It doesn’t matter how they did it, but our Hawks barely made it into the playoffs to defend the Stanley Cup playoffs starting this week. And as has been the tradition here on the blog, it’s time to share our picks for the first round.

For a special treat, Christian gets his first chance at picking the winners with his mama and papa. After a heavy dose of the NHL Network over the past month, he’s more than ready!

The East

#1 Washington vs. #8 New York Rangers – The Picks:

• Kris: Washington
• Cindy: New York
• Christian: Washington

#2 Philadelphia vs. #7 Buffalo – The Picks:

• Kris: Philadelphia
• Cindy: Philadelphia
• Christian: Philadelphia

#3 Boston vs. #6 Montreal – The Picks:

• Kris: Boston
• Cindy: Montreal
• Christian: Montreal

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Tampa Bay – The Picks:

• Kris: Tampa Bay
• Cindy: Tampa Bay
• Christian: Tampa Bay

The West

#1 Vancouver vs. #8 Chicago – The Picks:

• Kris: Vancouver
• Cindy: Chicago
• Christian: Chicago

#2 San Jose vs. #7 Los Angeles – The Picks:

• Kris: San Jose
• Cindy: Los Angeles
• Christian: San Jose

#3 Detroit vs. #6 Phoenix – The Picks:

• Kris: Detroit
• Cindy: Phoenix
• Christian: Phoenix

#4 Anaheim vs. #5 Nashville – The Picks:

• Kris: Anaheim
• Cindy: Nashville
• Christian: Anaheim

This season’s matches are all pretty tight, so there’s going to be a lot of exciting hockey to keep track of. While it remains to be seen if our Hawks will be able to successfully defend their title passed the first round, but one thing’s for sure, the next 2 months of hockey are going to be great!

– Kris