My AHL Playoff Predictions

Ahhh, the time of year when Wild fans convince themselves that they might actually enjoy the playoffs more without the "stress" of having a dog in the fight. I'm doing that double-time this year with both the Wild and Aeros.

But I am actually pretty stoked about the match-ups, especially in the West where I'm fully prepared to have my heart broken by the Kings and Preds. I'm also watching some of the AHL match-ups with some interest. Lots of good, up-and-coming goalies being put to the test, so it's exciting to see who prevails. I have my predictions below and if I were remotely the gambling type, I'd totally put money on them. But I'm too cheap to gamble, so I'll put my pride on the line, throw 'em out here and we'll see how I do.

The links are to my write-ups for InGoalMag.com looking at each division's goaltending and how the teams match up. I didn't explicitly get into predictions there, but those pieces may explain my thinking on these predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Worcester Sharks (1) vs. Lowell Devils (4) - Lowell in 6
Portland Pirates (2) vs. Manchester Monarchs (3) - Manchester in 6

East Division

Hershey Bears (1) vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (4) - Hershey in 4
Albany River Rats (2) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (3) - Albany in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

North Division

Hamilton Bulldogs (1) vs. Manitoba Moose (4) - Hamilton in 5
Rochester Americans (2) vs. Abbotsford Heat (3) - Rochester in 6

West Division

Chicago Wolves (1) vs. Milwaukee Admirals (4) - Chicago in 6
Texas Stars (2) vs. Rockford IceHogs (3) - Texas in 7

So, there ya go. I'll circle back and see how I did when round 1 is over and let you all mock my shame for being so cocky.