FRENCH RIVER… The greatest hockey tournament on the planet is now set and ready to go! The NHL regular season concluded Saturday, and while some clubs were just playing out the schedule, others had some important playoff seeding to attend to. The Phoenix Coyotes had their first division title ever and first round home ice on the line when they met the Wild in St. Paul, and they prevailed by a 4-1 score and made team history in the process.
This game also affected the positioning of San Jose and Los Angeles, who finished the season with a home and home. San Jose prevailed in both tilts and bumped themselves up to 7th place in the West, good for a trip to St. Lou to face the fading Blues. LA gets to go to the great Northwest to face the first-place finisher and Presidents Cup winner Canucks. Nashville had a chance to solidify a home ice advantage in the first round and did so. Their Saturday victory combined with Detroit’s shootout loss to the Blackhawks got them a fourth-position finish.
In the East, the NY Rangers could have gotten first overall and the Presidents Cup with a victory, but got blown out by the Capitals. The Rangers still finish first in the East and the Caps bumped up to 7th,  while the Ottawa Sens slid down to the 8th position. With a victory, the retooled Florida Panthers earned first-round home ice and the Southeast title, and all other Eastern Conference positioning was settled earlier.
The tourney begins Wednesday, and in the West you will have (home team first) VAN vs. LA, STL vs. SJ, PHX vs. CHI, and NASH vs. DET. Let’s break it down. VAN wins the Presidents trophy for the second year in a row, can score, can defend, and their #2 goalie is better than their #1. LA is 29th in scoring, but are tough defenders, second in the league in GA, and the coach eats gravel for breakfast. VAN will win but this series will exact a toll on them. STL vs. SJ—through 80 games the Blues were in the running for the first overall position, but a 4-3-3 finish begs questioning suddenly. SJ finished strong because they had to to get in, going 7-3 in their L10. Can the Blues flip the switch? No. They are out after this round.
Coyotes and Hawks? Yotes goalie Mike Smith stood on his head and took the club to a 7-1-2 finish. The Hawks, in spite of injuries, suspensions, and questions about their goaltending, just had a 101-point season. If Smith shuts them down, Yotes win; if not, hello golf course. I’ll go out on a limb here: Yotes! Finally, NASH vs. DET. It’s hard to beat the Wings at home, not so hard to beat them on the road, and guess who has home ice? But the Wings are like a 35-year-old Ali: you might tag him a few times, then POW! Not this time—NASH advances.
In the East: NYR vs. OTT, BOS vs. WASH, FLA vs. NJ, PITT vs. PHIL. This is a loaded ticket, eh?  NYR Coach Torts is not a happy camper this week, and now he is even more so because the Sens have owned the Rangers at the Garden this season. The Range should be the overall better team though, right? NYR advance. The Bruins vs. the Caps?  Two months ago I wouldn’t believe the Caps would make it. But suddenly Ovie has woken up, and they are 6-2-2 in their L10. If the Broo-ah play to their capabilities, they win. Take Bruins. The Panthers vs. the Devs? Not a great deal of history here, but the retooled Cats were great early, not so great late going 2-3-5 in their L10. The Devs can come at you from several angles and will—Devs advance.  
Now, for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the Penn State? No series will get the attention of the fans and the league like this one will, given the recent history. Plus the Flyers have prevailed in the new Pengwah digs since they opened two seasons ago. This will go one of two ways: they will fight to the finish, including possible tilts between the coaches, or they will buckle down and play some hockey. If it’s the latter, I don’t think the Flyers can prevail; if it’s a combo of fighting and hockey, the Flyers might pull it off. In the end, give me the Pengwah. Looking forward to a great tourney! LET’S PLAY HOCKEY!
IN THE FROZEN FOUR my brackets were shot by the end of the semis. Ferris State bested Union by playing it close to the vest and striking late, and Boston College beat Minnesota convincingly and then beat FS after a tough two and half periods  by a 4-1 score. I thought the Gophers played a very nervous first six minutes and then paid for that, then BC got their second goal on a defensive lapse. Then the Gophers missed on about four quality chances, BC got two more, and it was over. BC is definitely the predominant program in college hockey right now, and while I’m not a fan of their club, it’s hard not to like good guy coach Jerry York. Great coach, better person. Congrats to the Champs…
UMD BULLDOG forward and captain Jack Connolly has been awarded the highest honor an individual can receive in college hockey and was named the Hobey Baker winner for 2012. The only way Connolly could have had a better college career would have been to win another title or two. He is hoping to continue playing next year, perhaps in the Swedish Elite League. My hat is off to you, kid, along with my personal congrats. I can only imagine how proud your family is… PEACE

THE MFAN NHL POWER RANK FOR 4/9/2012, THE M5:

1. VANCOUVER CANUCKS, will the real #1 goalie please stand up?
2. PITTS PENGWAH, end of year, beat BOS, NYR, PHIL, check, check and check.
3. NASHVILLE PREDS, if G Rinne gets hot, look out! Will make second round at least.
4. NEW JERSEY DEVILS, if you are looking past Devs, you will see a golf course.
5. BOSTON BRUIN, will guarantee a stout defense of their Cup title….

OVER & OUT!
Marc Elliott is a freelance sports opinion writer who splits time between his hometown in Illinois and Minnesota. Elliott grew up in the Twin Cities with many of his childhood neighbors working or playing for the Vikings and Twins. He participated in baseball, football and hockey before settling on hockey as his own number one sport. Elliott recently wrote “The Masked Fan Speaks” column for the Lake County News Chronicle for the past ten years and was a prominent guest on the former “All Sports” WDSM 710AM in Duluth.