I know, I know, I said "before the games start" for my predictions, but things happen. Really, if you have a chance to hear Romeo Dallaire speak, you're not going to go home and blog instead. Anyway, here they are:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Ottawa vs (4) Buffalo - Buffalo in 6
-It'll be a high-scoring series, and I don't think the Senators will be able to keep up with the Sabres' speed either. The Ottawa papers have been singing Ray Emery's praises and gushing about how he can take the Senators all the way, but he hasn't seen nearly as much puck as he will in this series.

(2) Carolina vs (3) New Jersey - New Jersey in 6
-Both teams can score, and they have good goaltending on both ends of the rink, but the Devils are on fire right now. Their more stable defence should win out.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(5) San Jose vs (8) Edmonton - San Jose in 6
-Edmonton did an amazing thing in upsetting Detroit, but the Sharks should be ready for them. The Oilers need to beware of San Jose's depth up the middle; unless they're planning on cloning Mike Peca, they'll be in tough.

(6) Anaheim vs (7) Colorado - Anaheim in 6
-What? Another series in six games? Well, yeah. The Ducks forechecked very aggressively against the Flames and got the job done; if they can rattle Theodore a bit by making him lose confidence in his defence's ability to clear the zone, he could slip back into the poor form that he displayed earlier in the season.