Round 1 Results and how NHL Jeff did with Predictions

Even with Marty Turco's 3 shutouts, the Stars
couldn't get past Luongo and the Canucks.

A quick look back at round 1's winners:

Eastern Conference Results
Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
Prediction: Sabres in 5.
Outcome: Sabres in 5.

New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
Prediction: Devils in 6.
Outcome: Devils in 6.

Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
Prediction: Thrashers in 6
Outcome: Rangers in 4
The Thrashers' stars just didn't play like stars. Bob Hartley didn't do a great job managing his goaltenders, but the real problem was Marian Hossa. If the Thrashers were going to win this series, he had to be the MVP, and with just 1 point in 4 games, he wasn't even close. Kovalchuk and Kozlov also failed to impress. Atlanta GM Don Waddell is sure going to regret everything he gave up at the deadline only for a first round falter. I should add, the Rangers were hot coming in, and Henrik Lundqvist continued to be amazing. Nylander shone brighter than ever before and Jagr and the rest of the Rangers contributed as well.

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
Prediction: Penguins in 7
Outcome: Senators in 5
the Penguins showed their lack of experience in this series. Crosby and Pit's other young stars all continued to play well, but they just didn't have that extra edge and depth to overcome such a strong Ottawa team that was playing a great defensive system to shut down the Pens' explosive offense. Other than game 1, Fleury was great, and the Pens have a bright future ahead of them. Ray Emery was extremely sharp for the Senators, while Captain Daniel Alfredsson returned to his elite form.

Western Conference Results
Detroit vs. Calgary
Prediction: Calgary in 7
Outcome: Detroit in 6
Calgary definitely had their fair share of chances to take some more games in this series, but they just couldn't capitalize and were still terrible on the road. Miikka Kiprusoff, often hung out to dry during the series, was the only consistent performer on a team that never really reached its true potential. First year coach Jim Playfair's future is up for question as it should be. At numerous times during the series (such as the Jamie McLennan incident) he failed to maintain control of his team. Hasek was great for Detroit and Datsyuk and Zetterberg finally produced in the playoffs. We'll see how long it lasts.

Anaheim vs. Minnesota
Prediction: Anaheim in 6
Outcome: Anaheim in 5

Vancouver vs. Dallas
Prediction: Vancouver in 6
Outcome: Vancouver in 7
The Stars can thank Marty Turco for making this a long series. He was beyond spectacular and the 3 games that they won all came in the form of shutouts. Luongo was also amazing and as expected this was a goaltender's duel. The team that was able to bring a little bit of offense was able to pull off the win. Vancouver will have to find a lot more offense and find it fast if they want to put up a fight against Anaheim.

Nashville vs. San Jose
Prediction: San Jose in 7
Outcome: San Jose in 5
Nashville was very inconsistent. Forsberg was not what GM David Poile hoped for when he traded away a large portion of the Preds' future. He began the series with intensity, but was easily frustrated and took too many bad penalties at the wrong times. Injuries to Steve Sullivan and Martin Erat hurt them, but San Jose just plain outworked Nashville, showed more depth, and better offensive ability.

NHL Jeff's Record: 5-3 (2 wins with exact game counts)