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Mike Milbury’s hat trick: Bruins and Flyers tops in East by a landslide

Mike Milbury

Each week here at ProHockeyTalk, NHL on NBC’s Mike Milbury gives us his take on three hot topics of discussion around the league. We’re happy to have Mike join us and give us his unique and fiery opinions on what’s going on in the NHL.

1. The Bruins just finished their six game road trip, can we just fast forward to a Flyers-Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals now or what?

I think so. I really think so. Pittsburgh seems to be mortally wounded. Washington is dangerous but I don’t like the biorhythms for them right now. They barely beat out the Islanders their last two games, and give the Islanders credit they’re a much tougher team than anyone realizes.

Philadelphia Flyers v Boston Bruins

of the Boston Bruins of the Philadelphia Flyers on January 11, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Who else is there that you’re careful of? Ryan Miller of Buffalo could cause some agitation for people if Buffalo makes it. Carolina is sort of in and out and Tampa is a bit of a wild card. I’m not convinced they’ve got the depth on the blue line but they’ve got the offensive fire power and Dwayne Roloson’s been known to get hot at the right time. If I ranked them out I’d put them Philly, Boston, Washington, and Tampa Bay.

If I had to pick one of either Philadelphia or Boston right now I’d probably lean towards Philadelphia with the caveat being their goaltending is unproven in playoff situations. Tim Thomas has been just remarkable and they’ve hit a pattern here of how to handle Thomas. In the past he’s proven to get tired and I think it’s more mentally than physically tiring than anything. He’s so focused and has to prepare so hard and plays with such passion that it just wears down on him.

They’ve been able to use Tuukka Rask on this road trip and get him involved and that helps Thomas immensely. They’re probably the best tandem in the league right now.

I like the Philly defense a little bit better than the Boston defense but not by a long shot and I kind of shade towards the Flyers a bit towards offense. But if Michael Ryder and Nathan Horton who are starting to emerge a bit and playing to the level the Bruins think they can then it’s a pretty even match-up.

2. With Dallas clear of the Brad Richards speculation, do you like how they sit in the West?

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I like their chances with Richards back in the lineup and they can certainly be dangerous, but I don’t like their chances against San Jose, Detroit, or Vancouver. Richards is a great talent and they’ve got some great talent elsewhere on that team, but they’re not that same level.

Detroit is loaded with veteran players and their goaltending has been a bit of an issue with Jimmy Howard lately. Chris Osgood is on the horizon too but I love that GM Kenny Holland saw fit to give Howard an extension because it takes some of the edge off and it gives a load of confidence to him.

Dallas when compared to those three teams though comes up a bit short.

3. Pittsburgh’s got James Neal and Alex Kovalev now... Can the Penguins win without Sidney Crosby or are they dead in the water?

Alex Kovalev, James Neal, Jordan Staal

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Alex Kovalev, left, celebrates his first period goal with teammates James Neal, center, and Jordan Staal during NHL hockey action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

AP

Without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin they’re just another team in the playoffs. They’re a good team, not a great team. They’re not a Stanley Cup team without Crosby and Malkin and I can say that with complete confidence. They’ll give some teams some hassles, they’ve got some guys that play really hard. Kris Letang is a tremendous defenseman, Marc-Andre Fleury is an excellent goaltender but they just don’t have the go-to guys.

Who can survive losing their top two offensive players, never mind two of the top five forwards in the National Hockey League. Common sense just dictates that while they’ll make it to the playoffs they’re not going to get past either Boston or Philadelphia in the playoffs.