Tim Williams - AccuScore Analyst
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Series Analysis: To say that this series has been one sided is an understatement. The Canadiens are 8-0 against the Bruins this season, with Montreal outscoring Boston 39-16. Montreal has won 11 in a row against Boston, dating back to last season. As if the season record wasn’t enough, in their final meeting of the season, Montreal’s Steve Begin took out the Bruins’ top scorer Marc Savard with a cross check, forcing Savard to miss the remainder of the regular season.

Key for Montreal: The Canadiens have several key players, such as Alexei Kovalev and rookie goalie Carey Price, but the player who has given Boston the most trouble is Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn has recorded five goals and six assists against the Bruins this season, making him a key factor in Montreal’s dominance this season. Kostitsyn, Kovalev, and Tomas Plekanec together on the top line will be hard for the Bruins to handle.

AccuScore Projections: Montreal is winning the series in 64 percent of simulations. AccuScore projects the Canadiens to win in six games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs Ottawa Senators (7)

Series Analysis: The Senators won the season series, but the playoffs could be a different story. Pittsburgh has been plagued by injuries to top players such as Sidney Crosby, Gary Roberts, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins are finally healthy entering the series, and have added Marian Hossa to Sidney Crosby’s line. Ottawa, on the other hand, will be without Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher for this series, and finished off the season with a 3-6-1 slump.

Key for Pittsburgh: The Penguins are loaded with talent on offense, but the key to victory will be the performance of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury has only played once against the Senators this season, and the performance was an ugly one. Fleury gave up two goals on four shots at the start of the season. However, Fleury has been on fire since returning from his injury, posting a 10-2-1 record with a .947 save percentage.

Key for Ottawa: The Senators will be without two of their top five point scorers for this series, and will need someone to step up and fill the void. Antoine Vermette has been that person over the last ten games, scoring seven goals during that stretch. This is a huge step up from when Vermette scored 17 goals in his previous 71 games. Ottawa will need Vermette to keep up this recent pace in order to match the scoring attack that Crosby and Malkin will bring for the Penguins.

AccuScore Projections: Pittsburgh is winning the series in 60.1 percent of simulations. AccuScore projects the Penguins to win in six games.

Washington Capitals (3) vs Philadelphia Flyers (6)

Series Analysis: Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winning seven straight games and 15 of their last 19 games since February 26th to win the Southeast division. The Flyers and Capitals split their four game series this season, but haven’t played since February 6th. The two teams have combined for 29 goals in their four meetings, although Washington’s addition of Cristobal Huet in goal will give them a strong edge in this series. Since joining the Capitals, Huet has gone 11-2 with a .936 save percentage. This is a big upgrade over Olaf Kolzig, who allowed 13 goals in the four games against the Flyers this season.

Key for Washington: The Capitals will need more than Huet in net and star forward Alexander Ovechkin on offense. Brooks Laich has stepped up during Washington’s improbable streak, recording a point in 12 out of 19 games since the 26th. During that stretch Laich has 10 goals, which is second most on the Capitals to Ovechkin. Washington will need this type of performance to continue from Laich in the playoffs.

Key for Philadelphia: Martin Biron has struggled against the Capitals this season, allowing 12 goals in three games with a .872 save percentage. This was all before Washington went on their hot streak, and during the time when Olaf Kolzig was allowing a good number of goals to give the Flyers a chance. With Washington’s upgrade to Huet, Biron will need to step up his game to keep Philadelphia in this series.

AccuScore Projections: Washington is winning the series in 61.5 percent of simulations. AccuScore projects the Capitals to win in six games.

New Jersey Devils (4) vs New York Rangers (5)

Series Analysis: This series looks one sided, with the Rangers winning seven out of eight games against the Devils this season. However, the two teams have gone to overtime four times, and five of the eight games have been decided by a goal. These two teams met in the playoffs in the 2005-06 season, which saw the Devils sweeping the Rangers 4-0. This series expects to be closer, and will be heavily decided by which goalie performs better in the playoffs. Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist only has experience in the 05-06 playoffs, in which he allowed 13 goals in three games. Martin Brodeur is one of the best playoff goalies, with a 1.89 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 153 career playoff games. The experience factor that Brodeur has over Lundqvist will give the Devils an edge in addition to home ice advantage.

Key for New Jersey: While Brodeur has a spectacular playoff history, he is getting older and will need help from his offense. No Devils player has scored more than three points this season against the Rangers, which has been a major contribution to the 1-7 season record. Brian Gionta has been the top point scorer for the Devils down the stretch, and will need to help out Zach Parise and Patrick Elias to give Brodeur some support in this series.

Key for New York: Nigel Dawes has four goals in seven games against Brodeur this season, which is tied for the Rangers’ lead. Martin Straka has stepped up his production in the final months of the season, recording nine points in the final ten games of the season. The Rangers will need players like Dawes and Straka to help break down Brodeur.

AccuScore Projections: New Jersey is winning the series in 52.7 percent of simulations. AccuScore projects the Devils to win in seven games.