The Washington Capitals finished first in the Eastern Conference with 121 points, while the San Jose Sharks ended their regular season at the top of the Western Conference with 113 points. Philadelphia snuck their way into the playoffs at the last second, edging out the New York Rangers 2 goals to 1 in a shoot out.

The Capitals, led by Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin, are currently up 2-1 on the Montreal Canadiens in their series. The Nashville Predators shockingly upset the Chicago Blackhawks in the first game of their series by a score of 4-1. However, the Blackhawks evened up the series with a 2 to 0 win in Sunday night’s game. Phoenix is currently leading the Detroit Red Wings 2 to 1 in their series.

Although they are not the favorites to win this year, it would be a bad idea to count out the defending champions, Pittsburgh Penguins. Led by the Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, they have just as much of a shot at winning as the rest of the teams.

It seems as though all eyes are on the San Jose Sharks from the Western Conference. Ending the season on top with players such as Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton to lead the way, the Sharks are the first seed in their conference and are tied 1 to 1 with the Colorado Avalanche in their first round series.

The goaltending is a major factor in the outcome of these games. Jonathan Quick, Marc Andre Fleury, Roberto Luongo, and Ryan Miller are just a few of the goalies to watch out for during these playoffs. Quick of the Los Angeles Kings leads out of the goal tenders with the highest save percentage and sixty-five saves. Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is right behind him with sixty-four saves.

With some shocking starts to these series, this playoff is truly unpredictable. Series are best of seven games and scheduled first round play will go through April 28 at the very latest if needed. It is still very early and all the teams are extremely eager to win the ultimate prize: the 2010 Stanley Cup. It could go to anyone.