You may recall that, prior to the first round of the playoffs, Zach and I made our predictions for the conference quarterfinals. How did we do? Let's find out. Our scoring system is as follows: one point for the correct team, one point for the correct number of games, and one point for correctly picking an upset. And, once again, the loser of the playoff prediction game will donate $100 to charity.
- Zach: Boston over Montreal in 5 (1), Rangers over Washington in 7 (0), New Jersey over Carolina in 6 (0), Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 6 (2), San Jose over Anaheim in 4 (0), Columbus over Detroit in 6 (0), Vancouver over St. Louis in 4 (2), Chicago over Calgary in 5 (1). Total: 6 points.
- Bryan: Boston over Montreal in 6 (1), Rangers over Washington in 7 (0), Carolina over New Jersey in 6 (2), Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in 7 (0), San Jose over Anaheim in 4 (0), Detroit over Columbus in 6 (1), Vancouver over St. Louis in 7 (1), Chicago over Calgary in 6 (2). Total: 7 points.
OK, so we didn't have great showings in Round One. In my defense, I actually picked Washington over the Rangers in 7 in our sidebar poll before the playoffs began, but talked myself into the Rangers when it came time for actual predictions. Whoops.
Anyway, without further adieu, here are my picks for the second round. We'll be employing the same scoring system as the first round.
Eastern Conference
(1) Boston vs. (6) Carolina - Boston in 7
This series will not be the walkover the Bruins-Canadiens series was. The main difference is that Carolina has a hot goalie in Cam Ward who has already won a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy. They also have Eric Staal, who is becoming more and more clutch by the day. Lastly, Carolina has momentum on their side, while the Bruins have been resting for a week. However, Boston has a more talented team than Carolina and it will show as this series unfolds. Carolina will win at least one of the first two games, probably the first one, and should be 2-2 after four games. Which is wonderful, except that it takes four wins to take the series, and with two of the final three in Boston, the Bruins should prevail.
(2) Washington vs. (4) Pittsburgh - Washington in 7
I'm going with Washington for three main reasons. First, against the Rangers, they proved they can play a physical series and win. Second, they made Henrik Lundqvist look mortal. Third, and most importantly, they have a red-hot young goalie named Simeon Varlamov. Is it foolish to put so much stock into a 21-year-old goalie? Not at all. He's not going to be overwhelmed by the pressure of the playoffs, nobody knows anything about him, he's got tons of momentum, and he's playing ridiculously well. Sure, it's not hard to hold the offensively inept Rangers to under two goals a game, but he also made the big saves when the Capitals needed him to. Having said all that, it won't be easy against a Penguins team that played a similarly physical series against Philadelphia. The real winners in this series, though, are the NHL and Versus - especially if this series goes seven games.
Western Conference
(2) Detroit vs. (8) Anaheim - Anaheim in 6
Yes, I am aware that I picked Anaheim to get swept in the first round. Why, then, would Anaheim beat the Detroit Red Wings in the second round? Well, it's more of a hunch than anything else. But again, goaltending is key. Strange as it is to say, I trust Jonas Hiller more than I trust Chris Osgood. Besides, the Red Wings haven't played since last Thursday. Since then, the Ducks beat San Jose twice and forced overtime in a third game. Even though Detroit swept Columbus in convincing fashion, it's hard to make the argument that Detroit is playing better than Anaheim right now. At worst, they're even. But if you consider that Anaheim is riding high after beating the Sharks in a series that just ended on Monday, things look a little bit different. Hence, I'm taking the Ducks in an upset.
(3) Vancouver vs. (4) Chicago - Vancouver in 7
For the third time in the four second-round series, I'll fall back on the old playoff adage - when in doubt, look at the goaltending matchups. Nikolai Khabibulin has won a Stanley Cup and has played well so far for the Blackhawks. But Roberto Luongo is one of the game's truly elite talents and should be able to play his best hockey in the playoffs, having missed a portion of the regular season. Besides, even though Luongo has played well in the playoffs in his young playoff career, he hasn't had that huge run that makes the great goalies even greater. The Blackhawks are no joke, though, and they'll make Luongo's job all the more difficult. I'd say the Blackhawks are significantly better on offense, but the goalies make all the difference in the playoffs. That's why the Canucks will be slightly better than a fine Chicago team.
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