We’ve finally made it! June has officially arrived, Winnipeg has an NHL team again, and finally we have the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s getting a lot easier to keep track of, but how about my last round’s predictions.
1. [Bruins in 7]. What a series that was. Completely made my expectations, though if Boston wants to drink from the cup, they’ll have to play even better than they did. And just in case it was at all lost on anyone, my prediction was bang on.
2. [Sharks in 6]. Okay, so this one wasn’t all that bang on after all. Going along with my previous prediction, I said that the winner of Detroit/San Jose would win the cup, and I really thought the Sharks had a legitimate shot, especially with the way they were coming up when it mattered. But in the end, the banged up Sharks (Joe Thornton? Separated shoulder? Seriously?) were just too worn out after tackling the Red Wings, and the Canucks needed only 5 games to seal it.
Stanley Cup Final
Vancouver (1) vs. Boston (3)
You might not remember, but in my last series of predictions, I wrote that I had carried for most if not all of the playoffs. They were:
1. The champion would come from the west
2. The winner of Detroit/San Jose would win the cup
3. If Detroit won game 6, they would take game 7.
So, I was wrong about that third one. And hey, I was wrong about the second one. Some might argue that I should quit while I’m ahead, but that first and foremost prediction is the one I’ve believed the longest, and I’m sticking to it. Vancouver has not only stuck around in these playoffs, they’ve really gotten better each round they’ve played. Throughout the entire third round, I found I wasn’t questioning Roberto Luongo for about the first playoff series he’s been a part of. Though Tim Thomas is as worthy an opponent as there could be on the other side, you have to give Roberto credit. On paper, Vancouver really has superior depth at every position to the Bruins, and it’s almost their series to win. For the Bruins to be successful, they’re going to need to keep getting big performances from their big performers. They’ll need David Krejci, Nathan Horton, and especially the physical, hard forechecking abilities of Milan Lucic, and any big offensive contribution from him will be a bonus if he uses his size well. The Achilles heel of the Bruins so far has been giving up an early lead, especially in that last Tampa Bay series. They just can’t afford. The other thing the Bruins can do well is to shut a team down to the point of frustration, and if there’s one thing that unwinds the Canucks, it’s losing focus and composure while another team gets in their face. It might be wishful thinking, but I’d like this series to go the distance.
The Pick: Canucks in 7
