A look at the NHL's Eastern Conference playoff matchups:

A look at the NHL's Eastern Conference playoff matchups:

NO. 1 BOSTON BRUINS vs. NO. 8 MONTREAL CANADIENS

Records: Boston 53-19-10--116, Montreal 41-30-11--93.

Season series: Boston 5-0-1.

Leading scorers: Bruins: Marc Savard 25-63--88. Canadiens: Alex Kovalev 26-39--65.

Keys: This is their 32nd matchup, the most of any NHL foes. Montreal's 24-7 edge includes a first-round victory last spring. This will be different. Led by Tim Thomas, the NHL leader in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933), the Bruins dominated the East. Seven Bruins scored 20 goals or more and defenseman Zdeno Chara made a good case for the Norris Trophy. The Canadiens were supposed to celebrate their centennial season by winning the Cup, but their fast start faded to a weak finish. Goalie Carey Price, 21, will be under constant scrutiny.

NO. 2 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. NO. 7 NEW YORK RANGERS

Records: Washington 50-24-8--108, New York 43-30-9--95.

Season series: Washington 3-0-1.

Leading scorers: Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin 56-54--110. Rangers: Nik Antropov 28-31--59.

Keys: Ovechkin won his second straight goalscoring title and Mike Green led defensemen in scoring with 31 goals and 73 points. Center Nicklas Backstrom (22 goals, 88 points) and left wing Alexander Semin (34 goals, 79 points) add to a potent offense. The Capitals had the league's second-best power play, 25.2 percent, trailing only Detroit's 25.5 percent success rate. The Rangers, the lowest-scoring playoff team with 210 goals, will be hard-pressed to keep up. The Caps should win in five.

NO. 3 NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs. NO. 6 CAROLINA HURRICANES

Records: New Jersey 51-27-4--106, Carolina 45-30-7--97.

Season series: Carolina 3-1-0.

Leading scorers: Devils: Zach Parise 45-49--94. Hurricanes: Ray Whitney 24-53--77.

Keys: The Devils set a franchise record for victories despite losing goalie Martin Brodeur to arm surgery most of the season. Parise has had a breakout season but defense will be their strong point, as always. The Hurricanes finished a strong second half with an 8-2-0 push. Goalie Cam Ward (2.44, .916) is nearing the form he displayed as the most valuable player in Carolina's 2006 Cup triumph. They're not spectacular but they're solid just about everywhere. Canes in seven.

NO. 4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. NO. 5 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Records: Pittsburgh 45-28-9--99, Philadelphia 44-27-11--99.

Season series: Pittsburgh 4-2.

Leading scorers: Penguins: Evgeni Malkin 35-78--113. Flyers: Jeff Carter 48-38--84.

Keys: Malkin won his first scoring title -- and probably not his last -- with a career-best season. With Sidney Crosby (33-70--103), the Penguins are the only team to have two players who scored 100 points or more. Strange that their power play ranked only 20th with a 17.2 percent conversion rate. The Flyers had a chance to pass the Penguins and gain home-ice advantage but lost their regular-season finale to end on a 4-5-1 downturn. Statistically these teams are close, but the Penguins should win.