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Mix’s Picks: Friday's Stanley Cup Playoffs Primer

Bob and Bill breakdown the final first round series to begin tonight

Friday, 04.13.2012 / 11:00 AM / News
By Rob Mixer  - BlueJackets.com
The second night of the Stanley Cup playoffs saw lots of bonus hockey as three of the four games on the night went to overtime. San Jose won in double OT at St. Louis, while Phoenix and Boston used home ice to earn their victories. The only regulation win was earned by the Eastern Conference's top seed - NY Rangers. Three series resume tonight for game 2's and...

I’m back for one more prediction, Florida hosts New Jersey in game 1 of their series and the breakdown is below:

VIEW THE ENTIRE TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS HERE

Let’s get started with Mix’s Picks for tonight’s opening-round series:

EASTERN CONFERENCE SERIES #4
#3 FLORIDA PANTHERS VS. #6
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
WHERE: BankAtlantic Center | Sunrise, FLA
WHEN: 7:00 p.m., NHL Network (HD)

MIXER’S TAKE:: The Florida Panthers aren’t getting enough credit, if you ask me. The consensus appears to be that they don’t stand much of a chance in the playoffs, and some think their first-round matchup with the battle-tested New Jersey Devils could be a short one. But I don’t see it that way; the Panthers did not stumble into the Southeast Division title and aren’t in the playoffs on dumb luck – they’re a solid team that plays a good five-man game and can stifle opponents defensively. They come to compete every night, a characteristic of head coach Kevin Dineen throughout his long NHL career.

On the other side, the Devils are anything but a No. 6 seed. They’re loaded for bear up front with Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, rookie sensation Adam Henrique and veteran Patrik Elias all having productive seasons. Their defense is underrated and led by Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder, and a cast of non-household names. The equalizer is in goal: 40-year-old Martin Brodeur is back in the playoffs after a one-year hiatus and it’s a better tournament with this guy involved.

PREDICTIONS: Devils in six games - check out Bill and Bob's selections below.

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

STATS

2012-2013 REGULAR SEASON
SKATERS: GP G A +/- Pts
V. Prospal 48 12 18 3 30
M. Letestu 46 13 14 7 27
M. Gaborik 47 12 15 -3 27
F. Tyutin 48 4 18 9 22
B. Dubinsky 29 2 18 2 20
N. Foligno 45 6 13 6 19
J. Johnson 44 5 14 -5 19
A. Anisimov 35 11 7 -6 18
C. Atkinson 35 9 9 9 18
R. Umberger 48 8 10 3 18
 
GOALIES: W L OT Sv% GAA
S. Bobrovsky 21 11 6 .932 2.00
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