Here are the Red Wings' playoff scenarios:

--If the Red Wings win in any fashion (regulation, overtime or shootout) and Nashville loses in regulation at Colorado: Detroit finishes fourth and Nashville fifth.

--If the Red Wings win in any fashion (regulation, overtime or shootout) and Nashville gains at least one point against Colorado: Nashville finishes fourth and Detroit fifth.

--If the Red Wings lose in overtime or a shootout (result of Nashville-Colorado game becomes irrelevant): Nashville finishes fourth and Detroit fifth.

--If the Red Wings lose in regulation (result of Nashville-Colorado game becomes irrelevant): Nashville finishes fourth, Chicago is fifth; Detroit is sixth and plays winner of the Pacific Division.

Preds have the tiebreaker over the Wings in ROW.

Wings this season have played more games than I can remember in the last 20 years of playoff team hockey of not being able to score the first goal of the game. No way can they win against the Preds playing like that in a best of seven series probably even with home ice advantage. Rinne and their team defense is just way to good to give them the first goal of the game constantly.

I won't lie I want Chicago to beat my Wings in regulation. The veteran Red Wings need to feel the pressure and urgency of having to score early in a game and often on the road because they have flat out sucked on the road all season long and for a 100+ pt team that is unacceptable, especially with a team full of veteran NHLers.

Hawks have had no problem scoring on the preds in the last two games they have played but the preds own the season series which mean nothing since the hawks dominated the Wings in the season series in 07-08 SC Wings year.

Hitchcock going with Halak or Elliot in the playoffs?

Wings this season have played more games than I can remember in the last 20 years of playoff team hockey of not being able to score the first goal of the game.

They certainly have done things the hard way for the most part. Playing from behind a lot of the time has had to have taken its toll. Last year they couldnt win consistantly at home and were good on the road...this year they were the opposite. When asked about that coach Babcock just shook his head and said, I dont know, cant figure it out.

I have seen crazy things in the playoffs, guess anything can happen now. It sure would be nice if the Red Wings could jump on the Preds first and get some momentum. Stealing one (or two) in Nashville would be great.

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Thanks everybody for reading and posting on this thread. It has been a lot of fun. Now its time for the Second Season...the time of the year when you better have nerves of steal .

                                 Go Red Wings !                 

My bracket has the Wings going all the way to a Pens/Wings final - good luck, they're an exciting team to watch and I think they're a serious candidate for the cup.

Stop drinking the Wings KoolAid.  The Wings limped to the end of the season with the WORST record of all the 16 playoff teams the last 20 games.

They can't win a game on the road, they have only won two games at home, their power play is second worst (to the Hawks).

Sorry, but you can't pick the Wings in the finals unless you are a huge homer.  But it is nice to dream and think "what if".

And the Pens? I think not.  I see seven other reasons to pick any other Eastern Conference team to get there. 

The battle is over.

I don't think anybody picked Chicago and Detroit as the 3rd and 4th place teams in the division.   Good stuff.    Can't wait to see how the rosters change for next year, which players come and go, front office highers, how CBA negotiations effect things, etc.

In the meantime, I'll suck it up and watch some playoffs I guess.

I don't think anybody picked Chicago and Detroit as the 3rd and 4th place teams in the division.

Yeah, but St Louis had 109 points, Nashville 104 points, Detroit 102 points and the Hawks 101 points.  So, three points seperate second from fourth.  Big deal.  Not enough to be significantly different.  St Louis earned the top spot by playing sold in the middle 3/5ths of the season (didn't start well and didn't end all that well for them).  

Nashville was consistent all year.

Wings played great at home winning an NHL record 25 in a row, but has fallen on very hard times the last 20 games of the season.

Hawks...up and down and up season.  Low point of losing nine in a row mid Jan-February, lost Toews for 22 games.  But Hawks pulled it back together the last 25 games playing really well.  Didn't win every game during that stretch, but you could at least see improvement and results of playing in a more structured system. But looking at it, the Hawks could have packed it in when Toews went out and really tanked.  At least they put in a great effort the last 1/4 of the season. 

Let's face it, I won't be surprised by any of the top four Western Conference teams losing in the first round...and the bottom four could win or lose any of the series.  None of them are a sure lock.   

Yeah, but St Louis had 109 points, Nashville 104 points, Detroit 102 points and the Hawks 101 points.  So, three points seperate second from fourth.  Big deal.  Not enough to be significantly different.

And only 1 win separted St Louis from Nashville and Detroit, only 4 wins if you included Chicago in there.  Not much separation at all. And If teams didn't get a point for losing games I think 2 points would have separated 1st from 3rd and only 6 points from 1st to 4th.

Let's face it, I won't be surprised by any of the top four Western Conference teams losing in the first round...and the bottom four could win or lose any of the series. None of them are a sure lock.

I can't remember a year like this, especially in the west.  I won't be surprised at anything that happens in the first round this year, not one bit surprised no matter what happens in any series. The only series I want to believe I can predict the winner in is the St Louis Sharks series, the Blues were obviously a much better team all season long.  But the playoff experience the Sharks have could come in handy in this series, we'll see what happens.  You'd think the 1 seed should slap around the 8 seed but I'm not sure LA is an easy out this year..... and with D. Sedin out, that can't help the Canucks either.

On the other side the only team I really like in the first round is the Devils to win their series.  I think the Caps just might give the Bruins more trouble then they bargained for, just a funny feeling I have.  And the Pens Flyers series is going to be a crazy one and should go at least 6 or 7 games.  Too bad those 2 have to face off in round 1, but it is what it is.   I SHOULD like the Rangers to kill Ottawa easily but I don't.   Not even 109 points made me a believer in the NYR's, not yet anyway.  

Just for fun I'm going with a Pittsburgh --Vancouver stanley cup finals prediction.  I hope I'm wrong, would really love the Wings to beat the odds and get there but right now I just don't see the Wings winning 3 straight road series.  Now if the Wings can stay healthy, win round 1 and if 2 of the top 3 teams in the west lose and the Wings get home ice in the second round I might change my tune.   That's way too many ifs though.......



 

The Wings gave up the first goal 38 times this season, the good thing is they have the 3rd best winning percentage in that category. The problem is when the Wings score the first goal there are 10 playoff teams with a better winning percentage in those games which means there have been too many games the Wings didn't hold onto their lead. 

For the record Nashville scored the first goal 42 times this year and only lost 3 games in regulation when they scored first.  The Preds aren't the team you want scoring the first goal.. unless of course you're a Preds fan.

 

A Rocky Mountain party, if nothing else for them.

Would you bring rocky mountain oysters to this party?

For the record Nashville scored the first goal 42 times this year and only lost 3 games in regulation when they scored first.  The Preds aren't the team you want scoring the first goal.. unless of course you're a Preds fan.

IMO, that was the regular season. Pressure does strange things to teams once playoff time rolls around. I do think, heavy on the think, that Nashville gets by Detroit, but no way this goes less than 6 games.

I agree with some of you guys- i dont think i will be very surprised by any team that wins the first round.

In the West, the only series with gimmie on it anywhere might be the Chicago- Phoenix series. I like Chi-town in 4 or 5
In the East, two series look like snoozers, but based on anything can happen come playoff time, they might be tighter than they should be- Rangers-Sens and Bruins-Caps. The higher seed advances in both of those, and Ottawa might be the tougher out, considering their away record is not bad, but not good over-all in the last 10 games. The Caps were somewhat hot over th last 10, but their away record was not very good.

We shall see, but I like the first round series between Philly and Pittsburgh- that one will be a real battle.

In the meantime, I'll suck it up and watch some playoffs I guess.

Dont forget about the Cubs!

In the West, the only series with gimmie on it anywhere might be the Chicago- Phoenix series. I like Chi-town in 4 or 5

On paper, it's almost impossible for me to think Chicago would wrap up the series quickly.    This team has so many lapses, and it's special teams are so terrible, that I wouldn't besurprised if they toss it away either.   Chicago is a better team.

I've had it with the Mike Smith Kool-aid about him winning the series.   If PHX wins, it will be because of discipline play, better special teams, general patience.   PHX doesn't have the skill or depth to disrupt the Hawks in all zones with each line so they'll have to concede pressure from Chicago on occassion and make sure to get the rebounds and exploit Chicago's tendency to get overaggressive in the offensive zone.    Any goalie might be able to steal a game, but I don't think Mike Smith will be one of the top reasons a series winner is determined. 

Chicago's depth is much more talented than PHX.   PHX pp has to take advantage of the brutal Hawks pk.   PHX has to be physically aggressive (willing to take penalties) without excessive risk on positioning because CHicago's pp is terrible and PHX's pk is pretty good.    Tippett has to keep up with Quenneville's lines.   Chicago has to be smarter about line changes and defensive rotations.     I really want to pick Chicago in 5 but they make too many mistakes.   Unfortunately for the Coyotes, I think PHX just doesn't have enough talent on the lower lines.    Chicago has a nice mix of redundant skill sets to give the team a different look too, in case PHX takes and advantage in the series.   I don't think Tippett has the pieces to make changes as effectively as Chicago.    I'm anxious to see how defensemen like Yandle, Ekamn-Larsson, and Leddy play in this series.     Toews' play will be a concern.

Good luck in the first round Central (except for Detroit).......hell of a race.  Go Preds!