Round 2 of NHL Playoffs: How it’ll all pan out

Talk about a gut-wrenching, suspense-driven, nail-biting Round 1. Who would have thought that in both the East AND the West, the top seeds would get pretty banged up by the 8th seeds? The Canadiens and Wings thought they had an easy-buttoned pass to Round 2. Clearly they were wrong (fans in Montreal were so elated over this “easy” win that they torched police cars). And who expected the Senators to leave their game behind in the regular season? I expected the Penguins to do well, but the Sens went down without much of a fight. Then the Capitals and Flyers series—who can explain what happened there? The Flyers rode into the second round on the Caps’ “coulda-shoulda-woulda”s. The Rangers and Devils series was only eventful if you were a fan of either team, as such it was the dullest of the round. As for the Avalanche and Wild series—talk about a tight race. Avs pull out three straight to advance in an unbelievable match up of the two most mirroring teams in the whole playoffs. The Flames and Sharks series definitely had some life to it. As an avid Avs fan (show me a writer who’s unbiased, and I’ll show you someone who’s lying), the Flames had to win—the plan was to face the Ducks/Stars in Round 2, then the Red Wings for the West title. What made it worse was after the come-from-behind win in Game 3, it actually seemed like the Flames could go out on top. However, those plans were foiled. Stars and Ducks had their fair share of moments; of course, it is definitely good to be the Stars right now. Not only do they get to go to Round 2 (against the Sharks, no less), but they oust the Stanley Cup champs—and that’s gotta sting for the Ducks.

Round 2 promises to be no less intense (the Wings and Avs series alone is enough to keep the heart meds within an arm’s reach). Here’s a look into who’ll advance to Round 3 and who’ll get left behind to watch the fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup from their couches.

EAST
1. Canadiens vs Flyers
To be honest, this seems like a no brainer. Although, with the fight the Flyguys put up against the Caps and lack thereof the Habs put up against the Bruins, it could prove to be another tough win for either team.
Price vs Biron—Inexperienced and talented goalie versus experienced and talented goalie. Does it come down to experience here? Don’t be so sure. While it’s clear Carey Price is young, during these playoffs he’s shown the level-headedness of a goalie ten years his senior. Martin Biron may have that experience, but it isn’t significant enough to shake the mirroring game play he has with the mature Price.
Kovalev vs Kovalev—While his young goalie Price and rookie forward Sergei Kostitsyn are showing tremendous promise, Alexei Kovalev hasn’t shown much of anything. As a top scorer during the regular season and a should’ve-been contender for the Hart Trophy, fans expect more. Quite frankly, so do I.
Daniel Briere—Briere finally found his niche. He leads in goals for the playoffs with 11. That kind of pressure to produce has gotten to Briere in the past (added to that—his decision to sign with the Flyers last summer left Montreal fans none too pleased). Perhaps he could take a note from the pages of Carey Price’s playbook. Regardless, if Briere decides to play hockey instead of giving into the pressure, he will be a strong force for the Flyers. However, if his stick starts losing steam, well—don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Kovalev will wake from his trance, and Briere will forget why he’s in the playoffs in the first place. Overall, the Canadiens aren’t about to be embarassed by another low-seeded team. Habs in 6.

2. Penguins vs Rangers
It’s not the match up hockey fans wanted, but it’s not the worst match up either. Everyone wanted to see the likes of Sid “the Kid” Crosby/Evgeni Malkin pitted against Alexander “the Great” Ovechkin. If for nothing else, this could be a good series because it brings Jaromir Jagr to face off against the team that made a name for him, all the while there are talks of his eminent retirement from the NHL to play for a team in Russia. This series could boil down to the old addage, young (Pens) versus old (Rangers). Which is better?
The Malkin Hype—There isn’t any, but there should be. Malkin was the second leading point getter, behind Ovie. He constantly proved to be a tremendous stand-in for the significant number of games Sydney Crosby sat out on. After already scoring seven points in the playoffs, Malkin is a force to be reckoned with. Any team going up against the dynamic duo of Crosby and Malkin is going to have to play the best defense of their life. Either that or talk Patrick Roy into coming out of retirement.
Hey Henrik!—Henrik Lundqvist is the best shot the Rangers have at stopping the likes of Crosby and Malkin. Lundqvist has been nominated for the Vezina Trophy three straight times. This will only add to the unpredicatablility of the series. He’ll have his work cut out for him.

The Rangers veteran offense knows how to keep a cool head in the playoffs, but can the same be said for the Pens young lines? We’ll find out. While the Pens won’t have it as easy as they did against the Sens, I still don’t see them struggling a whole lot. Pens in 5.

WEST
1. Red Wings vs Avalanche
What a series this is going to be. Not only because of the rivalry, but did anyone see how horrible the Wings did against the Predators? Ok, in their defense, maybe the Predators had an outstanding series; although, how can anyone account for the embarassment the Wings would have faced if that series went to a Game 7. Regardless, this series pits some of the best against some of the best.
JO-SAY Can You SEE?—How about the talent Jose Theodore has exuded in the latter part of the season, including the playoffs? He remembered what it was to be a goalie again. It’s worth mentioning, Dominik Hasek was pulled and Chris Osgood was put to work. He’s scheduled to play in Game 1 of the series, but it won’t take much teetering on Osgood’s part before Hasek gets thrown back in. I don’t think Theodore has to worry about Peter Budaj taking his place. If he keeps playing like he is, two words—Conn Smythe.
Foote vs Kronwall—both aggressive defensemen who pack a serious punch, but for different reasons. Adam Foote can limit the scoring of some of the best forwards in the league. He’s no spring chicken (36 y/o), but ask Wild player Marian Gabarik how tough he can be. Niklas Kronwall will have his hands full with Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski. Stastny is iching to score and Wolski has been an effective stand-in for injured Marek Svatos, but Kronwall is known for disrupting any big plays down the center (as well as his assistance in putting the puck in the net).

The difference in this series could be Andrew Brunette, whose aggressive, point-getting demeanor is supplemented by his desire to up his stock (his contract is up at the end of the season). So am I truly biased? In a word…yes. But only as a tie-breaker. Avs in 7.

2. Stars vs Sharks
One team is running high on adrenaline and the other is thankful they pulled out a win in Game 7. The Sharks made it to Round 2, but if they want to make it to Round 3 they need to play against the Stars as the team they were in the beginning of the season. The Stars are significantly better than the Flames—with younger, stronger, and significantly better talent as a whole. With the Stars looking as if they’ve won the Cup already, this is a series that can be good if the Sharks can pull themselves back together.
Joe know Thorton—He’s the playmaker and overall leader of the Sharks. Thorton is well aware of what needs to be done to avoid another Flames come-from-behind incident—they need to score quicker and more often (and some defense can’t hurt). The biggest thing in his way of leading the team to victory is Marty Turco. At 32, Turco showed how solid a goalie needs to look against a Cup-defending team, when playing the Ducks. However, I give the advantage to Thorton simply because Ryan Clowe has outplayed Thorton in the postseason and could be a significant threat in this series. Turco will surely take a beating with both of these guys shooting the puck at him.
Mike Ribeiro…that’s it–He needs no introductions or flashy names. He’s a top scoring threat, and he knows it. Turco is thanking his lucky “stars” that they’re on the same team.

How well Ribeiro performs could be the deal breaker for this series. But with the solid play against the Ducks, and the momentum they have coming away with that win, my bet is still on the Stars. Stars in 5.

Round 2 starts tonight with Game 1 for the Canadiens and Flyers at 7:00 p.m., and Game 1 for the Avs and Wings at 7:30 p.m. on VS. Check ESPN for channel listings and start times. No matter what happens in Round 2, everyone can agree–it’s good to have a great cable package that accomodates to these amazing displays of hockey known as the 2008 playoffs.

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Tags: 2008, Avalanche, Canadiens, Flyers, NHL, NHL playoff predictions, Penguins, playoff, predictions, Rangers, Red Wings, round, Sharks, Stars, two

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