As Cindy and I practically live and breathe hockey here in Chicago, we’re primed and ready for the NHL playoffs that started this week.

In the past we had posted our picks at the start of each round, and now that I’m starting to get the blog going again, here they are:

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington vs. #8 Montreal

I’m thinking Washington will pretty much overpower Montreal, but Cindy’s not a big Ovi fan.  Of all 8 matchups in Round 1, this surprisingly is the only one we don’t agree on.

#2 New Jersey vs. #7 Philadelphia

We both pegged NJ to win this series, although we caught some of Game 1 last night and was impressed with how the Flyers came to play.  They’re currently up 1-0 in the series.

#3 Buffalo vs. #6 Boston

Maybe it’s just routing for an Original Six team (that’s not from Detroit), a previous admiration for the now struggling Tim Thomas, or sympathy for Marc Savard sidelined with a grade 2 concussion, we’re both pulling for the Bruins here.

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Ottawa

You can’t go wrong with the defending champs, right?  Again, unless they’re from Detroit. ;)  Although Fluery was pretty flakey last night in the series opener, we still think the Pens can turn things around by the first road game.  By the way, it was good to see former Hawks 4th liner Craig Adams put one in during the rally attempt.

Western Conference

#1 San Jose vs. #8 Colorado

Normally we’re cheering for the underdog in the spot, but I think the real Cinderella story is going to be the ‘Yotes.  So Cindy and I are both picking SJ over Colorado – a choice that proved wrong last night. Oh well.

#2 Chicago vs. #7 Nashville

Duh!

#3 Vancouver vs. #6 Los Angeles

Vancouver is high on our hate list right behind Detroit, so we’re pulling for the Kings here.  Sure, it was nice to ruffle their feathers last year and bring Luongo to tears, but I won’t lose any sleep if we get to Round 2 and the Canucks are playing golf already.

#4 Phoenix vs. #5 Detroit

In case you hadn’t picked up on it by now, we’re not Red Wings fans. ‘Nuf said.

We do think the whole Phoenix turnaround this season has been pretty remarkable, and we’ll see how far they go. It almost reminds me of the brief rush that the Tampa Bay Lighting had the year they won the cup – and then proceeded to fade back into unimportant Florida-non-collegiate-sport territory. Let’s hope the Coyotes can hang in there a little longer than that.

Your Picks

Well, now you have our take on it – agreeing on 7 out of 8 series this time around. Not bad for an ol’ married couple, eh? :P

Let us know who you’re cheering for and if you think any of our choices are totally bogus.

– Kris