And then there were eight ...

Here are some of the things were learned in the first round …

Ottawa needs goaltending help in the worst way ... Anaheim needs to look past Selanne and Niedermayer ... Minnesota must develop an offensive game plan other than Marian Gaborik ... New Jersey must do the same – period ... A young Washington team will be more dangerous in the future now that they have postseason experience ... Boston cannot wait for Tuukka Rask to take over in goal ... Nashville must be excited at Dan Ellis’ remarkable rise ... Calgary has to determine if this season was a blip on the screen for Miikka Kiprusoff.

Makes you wonder what’s next …

Western Conference semifinals

No. 1 Detroit Red Wings (54-21-7, 115 points) vs. No. 6 Colorado Avalanche (44-31-7, 95 points)

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Detroit defeated Nashville in 6 games; Colorado beat Northwest Division champion Minnesota in 6 games.

OVERVIEW: Though it’s been more than a decade since Claude Lemieux’s face wash of Kris Draper resulted in a broken jaw and shattered cheek, some fireworks can be expected as the Avs and Wings get ready to meet in the postseason for the first time since 2002.

“If you’re part of that, you remember that. You know the buzz in both cities,” said Colorado's Joe Sakic, one of four Avs players remaining from those battles. “The newer guys that weren’t around for those series are going to get a taste of it right away.”

This time, those fireworks could be from frustration.

Detroit allowed two goals in the first of four regular-season meetings against Colorado in 2007-08 – and that’s all, for a shutout streak of 214 minutes, 4 seconds. That also doesn’t include a 120-minute scoreless run in the postseason.

“They’re a totally different team,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said, dismissing the season series as an advantage. “I don’t believe there’s any transfer whatsoever.”

That’s only a sampling of the recent domination the Wings have enjoyed over their most bitter rivals. Dating back to March 2004, Detroit has outscored Colorado 46-23 en route to a 12-1-1 mark.

HOW DETROIT CAN WIN: Forget the offense. The key will be Chris Osgood in goal ahead of six-time Vezina Trophy winner Domink Hasek.

Against the Predators, Osgood was 2-0 with a 0.39 goals-against average, compared to Hasek’s 2-2 record and 2.91 GAA. For coach Mike Babcock, there was no question as to who will start in Round 2.

“Ozzie’s obviously got the net right now and it’s his job to make sure Dom doesn’t get it back” Babcock said. “But Dom’s going to do everything he can to be ready.”

And Babcock may need to call on Hasek, given Osgood’s playoff history against the Avs. Osgood is 3-10 with 2.92 GAA in 13 career postseason starts versus Colorado, compared to the 43-year-old Hasek – 4-3, two shutouts, 1.78 GAA.

The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Red Wings also boast an impressive and balanced offense. Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall each recorded five points in the Predators’ series, while Johan Franzen, Brian Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg each notched four.

HOW COLORADO CAN WIN: Score first, then worry about winning. Besides being blanked in the final three regular-season games against Detroit, the Avs were shutout in the last two games of their West finals matchup with the Red Wings in 2002.

Sakic and Peter Forsberg – first and third, respectively all-time in playoff scoring among current players – will need duplicate the success they had against defense-minded Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

Sakic scored twice, including in overtime of Game 1, and led the Avs with six points. Forsberg, with his balky ankle presumably strong, had a goal and four assists while playing about 18:30 per game.

Jose Theodore has given up only four goals in the final three games of the series against the Wild. He’s never won four in a row, and hasn’t faced Detroit.

SEASON SERIES: Detroit, 4-0.

THE PICK: There will be some mayhem. The Avalanche will finally score, but the Red Wings ultimately will prevail. DETROIT IN 6

No. 3 San Jose Sharks (49-23-10, 108 points) vs. No. 5 Dallas Stars (45-30-7, 97 points)

HOW THEY GOT HERE: San Jose bested Calgary in 7 games; Dallas ousted defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim in 6 games.

OVERVIEW: Any series can focus on goaltenders, but perhaps none more so than this matchup of Pacific Division foes.

San Jose is led by Vezina Trophy finalist Evgeni Nabokov, the league leader with 46 wins, and his 25 one-goal victories were second-most this season behind New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur (26).

Nabokov was a driving force behind the Sharks reaching the conference semis for the fourth straight season, but they’ll need his prolonged durability to make the finals for the first time since 2004. Including a tough seven-game series against Calgary, Nabokov has made 84 starts this season – he hadn’t had more than 50 starts coming in.

“It takes a contribution from every guy in uniform to get to where we want to go,” said Sharks captain Thornton, who had seven points in the first round. “Nobody can do it by themselves.”

Nabokov was 4-3-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average in eight starts against the Stars, including 3-0-0 with a 2.05 GAA over four starts in Dallas. If he falters, Brian Boucher (3-1-1, 1.76 GAA in five games) will be pressed into service.

For the Stars to reach the conference finals for the first time in eight years, Marty Turco will need to continue his playoff turnaround. From 2003-07, he was 5-12 with a 2.45 GAA and three shutouts. So far this year, he’s 4-2, including a whitewash, and a 2.01 GAA.

Turco also has won three of his last four starts against the Sharks. In three games from Dec. 15-March 27 _ all in San Jose _ Turco gave up only seven goals en route to a 2-0-1 mark.

HOW SAN JOSE CAN WIN: Nabokov can keep the puck out with the best of them, but if you said Ryane Clowe would be the offensive sparkplug on this team, you would have gotten plenty of strange looks.

Clowe, limited by injuries to 15 games in the regular season, paced the Sharks in the opening round with four goals and eight points. Diminutive Joe Pavelski notched two game-winners.

After failing to get a point in five games against Calgary, Jeremy Roenick had two goals and two assists to help beat the Flames in Game 7 of that series. At 38, it’s doubtful he has too much left in the tank, but if he does, it can only help.

HOW DALLAS CAN WIN: Confidence is always key, and knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champions in the opening round could have Dallas feeling good about themselves all the way to the finals.

This time of the year is why the Stars swung a trade-deadline deal for Brad Richards. Acquired from Tampa Bay in February, Dallas will need more from the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. When the Lightning won the Cup, Richards had seven game-winners among his 12 goals, and led the team in scoring with 26 points.

He had five points in the opening round, but the Stars weren’t starved for offense: five players tallied at least six points, led by Mike Ribeiro (six assists, eight points).

SEASON SERIES: Split eight games.

THE PICK: Turco keeps his playoff magic going while the Sharks fold, leaving the future of coach Ron Wilson in doubt and some major personnel changes heading into 2008-09. DALLAS IN 6

Eastern Conference semifinals

No. 1 Montreal Canadiens (47-25-10, 104 points) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers (42-29-11, 95 points)

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Montreal defeated Boston in 7 games; Philadelphia beat Southeast Division champion Washington in 7 games.

OVERVIEW:The Canadiens already dispatched one team they were undefeated against the in regular season. Now, they get to try and duplicate the feat starting on Thursday night against the Flyers as they meet in the postseason for the first time since 1989.

Montreal rookie goaltender Carey Price was all over the map in his first NHL playoff series. In four wins over Boston, he allowed only two goals and had two shutouts. In the three losses, though, he was tagged for 12 goals - seven on the road.

Price, 20, also knows it won’t get any easier from here on out.

“Every round it gets worse,” he said with a shrug. “The traffic is just a log jam in front of the net. That’s how goals are going to be scored - a lot of pushing and shoving. A lot of garbage around the net.”

Montreal, which was 8-0-0 against the Bruins during the regular season, won all four matchups with the Flyers this season. Price notched three of those victories, giving up a total of four goals.

“The regular season doesn’t mean anything now,” said Montreal captain Saku Koivu. “Teams are very different in the playoffs, the intensity level is higher.

After a grueling opening-round set in which the Flyers were up three games to one before dispatching the Caps in overtime of Game 7, Philadelphia now must bounce back quickly, playing its third game in four nights – in three cities.

“We’re going into this knowing we’re playing well,” Flyers defenseman Randy Jones said. “We’re more concerned with our game. We’re going to concentrate on our game. We know when we play our game we can beat any team. We played a pretty good series against Washington and we’re pretty excited.”

Daniel Briere (team highs with six goals, 11 points) is living up to his eight-year, $52 million deal, and trading deadline pickup Vaclav Prospal (nine points, including team-best six assists) has been solid as well.

Briere, a Quebec native who spurned the Canadiens’ free-agent offer, must also close his ears to the boo-birds who gave him grief every time he touched the puck in his two visits to the Bell Centre. They’re only going to be louder this time.

HOW MONTREAL CAN WIN: While it’s clear that the Canadiens have all the confidence in the world in Price, coach Guy Carbonneau had to have held his breath, and perhaps his tongue, a couple of times watching the rook against the Bruins. Montreal’s top two lines – Kovalev, Koivu and Chris Higgins on one, Tomas Plekanec centering for Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn on the other – could mean many long nights for the black and orange.

HOW PHILADELPHIA CAN WIN: For the most part, the defense shut down Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. This time, they’ll need to do the same against the brothers Kostitsyn and Kovalev (eight goals and nine assists combined against Boston.) Martin Biron gave up 12 goals in three losses during his playoff debut, but only eight in the four wins.

SEASON SERIES: Montreal, 4-0.

THE PICK: Montreal holds a 14-7 edge all-time in the playoffs. Price and the Habs will be too much for a tired Flyers’ team. MONTREAL IN 5

No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins (47-27-8, 102 points) vs. No. 5 New York Rangers, (42-27-13, 97 points)

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Pittsburgh swept defending Eastern Conference champion Ottawa in 4 games; New York defeated New Jersey in 5 games.

OVERVIEW: If there were ever a series that reads like a Len Deighton novel, this is it.

How will youngsters Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cope in playoff games in the world’s largest media market? (They’ve struggled at MSG, and there will be some moments.)

Will former fan favorite Jaromir Jagr be booed off the ice in Pittsburgh? (As sure as Primanti’s will put cole slaw and fries on the sandwiches they serve.)

Can Henrik Lundqvist continue showing why he’s a Vezina Trophy finalist? (Um, yes.)

And as a side note, can Sean Avery piss off Georges Laraque even more, either by attacking his race or national origin? (That is when he’s not interning at Vogue.)

Say this much: This series pits the Penguins’ talent against the Rangers’ overall experience.

Start with the Penguins’ duo. Crosby missed nearly 30 games with ankle injuries, but last year’s MVP and scored champion still managed to score 72 points. Malkin, last year’s Calder Trophy winner, didn’t show any signs of a sophomore slump, finishing with 106 points _ second only to Washington’s Alex Ovechkin.

But for all the talent Crosby and Malkin possess, they seem to have issues in NYC, totaling two assists there this season.

The Pens come into this series well-rested, having swept defending Eastern Conference champion Ottawa. Crosby and Malkin each had two goals, and combined for 11 assists to finish 1-2 in scoring.

And what of Jagr, who helped Mario Lemieux bring two Stanley Cups to the Steel City in the 1990s and is second all-time among active players playoff scoring? He’s basically persona non grata in western Pennsylvania.

“Basically anywhere you leave, aside from being traded, especially as a free agent, you’re going to get booed,” the Rangers’ Brendan Shanahan said. “The better you are, the louder the boos. That’s why Jags faces that, because he’s a great player.”

At 36, Jagr still showed the ability to dominate, leading New York with six goals and eight points, one more than Scott Gomez – the owner of two Stanley Cup rings while with New Jersey.

HOW PITTSBURGH CAN WIN: If Crosby and Malkin try to not to play like the second coming of Lemieux and Jagr. Obvious comparisons aside, Nos. 87 and 71 have more than enough talent, but need to put it together when playing on arguably the world’s biggest stage.

Marc-Andre Fleury enjoyed a breakout season, high ankle sprain and all, but like Crosby and Malkin, he’s also never played well at MSG: 2-5-2 with a GAA approaching 4.00.

HOW NEW YORK CAN WIN: It rests largely on Lundqvist.

While the regular season is a marathon and a grind, one small misstep in the postseason can be the difference between advancing and going home. He recorded one of his NHL-leading 10 shutouts this season against Pittsburgh, turning aside 18 shots in a 4-0 win on Dec. 18.

In five wins over the Pens, Lundqvist has stopped 107 of 115 shots.

SEASON SERIES: New York, 5-3-0

THE PICK: Tough call. PITTSBURGH IN 7.

And your Vezina Trophy winner is ...

This week, the NHL will announce the three finalists for each of its awards, starting with my favorite, because I am truly a frustrated Canadian goaltender in an American's body.

Brodeur, Lundqvist, Nabokov named Vezina Trophy finalists

An intriguing threesome. Keep in mind, that this only takes into account the regular season, so the fact that Lundqvist's New York Rangers outplayed Brodeur's New Jersey Devils doesn't factor into the equation.

Nominated for the eighth time in his illustrious career, Brodeur looks to win his fourth Vezina, having taken it home in 2003, 2004 and 2007.


At 36, Brodeur completed his 15th season by extending league records with his third consecutive and seventh career 40-win season. He also continued to be a workhorse with his 10th consecutive campaign of at least 70 games.

The highlight of his season, though, came Nov. 17 when he joined Patrick Roy in the 500-win club after beating a longtime rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. With his 14th win in 2008-09, Brodeur will overtake Roy as the league's all-time leader in wins. Eight more shutouts and Brodeur will surpass Terry Sawchuk's career shutout record.

"I'm definitely healthy, so we’ll see what the future will bring," Brodeur said after his 500th win. "I don't want to put a date on it or how many years."

Age doesn't seem to be a factor. Since the resumption of play in 2005 following the lockout, the total number of goals he's allowed has dropped from 187 to 171 to 168. This season may have been the most challenging with defensemen like Sheldon Brookbank, Mike Mottau and Johnny Oduya in front of him.

As great as Brodeur has been in his career, Lundqvist may have taken over as the best goaltender in the New York metropolitan area.

Lundqvist is a finalist for the third straight season, finishing third in 2006 and 2007. He tied a career high with 37 wins, set last season, and joined Philadelphia's Ron Hextall as the only goalies in NHL history with three straight 30-win campaigns.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Lundqvist's season were his league-leading 10 shutouts, the most by a Rangers goaltender in 80 years. No one since John Ross Roach in 1928-29 had reached double digits.

More impressive was Lundqvist continued to play while his father, Peter, was recovering from emergency brain surgery in December. After giving up eight goals in consecutive home losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles (!!!) in February. Lundqvist was 13-3-5 with a 1.92 goals-against average and three shutouts.

"The weird part about this year is it's been a lot of up and down, as a team and personally as well," Lundqvist told the New York Post. You think you've figured it out and then the next night you have a tougher time. The only thing you can do is keep working hard."

If Nabokov did nothing else this season, he proved to be one of the most durable as well as on the league's best.

A first-time finalist, Nabokov led the league with 46 wins - two short of Brodeur's single-season mark set in 2007 - and had 25 one-goal wins. Nabokov had started 43 straight games to open 2007-08, and 51 in a row dating back March 24, 2007.

Over a 17-start stretch from Feb. 21-April 1, Nabokov was 15-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA.

"I don't even consider him just a Vezina Trophy candidate," Darren Pang, a former goaltender and current TV commenetator, told the San Jose Mercury News. "I consider him a Hart Trophy candidate. There have been few nights that he hasn't been the difference in the hockey game."

MY PICK: Nabokov. My heart may be in my native New York City, but you cannot deny how important Nabokov has been in San Jose this season. Then there is that East Coast bias thing - the only Western Conference goalie to win the Vezina since 1994 was the Calgary Flames' Miikka Kiprusoff in 2006.

Playoff predictions - Western Conference

No. 1 Detroit Red Wings (54-21-7, 115 points) vs. No. 8 Nashville Predators (41-32-9, 91 points)

OVERVIEW: The Red Wings really want to forget the last time they had home-ice advantage for the entire playoffs. One late meltdown and they failed to get out of the opening round.

In 2005-06, Detroit was nearly unbeatable, setting franchise records with 58 wins and 124 points. They had a balanced offensive attack with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom all notching at least 80 points. The Red Wings were set to meet eighth seed Edmonton in the quarterfinals – an easy series win.

Except no one told the Oilers. Trailing 2-0 heading into the third period in Game 7, Fernando Pisani scored twice to tie the score. After Johan Franzen gave Detroit the lead once again, Edmonton’s Ales Hemsky had a pair of goals, the second coming with 1:06 to play, ending the Red Wings’ season.

With another division title and Presidents Trophy safely tucked away, the Red Wings now face another upstart in the eighth-seeded Predators.

Much like the Red Wings had two seasons ago, the Predators don’t have one dominant player on their roster. Martin Erat, Alexander Radulov, J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott all scored at least 23 goals.

Their success on offense was somewhat surprising. When rumors of a move to Kansas City were rampant, the roster was gutted before a sale was completed to local ownership: Paul Kariya signed with St. Louis. Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen off to Philadelphia. Tomas Vokoun shipped to Florida. Peter Forsberg choosing to stay in Sweden for now.

Though they had 10 fewer wins than the franchise-best 51 they put up last season, the Predators were competitive, thanks in large part to rookie goaltender Dan Ellis.

Playing in the NHL for the first time since 2003-04 with Dallas, Ellis was 23-10-3 with a 2.34 goals-against average and a franchise-best six shutouts. He made four starts against the Red Wings, going 1-1-1 with a 1.75 GAA.

If Barry Trotz decides to go with the more veteran presence in Chris Mason, then Nashville may find itself out after the first round for the third consecutive season. Starting on Valentine’s Day, Mason appeared in 11 games – six starts – over the remainder of the season, recording a 1-5-2 record with a 3.80 GAA.

Mason also has lost his last four playoff starts.

HOW DETROIT CAN WIN: It’s simple – forget the regular season. Fifty wins, 110-plus points and all the accolades are wonderful, but mean little at this time of year.

Detroit last won the Stanley Cup in 2002. While they’ve reached the postseason every year since then, the Red Wings have reached the conference finals just once, losing last year to eventual Stanley Cup winner Anaheim.

There is little question the Red Wings’ roster is loaded, including future Hall of Famers Lidstrom and 43-year-old Dominik Hasek. What they need to do is focus on what’s ahead of them instead of what had gotten them there.

HOW NASHVILLE CAN WIN: On paper, it looks as if the Predators are overmatched. But the Red Wings have struggled in quarterfinal play recently – they’ve needed six games to win each of their opening-round series since 2002.

With that in mind, if the Predators play with a sense that they have nothing to lose, they could pull off a stunner. I don’t think it will happen with Ellis or Mason in goal, but stranger things have happened at this time of year.

SEASON SERIES: Detroit, 5-3-0.

THE PICK: Detroit in 6. The memories of 2005-06 should be fresh in the Red Wings’ minds.

No. 2 San Jose Sharks (49-23-10, 108 points) vs. No. 7 Calgary Flames (42-30-10, 94 points)

OVERVIEW: This could be coach Ron Wilson’s last stand as San Jose head coach. He must be asking how much does Evgeni Nabokov have left in the tank.

It’s true Wilson guided San Jose to the most points in franchise history and its second Pacific Division title in four seasons. The Sharks’ shortcomings in the playoffs have been well-documented.

They lost in the conference finals to Calgary in 2004. Each of the last two seasons, San Jose was ousted in the second round first, first to Edmonton in 2006 and Detroit in 2007. Another early exit could mean Wilson’s end in San Jose.

That’s why Wilson will be looking at Nabokov, in part, to help him.

Nabokov, in my opinion, is this season’s Vezina Trophy winner. Playing a career-high 4,561 minutes over 77 games, he led the league with 46 wins and had a 2.14 goals-against average, also a career-best.

Nabokov told the Sharks’ official Web site that he’s looking forward to the matchup.

“I think it will be really physical,” he said. “They’ll probably crowd the net and create as much traffic as possible.”

After the physical and mental beating he endured during the grind of the regular season, perhaps the last thing he’ll want are Dion Phaneuf and Owen Nolan banging away at him.

He also may not to see Jarome Iginla shooting at him. Iginla, one of three 50-goal scorers this season, is the heart and soul of the Flames offense, falling two points short of 100.

Iginla and linemates Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow combined for 105 of Calgary’s 226 goals and 124 of its 379 assists. If those three players are not a factor, the Flames don’t have a player with more than 18 goals.

Miikka Kiprusoff struggled this season despite numbers that would indicate otherwise. He was 39-26-10 with a 2.69 GAA, but since winning the Vezina Trophy two seasons ago, Kiprusoff’s win and shutout totals have gone down while his losses and GAA have increased.

Both backup goaltenders could end up seeing time in this series if things get out of hand. Brian Boucher was 3-1-0 with a 1.76 GAA and a shutout for San Jose while 40-year-old Curtis Joseph was 3-2-0 with a 2.55 GAA as Kiprusoff’s backup.

HOW SAN JOSE CAN WIN: Joe Thornton will be a solid playoff contributor. So will Milan Michalek. If Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo don’t produce, they won’t advance.

In 2005-06, Marleau and Cheechoo enjoyed career seasons. Marleau set career highs with 34 goals and 52 assists for 86 points. Cheechoo had 56 goals as part of a 93-point season, but neither have duplicated those numbers.

Last season, Marleau had 32 goals and 46 assists. This year, 19 goals and 29 assists in 78 games – one more than in ’06-’07.

After his breakout campaign, Cheechoo slumped to 37 goals and 69 points the following season and 23 goals and 37 points in 2007-08. A poor showing in the playoffs and it may be time for a change of scenery for the Moose Factory, Ontario native.

HOW CALGARY CAN WIN: In 2004, the Flames came within one win of their second Stanley Cup. Following the lockout, they’ve been ousted in the first round each time.

To move on this time, they’ll need more from Kiprusoff and Huselius. Kiprusoff gave up 18 goals last season in a six-game series loss to Detroit while Huselius managed only two assists.

SEASON SERIES: Calgary 3-1-0.

THE PICK: Flames in 7. The edge here comes down to coaching. Much as I may not agree with him, Mike Keenan is a better postseason tactician.

Playoff predictions - Eastern Conference, 2nd Add

No. 4 New Jersey Devils (46-29-7, 99 points) vs. No. 5 New York Rangers (42-27-13, 97 points)

OVERVIEW: With Martin Brodeur in goal for New Jersey being opposed by New York’s Henrik Lundqvist in a series that could easily go the distance, would anyone be surprised to see seven 1-0 games?

“It’s not going to be easy for anybody,” Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr said. “Every game we played it was pretty tight. Most of the games were decided by one goal or went to overtime. I don’t expect anything else in the playoffs.”

This will be the only series of the eight where both goaltenders are the stars, and with good reason.

Start with Brodeur. He finished with 44 wins this season, the seventh time he’s reached 40, to move closer to Patrick Roy’s all-time mark of 551. Brodeur, though, had only four shutouts – his lowest total since 2001-02.

The team that gave him the most difficulty was the Rangers. Coming into this season, he was 38-15-1 with 15 ties, seven shutouts and a 2.07 goals-against average. This campaign: a 1.96 GAA versus New York, but a 1-4-3 record.

While he’s been the best goaltender in the New York metropolitan area for many years, Lundqvist was better this season, going 7-0-1 with a 1.09 goals-against average and two of his league-best 10 shutouts this season against the Devils.

To put it in better perspective, Lundqvist gave up nine goals in just under 494 minutes against New Jersey.

The goaltenders are the stars because neither offense is overpowering. New Jersey’s 206 goals scored were the fewest by an Eastern Conference playoff team while New York had the third-fewest with 213, one more than Boston.

Zach Parise completed his third season with the Devils by leading them with 32 goals and 65 points. Former teammate Scott Gomez finished his first season in New York with a team-best 54 assists and his 70 points was one behind Jagr for the team lead.

The last time the teams met in the playoffs was 2006. The Devils swept New York in the first round.

HOW NEW JERSEY CAN WIN: The Devils have long had an anemic offense, and their best hope to win will ride on Patrik Elias, historically one of their best playoff performers.

Elias has 104 points in 121 postseason games with New Jersey, while Jamie Langenbrunner is second among current players with 42 in 54 contests.

Normally a team that relies on defense, the Devils were 12-27-5 this season when scoring two goals or less including 11 shutouts.

HOW NEW YORK CAN WIN: Jagr needs to continue his playoff domination. He’s second among active players with 72 postseason goals and tied with Peter Forsberg for second with 166 points.

He’s struggled against New Jersey in the postseason, though, recording one assist in his last eight games, and nine with nine goals in 28 postseason contests.

Chris Drury had four goals and three assists in a four-game point streak against the Devils, and will be counted on to continue that.

SEASON SERIES: Rangers 7-0-1.

THE PICK: Rangers in 7. The clincher will go at least one overtime.

Playoff predictions - Eastern Conference, 1st Add

No. 3 Washington Capitals (43-31-8, 94 points) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers (42-29-11, 95 points)

OVERVIEW: The Capitals are, without question, the feel-good story of the year in the NHL heading into the playoffs. If it weren’t for them, the Flyers would be.

With just six wins in their first 21 games, Washington appeared out of the playoff running when they fired Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving. Bruce Boudreau – an undersized center from the 1970s – came up from Hershey of the AHL on an interim basis and helped guide a stunning turnaround, capped Sunday with a win over Florida and a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference as Southeast Division champions for the first time since 2001.

“There was never a word of ‘We couldn’t’ or ‘We won’t’ or ‘We can’t,’ it was always pushing through and believing in ourselves. This whole season’s been a dream,” said Boudreau, who got his first NHL coaching win against Philadelphia, and should get many votes for the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year.

Seven straight wins, 11 of 12 coming into the playoffs. Who would have imagined?

Then again. having Alexander Ovechkin providing much of the offense certainly helped make Boudreau’s transition easier.

Two years after winning the Calder Trophy, Ovechkin will add the Art Ross, the Rocket Richard, and almost certainly the Hart Trophy as MVP. He finished with 65 goals- the most by an NHL player in a dozen years – and 112 points, both league highs.

Ovechkin, headed to the postseason for the first time, scored 51 goals in 61 games under Boudreau.

Cristobal Huet’s contributions cannot be overlooked either. Picked up from Montreal for a second-round pick in a trading deadline deal that raised some eyebrows, Huet has taken over for longtime starter Olaf Kolzig by going 11-2-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average and two shutouts.

In 2006-07, the Flyers were what the Capitals this season were on the way to becoming. Philadelphia, far and away, had the league’s worst record and finished with a franchise-worst 56 points.

This season, they nearly had four 30-goal scorers. Newcomer Daniel Briere, signed to an eight-year, $52 million free-agent deal in the offseason, led the Flyers with 31 followed by Mike Knuble and Jeff Carter (29 each) and Mike Richards, who had 28 and a team-best 75 points.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect to the Flyers’ turnaround is they did so despite having concussion-prone Simon Gagne for only 25 games.

Martin Biron, in his first full season with the Flyers, finished with 30 wins – one shy of tying a career high. He closed out 2007-08 with back-to-back shutouts, and hasn’t given up a goal in 121 minutes, 21 seconds.

HOW WASHINGTON CAN WIN: Ovechkin needs to continue playing at an MVP level, but he cannot do it alone. Rookie Nicklas Backstrom, second with 69 points and unheralded defenseman Mike Green – third with 56 – also cannot let playoff pressure get to them.

A decade’s worth of futility also must be forgotten. Starting with a sweep at the hands of Detroit in the 1998 Stanley Cup final, Washington has dropped 16 of 21 playoff games, including four in a row coming in.

HOW PHILADELPHIA CAN WIN: Besides shutting down Ovechkin? Martin Biron will need to outplay Huet in goal, simple as that.

Biron was 1-1-1 against the Caps this season, allowing four goals in each contest.

During Phialdelphia’s 10-game losing streak in February, Biron was 0-5-1 with a 3.33 GAA. After that, he was 10-5-3 with a 2.40 GAA in 18 starts, losing consecutive ones just once the remainder of the season.

SEASON SERIES: Flyers, 2-1-1.

THE PICK: Capitals in 6. Ovechkin’s offense and Huet’s defense will be too much for the Flyers to handle.