NHL Playoffs: Second Round Predictions

Hello again. First, let me start off by saying that I’m very happy with the NHL’s scheduling decision to start the second round just one night after the end of the first round. Even though it means I need to be quite quick on these predictions, (about a half hour until game one) its nice not to have a week to overthink things. Now, before I begin round two, a quick recap of my 5-3 round one picks. I’ve also listed my first round picks in the [] bracket things.

1. [Caps in 5] Caps in 5? Hey, you heard it here first.
2. [Buffalo in 7] Well in my defense, Buffalo did make it to the seventh game. But by that point, Philly had just worked them until they had nothing left in the tank. Right number of games, wrong team.
3. [Bruins in 6] Well, I had known it was going to be close, but not that close! The Habs played their butts off, Carey Price was outstanding, and Montreal almost upset the big B’s.
4. [Pens in 6] Wow, did I underestimate the Lightning. The Penguins, who even found themselves up 3-1 and had a chance of fulfilling my prophecy, laid down and let the Lightning steamroll them in game 5, easily win in game 6, and beat them in a game 7 squeaker. Bye bye Crosby, bye bye Malkin, bye bye Penguins.
5. [Canucks in 5] I thought I had this one in the bag. Especially after the game 4 meltdown, I thought the Canucks would come back on home ice and bring it home in 5. Oops.
6. [Sharks in 6] I don’t mean to gloat, but please refer to point number one.
7. [Red Wings in 6] Well, one first round sweep later, I wasn’t looking so good. But before round one you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who would have thought Phoenix would be as bad as they were, so there.
8. [Ducks in 7] Arguably my biggest gaffe. Way underestimated goaltending, defence, and even some spot offence from Jordin Tootoo! However, definitely sad to see a 50 goal scorer not go further.

And now, without further ado, round two!

Eastern Conference

Washington (1) vs. Tampa Bay (5)

In the first round, Tampa Bay showed what they can do when it comes to depth, and a 40+ year old Dwayne Roloson who looks close to as good as he did leading the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup final. While their big stars are shining, members of their supporting cast (outlined in my round predictions) are still stepping up. For the Caps, it’s going to be about how big their stars can be. While they got good goaltending in round one, they’re going to need great goaltending in round two. Alex Semin is going to have to continue to produce, Ovechkin and Backstrom need to be better, and the rest of the Capitals really have nowhere to hide. With all that being said, I think Washington can take this. A good offence can be built on a solid defence that is capable of shutting down Tampa’s weapons. It’s a gamble pick, but even with the questions in net, Washington can survive another series.

The Pick: Capitals in 7

Philadelphia (2) vs. Boston (3)

What a doozie! A repeat of last year’s semi final, where Boston taught us that even a 3-0 series lead isn’t safe against these Flyers. Both teams are coming off grueling seven game series’, and both with a lot to prove. Like Montreal, Boston is facing a team who outskills them, but this time, that team is almost as big as they are too. The kicker in this series is the goaltending – Boston has a Vezina candidate, Philadelphia has three inconsistent backup caliber guys. If Boston does nothing but fire blanks, they and their goalie can be beaten. But  I think Boston can put some pucks in the net, and I’m taking the upset.

The Pick: Bruins in 6

Western Conference

Vancouver (1) vs. Nashville (5)

Don’t. Underestimate. Nashville. Okay, it’s definitely a lesson I’ve learned, and one I’ll carry into this series. Though it wasn’t all pretty, Nashville competed very well with the Ducks, a team fairly similar to Vancouver. Though their lack of elite players showed, especially when they took a lot of penalties, Nashville has a definite chance. And if they can frustrate Vancouver right off the hop, the Canucks might not be able to figure out yet another comeback. And then there’s Luongo, who everyone is just looking for a little bit of consistency from. I might be over compensating here, but I’ll take another upset.

The Pick: Predators in 7

San Jose (2) vs. Detroit (3)

Hey – it’s weird that the 1,2,3 and 5 seeds from both conferences were the ones that advanced. San Jose was once again the pillar of sketchy playoff performing they usually were. This time, Detroit will be a big shock and a big difference from the inexperienced LA Kings they faced in the first round. Detroit will probably be rusty at first, with over a week off between games, but they just looked so good against Phoenix that it’s tough to imagine them losing this one as well. San Jose is good – just too many questions, plus Anti Niemi would have to stand on his head – which is possible, but highly unlikely.

The Pick: Detroit in 6

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