1st round results vs the picks

Just in case any of you aren't watching and finding out elsewhere, I will keep track of the series as they end. A brief summary as well as how the results compare to my picks and those of you that shared yours.

WEST
#1 Vancouver vs #8 Chicago
The Canucks looked poised to sweep the Blackhawks out of the playoffs in about the same amount of time they Blackhawks had be guaranteed a playoff spot. Then the unthinkable happened. Chicago found motivation in the form of a home crowd, some controversial calls, and the return of Dave Bolland. They blew the Canucks out in game four by a score of 7-2. OK, so one game is just a fluke right Vancouver would bounce back and clinch at home in game 5, wrong. The Blackhawks took it to the Canucks again. Beating them 5-0 and running Luongo from the game for the second in a row. For game 6, the Canucks decided to start Cory Schneider the backup who had played well during the regular season as a backup. Other than a few mishandled plays the plan seemed to be working well. Surprisingly it was a penalty shot that got Schneider out of the game. He appeared to twist his knee awkwardly as he was falling backward and took several minutes before even returning to his feet. In comes Luongo again, the Vancouver defense stepped up for him, allowing only 13 shots in the 32 minutes that he played. Unfortunately he only made 12 saves, that one miss coming in the overtime period to give the Hawks the win. Vancover went to Luongo for the start in game 7 and he earned it, making 31 saves and leading the Canucks to a game 7 victory.
Mine - Canucks in 6
D.P. - Canucks in 5
J.R. - Canucks in 6
Poll - Canucks by a vote of  7-0

#2 San Jose vs #7 Los Angeles
Joe Thorton overcame his stereotype of being a regular season player, the Sharks overcame the stereotype of being a post season choke artist. In what could be considered one of the most interesting series of the playoffs so far the Sharks knocked off the Kings in six games. The Kings held on in the series better than most had expected them to, considering that they were without their leading scorer from the regular season. They had a chance to take control of the series in game three. They held a 4-0 lead in the second period, only to see the Sharks score five goals in the period to take the lead. After fighting back to tie the game up, the Kings gave up the game winner in overtime. The overtime win was the third of the series for the Sharks.
Mine - Sharks in 6
D.P. - Sharks in5
J.R. - Sharks in 4(5)
Poll - Sharks by a vote of 6-2

#3 Detroit vs #6 Phoenix
This was a series that I thought would be much closer than it was. However, Paval Datsyuk filled in more than sufficiently for the Wings leading scorer. He gathered six points in the series to go with a plus six rating. On the other side of the puck Ilya Bryzgalov was never able to get comfortable. In the first three games he looked uncomfortable, not getting down on shots from the point and at times not battling for position and a view in his own crease. His support was not much help though as the Coyotes were outscored 18-10 in the series. In the end, the Wings broke out the brooms and swept the Coyotes out of the playoffs, becoming the first team to advance to the next round in 2011. 
The Picks:
Mine - Wings in 7
D.P. - Wings in 6
J.R. - Wings in 6
Poll - Wings by unanimous vote (7-0)

#4 Anaheim vs #5 Nashville

I can't say a whole lot about this series since none of their games made it on national TV. The Predators found an offense that many questioned existed, although it was on a questionable goalie core for the Ducks. Nashville scored at least 3 goals in every game of the series, losing only when Anaheim scored at least 5 goals in a game. Anaheim's top line was relatively held in check for the series, though Bobby Ryan was suspended for two games early in the series.  The win for the Predators was their first Stanley Cup playoffs series win in the history of the franchise. They won the series 4 games to 2.
The Picks:
Mine - Ducks in 5
D.P. - Ducks in 6
J.R. - Ducks in 7
Poll - Ducks by a vote of 5-2

EAST
#1 Washington vs #8 New York
The Rangers had opportunities in this series to seize momentum and make a run at the top seed in the east. A lack of offensive firepower and a powerplay that just couldn't generate any goals kept them from making that run. Game one was key for both teams, playing in Washington the Rangers had a chance to take control of the series. Instead, a costly turnover lead to a overtime winner for Alexander Semin and the Caps got things on their side early. The Rangers got on the board in game 3, with a win at MSG to close the series to 2-1 in favor of the Capitals. Then game 4 happened. The Rangers took a 3-0 lead in the second period at home and seemed to be having no trouble at all. Unfortunately in hockey you have to play all 3 periods and sometimes more. The Caps got 3 goals in the third to become the only team in the playoffs so far to overcome a their period deficit. The Rangers recomposed somewhat and held the Caps off for the rest of the third period as well as a period and a half of overtime. Then the back breaker occurred. Marian Gaborik tried to play the puck out from in front of Henrik Lundqdvist but it was blocked by a Washington player who was in behind the goalie. The puck landed in the crease, where it was an easy goal and the Caps took the game and a 3-1 lead in the series. Game 5 seemed to be a formality and the Caps became only the second team to win an elimination game in their first try.
The Picks:
Mine - Capitals in 7
D.P. - Capitals in 6
J.R. - Rangers in 6
Poll - Capitals by a vote of  6-1

#2 Philadelphia vs #7 Buffalo
I still haven't decided what to think of this series. The goaltending for the Flyers was bad to put it nicely throughout the series. Although none of the games turned into blowouts, there were many very weak goals given up throughout the series. The biggest downfall to Buffalo's game was their defensive zone play. They were out-shot by somewhere in the vicinity of 70 shots over the 7 games in the series. Many people both on twitter and facebook called for Miller to be replaced by Enroth prior to game 4. I personally think these people are out of their minds. Miller recorded two shutouts in the series, as well as facing 49 shots in the game six loss to the Flyers. The Flyers somehow overcame their goaltending, and exploded offensively in game seven to win the series over the Sabres. With Pronger back in the lineup, the Flyers only need a goalie to step up and be average and they will have a chance to make a run throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Mine - Sabres in 6
D.P. - Sabres in 7
J.R. - Flyers in 6
Poll - Sabres by a vote of  6-2

#3 Boston vs #6 Montreal
Only once in this series did a team not score the first goal of the game, it is only fitting that it took overtime in that time for the Bruins to secure a victory. This series contained all sorts of facts like this including the road team winning the first four games of the series, before Boston became the first team to win at home. This was another series where all of the overtime games were won by the same team, Boston won all three games that went into overtime, including game seven. This series was everything NHL fans could have asked for. It was a physical matchup that featured both defensive struggles as well as some strong offensive showings. The Boston powerplay was as weak as anything I have ever seen, going 0-everything for the series. From that games that I was able to watch, they didn't even establish any long term pressure or outstanding chances. The Montreal powerplay was the exact opposite, it allowed them to win game 6 with two 5 on 3 goals and was among the top powerplays in the first round of the playoffs. In order for Boston to continue on they will need to find a way to get their powerplay, as well as Lucic, going.
The Picks:
Mine - Bruins in 7
D.P. - Bruins in 6
J.R. - Bruins in 6
Poll - Bruins by a vote of  6-1

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Tampa Bay 
In my round preview I said that if Roloson could steal a game or two for the Lightning that they would have a chance to steal the series. Roloson played well throughout the series but the missing offense for the Penguins showed through. The Penguins were able to take a three games to one lead in the series, but they failed to score more than three goals in a game at any point. The Lightning offense on the other hand did well throughout the series. They had three games where they scored four goals or more, including eight in a pivotal game five. Balance seemed to be the key for the Bolts as well, 13 different players scored goals in the series. A 1-0 game seven win gave the Bolts the win, Roloson stood on his head to make it happen, especially late in the game as the pressure was mounting for the Pens.
Mine - Penguins in 7

D.P. - Penguins in 7

J.R. - Lightning in7
Poll - Penguins by a vote of  7-2