NHL playoffs begin tomorrow

Today, the post-season of the NHL gets under way, and the race for the Stanley Cup looks to be exciting as ever. This season has been incredibly positive for the NHL. Parity in the league has risen to the forefront, and young stars have returned the product to mass appeal.

With new rules in place since the NHL's comeback, the league seems to be thriving. The Western Conference has unbelievable strength, as seven of the eight playoff teams have more than 100 points — the No. 8 seed Calgary ended the season with 96 points. It's a very balanced conference from top to bottom, and any of the eight teams can make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The favorite in the west is the Detroit Red Wings, who are the top seed and are scheduled to take on the No. 8 seed Flames. The Red Wings have a solid team with good goal tending and defense, mixed with efficient scoring on the offensive end. Another team to watch in the west is No. 3 seed Vancouver Canucks, who have the best record in the NHL since Christmas at 31-8 and are scheduled to take on the Dallas Stars. The No. 2 seed Anaheim Ducks will also face the No. 7 seed Minnesota Wild.

In the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres are the favorites after finishing with 113 points, matching the Red Wings total for best in the league. They will take on No. 8 seed NY Islanders. In perhaps the most intriguing first-round match up, the No. 4 seed Ottawa Senators take on the young No. 5 seed Pittsburgh Penguin team that features arguably the best player in the game, Sidney Crosby, who is 19 years-old.

NHL playoffs begin tomorrow

Upon completion of the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course, two things seemed clear: the course was winning, rather than the field, and Tiger Woods' fifth green jacket seemed destined for his already-expansive trophy case. Woods was sitting tied for second place at three-over-par entering the final round, as well as in the final pairing with leader Stuart Appleby.

At the Masters, Sunday's final pairing usually means victory, as 16 consecutive Masters champions have been in the final grouping. Saturday, with the momentum of the game — a par round of 72 and second place when the course average was 77 — and his history behind him, Tiger Woods seemed sure to grab his fifth Masters title.

Sunday, however, little-known Zach Johnson threw a wrench in his plans. Up until then, Johnson had won one PGA Tour event: the 2004 Bell South Classic. Johnson played better golf than anyone that day — even better than Woods, the man known as the best finisher in golf.

Johnson got off to a solid start on the last day, even after bogeying the first hole with a front nine score of a 1-under-35. Sitting at 3-over for the tournament, Johnson had the tournament in his sights and capitalized. In a crucial four-hole stretch on the back nine, Johnson birdied, birdied, had a par, and then birdied, arriving at an even par and taking a three-stroke lead.

NCAA underclassmen make future decisions

As the April 29 deadline for entry into the NBA draft rapidly approaches, the top college basketball underclassmen have begun to make decisions regarding their futures.

Washington's Spencer Hawes made the announcement Thursday that he will be testing the waters of the NBA draft to see what his draft status will look like. A day earlier, four Florida juniors, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green and Corey Brewer, held a press conference to announce their decisions to turn professional and take on a new challenge.

Now, it seems that the best prospects available are starting to make up their minds. Monday, Kansas sophomore forward Julian Wright, a player many NBA scouts believed to be a top-five pick in the upcoming draft, went against what he had been saying for a whole year and decided to forego his final two years of eligibility and enter the draft.

Yesterday, Texas freshman and the consensus player-of-the-year Kevin Durant went public with his decision to turn pro. Durant is unquestionably a top-two pick in the draft, and only fellow freshman Greg Oden of Ohio State can take the top spot from him. Oden has yet to make up his mind, but he and teammate Mike Conley, Jr. are leaning toward going pro.

Among others who haven't made official announcements but seem to be leaning toward the draft are Oden, North Carolina's Brandan Wright, UCLA's Arron Afflalo and Georgetown's Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.

Reach Anthony Dion at sports@thedaily.washington.edu