Update (10:00 am PDT April 13th): There are only 6 hours left to sign up, with the Penguins and Lightning scheduled to start their series at 4:00 this afternoon.
Since I have to work at 4:00, nucksandpucks will be closing off the submissions.  He will give you ample warning to hurry up.

It is time to make our picks.  This post is just for the team bracket competition.  If you're looking for the players competition, go to the other signup sheet.  If you need a quick refresher on who exactly made the playoffs, check the standings.

In order to sign up, all you have to do is list your prediction in a comment and post it below.  Here is the format for how to post your predictions:

Conference Quarterfinals:

"West1" (team name) in (# of games it takes to win the series)  (example: Canucks in 6)

"West2" in #

......

"East4" in #

Conference Semifinals:

"WestA" in #

"WestB" in #

"EastA" in #

"EastB" in #

Conference Finals:

"WestChamps" in #

"EastChamps" in #

Stanley Cup Finals:

"Champions" in #

Points are awarded very much the same way as our Score-Predicting Wizardry is:

• 3 points for calling the winner of a 1st round matchup, plus 1 extra point for calling the number of games.  (example: the Canucks winning the matchup in 6 games will result in 4 points if you called "Canucks in 6", 3 points for "Canucks in 7", and 0 for saying the Canucks are eliminated.)
• 4 points for calling the winner of a 2nd round matchup, plus 2 extra points for calling the number of games.
• 5 points for calling the winner of a 3rd round matchup, plus 3 extra points for calling the number of games.
• 6 points for calling the winner of the Stanley Cup Final, plus 4 extra points for calling the number of games.

With the NHL's unique seeding pattern for division winners getting higher seeds, there are a few 2nd-round scenarios to clear up.  Consider the 2nd-round predictions of "Sharks in 6" and "Detroit in 5".

• Should the matchups be different than what you originally predicted, you will still only get points if one or both of those two teams wins their matchup.  There will be no points awarded for a matchup where you didn't have a prediction for either club winning.
  
• Should San Jose and Detroit end up playing each other in the 2nd round, then the prediction for the winning team will hold precedence.  For example, if the Sharks won that series in 5 games, the "Sharks in 6" prediction will be used for points.
  

Starting right now, you have until puck drop for the very first NHL playoff game on Wednesday to place your predictions.  No changes will be allowed during the playoffs.  I will post the first leaderboard at the end of the 1st round.  Good luck.