Eastern conference always a battle

(1) New Jersey Devils vs. (8) Carolina Hurricanes\nThis matchup features the deepest lineup in the playoffs against the shallowest. Heading into the playoffs, the defending champion Devils are undoubtedly the most likely candidate to take the East. Having Patrik Elias as white hot as he is (16 goals, 34 points in the last 19 games) only makes the Devils a scarier opponent. \nAn interesting sidenote is that the Hurricanes' No. 1 goalie, Arturs Irbe, and their top defenseman, Sandis Ozolinsh, were No. 8 seeds in 1994 when San Jose pulled the first-round upset of the decade against Detroit. It will take another one of those miracles to beat a team that went 17-2 to close out the season. I hate calling a four game series, but come on….\nDevils in four.\n(2) Ottawa Senators vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs\nThe battle of Ontario: youth vs. experience. It's hard to doubt a team that finished as high as Ottawa did, especially when they're facing a team that had below a .500 record in January, February and March. But the Leafs' experience, along with Ottawa's lack thereof, will make this a much more interesting series than their records let on. Late season acquisitions Curtis Leschyshyn and Mike Sillinger have helped the Sens, but expect Toronto veterans such as Gary Roberts and Shayne Corson to step up as well. \nIn the end, this could be a goaltenders duel between Curtis Joseph and Patrick Lalime, which favors the Leafs. Still, Toronto dropped all five regular season matches between the two and that can't be ignored.\nOttawa in six.\n(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Pittsburgh Penguins\nHere we go again. These two teams have met in the playoffs six times since 1992, with the Penguins taking five of those series. The third-seed Capitals saw it as no kind of reward when they drew the sixth-seed Penguins in Round 1, and their 9-10 record to close out the season couldn't have done much for their confidence. Penguin goaltending is a definite question mark, but Johan Hedberg and Garth Snow are adequate enough to be carried by their super-skilled teammates. \nThere are a few guarantees in this series. I guarantee the Capitals will win around 75 percent of the faceoffs. I also guarantee this series will feature the most media mudslinging and trash talking of the first round matchups. And I guarantee that the Penguins will walk away winners.\nPenguins in seven ugly, physical games.\n(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers\nThis series could also get ugly. After spending years as Dominik Hasek's Czechoslovakian shadow, Roman Cechmanek has been catapulted into the spotlight to become what many believe was the top goaltender this season. Nevertheless, his complete lack of NHL playoff experience is a concern no matter how good your regular season numbers are. The Flyers will also be without their No. 1 center and leading goal scorer, Keith Primeau, and it's not known how soon he'll return. Bet they wish they could have the opportunity to trade holdout Eric Lindros again now, huh? \nSabres in seven.