On to the Second Round

Well I did not get all of my predictions right, but I was close to getting all the winners right. Alexander Ovechkin and co. was the only team I picked to advance that did not. Picked all winners in the series, minus the Caps. They fought hard, but the Flyers prevailed. Kudos to Philly. Now to the second round matchups.

In the West we have two outstanding series.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche

The Detroit/Colorado rivalries of the late 90's were classic. You could just feel that these two teams hated each other. This matchup should be interesting. The Red Wings struggled in the first round with the underdog Nashville Predators. After benching starter Dominik Hasek, the Wings relied on back Chris Osgood. The veteran goaltender did not disappoint. The Wings played with passion under Osgood and eventually ended the upstart Predators playoff run. The Avs, have also playing with passion. Their veterans, especially Joe Sakic have been stepping up. The more interesting story, is Jose Theodore. The Avs netminder is playing for a contract. He hasn't seemed this inspired since he won the MVP a few years back with Montreal. I think this one goes the distance.

I am going with the Avalanche in 7.

San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars

San Jose had to go the distance with the Calgary Flames. The Sharks look uninspired the whole series. They got hit hard and hit often. Patrick Marleau seemed to be the only Shark playing with passion. Game 7, the Sharks played inspired and it showed, as they won 5-3. They chased one the best netminders in the game in Kiprusoff. In order to beat the Dallas Stars, they will need that effort every game. Dallas on the other hand, just knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions. They dominated, but could not close out the deal against the Ducks. They won, but they could have won the series a lot sooner. Just like the Sharks, if the Stars played uninspired, they will lose. So is this year that the Sharks finally make it out of the second round? I am betting against them.

Dallas Stars in 6. Break out the VQUZESHUF.

In the East, we also have some great matchups.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers

I owe the Boston Bruins an apology. I said they would be swept, but the Bruins took the Habs to the distance. Montreal rookie Carey Price, had moments of brilliance. He also had some games that I am sure he would like to forget. When it came to Game 7 and pressure, Price shined. The Habs are lethal on the Powerplay, so if Philly ends up in the box, prepare to see the score board light up. On the flip side, Philly cooled down the hottest team and the hottest player in the league. When Philly played puck control, they dominated Washington. They need puck control and discipline play to beat Montreal. Daniel Briere leads all players with 11 points in the postseason and his stellar play must continue in order for Philly to stand a chance. Personally, I do not think Philly's dmen can stand up to Montreal's offense.

Canadiens in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Out of all the possible matchups for the Rangers in the second round, this is the only one I did not want to see. Pittsburgh just dispatched the Ottawa Senators in 4 games in a relatively easy fashion. Is it Pittsburgh is that good, or is Ottawa that bad? We will find out in this series. Evgeni Malkin has been a force in the playoffs and does not appear to be slowing down. Marc-Andre Fluery is playing the best of hockey of life. Add to that Sidney Crosby, and the Rangers could be in trouble. The Rangers will look to their veterans more than ever in this series. Gomez, Shanny, "Captain Clutch"(Chris Drury), and a revitalized Jagr need to lead the way for the Rangers. The Rangers rookies have been good and show they can handle the playoff pressure. That will need to continue. Henrik Lundqvist will need to continue playing absurd in order to stop Pittsbugh's offense. In my opinion, there are two major keys to this series. 1.) The Rangers need to stay out of the box. Pittsburgh's Powerplay is lethal and taking penalties will doom the Rangers. 2.) Sean Avery. Love him or hate him, the guy is a great hockey player. His antics got in the head of the best netminder of all time. He will need to keep it up to knock Fluery off his game, but at the same time, not become a distraction for the Rangers.

This is going to be a good series. I believe it is going to be a lot closer than most people think. The experts seem to forget the Rangers won the season series between the two teams. Once again, this is a Blueshirts Blog, so I gotta go with my Rangers.

Rangers win this series in 6 games.