We offer a quick hit analysis of the five series that kicked off the 2011 playoffs on Wednesday night.

Welcome to the5hole.com’s ‘Playoff Central’. We are going to be providing you with day-by-day coverage of all the action in the 2011 Stanely Cup Playoffs. From game previews, reviews and team news to in-depth analysis, we will have it all

Washington and New York meet in a first round series that promises to be about tight, defensive play. The Rangers almost upset the Capitals two seasons ago, taking them to seven games, but Washington is no longer the free flowing

Bitter rivals Boston and Montreal meet in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. The Canadiens edged the Bruins as the #1 seed 4-3 in 2008, while the Bruins won the series 4-0 the

Philadelphia and Buffalo meet in a series between two teams that enter the postseason with very different momentum. The Flyers have struggled down the stretch and very nearly dropped to the fourth seed, while a second half surge saw the

Phoenix and Detroit meet in a re-match of a first round match-up from last season. On that occasion, the two teams played out an extremely entertaining back and forth series before the more experienced Red Wings finally saw off the

Anaheim and Nashville meet in an extremely interesting match-up that pits an offensive minded, fast paced Ducks teams against a gritty, defense first team in the Predators. Both of these teams finished the season strongly and should bring their ‘A’

Vancouver and Chicago meet for the third straight season in the playoffs. The previous match-ups have occurred in the second round with Chicago winning on both occasions, however these are two very different teams to the ones that have met

The three Californian teams have made it into the postseason for the first time in the history of the NHL, and two of them face-off in the first round. The achievement by the Californian franchises is particular impressive when put