When in doubt, say the Red Wings.

Hockey seems crazy hard to predict, to me, just because so many teams come out of the blue. Picking the #6 seed isn't such a bad pick, where that would be silly in an NBA Playoffs bracket.

Looks like an interesting years to me. So many of the old, traditional powers seem to be a factor this year: the Bruins, the Canadiens, NY Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks.

Calgary is #3 in the West right now. They have Stanley Cup experience from a few years back, and I'm a Jerome Iginla fan, so maybe I'll pick them as a darkhorse.

Heck, the Dallas Stars are actually getting hot at the right time of the year. They were completely out of the picture two months ago, and now they've climbed to #6. They were in the Western Finals last year, have a mix of veterans and young guys, and have the will (with Hull in the front office) to make an aggressive trade at the deadline.

But all things being equal, it's hard to bet against the Red Wings.