2006 Analysis

There seems to be quite a bit of consensus on the first round, but then the races break wide open, leading to ten different Cup winners (yet strangely no one picked Carolina) which should keep things interesting deep into the playoffs.
(Number of entries selecting each team in brackets)

Series	Favourite(s)	Underdog(s)	Commentary
1	Ott(34)	TB(2)	The Sens were the most popular pick in the first round, although a number of people indicated in their emails or comments that they had wanted to pick the Lightning but couldn't bring themselves to do it.
2	Car(27)	Mon(9)	Most don't see the Habs going far this year, but not many saw them going far in 1993 or 1986 either, and they haven't won yet this decade, so perhaps they're due.
3	NJ(24)	NYR(12)	With only one point separating them in the final standings, it's not too surprising that this was the most evenly split series, but the Devils red hot finish to the season led them to be picked by a 2-1 plurality.
4	Buf(30)	Phi(6)	Despite a wealth of experience and depth, only a handful of entries went with perennial choker Philadelphia.
5	Det(33)	Edm(3)	The President's Trophy winners didn't quite get as much respect as the Sens, perhaps because they only split the season series with Edmonton 2-2, and three of those games went to OT.
6	Dal(30)	Col(6)	This was the series that most surprised me, as the Theodore-era Avalanche get little respect in the face of the seasoned Stars.
7	Cal(30)	Ana(6)	I was a little surprised by the strength of the majority that went with Kiprusoff and the Flames, but I suppose the facts that they're Canadian and everyone hates the Ducks have something to do with it. Oh, and Kipper's Vezina-worthy season might have been a factor too...
8	SJ(30)	Nas(6)	Despite being the higher seed, the Predators don't get much respect, as most entries apparently figure Thornton and Cheechoo and company will continue to light it up, especially without Vokoun between the pipes.
Eastern Finalist	Ott(24) NJ(19)	Buf(16) Car(6) NYR(4) Phi(1) Mon(1) TB(1)	Every team in the east was chosen at least once to make it to the eastern conference final, with the Sens, Devils, and Sabres being the clear favourites.
Western Finalist	Det(18) Dal(17)	SJ(16) Cal(15) Nas(3) Ana(1) Col(1) Edm(1)	Every team in the west was chosen at least once to make it to the western conference final, with the top two seeds narrowly edging out the others.
Eastern Champion	Ott(13)	NJ(10) Buf(6) NYR(4) Car(1) Phi(1) TB(1)	Only the Habs were picked by no one to win the eastern conference.
Western Champion	Det(13)	Dal(7) Cal(7) SJ(7) Nas(1) Edm(1)	Detroit is expected to be the western conference champion, but with a tight pack of three other teams close behind.
Stanley Cup Winner	Ott(8)	Det(7) Dal(4) NJ(4) Cal(3) Buf(3) SJ(3) NYR(2) Nas(1) Phi(1)	Interestingly, nobody picked the Hurricanes to win it all, even though they came within one point of first place in the east. With ten different teams chosen, however, things should remain interesting to the very end.