Remember this thing, this thing called hockey....

I am The Rabbi, video editor of On The Sportslines. Today, even as my beloved New York Rangers have been eliminated, we take a look at the 2010 NHL playoffs. Why should you, as a local New Yorker, give a shit? Well, there are many reasons! I've always found that the most exciting and entertaining playoffs for me, was the one where I didn't really care who would raise Lord Stanley's Chalice in June. Now won't you join me, for a quick idiot's guide to Round 1?

The match up You Should Care About In NY:

Cheating here, but of course it's Flyers-Devils. 5 out of 6 times the Flyers beat the Devils this season, 3 of them since Ilya Kovalchuk made his grand debut with Jersey. The Devils are notoriously known for either a really deep run in the playoffs, or falling flat on their face right from the start. The goalie matchup may seem lopsided with veteran Martin Brodeur facing off against journeyman (to say the least) Brian Boucher. Throw that out the window though cause Brodeur has not been an amazing goalie last few years in the playoffs. However, this is the right match up for the Devils cause of how inconsistent the Flyers were late. Devils in 6.

A Little Bit of Pressure? Um, yeah!:

Sharks V. Avs. Imagine if the Yankees hadn't won a first round playoff series in 5 seasons....wait, I'll switch that up...imagine if with the talent of the Sharks, you didn't make the Western Conference Semifinals since the lockout...OK, that's better. The Sharks, after their #1 FLOP last year in 6 games versus the Ducks face a game Avalanche squad. However, these are not the Avs of old. They're young, they haven't been in this position of old, and almost fell out of the playoff picture completely winning only 3 of their last 13. Sharks won't face the real pressure until the conference semis. Sharks in 5.

I don't know about you, but these are the teams I love to hate.

Pens V. Senators. What do I hate about the Pens? Sidney Crosby! He of course had the winning goal against the United States in the 2010 Gold Medal olympic game. He had 51 goals, which believe it or not is a career high for him. He also covered, a lot, this year, for Stanley Cup Final 2009 MVP Yvgeni Malkin, who missed 16 games and only had 73 points. Crosby's first playoff series victory was against these Ottawa Senators, who have either been really good (21-2-2 when leading after one) or really bad (4-20-2 when trailing after one). My guess is the Pens have the firepower here to overcome the shorthanded Sens, who will be without defenseman Flip Kluba, and (remember him Ranger fans?) forward Alexei Kovalev. I hate the Senators inconsistency. Pens take this decisively I think. Penguins in 5.

Miracle On Ice, Part 2?

Coyotes V. Red Wings. They are america's sweethearts, a team that was almost on the brink of moving before the NHL took control before the season. A team who lost their hall of fame ownership partner, Wayne Gretzky, who thought he was leaving a sinking ship. However, the sinking happened to Gretzky's credibility (hall of fame players cannot be owners!). Phoenix was a hundred + point team, in contention in the final weeks for the NHL's best record, was in great shape for a long playoff run...until the saw who they drew in Round 1. The Red Wings, 16-3-2 since the Olympic break (best in the league), only let up 4 power play goals since the break, (best in the league), and look like world beaters. Despite the fact the Coyotes have home ice advantage, they are surely underdogs to the reigning Western Conference Champs in this series. I have a feeling though, the NHL playoffs are weird, and this would be a weird result, so I'll deliver it for you....Coyotes in 7.

The Rest!

Capitals V. Canadians Unless Jaroslav Halak stands on his head here, I don't see the Canadians taking down the team with the most goals in the NHL. In fact, I sense a sweep coming here cause Montreal faulters quickly. Caps in 4.

Bruins V. Sabres Ryan Miller is America's Sweetheart goalie after his Olympic run, but I feel like the gamble that they made for that 2 seed will cause residual effect, and if the Bruins take 1 of the first 2, I think they don't lose at home. Bruins in 6.

Blackhawks V. Predators Just to let you know, my Stanley Cup final prediction before even a game goes down is Blackhawks and Capitals. Just wanted to let you know. Hawks in 5.

Canucks V. Kings Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, LA, and Denver are going to have a lot of fun this postseason with playoff teams in the NBA and NHL. Somewhere the Dolan's are crying. I see the Kings first postseason experience in 8 years being a good one. And they win a Game 7 on the road. Kings in 7.

There's your first round predictions. Saturday (or Sunday), I'll do the NBA. Make fun of my predictions if I'm way off.