2nd Round Playoff Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

The Habs pulled off the upset beating the Capitals in 7 games, and are on a roll having won the final 3 games of that series. They face the Penguins, who overcame an early deficit to beat the Senators in 6 games. This will be an intriguing matchup, as it pits a super hot team riding an insanely hot goalie against the defending Stanley Cup champs. In my years of watching playoff hockey, there is one maxim that always holds true. A team with a hot goalie can beat anyone. Jaroslav Halak has been a hot little potato in the past three games, and was the biggest reason that the Canadiens were able to win. I’m really having a tough time picking this series, because on one hand we’ve got the hot goalie on a team that’s riding high, and on the other hand we’ve got the defending champs with another hot potato in Sidney (henceforth referred to as Cindy) Crosby. I’m going to have to go with the hot goalie here, and I’m picking the Habs.

BOLT prediction: Canadiens 4-3


#6 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers

This series is another one that is tough to call, but for a different reason. I’m not convinced that either of these teams are that good, but they both advanced. Going back to the old adage, I’m going to go with the team with better goaltending. The Bruins rely on Tuukka Rask, one of the best young netminders in the league, while the Flyers have Brian Boucher in net. Boucher performed admirably against the Devils, but I’m not convinced that he will keep that going against the Bruins. I’m going with the Bruins here, but I think that whoever makes it out of this series is just going to lose to the winner of the other series.

BOLT prediction: Bruins 4-2


WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings

The Sharks managed to avoid choking in the first round again by beating the Avs, but their reward for that series win is a date with the Red Wings. The Red Wings were pushed to the brink by the Coyotes, but showed why they’re the Red Wings by crushing in game 7. I look for the Wings to keep that momentum going. While the Sharks did win, they did so against a depleted Avs team. I think this may be the last hurrah for the likes of Lidstrom and Rafalski, so they’ll look to keep winning. I’m going to take the Red Wings in this one. The Sharks may have won one series, but they’re facing a team with a whole lot of Stanley Cup rings.

BOLT prediction: Red Wings 4-2


#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks

The Blackhawks had their hands full with the Predators in the first round, but were able to emerge victorious. The Canucks faced a quality Kings team, but were able to defeat them with a balanced scoring attack, and former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson, who contributed several key goals. I think the series will hinge on the play of the goalies of Chicago. They proved to be rather shaky during the first round, and if that continues, it could spell a quick series for the Hawks. Since I picked the Canucks to win the Cup in my original preview and they played very well in their first round series, I’m going with the Canucks here. Even though the Hawks beat them last year, I think this year’s Canuck team is better across the board.

BOLT prediction: Canucks 4-1

-THE-A-TRAIN-