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2008-09 Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions by Dave Palmieri Here's how I think the first round of the 2008-09 SPIHL Cup Playoffs will play out: #1 seed Philadelphia vs #8 seed Atlanta: The Federals went 4-0 against The Asps in the regular season, with Daymond Langkow scoring 3 goals in the 4 games. Philly combines a balanced scoring attack in addition to the lowest goals against and #1 penalty killing percentage in the league. Philly won the President's Trophy for a reason. The Federals simply have too much depth and all-around skill players for Atlanta to match up against. PREDICTION: Philly in 5 games #2 seed Buffalo vs #7 Toronto: The teams went 4-4 against each other in the regular season. Buffalo had an incredible second half, which helped them win the Northeast Division. Despite a 20-point difference in the standings, these teams battled all season. The big question will be if All-Star goalie Tim Thomas can withstand the scoring onslaught of Buffalo snipers Zach Parise, Derek Roy and Paul Kariya. In addition to scoring (top 3 in league in power play goals and %), The Xpress were also in the top 5 in goals allowed. The Dragons finished with an outstanding 15-7 division record, but only an 18-19-4 away record. PREDICTION: Buffalo wins a tough series in 6 games #3 seed Washington vs #6 seed Montreal: Washington won the season series 3-1, with Heatley and Brown leading the way in scoring. Both The Cyclones and The Bulldogs were among the league's best in terms of penalty killing percentage and goals against. Both teams boast outstanding goaltending and legitimate snipers. The Bulldogs had an amazing turnaround season, but being up against Washington, who finished with a 29-9-3 record at home may prove to be too much. The Cyclones are just a little too deep and well rounded, but this will still be a good series. PREDICTION: Washington in 6 games #4 seed New York vs #5 seed Florida: Dan's Hotshots took the season series 3-1. Henrik Sedin and Niklas Hagman have to play up to their full potential. New York, as was the case in the regular season, will score a lot of goals and give up a lot of goals. If NY gets into penalty trouble, Florida could take advantage. The Gulls have the ultimate equalizer in Alex Ovechkin. As with any playoff series, goaltending will be a huge factor. Neither team has a dominant netminder, but Florida may have the advantage with Biron. No matter what their lineup looks like, you can never take Florida lightly. PREDICTION: FLORIDA in 7 games |
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