Wow, I don’t think ANYONE predicted the outcome of the first round of this year’s playoffs. Crazy series and crazy upsets. I went an abysmal 1-for-4 in the Western Conference and an equally horrid 1-for-4 in the East. Vancouver played awful and they paid for it while Chicago just couldn’t find the back of the net when they needed to. Even though Detroit-Nashville was a pick-em series, I think Detroit deserved better than to be knocked out in 5. Like Chicago, though, they just couldn’t score when they needed to. In the East, Boston’s big guns couldn’t get past a hot goaltender while Pittsburgh and their paper-tiger defense fell right into Philadelphia’s game. New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur showed why he is a hall-of-fame goaltender as he held the fort and gave his team the opportunity to move on. In the meantime, New York had all they could handle in the upstart Ottawa Senators.
Hopefully I will do a bit better with my second round predictions:
Eastern Conference
New York Rangers (1) vs. Washington Capitals (7) – Washington in 6
Okay, here is a bit of a “reach” pick for me. In no way shape or form did I feel that the Capitals had any kind of chance against Boston. They refused to play Boston’s game and got all-world goaltending and now I think they believe that they can do anything. New York, on the other hand, looked very beatable against the Senators and there is also some question about how healthy they are after their first round series. They play a hard-nosed game but will it be enough? Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and Green all represent major threats that could break games at any time. I think the giant-killers will strike again and this series could even be over in 5.
Philadelphia Flyers (5) vs. New Jersey Devils (6) – Philadelphia in 6
The Flyers have more than proved that they can score goals, but their goaltending is highly suspect. The Devils, on the other hand, haven’t filled the net but they play a solid brand of defense and definitely have the best goalie in the series, hands down. Kovalchuk is definitely a game breaker but I don’t think the Devils have enough offense to counter Philadelphia. If the Flyers can get a save out of their goaltender when they need it, then their offense will give them the edge in the series.
Western Conference
St. Louis Blues (2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8) – St. Louis in 6
Both teams are strong in net and play very well defensively, unfortunately neither team has excelled at putting the pucks in the net. With a Vezina-trophy candidate, I think I give the goaltending edge to LA, but only slightly. This series will boil down to who can put the puck in the net, not who can keep it out. I think the Blues play a bit more of an agressive game than the Kings and have a bit more speed and that will be the difference. The Kings caught the Canucks in full sleep-walk mode, but the Blues have been playing hard all year, so look for them to be pressed hard.
Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Nashville Predators (4) – Nashville in 6
Much like the St. Louis-Los Angeles series, this will be a goaltending battle. I think Nashville is a more complete team top-to-bottom but Phoenix definitely has an X-factor going for them. The Predators got through their first series relatively unscathed while Phoenix lost a significant physical presence in Raffi Torres. While it would be easy to call this another pick-em series, I have to believe that Pekka Rinne will out-duel Mike Smith and that will be the difference here. I will give a slight edge in coaching to Phoenix but that will not be enough to get them through to the Conference finals.