Who Will Win the Stanley Cup in 2012?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=James_D._Silver]James D. Silver
Let's start with who we expect to get through the first round of the playoffs:
� Vancouver
� Detroit
� Los Angeles
� Chicago
� Washington
� Pittsburgh
� Boston
� Montreal
We wouldn't be surprised if the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues break through the first round, and we know there are always upsets in the first round. But, this year, we figure there will be enough of a difference between the top and bottom four teams in each division, that we expect the top teams to come out of the first round relatively unscathed. With this said, we'll stick with the above, which includes a couple of first round upsets from where we expect teams will finish in the regular season.
The Vancouver Canucks are on a mission and the Detroit Red Wings just seems to be headed in the right direction, so we're picking them to win the second round in the West. Chicago could make to the second round as could the Kings. Heck, even Anaheim could make it, but no matter how things go, we expect Vancouver will have the top seed throughout the West playoffs, and we expect them to win in the first two rounds.
In the East, we're picking the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins to make it through the second round. Sidney Crosby's return will make a big difference for the Penguins, and as with the Canucks, we think the Capitals will be on a mission this year.
It's awfully hard to repeat a Stanley Cup win nowadays, and the Boston Bruins are just not a team that separates itself from the other 5 or 6 top teams, so we see them bowing out in the playoffs, maybe in the first round, but more than likely in the second round. Montreal could make it to the Final-Two in the East, which would make for a really exciting series, but they would need to get really hot, something that they may not be up to this year.
As for our Stanley Cup matchup, we're pegging the Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks - two teams that have won conferences and played well in recent regular seasons, but haven't come away with the big prize. Fans of both teams expect them to be in the finals, and anything other than a Stanley Cup from either team will be a disappoint for their respective fans.
Washington is a bit older and will soon begin regressing in quality to slip back into the pack, so we expect their players will have the most motivation and drive to win now. So, we're predicting that the Washington Capitals will win the Stanley Cup in 2012. But, just so it's clear where we think things are trending, we have no problem in predicting that the   rel=nofollow [http://sportadore.com/NHL/NorthwestDivision/Vancouver-Canucks/Tweets]Vancouver Canucks will win it all in 2013!
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Who-Will-Win-the-Stanley-Cup-in-2012?&id=6603539] Who Will Win the Stanley Cup in 2012?