pensiveFor me, the only first round series that I'm concerned with is the one that features the Ottawa Senators taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1 to be held tonight in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena. It seems to be a no-brainer, this series. The Senators have iffy goaltending in the tandem of Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have the offense of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and several of their other players. Sure, Ottawa's got the defensive tandem of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov who will be assigned to Sid the Kid and Malkin, and they've got some decent offense from Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, and a few other players, but...
When it comes right down to it, the odds makers are saying that the Penguins will take the series in 5 to 7 games, depending on who you listen to. Personally, I'm thinking that if Ottawa can get some decent play out of its goaltenders and certain players perform up to par, the series could go to the Senators, but I'm not sure that's likely to happen. One of the most predictable elements of the Senators this year has been their inconsistency. One never knows which Senators team will step out onto the ice on any given night. And therein lies the rub.
So I guess we'll see what shakes out in the series between the Senators and the Penguins over the course of the next seven days or so.
Let the games begin...