detroit Red Wings • Los Angeles Kings • Minnesota Wild • Montreal Canadiens • New York Islanders • New York Rangers • Ottawa Senators • pittsburgh penguins • playoffs • San Jose Sharks • St. Louis Blues • Stanley Cup • Vancouver Canucks • Washington Capitals