The Prez-Idential Address: April 9th 2008
CLICK HERE TO BUY THE PREZ’ EXPERT NHL HOCKEY PLAYOFF PICKS

A matchup for the ages; a first-round rematch; my darkhorse is off and running; remember Scott Stevens? and more…

THE SECOND SEASON SERIES AT-A GLANCE
Saying of the day:
My wife is a travel agent for Guilt Trips

1,230 regular-season contests later and it comes down to this: The world’s only real Sport and most important Cup.

Questions for the ages:
Will Anaheim’s Chris Pronger be suspended, not once, but twice in consecutive playoff rounds this year? And did Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom and Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond call Lords of London to take out insurance this year just in case?

Will Anaheim hook and hold its way to a Championship for the second straight season?

Which injury heading into the most important second season on the planet will serve as a postseason demise?

A. Chris Kelly
B. Bemire Fisher
C. McDaniel Alfredsson
D. It doesn’t matter the Sens are doomed regardless
E. Sergei Zubov
F. Corey Perry

MONTREAL VS. BOSTON
It’s an Original-6 matchup as the Habs take on the Bruins. Captain Saku Koivu is questionable for Montreal for the opener because a broken foot, while Boston’s top scorer Marc Savard is questionable with a fractured bone in his back. Another question for the ages. How important is Alexei Kovalev performance in this series? The locker room cancer turned hero is looking to lead the Habs to the Promised Land for the first time since… seemingly… 1993 BC.

DETROIT VS. NASHVILLE
Last year one of the questions for ages was whether the Predators’ inexperienced blue line would be able to hold their own against the Sharks’ balanced attack. Much like my answer this year, last years answer turned out to be big loud NO! While Detroit has several players battling groin injuries–(Tomas Holmstrom, Mikael Samuelsson, Kris Draper)–, the Preds will be without center David Legwand, who is still recovering from a foot injury. Neither team holds an edge in overtime, as Detroit went just 2-2 in regular season OT versus Nashville’s 5-4 record.

PITTSBURGH VS. OTTAWA
In a rematch of last season’s first-round battle, the two teams have a completely different look. The Pens have added a weapon to their arsenal in former Senator Marian Hossa, whereas the Sens are down a couple of weapons as both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are out with knee injuries. The thought around the water-cooler is that while the Penguins can score at will, that their defense is soft. Let’s get one thing straight, this is rubbish. The Pens ranked seventh in goals per game, but they also were 10th in the league concerning goals allowed.

WASHINGTON VS. PHILADELPHIA
The Washington Capitals, my darkhorse choice to take the Cup when the season began last fall, is hitting on all cylinders and are led by soon-to-be Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin. Washington has won 11 of 12 down the stretch to reach the postseason for the first time since 2003. Just days ago, the Capitals were out of the playoffs, and now they are the third seed. They take on the Flyers in a battle of teams who did not make the postseason in 2007. The Flyers boast nine players with 40 points or more and three with 70 or more. The Caps have just one player who posted more than 70 points–Alexander Ovechkin topped that mark by a wide margin with 112.

NEW JERSEY VS. NY RANGERS
Remember when New Jersey rostered the most feared blue line in the NHL with Brian Rafalski, Scott Niedermayer and one of my all-time favorites, Scott Stevens?. They don’t make ‘em like they used too. Now the Devils, along with Paul Martin, Colin White and diaper dandies Johnny Oduya, Mike Mottau, Andy Greene and Bryce Salvador are the new age workman like blueliners. The Rangers roll into this one going 13-3-5 in the final quarter, but the Devils boast a solid 7-3 overtime record this season. It’s a classic case of a hot team versus a clutch team in what is sure to be a heated battle between two rivals. New York’s Scott Gomez hopes to stick it to his former team, while New Jersey’s Karel Rachunek hopes to do the same to his.

ANAHEIM VS. DALLAS
A tough break for the Stars. Last year it was Roberto Luongo and the Canucks. This year, it’s the defending champion Ducks. Will the emergence of Mike Ribeiro and the addition of Brad Richards give them enough offense to overcome the absence of Sergei Zubov, who is out after undergoing hernia surgery? If the Ducks “Big Blue Line” doesn’t play over-the-top good, they won’t be around to defend. 

SAN JOSE VS. CALGARY
I am not saying that Evgeni Nabokov can’t perform while asleep, but who could blame the netminder for taking some time to nap when the pucks on the opposite end of the ice. Nabokov has arguably replaced Martin Brodeur as the NHL’s top goalie this season led the NHL in wins with 46 and in minutes played. Did you know that 25 of Nabokov’s wins were one-goal games - how frigging exhausting. The Flames have their hands full taking on the Sharks in the first round, but is there a bigger clutch player than Jarome Iginla? That being said, no team can say that they finished the final quarter of the season with an 18-1-2 record like San Jose did. The turning point for them was the acquisition of defenseman Brian Campbell at the trade deadline.

MINNESOTA VS. COLORADO
If it was five or six years ago, the Wild should be very scared. Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Adam Foote? Fortunately for them, it’s 2008 and those players are not as formidable as they once were. Now it’s up to the likes of Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra to prove it to them. My Insiders seem to believe that Avs netminder Jose Theodore is playing on borrowed time and that his inconsistent play of the three seasons will return in March.