Washington/Pittsburgh

Can I call ‘em or can I call ‘em???  Well I mean this is the only series I got right but BOY did I nail it!!!  Bettman got his wish and had his two superstars square off in one of the best playoff series in a long time..Well since the Rangers and Capitals last round.  All of these games have been amazing and both stars have been pretty prevalent but I think tonight will come down to goaltending.  Can the young Varlamov over come ANOTHER game 7 against a team with plenty of playoff experience?  Can  Marc Andre Fleury not give the puck away to Patrick O’Sullivan and lose for the Candians, OK that was low but I actually still STRONGLY dislike him STILL for that play. 

Anyway the answer to these questions is…NO…Varlamov is a GREAT rookie that will have a good playoff run to look back on but he can’t win this one EVEN at home.  I say Pittsburgh 6-2and Gary Bettman tries to instill a rule where a series can be extended to 17 games if they aren’t settles by 10 goals or more….

Boston/Carolina

I won’t lie (and can’t really) I thought this would be a BREEZE for the Bruins!  They had been an awesome team all year and their goaltending was unreal (Tim Thomas lost 3 games straight for the first time ALL YEAR in THIS series) and everything in between rolled nicely for them too.  Then you have Carolina who, I won’t lie again, didn’t even know had a chance to make the playoffs until about 3 days BEFORE the playoffs.  I mean they did win the cup 3 years ago but after that they fell off hard.  Paul Maurice really seems to have lit a fire under this teams ass and I like that, I like SO MUCH that I think they are going to……lose respectively tomorrow.  

Boston is too complete and I think tying up the series really pushed them past the ‘Canes in the momentum department and will carry them to the next round.  My score prediction is 5-1 Bruins.  Don’t worry Carolina, you get 41 homes games AT LEAST next year to look at your HOT CHEERLEADERS and for that, you are the true winners in this years playoffs!!!

Detroit/Anaheim

WOW!!!  I can honestly say this was the biggest surprise to me since that time I got drunk and thought I spent all my money but when I got home and took my hat off, there it was tucked stuffed nicely under the sweat band still don’t know how that happened).  Anaheim has looked gritty and persistent all series and I think this may be the only game that could go either way.  Detroit is the high powered, fast paced and very European team that will look to skate around the Ducks while peppering their goalie at any chance.  While Anaheim is a gritty, well rounded and mostly North American team that will look to slow down and beat up the Wings until they can pot a few well placed shots. 

So who wins?  The Tortoise or the Hare???  In this race I have to go with…..Tortoise…I KNOW, I KNOW, I originally chose the Wings in 5 but I think Anaheim is a very underrated team that looks to have, to quote Snoop Dogg, “The pieces to the pizzle” to solve Detroit.  Ducks 3-2

Peace!

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Sin City had his choices for the first round and did pretty damn good, going 5/8 and he was 1 goal from being right in the Rangers series (think I’m bitter???).  Well since my computer was pooched I never got to call my picks for the first round (I was 7/8 by the way…that was a blatant lie) now I will give you my 2nd round choices and I encourage Sin City and even our baseball guru The Sheik to get in on the fun, HECK, all of you should chime in too!!!

ROUND 2, LET’S GET IT ON!!!

Vancouver vs. Chicago- Let me tell you first off, this series is my favourite and my least favourite at the same time. Favourite because I love both the teams and least because I want them both to be in the Western finals, which is obviously impossible.  Both Chicago and Vancouver looked fairly sexy in their respective first round series with goaltending as opposed to goal scoring being the difference in both series. But in this series, I like the ‘Nucks.  Better goalie, more experience and the only Canadian team left.  Vancouver in 7.

Anaheim vs. Detroit - What can you say about Anaheim?  No one in their right mind thought they would actually help fulfill San Jose’s destiny as playoff choke artist but they did!  What does that mean in their next series against the boys from Motown?  The same thing War means to Edwin Starr, “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, HUH!!!”.  Detroit in 5

Pittsburgh vs. Washington – Let me tell you right now, if the NHL was a 13 year old boy, the series would be Miley Cyrus in a shower.  Gary Bettman must be harder than a slab of marble tile right now just thinking of having Sid the kid vs. Ugly Alex for a possible 7 games.  As for me, I will get a bucket ready for all the close ups of Ovey and a pillow ready for all the interviews with Sidney Crosby.  Either way, this series will be great for the young NHL superstars and for creating some excitement for hockey in the States in a time that it desperately needs it.  Pens in 7

Boston vs. Carolina – Two teams with two very different first rounds will be meeting in this match up.  Boston will have been off for over a week before their first game on Friday, while Carolina will only have 2 days off.  So I guess this story comes down too, who do you think has the bigger advantage?  The team who came back from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the favoured team at their own rink?  Or the team who swept a team that squeaked in the playoffs?  For me, when it comes to the playoffs and hockey, I gotta believe the more rest the better. 

Peace!

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