Tell you what: I feel a little goofy posting my first-round playoff predictions after 12 of the teams have already played game #1, but better late than never.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Ottawa vs (8) Tampa Bay - Ottawa in 5
-The Senators' defence is just too strong, and their offence shouldn't have too much trouble with the Lightning's goaltending tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke. Even without Hasek, Ottawa shouldn't have too much trouble.

(2) Carolina vs (7) Montreal - Carolina in 7
-Montreal had solid goaltending from Cristobal Huet in the regular season, but the Hurricanes have so many weapons that they should ultimately prevail. And nobody on either team wants a Stanley Cup more than 'Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour.

(3) New Jersey vs (6) NY Rangers - New Jersey in 6
-In making this prediction, I'm pretending I didn't see Jaromir Jagr leave Game #1 with an apparent shoulder injury; that could ultimately mean this series is over in 4 or 5 games, especially if the Rangers continue their undisciplined play that saw them give the Devils 13 power plays, on which they allowed 5 power play goals, plus one that Ken Klee tallied just one second after a man advantage had expired.

(4) Buffalo vs (5) Philadelphia - Buffalo in 6
-Philly is a very hostile environment for opposing teams, but that should be the only real problem for the Sabres, who are worlds faster than the big-and-strong Flyers.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit vs (8) Edmonton - Detroit in 6
-Edmonton definitely has the advantage of young legs, but you wouldn't have known it in Game 1, when Detroit won in double overtime. The Wings are the league's oldest team, but they've got lots of experience, and should go deep; however, the goaltending duo of Chris Osgood and Manny Legace might not be up to the task. The longer this series goes, the better for Edmonton, who will have energy to burn; if they can play smart defence and keep the puck moving, they could wear the Red Wings out.

(2) Dallas vs (7) Colorado - Colorado in 7
-The Avalanche definitely deserves more respect than it's getting; many people seem to have counted them out because José Theodore has had such a shaky season, but Colorado still has a well-built team, not to mention a top line of Alex Tanguay, Milan Hedjuk, and the ever-clutch Joe Sakic. Dallas has quite a few offensive weapons too, plus better defence and arguably a better goaltender, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Colorado advance.

(3) Calgary vs (6) Anaheim - Calgary in 5
-Solid defence, solid offence, a brilliant goalie, a captain who would do anything to win, and so much heart throughout...I just can't see Anaheim overcoming them.

(4) Nashville vs (5) San Jose - San Jose in 7
-Kariya had a huge first game, and the Predators did a good job of holding up Cheechoo and Thornton, but the Sharks still have another big scorer in Patrick Marleau, not to mention 2004 Selke finalist Alyn McCauley and Calgary's pugilist from that year's Cup run, Ville Nieminen. With Tomas Vokoun out, can 30-year-old Chris Mason, with a total of 44 games' NHL experience going into the playoffs, help Nashville hold onto the series? My guess is no.