If The Season Ended Today - Eastern Conference Prediction

Normally I hate doing these "what if..." scenarios but frankly, I was too intrigued by the matchups as they currently stand.  So, that being said...

If the season ended today, we would have some really tough battles in the Eastern Conference.  I may do the Western Conference too but I'm more of an Eastern Conference kind of guy.  We'll see.

First, runaway winners Washington would face off against the Bruins.  This is not a guaranteed win for the Capitals despite the obvious learning curve between the two teams.  Boston has played some very uninspired hockey this season but anything short of a Cup in Boston is considered a losing season.  The Caps are the favorite to go to the finals this year and with good reason.  Their 96 points leads the league and they have shown that they can score with any line on the ice.  Plus, Boston is a little banged up and I don't think that all their players returning from the Olympics came back healthy.  That and the age factor of their team and you have a potential recipe for disaster.  The Caps have taken the previous meetings with Boston this year and lead the series 2-0.  My prediction:  CAPITALS IN 5

The defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins would face off against the Montreal Canadians.  In the season series, Pittsburgh has outscored the Habs, 15-9 and has a 3-1 series lead.  Unfortunately, too many times the Penguins sacrifice defense for offense and this could pose a major problem against a Canadians team that won't roll over.  They have been on a bit of a win streak as of late and would be a scary competitor.  I don't think Canada would cheer for Crosby anymore.  The firepower of the Pens offense coupled with the inconsistent play of Price and the confidence level of Halak would eventually do the Habs in.  My prediction:  PENGUINS IN 6

Buffalo would be matched up against the Flyers.  Buffalo leads the season series 3-1 but only by wins.  The Sabres have scored 12 goals to Philly's 11, making this a very even offensive battle.  Unfortunately for Buffalo, their offense as of late has not been the stuff you build championships on.  They are too inconsistent with thier play around the net and just don't get the pucks on goal the way they should.  The Flyers have a tight defense and Michael Leighton has been showing some great goal tending.  My prediction:   FLYERS IN 7

An underrated Senators team would take the ice against the New Jersey Devils.  The Senators have quietly made their mark in the league this year by staying right in the mix.  They won 14 of 16 prior to the Olympic break but have stumbled a bit since.  The additions of Alex Kovalev and Matt Cullen have finally given them some scoring options that they haven't had in years.  Their only issue at the moment is the inexperience in goal.  The Devils, on the other hand, have arguably the best goal tender in NHL history playing behind a fairly weak offense (they were shutout by Edmonton...Edmonton!?).  Plus they haven't been very good on the road this year (on in Canada for that matter) My prediction:  SENATORS IN 6

Then:

CAPS vs. SENS with the Capitals winning in 4 games
PENS vs. FLYERS with the Pens winning in 6 games

CAPS vs. PENS...7 game series decided by 3 overtime games.  Pens win.

Of course, that is only if the playoffs started today.  And, this is only my biased opinion.  Tomorrow, this could all change.  So really this was just a pointless rambling that wasted the last 4 1/2 minutes of your life.  Sorry, no refunds.