Get ready hockey fans & don’t make any plans for the next couple of months. The NHL playoffs start tonight & here are a few predictions I am laying out. In the Western conference the San Jose Sharks are playing the best hockey out of anybody in the league. The Sharks have Joe Thornton who is an absolute stud & I see them beating the old & tired Detroit Red Wings with 43 year old goaltender Dominik Hasek before knocking heads against the defending champions the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference finals. In the Eastern conference the Montreal Canadiens are clearly the gold standard but, I think the New York Rangers are poised to make a deep run this year. They have battle tested veterans in Chris Drury, Jaromir Jagr & Brendan Shanahan & veteran leadership goes a long way in the playoffs. The great unknown is the eastern conference with the Pittsburgh Penguins and superstar Sidney Crosby & the Washington Capitals with Alexander Ovechkin where youth is being served. If either of these two kids get hot, watch out because they can carry their respective teams for a round or two. That would really be something to see a San Jose Sharks versus Montreal Canadiens NHL final.