Alright, so the first round didn't go as well as my NBA predictions. At the end of the day, I got five of the eight series correct. Not that bad, considering lost Game 7. Then again, I couldn't have been more wrong with the Ottawa and San Jose wins.
Now, I'm writing this with a heavy heart after my Toronto Maple Leafs blew Game 7 last night. It'll take some time to recover, but I've accepted the fact now. It was a much better result than I had anticipated going into the series.
Anyways, let's get on to the teams that are still actually playing hockey at this point. Conference Semifinals time!
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
The media is going to have a field day with this series. Having Matt Cooke play against the Ottawa Senators mere months after slicing Erik Karlsson's Achilles. While that will give people something to talk about, the action on the ice could be even better. Pittsburgh won all three games played in the regular season, but they were all close games. The first round series exposed a problem for the Penguins in net. Marc-Andre Fleury started to play like did in last year's defeat against the Philadelphia Flyers, so much so that Tomas Vokoun has taken over the starting goalie spot - at least for Game 1. On the opposite side of the ice, Craig Anderson was brilliant against Montreal. He has been one of the league's most consistent goaltenders. How much can a hot goalie mean to a playoff series? Jaroslav Halak stole a series from the Penguins two years ago. Will it happen again this year? I don't think so. Crosby and Malkin are playing exceptionally, the Penguins have more depth, and Vokoun just has to be steady. The Pesky Sens have had a fine season, but it ends here.
Pittsburgh wins the series 4-2.
(4) Boston Bruins vs. (6) New York Rangers
This series hurts a little, knowing how close the Leafs were to being in this spot. Anyways, during that series, the Bruins showed two teams: one which was physical, fast, and intimidating and another that was slow, old, and had problems scoring. Boston will need production from all lines. At the end of the first round series, Patrice Bergeron and his line showed some life. Moving Jagr up to join Bergeron and Brad Marchand added a needed offensive spark to the team, giving them a second offensive threat. They'll need every bit of it to beat the Rangers and Vezina-nominated Henrik Lundqvist. It's hard to overestimate his worth to the Rangers in the first round, considering there were four games New York scored a goal or less. In order to beat Boston, the Rangers will need a much better effort from their offense. They showed some offensive spark in Game 7, shutting out Washington 5-0. No matter how good Lundqvist plays, it's hard to see the Rangers scoring enough goals on Tuukka Rask and the Bruins defense. It'll be a close, low-scoring series, but Boston takes it.
Boston wins the series 4-3.
Western Conference
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Detroit Red Wings
Even though Chicago made quick work of the Minnesota Wild, two of the five games went in to overtime. The series could've been drastically different. Do I think the Blackhawks still would've won the series? Yes, they have far too much talent. Detroit presents an interesting challenge. The long-time top dog in the Central Division, the Red Wings only won one game in regulation during the first round. They showed some dominance over the Ducks last round, but allowed Anaheim to get back into games too often. Chicago will be able to take advantage of that as well, making it hard on the Red Wings to get any form of separation. During the season, Chicago won all four match-ups against Detroit, but three were in the shootout. Again, another indication of a close series, which I think it will be. Eventually Chicago takes the series and top dog spot in the Central, but Detroit will give them everything they've got.
Chicago wins the series 4-2.
(5) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) San Jose Sharks
Another Western Conference series, another divisional match-up. The Kings showed what won them the Stanley Cup against the Blues in the first round: a combination of great defense and outstanding goaltending. Combined with timely scoring, it makes for a very successful playoff recipe. Jonathan Quick kept the defending champs in the series early, making huge saves. He stepped up his game from the regular season where some people were questioning the contract the Kings gave him. The Sharks are coming off of a great series against the Canucks, taking complete advantage of a team that was unable to score goals. It was a problem for L.A. in the first round, only scoring 12 times in six games against the Blues. San Jose has a Vezina-nominated goalie in Antti Niemi, which will make scoring a big issue for the Kings again. While it sounds obvious, the goalies will decide the series. I think Quick outplays Niemi, and the Kings return to the Western Conference Finals. The series goes seven games since San Jose doesn't seem to lose at home.
Los Angeles wins the series 4-3.
Well, there are my picks for the semifinals. I hope that I have a better percentage than the first round. If not, there's always another round.
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