The marathon to the Stanley cup begins Tuesday with some powerhouse clashes, Cinderella possibilities and a couple teams that are just happy to be there. Let’s have a look at the first round match-ups and see if there are some good betting opportunities or some series that you might want to avoid.

Sharks-Ducks
This will be the first time since the 1969 epic battle between the LA Kings and the now defunct California Seals where two California teams have faced off in the NHL playoffs. That series went seven and so should this one. The 2007 champion Ducks are playoff savvy and they proven they know how to win when it counts.

The San Jose Sharks are the Presidents Trophy winner but have failed time and time again to get over the playoff hump. The Sharks added 7 players with rings this season and the name that standout the most on the list is Claude Lemieux, as much as I hate the guy he has been through the wars and knows what needs to be done to win. He won’t provide much support on the ice but the experience he brings could push the Sharks over the top.

The 2007 champion Ducks are playoff savvy and they proven they know how to win when it counts. The Ducks haven’t been themselves this season but they still have the key players from there run 2 years ago. If there will be an 8 vs. 1 upset this year the Anaheim are the team to do it.

This series could be decided by a single bounce of the puck, the added veterans to the Sharks lineup should ensure the bounce goes there way.

Rory says “San Jose in 7 games.”
Wings-Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have never been to the playoffs before and the Wings have been there A LOT. Last years Champion should make short work of the happy to be there Blue Jackets.

Detroit should be thankful they have an easier first round matchup because the rest of the rest of the way through the Western Conference will be a war. If you are a looking for any controversy for the Wings if could be who starts in goal but after his stellar playoffs last season and his history of winning Osgood should be the go to guy over Conklin.

Columbus will get some playoff experience and maybe a win or two but Nash, Mason and Co. will be playing golf looking to improve next year quicker than the rest. If you are a Columbus fan and you need a reason to believe, the season series between the two was tied 3-3. But that was the regular season and we are talking about playoffs.
Detroit will in this series in a dominant fashion and then wait for their next opponents.

Rory says “Detroit in 5 games.”

Canucks-Blues

What happens when the two hottest teams in the NHL meet in the first round? A good team goes home too early. This series should go Vancouver’s way but the Blues who lost an incredible 461 man games to injury weren’t supposed to be in this position and could continue to defy the odds.

Vancouver has goaltending, Roberto Luongo missed 24 games this season yet he was still able to set the franchise record with 9 shutouts in a season. They have scoring, since the acquisition of Mats Sundin in midseason the Canucks have rolled two scoring lines that could be labeled 1 and 1a. If you put your checkers on the number 1 line featuring the Sedin twins, it leaves Sundin and Pavol Demitra to do the damage.

The Blues have overcome losing a ton of players for a ton of games this season and as any Canuck fan will tell you, they always play Vancouver tough. A good friend of mine from Vancouver left a message on his Facebook Saturday night “Anyone but the Blues…” he didn’t get his wish. They will lean on Chris Mason to help them slowdown the Canucks two-pronged attack.

The Blues could continue there Cinderella season but won’t. Even if Mason can match Luongo’s performance, the Blues don’t have the firepower to keep up with the Canucks over 7 games.

Rory says “Vancouver in 7 games.”

Flames-Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are getting hot at the right time and the Flames are not. After a big trade deadline deal that saw the Flames add Olli Jokinen to play along side superstar Jerome Iginla, the Flames looked ready to knock off everyone in the west. But the magic is gone. The Blackhawks had their slump early enough to get hot in time for the first round match-up. This should give the long-suffering Chicago hockey fans a bit of joy.

Calgary is playing its worst hockey of the season at the worst possible time. The team has lost any swagger it had after the trade and because Daryl Sutter’s team is so close to the league salary cap, they may not be able to bring up AHL reserves if injuries pile up as they do in the NHL Playoffs.

The Blackhawks are riding their youngsters; they have only 5 regulars who are over 27. The downside is the playoff grit of the Flames could overwhelm them. A first round win would be nice for the Blackhawks but a first round loss will give young starts Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane a disappointment they won’t want to feel again.
By making the playoffs these Hawks are already winners so I see Sutter’s team pulling this series out.

Rory says “Calgary in 6 games.”