NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Wednesday Edition)

Note: This is the last installment of the first round playoff matchups. Starting tomorrow I will be writing second round morning papers.

Here are the morning papers for the Eastern Conference playoff match ups:

Montreal versus Boston:

• The Canadiens were 4-0 against the Flyers in the regular season, so they are not afraid of facing Philadelphia in Round 2.
• The Bruins are already very excited for next season and are taking a lot of positives from their 2007/08 campaign. The play of the team’s young players was extremely encouraging, writes Howard Ulman. In awards news, Zdeno Chara has been nominated for the Norris Trophy.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis has been a pleasant surprise since his arrival from Atlanta. The Penguins face the Rangers in Round 2, marking the first time Jaromir Jagr has played his old team in the playoffs. Here is the second round playoff schedule.

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• “I just told them they gave me the best year of my life, and I thanked them,” said Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau after his team was defeated in Game 7 by the Flyers. The wait is finally over for the Ted Leonsis and Capitals fans for a proven winner and contender. The Capitals fans were so impressed, that at game’s end they gave their team a standing ovation.
• Joffrey Lupul got to score the goal all kids dream about in their backyards, writes Ed Barkowitz. Martin Biron has been one of the great stories for the Flyers so far this playoffs, writes Ed Moran. The Flyers don’t have much time to savor their victory, as they visit Montreal to begin Round 2 on Thursday night.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• The NHL reaches new levels of hypocrisy, writes Larry Brooks, after it has been discovered that the league approved a Sean Avery t-shirt by Reebok. On the ice, the Rangers’ next series versus the Penguins doesn’t lack for stars. The Rangers seem more focused for Round 2 this year than they were last year.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

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