Round 1 of the NHL playoffs has come and gone, and left 8 casualties out of the chase for the Stanley Cup.

The start of the 2008-09 playoffs are upon us, and Habsworld pundits have put their $0.02 forward to boldly predict the winners and losers of hockey’s first round of the second season.

The final four games of the Habs 2008-09 up-and-down season start this evening. Montreal will play Ottawa at home, in what is always a tough divisional match.

Today, the Montreal Canadiens obtained veteran defenceman Mathieu Schneider from the Atlanta Thrashers, for a 2nd round & 3rd round draft pick.

Brother versus brother; team scoring leader versus team scoring leader; captain versus captain.

Tonight, the Canadiens hope to bounce back against last Saturday night’s loss to Anaheim, with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes at home.

Tonight’s match against the Philadelphia Flyers signifies the first meeting since last season’s conference semifinal, when the Habs lost to Philadelphia.

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens will try to keep the Boston Bruins at bay, and build on their first game victory, with another win at home.

With The Montreal Canadiens in first place in the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators are in town to pry that title from their grasp.

The Habs are coming off their biggest win of the season, to face the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins tonight.