Selke favorite Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins are our pick to win the Cup.
boston.com

It’s our favorite time of year. Tonight, three of eight playoff series get underway. Sixteen teams will again battle for sports most prestigious trophy. The Stanley Cup. A new wrinkle has been thrown in emphasizing divisional match-ups. Seven of eight will feature division rivals.

The lone exception being Western top seed Anaheim, who’ll face familiar Pacific foe Dallas, who’s in the tournament for the first time since 2008. Can the Ducks’ goalie trio which includes rookies Frederik Andersen and John Gibson along with struggling vet Jonas Hiller make a deep run? Anaheim still boasts dynamic duo Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry with an underrated blueline. It’s Teemu Selanne’s final hurrah.

Storylines will intensify. The 2014 NHL Playoffs also include the Blue Jackets, who qualified for only the second time after switching conferences. They were able to gain the first of two wild cards and will battle new Metropolitan rival Pittburgh. Most odd is seeing the Red Wings in the East. Despite injuries to key stars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, they still made it for a 23rd consecutive time. They’ll face heavy favorite Boston, who dominated down the stretch to capture the President’s Trophy. The former 2011 Cup winners are a strong pick thanks to Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic. Is this the year Jarome Iginla adds his name to Lord Stanley?

Of all the series, two stand out from the rest. Both out West with the Sharks in a rematch with the Kings. This time, San Jose has home ice. Can a talented core featuring Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture finally reach a Cup Final? They’ll have to go through a stingy LA club that boasts one of the best goalies in Jonathan Quick. For much of the season, the Blues were tops landing former Sabre Ryan Miller. But a bad finish and injuries have many wondering if they’ll even get out of the first round against defending champ Chicago.

Patrick Roy changed the attitude in Colorado leading them to a Central Division crown. The Jack Adams favorite boasts a young nucleus featuring Calder favorite Nathan MacKinnon, Paul Stastny, Ryan O’Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog and Vezina dark horse Semyon Varlamov. Matt Duchene isn’t expected back for their opening round against Zach Parise and the Wild.

The Flyers and Rangers renew acquaintances in a classic match-up. Is this the year Henrik Lundqvist silences critics? Or will Claude Giroux spoil the fun? More can be found in our series preview. The Canadiens and Lightning face off in Tampa pitting new Atlantic rivals. Montreal appears to have an edge in net with Carey Price. The Bolts are still without Vezina contender Ben Bishop which means Anders Lindback must be counted on. Despite boasting Steven Stamkos, former Ranger Ryan Callahan, Victor Hedman and a pair of strong rookies in Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, they should have their hands full. The Habs added Thomas Vanek to a core of Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov.

BREAKING IT DOWN

East First Round

(1) Bruins over (WC2) Red Wings in 6

(3) Canadiens over (2) Lightning in 6

(1) Penguins over (WC1) Blue Jackets in 6

(2) Rangers over (3) Flyers in 7

Analysis: Boston has too much for Detroit. Unless Jimmy Howard finds his form, they can’t beat the Bruins four times in seven. Even with Datsyuk back, it’s too much. Keep an eye on Gustav Nyqvist. Goaltending and defense should be the difference for the Habs. The Bolts are better offensively but Bishop’s injury really hurts. Many are taking the Jackets to upset the Pens. I don’t see it. Sidney Crosby won’t let it happen. Don’t forget Kris Letang is healthy. Don’t be surprised if they chase Sergei Bobrovsky. Lundqvist and Ryan McDonaugh give the Rangers the edge. It’ll still go seven.

Eastern Semis

(1) Bruins over (3) Canadiens in 6

(1) Penguins over (2) Rangers in 7

Eastern Final

(1) Bruins over (1) Penguins in 5

West First Round

(1) Ducks over (WC2) Stars in 6

(2) Sharks over (3) Kings in 7

(1) Avalanche over (WC2) Wild in 5

(3) Blackhawks over (2) Blues in 6

Analysis: Dallas should push Anaheim. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are lethal. But they’re thin and need Kari Lehtonen to steal it. The Ducks are deeper. Look for Nick Bonino and Andrew Cogliano to come up big. It also could be Saku Koivu’s final chance. San Jose/LA is a toss up that will go seven. Marian Gaborik played well down the stretch for the Kings. Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are money performers along with Quick. I just think it’s the Sharks’ time. The Avs simply have too much firepower for Minnesota, who’s relying on Ilya Bryzgalov. Unless they get Chicago into a physical war, St. Louis doesn’t boast a go to guy. David Backes is fearless but banged up as are T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen. Miller must play large and Alex Pietrangelo will log a ton of minutes. Against a rested Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, I can’t see it. The Hawks has stud tandem Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are clutch. Unless Crawford falls apart, St. Louis will be singing the Blues.

Western Semis

(2) Sharks over (1) Ducks in 6

(3) Blackhawks over (1) Avalanche in 6

Western Final

(2) Sharks over (3) Blackhawks in 7

Stanley Cup

(1) Bruins over (2) Sharks in 5

Analysis: Simply put, Boston is the best team. From top to bottom, they have everything. That includes a stud in net and on defense along with the best two-way player on the planet. They can score and are tough. San Jose will probably be running on fumes if they get there. It would be nice to see them finally reward their fans. But the Bruins are the favorite for a reason.

Conn Smythe-Patrice Bergeron