The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Quarter Finals

April 11th means a lot of things to a lot of people: a meaningless Wednesday to some, my sister's birthday, but most people will be celebrating the fact that the Stanley Cup Playoffs start that night. Say good bye to your razors and put your loved ones on notice because the most exciting post season of all professional sports is once again upon us as the Conference Quarter Finals begin. This year's match ups have some real thrillers(Pit vs Phi, Det vs Nsh and Bos vs Wsh) but also features some real snoozers(Fla vs NJ, Phx vs Chi and Stl vs SJ). Before I get into the each series' breakdown, I'd like to remind you every playoff game will be televised this year thanks to NBC, NBC Sports Networks(formerly Versus), CNBC and NHL Network.

Eastern Conference

1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa Senators: Season series Sens 3-1. The Rangers are going to have their hands full this series with the Senators. While they finished eighth, the Sens have a good mix of youth to go with their vets. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza lead this team up front while eventual Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar back it up on the blue line. They'll face a tough challenge in New York as King Henrik and company don't have to worry about the President's Cup Curse following them in the playoffs. They'll need to sharpen up though as the Rangers were sloppy down the stretch, something the Sens took advantage of in their four games this season. Biggest concern is if the Rangers can provide Lundqvist with enough offense to win games.

Rangers over Senators 4-2.

2. Boston Bruins vs 7. Washington Capitals: Season series Caps 3-1. Tim Thomas already cut his first media session short after someone brought up the White House to him, which means he'll be really fired up and play out of his mind or he'll be a basket case and play like a siv. Boston is the better team and really just needs to limit Ovechkin and his line. The Caps are relying on their third string goalie to carry them this series which I don't see happening. The Caps have been Jekyll and Hyde all year long and I'm willing to bet we see more Hyde than Jekyll.

Bruins over Caps 4-1.

3. Florida Panthers vs 6 New Jersey Devils: Season series tied 2-2. The Panthers earned a 3 seed by losing more than they won. Their 38 wins and 18 OTL are all-time lows and highs for a Divison winner post-lockout era. It should also be noted that the Panthers allowed 24 more goals than they scored this year. The Devils earned eight more points than the Panthers but will start this series in Florida, if the Devils and their talent(Kovalchuk, Parise, Zidlicky and Brodeur) lose this series it'll be a shame.

Devils over Panthers 4-2, I refuse to label this an upset.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Season series Flyers 4-2. Two things hold true for this series, it's the best of all eight QF series and these two teams absolutely HATE each other. If you're a fan of hockey you hope this is a seven game slug fest. The Flyers got mixed news today Briere will play while James van Riemsdyk is still a week or two away from being back. The Penguins are healthy as can be and Crosby is back. The goalies will decide this series, one has his name on the cup while the other has imploded the last two trips to the playoffs. However, the Bryz did drop this gem the other day, "I'm not afraid of anything. I'm afraid of bear but bear in forest." Love that Bryzgalov.

Flyers over Penguins 4-3.

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Canucks vs 8. Los Angeles Kings: Season series tied 2-2. The Canucks have the dreaded President's Cup Curse looming over them and may or may not be without Daniel Sedin not to mention Roberto Luongo disappears come playoffs. The Kings have a really hard time scoring and haven't gotten out of the first round since 2001. Good news for the Kings, Jeff Carter may be ready for Game 1 which makes their offense slightly better. Good news for Luongo, the Kings can't score(second fewest goals all season). Something has to give in this series.

Canucks over Kings 4-1.

2. St. Louis Blues vs 7. San Jose Sharks: Season series Blues 4-0. The Blues have two really good goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. They combined for 15 shutouts and a 1.78 goals against average(Elliot 9 SO, 1.56 GAA and Halak 6 SO, 1.97 GAA). The Sharks have been notorious for choking in the playoffs, although this year wouldn't be considered a choke. Will the Sharks rise to the challenge? They have the experience factor over the Blues but Ken Hitchcock is a crafty coach and will have his Blues ready for the challenge.

Blues over Sharks 4-1.

3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks: Season series Coyotes 3-1. Like the Florida Panthers, the Coyotes have won their first Divison title in franchise history. And just like the Panthers, the Coyotes have the distinction of being a bad team to win a bad division. The Blackhawks have the more talented team and earned four more points than the Coyotes this season, however the Coyotes have a hot goalie in Mike Smith. That factored with home ice could be what wins it.

Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-3. Also not an upset.

4. Nashville Predators vs 5. Detroit Red Wings: Season series tied 3-3. The Preds went all out at the deadline making moves to improve the team and brought back Alexander Radulov from the KHL on loan. Their depth up front matches the Red Wings which is kind of scary if you think about it but after their top two blue liners the advantage goes to the Wings. Both teams have goalies that can be dominant on their own or be completely useless. The Wings got what they wanted, Nashville. They didn't want to go out West at all regardless of the seed they got. To win this series though they'll need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill. Also, they'll need to show signs of having a power play that can score better than their 16.1% regular season clip.

Red Wings over Predators 4-3.

That's how I see the Quarter Finals shaking out, last year I was 8-0 in QF predictions and called four of them to the very game. Hoping to repeat that luck this year. And for the record I have the New York Rangers beating the St. Louis Blues in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Check back for the Semi-Finals later.