Well the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is upon us and it`s time for more predictions. But before we get to that, let`s look at my record for the first round. You can find my first round predictions here. So in terms of teams, I went 4-4 and for number of games in series I went 2-6. So if you’re betting on number of games in series, do not follow my advice! One good thing is that my Stanley Cup finalist teams made it through what was a very exciting and surprising first round!
Quickly before I look into the crystal ball for the second round here are in no particular order my top three surprises from the opening round:
1.) The Blues choked again.
2.) The Minnesota Wild knocking off the Colorado Avalanche. Feeling Clutterbucked today Garth Snow?
3.) The Sharks collapse. (And the Bruins say thank you to the Sharks for now not being the last team to blow a 3-0 series lead)
Second round predictions:
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens: For the 34th time these two storied rivals do battle in the playoffs and this promises to be another classic. There will be a great goaltending duel between Carey Price and Tuukka Rask and a chess match between Michel Therrien and the man that took his job in Montreal back in 2003 Claude Julien. The latter will win that chess match and the Bruins will beat the Habs for the third straight time in the playoffs.
Bruins in 7
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers: These old Patrick Division rivals do battle in the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Penguins escaped an upstart Columbus Blue Jackets squad in the first round and the Rangers did the same with the Flyers. But Henrik Lundqvist is in a zone and Marc Andre Fleury could be in a fog. Picked the Rangers to win the Stanley Cup and I’m sticking with them.
Rangers in 6
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild: The Wild shocked the world-beating top-seeded Avalanche in overtime of Game 7 at Colorado but that won’t happen with the Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks showed in the first round that they’re not giving up the throne easily and they will show it again.
Blackhawks in 5
Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings: Finally we get the battle of Southern California and a rematch of the Stadium Series game as these two underrated rivals do battle. What the Kings did coming back from 3-0 in the series with the Sharks was simply amazing and they will bring my Western Conference finalist pick to the brink too. But in the end the Ducks will keep quacking!
Ducks in 7
