(1) vs. (8) 
Season matchup: 4-0-0 BOS
@ Bos 5-3 Bruins
@ Wpg 5-2 Bruins
@ Bos 5-3 Bruins
@ Wpg 5-2 Bruins
Comment: The Bruins finished with 134 points to Winnipeg's 75. The league-run Jets are true underdogs for this one, not having won a single game in the regular season series.
Goalie matchup: Brian Elliott (Bos) vs. Craig Anderson (Wpg)
Elliott 56 GP, 1.85 GAA and a .932 Sv%
Anderson 70 GP, 2.98 GAA and a .908 Sv%
Comment: A clear edge to Elliott who was solid all season long. Anderson will have to play at his very best and steal a couple of games for his club.
(2) vs. (7)
Season matchup: 1-1-2 TIED
@ Fla 3-3 Tie
@ Nyi 4-2 Islanders
@ Nyi 3-3 Tie
@ Fla 3-1 Panthers
Comment: A very even matchup, even though Florida had 114 points to the Islanders 78. But that doesn't mean a whole lot when it comes to the playoffs.
Goalie matchup: Corey Schneider (Fla) vs. Cam Ward (Nyi)
Schneider 50 GP, 1.98 GAA and a .932 Sv%
Ward 69 GP, 3.07 and a .905 Sv%
Comment: If the series comes down to goaltending, Schneider will probably be victorious as he enjoyed a very good regular season and ranked among the best in GAA and Sv%.
(3) vs. (6)
Season matchup: 3-2-1 PIT
@ Phi 3-2 OT Flyers
@ Pit 3-2 Penguins
@ Pit 3-3 Tie
@ Pit 5-1 Penguins
@ Phi 4-3 OT Penguins
@ Phi 6-2 Flyers
Comment: Only two games weren't close, but neither was won by the same club. This should be a close series between two rivals. The Penguins had 97 points to the Flyers' 81, which sounds a lot, but this can really go either way.
Goalie matchup: Jonas Hiller (Pit) vs. Mike Smith (Phi)
Hiller 71 GP, 2.37 GAA and a .902 Sv%
Smith 70 GP, 2.80 GAA and a .918 Sv%
Comment: If there's something the Flyers can rely on, it's Mike Smith. He can very well be the deciding factor in this series. Hiller needs to step up for the Penguins and play well.
(4) vs. (5)
Season matchup: 4-2-0 MTL
@ Buf 4-2 Canadiens
@ Mtl 2-1 Sabres
@ Buf 4-3 Canadiens
@ Mtl 4-2 Canadiens
@ Buf 3-1 Canadiens
@ Mtl 4-1 Sabres
Comment: Montreal had a terrific season and ended up with 113 points to Buffalo's 85. But the season series was a pretty close affair. Buffalo were able to win two games in Montreal, but on the other hand, Montreal won all three in Buffalo...
Goalie matchup: Jimmy Howard (Mtl) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (Buf)
Howard 70 GP, 2.56 GAA and a .904 Sv%
Fleury 70 GP, 2.43 GAA and a .907 Sv%
Comment: A bit of a surprise to see the stats for Himmy Howard. On such a good team, you'd think he'd have better stats. But he's got a better chance than Fleury to put up top numbers in the playoffs, so watch out.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) vs. (8)
Season matcup: 5-0-1 SJS
@ Dal 3-2 Sharks
@ Sjs 2-1 Sharks
@ Dal 3-2 Sharks
@ Sjs 3-2 OT Sharks
@ Dal 3-3 Tie
@ Sjs 3-1 Sharks
Comment: Even though San Jose dominated the series with five wins and no losses, all six games were close and pretty low scoring affairs. Dallas will have a tough time, but they should at least feel they've got a chance to make a series out of it. The Sharks had an impressive 123 points to Dallas' 85.
Goalie matchup: Henrik Lundqvist (Sjs) vs. Pekka Rinne (Dal)
Lundqvist 65 GP, 1.87 GAA and a .935 Sv%
Rinne 73 GP, 2.77 GAA and a .914 Sv%
Comment: There's no question this will be a goalie battle that will have to be won by Rinne in order for the Stars to have a slight chance at an upset. But Lundqvist was probably the best goalie in the regular season (best Sv%) so this feels like his series.
(2) vs. (7)
Season matchup: 3-0-1 CBJ
@ Col 7-1 Blue Jackets
@ Col 5-5 Tie
@ Cbj 7-6 OT Blue Jackets
@ Cbj 6-2 Blue Jackets
Comment: High scoring affairs and we can expect the same in the playoffs. Both teams have a lot of fire-power with Colorado having the #1 (Eberle), #2 (Lupul) and #5 (Krejci) point producers in the regular season. Looks as if Columbus should have an edge after their impressive offensive output in the four games between the clubs. The Blue Jackets had 109 points to Colorado's 94.
Goalie matchup: Curtis Sanford (Cbj) vs. Semyon Varlamov (Col)
Sanford 30 GP, 1.83 GAA and a .924 Sv%
Varlamov 70 GP, 3.67 GAA and a .886 Sv%
Comment: Well, a pretty loopsided matchup it would seem. Sanford had impressive numbers, although he was limited to just 30 games. Varlamov on the other hand will have to do a whole lot better as his numbers were just terrible, not just in the season series, but during the whole season.
(3) vs. (6)
Season matchup: 3-1-0 CGY
@ Nas 3-2 Predators
@ Cgy 6-3 Flames
@ Nas 3-2 Flames
@ Cgy 4-2 Flames
Comment: This could be a pretty close affair as Calgary had 106 points to Nashville's 98, which isn't a whole lot of a difference. With the Flames winning the last three games of the season series, they should feel comfortable heading into this series. But the Predators might be in a good spot to cause an upset.
Goalie matchup: Evgeni Nabokov (Cgy) vs. Jonathan Quick (Nas)
Nabokov 50 GP, 2.82 GAA and a .916 Sv%
Quick 71 GP, 2.35 GAA and a .923 Sv%
Comment: It's pretty easy to figure out that if Quick can (and should) outplay Nabokov, this could turn out to be a winnable series for the Predators. But the Flames have been able to find a way past Quick during the regular season so it'll be interesting to see if it continues or if Quick steps up in the playoffs.
(4) vs. (5)
Season matchup: 3-1-0 VAN
@ Stl 4-0 Blues
@ Van 5-2 Canucks
@ Stl 5-2 Canucks
@ Van 6-2 Canucks
Comment: Well, well, this should be very interesting. Who's the favorite and who's the underdog in this one? The Blues edged the Canucks in points with 101 to 98, but that's close. The more interesting part is probably the season series which went in favor of the Canucks. But this one can really go either way and is a perfect example of a #4 vs. #5 battle.
Goalie matchup: Mikka Kiprusoff (Stl) vs. Tim Thomas (Van)
Kiprusoff 70 GP, 2.65 GAA and a .910 Sv%
Thomas 70 GP, 2.82 GAA and a .912 Sv%
Comment: A very even matchup here as well looking at the stats from the regular season. With neither goalie having a visible edge over his counterpart, this battle should be as interesting as the rest of the series. No way one could pick a winner...
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