With the college basketball championships now finished, the beautiful weather of mid-April should be rapidly approaching. But instead, the ghosts of a horrendous winter still haunt us. Which is appropriate, as professional sports’ top championship gets underway in the truly correct environment. The Stanley Cup playoffs simply seem better with snow on the ground.

So now it is time for another beautiful yearly tradition – time to dust off the old crystal puck, and predict the winner in every first round matchup.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Ottawa Senators vs. #8 New York Islanders

The Senators quietly had the best record in the NHL this year and did it with near-perfect balance. Marian Hossa blossomed this year as the scorer people expected him to be a few years ago, and ever-steady Daniel Alfredsson scored a point per game as well. Patrick Lalime has followed his team, quietly putting an incredibly impressive season together. Whether that translates to the playoffs is another question.

The Islanders were one of the NHL’s biggest surprises at the beginning of the season, but since then have limped into the playoffs, with an 0-4-1 record in their last five. The Sens may want revenge on Alexei Yashin for his primadonna act of yesteryear, but it may be a moot point. Without incredible goaltending the Isles will certainly be pulling out their golf bags in a week or two.

Prediction: Senators in five.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Boston Bruins

Here it is, the series that gets me in trouble. My beloved Devils have put together another impressive season, largely on the back of goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has shown that he is truly among the top netminders in the league. The Devs failed to pick up anyone significant up front at the deadline, and lack of consistent scorers up front could plague them.

The Bruins were consistently terrible down the stretch and Mike O’Connell taking over behind the bench is simply a joke. However, the B’s are incredibly talented up front, and I can tell you that the last time Robbie Ftorek was fired late in the season, his team won the Stanley Cup. Too bad O’Connell isn’t Larry Robinson.

Prediction: Devils in six.

#3 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. #6 Washington Capitals

Zzzzzz. Wake me when it’s over. Two teams from the Southeast Division squaring off in the first round? But wait, these aren’t the typical teams from the “Least of the East” here. The Lightning have come so far this season and the two Vinnys – Lecavalier and Prospal – are one of the most underrated duos in the league. Nikolai Khabibulin didn’t have to stand on his head every game this year and benefited significantly.

The Capitals still have Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Gonchar, who can score with the best of them on the power play. Olaf Kolzig’s solid play this season has been overshadowed by the fact that his team can’t do much of anything defensively in front of him. He will have to steal a number of games for the Caps to advance.

Prediction: Lightning in six.

#4 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #5 Toronto Maple Leafs

Wow. Talk about a first-round matchup. This one features a pair of teams that have plenty of experience in the playoffs, have fantastic team chemistry and did the most to improve their rosters at the trade deadline.

Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte and Mark Recchi. Mats Sundin, Alex Mogilny and Owen Nolan. Two teams with talented, deep corps of forwards. Oh, and the goaltending only features Ed Belfour against Roman Cechmanek. This series head-to-head is incredibly even on paper. The major difference between the two teams is the Leafs have more of the grizzled veterans while the Flyers are more dependent on talented youngsters. This should be by far the tightest first round series.

Prediction: Maple Leafs in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Dallas Stars vs. #8 Edmonton Oilers

The Stars pulled off the top seed in the West with a late-season surge fueled by this season’s likely Vezina Trophy winner, Marty Turco. Turco was an absolute wall this season, posting the lowest goals against average in the modern era. Add to that the talents of experienced players throughout the lineup, such as Mike Modano, Billy Guerin and Sergei Zubov, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

The Oilers are a decent young team who have fantastic young depth up front, a couple of solid defensemen, and a huge problem between the pipes. Tommy Salo has been well below expectations, and if he falters even a little, the Stars will take advantage.

Prediction: Stars in four.

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #7 Anaheim Mighty Ducks

The Western Conference has been viewed as superior to the Eastern for many years now, but the gap has lessened. This is evidenced by the Ducks, who are the weakest seven seed from the West in quite some time. They are still superior to their Eastern counterparts, the Bruins, but it’s not as big of a blowout as it was in previous years.

The Ducks have Paul Kariya, Adam Oates and Petr Sykora up front and Jean-Sebastien Giguere in net. But aside from that, they just don’t have that much.

The Red Wings are still the best team in hockey and the talent, experience and will of the whole squad is enough to power them past the Ducks, unless Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace both go up in smoke.

Prediction: Red Wings in five.

#3 Colorado Avalanche vs. #6 Minnesota Wild

Everyone thought Jacques Lemaire would bring success to Minnesota, but he has done it far more quickly than expected. Lemaire’s game plan is almost the sole reason for Minnesota’s success this season. Marian Gaborik is an amazing player and Dwayne Roloson has been a pleasant surprise. But the Wild are built on pleasant surprises, and they tend not to be as pleasant in April.

The Avalanche may be in their swan song this year in terms of conference dominance, as Patrick Roy seems to be fading a little year by year. But Peter Forsberg is the best player in the NHL and his cohorts all over the ice have more than enough talent to dominate this series. And, now that Roy has been criticized, he will certainly take control and bring his team deep into the playoffs.

Prediction: Avalanche in six.

#4 Vancouver Canucks vs. #5 St. Louis Blues

Finally a series worth watching out west. The only other competitive series (Avs-Wild) will put you to sleep with its trap-oriented underdog. The Canucks have finally come into fruition this year, with Markus Naslund establishing himself as one of the best forwards in the league and Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison making significant jumps as well. Ed Jovanovski is a solid two-way defenseman and Dan Cloutier has more than held his own in net.

The Blues are still a team full of experienced veterans up front who work together well. And they still have Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger. Brent Johnson was shaky all year, leading St. Louis to pick up Chris Osgood, but even he is not the model of consistency. After all, the Blues have used seven different goalies this year. The lack between the pipes will likely cost them.

Prediction: Canucks in six.

Matt Brady is a Collegian Columnist