NHL Playoffs - Round 2
Before, I get into the next round, I have to separate myself from the journalist side and try to avoid being driven to tears by last night's game. Two things that totally killed me about the game. 1. The referees so concerned about making sure they made calls they were supposed to make, made calls they should never have thought of making - and the Stars not realizing that until they had given the Canucks about 10 power-plays and the lead. 2. (and most importantly), I will never forgive the My27 broadcast team (who must have been rooting for Vancouver) for putting up a stat on Marty's shutout streak while the Stars were about to go on the penalty kill again. It couldn't have been 2 minutes after that graphic that Vancouver scored. It never fails. If your watching a home-team broadcast, shouldn't graphics like this be outlawed?
OK, so I did great in the Eastern Conference and picked every winner (although I missed the number of games in a couple cases - we should have had a NHL playoffs bracket so I could redeem myself after the NCAA embarassment). Next round:
Sabres (1) vs Rangers (6). So, this is a great matchup if you like a lot of team speed and to top it all, it's another NY matchup. The Sabres handled the Islanders pretty easily, but the Rangers swept the Thrashers. When two teams are well-matched, I tend to go with goaltending (as I stated before). I think Ryan Miller is a superb netminder and will win this series. Sabres in 6.
Devils (2) vs Senators (4). I'm going against my best goalie trend here. I think the Senators are too hungry and talented for even Brodeur. I think NJ is a good team, but I feel that the Sens will move on. Ottawa in 7
Western Conference:
Ducks (2) vs Canucks (3). This should be another great goaltender matchup for Vancouver. Marty almost did them in and Giguere can be just as frustrating. That being said, I think the Ducks can be more frustrating to play against defensively because of the pounding they dish out. The Canucks have some momentum from winning a game 7, but the Ducks are more rested and their offense has been clicking more lately. I think Ducks in 6 (If Vancouver wins again, I won't pick against them anymore)
Detroit (1) vs. San Jose (5). San Jose is probably the best 5 seed I've seen in a long time. I still find it hard to believe that Detroit has remained so good under the cap. The big questions are can Thornton do it in the playoffs? (jury's still out), and Will Hasek Dominate? I think San Jose gives too much defensively and that will hurt them in the long run. Detroit in 7
1 comment:
Hey again!
Cool to see we picked the same teams this time -- yes, even Anaheim. I wish I could say I think the Canucks will take this, but the Ducks are well-rested, the Canucks are worn-down, and the teams are nowhere near as evenly matched as Dallas and Vancouver were. The Ducks have actual players who can score, and their defense is about the same as Vancouver's. The only edge the Canucks have is Luongo, and that won't be enough to make up for the Canucks' inability to score :P.
Otherwise, the only thing w really disagree on is the Sabres in 6. I say 7... I really am impressed with the play of the Rangers this year, and think they will give the Sabres a run for their money. Goaltending-wise, Lundqvist is pretty sweet too. Nonetheless, it's going to be a Sabres' win. They're just too good overall to fall to the Rangers!
We've been posting avidly over at Ode to Low-Life Drunks! Hope to see some of your guys' thoughts over there too! It's been fun seeing how our predictions shape up against one another's... and I think you'll laugh tomorrow when Mysterious Wonder posts his predictions. He's mad at me for predicting the teams you just did! ;)
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