NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2

We are down to eight teams remaining in the quest for Lord Stanley’s kitchenware. Maple Leafs fans are down, Rangers fans are up and we got five game sevens in one weekend! Bob got to see a series close out in person. Thirty six people read the round 1 post. And our newest and youngest panelist went 8 for 8 in picking winners in round 1. Here’s how we did:

Joey              8

Our leader.

Jax and Smo 7

Jarret             6

Bob               5

 

Let's move on to round 2. Who survived to make the conference finals?

 

Eastern Conference

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lighting

Is this like Pittsburgh and Washington used to be? Can we hope these guys keep matching up against each other every year? Can the Panth get past the Lightning? We give a 3-2 panel edge to the Lightning, but frankly, those three guys are wrong, and Joey and I are right. Fun fact: prior to the start of round 2, Florida was the Vegas favorite to make it to the Cup Finals.  Just think, a playoff series where neither team needs to pack a jacket.  Panth in 6.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers

Jax speaks emoji

On our group text, the guys like to use emojis for the teams they pick to win. The Hurricane emoji is, well, underwhelming. The Canes, however, are going to overwhelm the Rangers, as our panel is all in the Canes. We really like the canes, as we all picked them in round one. Fun fact: I saw a Canes playoff game in Raleigh in 2003. It was the first hockey game I’d ever been to where people were tailgating in the parking lot. Canes in 6.

Western Conference

Colorado Avalanche vs. St Louis Blues

Blues wrap up round 1

Guess which one of our panelists is the homer who picked the Blues to win? Yes, Bob, the same guy who texted us a picture of the Blues winning in six games on home ice, just like he predicted. The rest of us, just like Vegas, picked the Avs. Fun Fact: In our group text, some of the guys call it “St. Poo-is.” Avs in 6.

Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers

On the plus side, at least one Canadian team will make the conference finals. Most of us think it’s the Flames, while Bob is going against the grain and picking the Oilers. Both teams took seven to get through the first round. Fun fact: it would take about 17 hours to bike the 300km between Calgary and Edmonton. Flames in 

Thanks for reading.

Blues fan?

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1 Picks

 

We brought some fresh blood in for the Stanley Cup playoff picks in 2022.  So, instead of me telling you what I think (looking back, the rest of my panel seems to beat me every year), I’ll give you what the panel picks, then I’ll tell you why they are wrong.

Eastern Conference

Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals

Our panel of five (Jax, Jarrett, Bob, Joe Bob and I) were unanimous in picking the President’s trophy winning Panthers to down the Caps. My love of the Panthers dates back to NHL 94 during my freshman year of college. I got so good at the game no one would play against me unless I was one of the bad teams. And the Panthers were the worst. And I still won all the time. And then they made the Stanley Cup finals in 1996. And they have been terrible since then. But here they are, winning their first playoff series since that 1996 season. GO PANTH! Fun fact, the Panthers won 52 games after trailing this season. Okay, not that many but it was a lot.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Four people on our panel picked Tampa Bay, while Jax was the lone Leafs backer. Three of us had the series going the distance. These two teams are both stacked. Tampa has won back-to-back cups How much more do they have in the tank. (I picked the Lightning in 7). Fun fact: I’ve been to Toronto like 7 times but I’ve never seen the Leafs play there.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Boston Bruins

We unanimously picked the Canes in this round. That’s all I’m going to say. Fun fact, the Canes were 42-1-0 when leading after 2 periods this season.

New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Four of us picked the Rangers, who are the sexy sleeper cup winner pick this post-season. The Penguins? Does anyone remember the last time they had a fully healthy team?  Anyway, Rangers in 6. Fun fact: Sidney Crosby is hurt every time he is supposed to play a game in Chicago.

Western Conference

Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators

Another unanimous choice: the Avs. They were head and shoulders above the rest of the western conference this year.  Plus, Nashville barely backed into the playoffs. And I don’t like them. Except Roman Josi. He’s a stud.  Fun fact: Colorado had a 9 game and a 10 game winning streak this season.

Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues

You all know Bob is a Blues fan, so you know who he picked. I don’t think Bob has ever picked the Blues to lose a series but I’m way too lazy to go look that up, so just trust me. Usually, we unite in telling Bob he is wrong, but we went 3-2 for the Blues in this series. All the experts are picking this to be the best first round series, so it will likely end up being a sweep. Fun fact: One year Bob invited a bunch of his friends up to Chicago for a Hawks Blues game and I got to tag along as the token Hawks fan. The Hawks won 7-1.  That was fun.

Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars

How did the Stars make the playoffs? On the flip side how were the Stars not better.  Alas, it doesn’t matter, as we went 5-0 for the Flames in this one.  Fun fact: Calgary’s top line boasts three 35 goal scorers.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

Our panel picked the Oilers 3-2. I mean, at some point the Oilers have to win a series or two, right? The Kings were champs 2 out of three years, then were among the worst teams for a couple years and now have climbed back into the post season. And the Oilers are still the Oilers.  Fun fact: I’m still not sure how to pronounce (or spell) Draisaitl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NHL 2018 Playoffs

 

This April feels weird. Weirder than it has felt in ten years. No Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It used to not feel weird. From the 1997-98 through 2007-08 (much of the time when I had season tickets and sat in section 332 by myself) the Hawks only made the postseason once. And it did not end well.  But at least our friends 280 miles south in St. Louis still have their Blues to cheer for. Wait, no, the Blues lost their final game of the season to miss the playoffs for the first time after six straight appearances.  But, hey, 260 miles east in Detroit, they are ready for their first post-season at Little Caesar’s Arena. Wait, no, the Wings  finished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Wait, what, the Hawks, Blues and Wings are all sitting out the postseason? When was the last time that has happened? NEVER. It has never happened in the 50 years since the Blues joined the NHL.

So, alas, Midwesterners, we can go into the post-season with a clear mind, not worrying about how our home squads do, and simple cheer against the teams we hate.

DETROIT SUCKS!  DETROIT SUCKS!

Sorry, it is a hard habit to break.

As always, my crackpot staff of experts shares their picks with you. Normally, we go up against ESPN’s experts, but they fired most of their hockey people during last season’s playoffs, so they can suck an egg. To make it more fun, I will only use the nicknames of the teams given to me by said crack panel. It might cause you to do more thinking than you want to do, but trust me, it’s worth it. So, without further distraction, may we present the first-round picks. Note: I watched less hockey this year than pretty much any year since 1993 (well, except the locked-out seasons), so I am totally not qualified to make any predictions.

 

Western Conference

Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche

The Preds won the President’s trophy with 117 points. The ‘Lanche clinched the last spot by beating the Blues in game 82 of the regular season. The Preds have Pekka Rinne, probably the best top four defensemen of any team in the league and some forward depth and Carrie Underwood’s husband. The ‘Lanche have Nathan McKinnon and legal weed. Also, people seem to think Preds fans are great fans now, so they have a great home ice advantage. Our experts all picked the Preds.

Preds in Six

 

Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild

The Peg finished second in the division and second in the NHL to the Preds. Blake Wheeler piled up 91 points, Patrik Laine lit the lamp 44 times and Connor Hellebuyck had a great season in net, going 44-11-9. Plus, come on, Dustin Byfuglien on D. The Wild quietly went on about their work, with Eric Staal having a bounce back season, but -have a big hole with Ryan Suter’s broken ankle keeping him out of the playoffs. The Peg are too good this year and then win both a playoff game and series for the first time since moving from Atlanta. All our experts agree

The Peg in 5

Las Vegas Golden Knights vs Los Angeles Kings

The Las vs the Los. The Knights vs the Kings.  A shitty place to live and also Las Vegas. The playoffs haven’t started, and Vegas already has had the most successful expansion season in any sport ever, and the second most successful team is, well, it doesn’t matter because it isn’t even close. Really, they should just lose so their fans don’t get used to it. For a portion of the season they were leading the entire NHL. WTF!!!!  The Kings are the 7^th seed who had a +36 goal differential on the season, better than nine other playoff teams. Anze Kopitar had a career best season for the Kings, while everyone one Vegas did as well. Our experts were split on this, 2 picking Vegas, 2 choosing the Kings. Since it’s my blog, we get to use my pick.

Kings in 11 (double down), wait, no 7

Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks

I feel like Les Canards and Los Tiburones play each other every post-season, but their only previous matchup was a quarterfinal win by Les Carnards in 2009. I can’t stay up to watch West coast games, so I didn’t watch these teams much this year (except in person when Los Tiburones spanked the Hawks in March in San Jose). Goaltending will be key. John Gibson was strong all season for Les Canards but was injured the last two weeks of the season. Martin Jones struggled early and lost time to Aaron Dell early in the season for Los Tiburones. Again, our experts were split. Again, it’s my blog, so we go with my pick.

Les Canards in 7

 

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils

What a difference a year makes. The Bolts missed the playoffs last year while the Devils finished in last place in the East. The Bolts piled up the goals, with Nikita Kucherov hitting 100 points while Taylor Hall lead the Devils in scoring. The Bolts also have Steve Stamkos, which is a good thing to have around for the playoffs. No dissent from the experts here. We like the Bolts.

Bolts in 5

 

Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s a shame that only two Original Six teams made the playoffs and that one of them is heading to the golf course after the first round. Even with Brad Marchand seeming suspended every other month, he and the rest of the Massholes finished second in the East. The Maple Laughs are a young, talented team and this should be the first of many playoff runs for them. Which is good. People in Toronto are still recovering from their collapse against the Massholes in 2013. The experts were split on this series, too. I think Toronto wins in, though.

Maple Laughs in 7

 

Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Hawks fans are pissed to learn the Artemi Panarin lead the Blow Jackets with 82 points while Brandon Saad scored a meager 35. After one year, the Blow Jackets got the best out of that deal. But will the Caps finally put together a strong post season and get Ovi’s name on the cup, now that Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe’s names are all coming off of it? Our experts think so, although one person thinks CBJ will pull an upset special.

Caps in 7

 

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers

Okay, these two teams seem to always play in the playoffs, but really, this is only their seventh meeting. But it’s an all Pennsylvania series, so it’s like a big deal to, you know, that one state. Evegeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby for Los Penguinos (I know, the nicknames are getting ridiculous).  Claude Giroux and that other guy for the Flyers. Seriously, how did the Flyers make the playoff? Oh wait, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek (some serious jersey lettering there, people). This series should be fun to watch, especially when Pierre MaGuire is covering the games so he can tell us how great Sidney Crosby is (and he is pretty great). “Hey Edzo, isn’t it great how great Sidney Crosby is?” Maybe we should all do a shot anytime Pierre says “Sidney Crosby.”

Penguins in 7

 

 

NHL Playoffs 2016 Round 1

Listen, I understand the Chicago Cubs are going to be good this year. And the way they won the home opener on Addison Russell’s three run bomb after being no-hit for the first six plus innings was cool. But April also brings us playoff hockey. Sadly, no Canadian team make it this year after five did last year.  Go America!  As always, I have assembled my panel of hockey experts to weigh in. So here we go.

Eastern Conference

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Remember that time the Panthers and the Islanders played each other in the playoffs?  No? Or that time they both made the playoffs? Me neither.  The Panthers got off to a slow start but reeled off a long streak of wins in late November and early December then held off the Lightning to win the Atlantic Division.  The have some young stars like Aleksander Barkow, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad.  They have Roberto Luongo in net. And the ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr as well.  The Islanders have a backup goaltender in Thomas Greiss starting for them this series.  The Panthers haven’t won a playoff series since the year of the rat in 1996.  They get it done this year.

Panthers in 6

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings kept their playoff streak alive only to be rewarded by getting the Lightning in the first round. The good news for them is Steve Stamkos is injured. The bad news is Ben Bishop has been great for the Lightning in goal all season and the Wings already struggle to score goals.  The Lightning are banged up a bit, so if the Wings can steal a game early, they might have a chance. Might, but not likely

Lightning in 7

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers

This is the third year in a row these two teams will play each other in the playoffs. Pittsburgh is hot, finishing the season 14-2 with Evgeni Malkin b goalie Marc-Andre Fleury both missing a bunch of games due to injury. The Rangers have their own injury problems to deal with including captain Ryan McDonagh’s hand.  Last year’s series featured one goal wins in all five games. This year’s might as well. 

Penguins in 6

Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers

The Caps won the President’s trophy by amassing 120 points during the regular season.  Ovie hit the 50 goal mark again. They were good all year, with no long slumps. They are the team to beat in the East. The Flyers somehow managed to make the playoffs, but have a tendency to play dumb and take needless penalties. 

Caps in 5

Western Conference (aka The Good Conference)

The Ducks of Anaheim formerly known as Mighty vs Nashville Predators

Remember in December when the Ducks were in last place in the West and couldn’t score? They won the Pacific division by beating the Capitals the final day of the season, getting them a matchup with the Preds instead of San Jose. They were tops in the league on the power play and the penalty kill, and those are pretty important in the playoffs.  And they didn’t give up many goals. Ryan Kesler poured it on the second half of the season. The Preds are deep on the d-line and have Pekka Rinne.  But that’s it for them.

Ducks in 5

Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks

It seems these teams meet every year. Well, except last year when they both failed to qualify for the postseason. Are the Sharks still reeling from losing to the Kings 2 years ago in round one after they lead 3 games to 0? Are the Kings back and is their every other year Cup party going to happen? Will Joe Thornton ever slow down? While Martin Jones backstop his team to victory against his former team? Will any of these games end before midnight central time? This one will be fun to watch.

Kings in 7

Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild

The Stars skate fast, score a lot and are fun to watch. They’ve got a ton of talent on their top line with Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza and former Hawk Patrick Sharp. Minnesota can steal this series if Devan Dubnyk plays as well as he did during the last half of 2015.  The Wild will be without Zach Parise, which will hurt.

Stars in 5

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

The defending Cup champs struggled the last month of the season and dealt with some injury issues. They are not nearly as deep a team as last year, especially on defense. Corey Crawford needs to be as good in the post season as he was during the regular season, and he looked rusty in the regular season finale. Duncan Keith will miss game 1 sitting out the last game of his 6 game suspension. The Blues were consistent all season.  Brian Elliot was fantastic and will get the starts with Jake Allen injured.  Vladimir Tarasanko seems to feast on the Hawks wheneverthe play and the Blues are good at agitating the Hawks. Will this be the year the Blues knock off the Hawks? Sadly, Chicago fans, it is.

Blues in 7

 Our Panel’s picks

Series	Mike	Jax	Jarrett	Bob
Panthers vs Islanders	Panthers in 6	Panthers in 6	Panthers in 6	Panthers in 4
Lightning vs Red Wings	Lightning in 7	Lightning in 6	Lightning in 6	Lightning in 5
Capitals vs Flyers	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 6	Capitals in 5	Capitals in 5
Penguins vs Rangers	Penguins in 7	Rangers in 7	Penguins in 6	Penguins in 7
Ducks vs Predators	Ducks in 5	Ducks in 5	Ducks in 5	Ducks in 5
Kings vs Sharks	Kings in 7	Sharks in 7	Sharks in 7	Kings in 6
Stars vs Wild	Stars in 5	Stars in 6	Stars in 6	Stars in 4
Blues vs Hawks	Blues in 7	Hawks in 6	Hawks in 6	Blues in 7

Last year Bob took the top honors correctly selecting the winner in 13 of the 15 series throughout the playoffs.

Here’s what the ESPN “experts” say.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/15179237/first-round-predictions

Good luck to your team, and thanks for reading

 

NHL Stanely Cup Playoffs 2015- Second Round

Yes, this should have been posted last week, but you know, little league, t-ball, work.  Stuff got in the way. Well, that was a fun first round. How did we do?  Well, Jax and I would be leading if you added our correct guesses together (and Jax usually wins this thing). After the first round, here are the standings.

 

Expert                 Number Correct

Bob                     6

Jarrett                 6

Mike                   4

Jax                       3

Now on to Round Two

Eastern Conference

Capitals vs. Rangers

I don’t like either of these teams. The Rangers looked good in the first round, the Caps survived against a scrappy Islanders team (games 5 through 7 of that series were awesome).  I just don’t think the Caps have enough to get past the Rangers.  Rangers in 7.

Lightning vs. Canadians

 

It seems like the Red Wings blow a three games to two lead every year now.  The Lightening battled back against the Wings to win the series.  The Canadians toyed with Ottawa, letting them win a couple games after take a 3-0 lead before ending the series. The Canadians will win this one, too, in 6.

Western Conference

Flames vs. Ducks

Really?  The Flames beat Vancouver?  I guess it doesn’t matter who is in goal for Vancouver.  The Ducks destroyed the Jets, outscoring them 16-10 in their four game sweep. Look for a similar outcome in this series. Ducks in 5.  Did I mention Corey Perry is a beast?

 

Blackhawks vs. Wild

The Hawks were the only team all of us picked in the first round who actually won their series (Seriously, St. Louis?).  We all picked them in round two as well, although some Chicago locals are thinking the Wild are the team to beat in the West.  The Wild are better than the previous version the Hawks eliminated the last two years.  The Hawks were inconsistent in their first round series against the Predators, both giving up and scoring goals in bunches, commit dumb penalties and suffering defensive lapses.  The Wild didn’t play a close game in their first series.  Hawks in 7.

Series	Mike	Jax	Jarrett	Bob
Capitals vs Rangers	Rangers in 7	Rangers in 6	Rangers in 6	Rangers in 6
Lightning vs Canadians	Canadians in 6	Canadians in 6	Canadians in 7	Lightining in 7
Flames vs Ducks	Ducks in 5	Ducks in 6	Ducks in 6	Ducks in 5
Wild vs Blackhawks	Hawks in 7	Hawks in 6	Hawks in 7	Hawks in 5

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015 - First Round Predictions

April is here already?  But the snow just finished melting (hell, when I was in Minneapolis last week and it snowed two days in a row).  The good news is the weather is improving and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are starting. What I can say for sure is the Los Angeles Kings will not repeat as champs, as they become the first Stanley Cup champs to fail to make the playoffs the next year since the Carolina Hurricanes ten years ago. And it’s really weird not seeing the San Jose Sharks in the playoffs ready to make their annual first round exit. So, let’s get right to the First Round preview. I've again assembled my crack panel of NHL experts. 

Eastern Conference (The OK conference)

New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

The Rangers were the top team in the East pretty much the whole season, even when Hendrik Lunquist missed some serious time with an injury. They are a much better team going into the playoffs this year than they were last year when they made their run to the Stanley Cups finals.  The Penguins?  Not so much.  They barely made it and have had some injuries to key players, Like Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.  The Penguins have done little in the playoffs the last five years. Don’t expect them to do much this year either.  Rangers in 6.

Montreal vs Ottawa

Montreal was one of the top teams in the East all season long Carey Price will likely be a Hart finalist.  The Senators were in a deep hole as recently as January until goaltender Andrew Hammond came to the rescue.  The Senators come into the playoffs in fire and again, I just don’t think the Habs are that much better than then.  Senators in 6.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Detroit (sucks) Red Wings

Tampa Bay lead the league in scoring and was second in goal differential.  Detroit somehow managed to keep their playoff streak alive as some of their younger players finally stepped up and produced.  But who will start in goal for them.  It doesn’t matter.  They hit the golf course by May 1^st.  Lightening in 6 (Sorry McKee).

Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

These two teams tied with 101 points in the regular season but the Caps secured home ice on the tie breaker.  Alexander Ovechkin bounced back from a subpar season last year to lead the league on goals.  The Islanders are fun to watch but struggled a bit the last ten games or so.  I’m bucking the trend and going with the Islanders in seven.

Western Conference (The good conference)

Anaheim Ducks vs Winnipeg Jets

The Ducks were the best of the west all season long.  Good goaltending, solid defense and a lot of scoring will help you win a lot of games.  The Jets have a very talented team and have been on the cusp of the playoffs the last few years.  Jets fans will be going nuts at home games, but they might only have two of them.  The Ducks are good and deep.  Ducks in 5.

Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames

The Canucks had a good season, minus the traded Ryan Kesler, as the Sedin twins put up their normal numbers and Ryan Miller played solid, if not spectacular, in goal.  The Flames made the playoffs?  Really?  The Flames finished third in their division even though they had the fewest points of the eight teams that qualified in the West.  They overachieved all season long and were supposed to lose out to the Kings, but the Kings forgot to win and the Flames forgot to lose.  They were supposed to be rebuilding.  They will be done quickly.  Vancouver in 6.

St. Louis Blues v Minnesota Wild

The Blues finished strong to nap the top spot in the Central, the best division in hockey, which sent five teams to the playoffs.  They caught Nashville and kept ahead of the Hawks and their reward is the Wild, who have been the best of the West the last two months since they traded for Devan Dubnyk.  Who will start in goal for the Blues, Brian Elliot who struggled down the stretch (costing me a fantasy hockey championship) or Jake Allen, who has little playoff experience?  This most will be a fun series to watch.  Blues in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators

The Predators lead the division most of the season but only garnered two points in their last six games.  The Blackhawks ended the season with four straight losses, which cost them home ice in this series.  Patrick Kane is expected back from his shoulder injury, which is great news for the Hawks who have struggled to score the last month of the season.  You don’t want to be struggling to score when you are up against Pekka Rinne.  As long as Corey Crawford plays well, this is the Hawks series to win.  Hawks in 7.

Here’s the predictions from my panel of experts.  I like how the only thing we agree on is the Hawks and Blues (we are all either Hawks or Blues fans).

Series	Mike	Jax	Jarrett	Bob
Rangers vs Penguins	Rangers in 6	Rangers in 6	Rangers in 5	Rangers in 5
Canadians vs Senators	Senators in 6	Canadians in 6	Canadians in 5	Canadians in 7
Lightning vs Red Wings	Lightning in 6	Red Wings in 7	Lightning in 7	Lightning in 5
Capitals vs Islanders	Islanders in 7	Islanders in 6	Islanders in 7	Capitals in 6
Ducks vs Jets	Ducks in 5	Jets in 6	Ducks in 6	Ducks in 4
Canucks vs Flames	Canucks in 6	Canucks in 6	Flames in 7	Canucks in 6
Blues vs Wild	Blues in 7	Blues in 7	Blues in 7	Blues in 6
Blackhawks vs Predators	Hawks in 7	Hawks in 6	Hawks in 6	Hawks in 5

 

Check in again after the first round  to see how we did and to see the second round preview.

 

Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Predictions 2014

Wow.

That was a wild first round with three game 7s played on the same night.  If you are a San Jose Sharks fan, I feel for you.  Being up 3-0 then losing four straight has to hurt.  Let’s quickly recap, see how our experts did in round one, then move on to round 2.

Experts Standings                                                                        

Clarence “Screaming Buffalo” Swampton                               7

Tim “Dr. Hoo” McCraken                                                            6

Me                                                                                                   6

Throb Longpenis                                                                           5

The good news is we all beat the monkey score (for those of you who did not have Mr. Ploplys for high school physics, the money score is the score a monkey would get by randomly choosing an answer).  Swampton also picked the correct number of games in 6 of the 7 series he correctly called, McCraken got 3, Longpenis 2 and I correctly got 3.

The NHL’s new playoff format was intended to foster rivalries in the playoffs, and did just that for three of the four series.  Let’s start in the East

Eastern Conference

Montreal Canadians vs. Boston Bruins

Montreal eased their way to a four game sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning, although 3 of 4 were decided by a single goal.  They will have a much tougher matchup in round 2 against Boston, who spanked the Detroit (sucks) Red Wings.  The Wings gave their fans hope by winning game one, but that’s all they could muster.   It’s great to see two Original Six teams match up against each other. Tukka Raask was magnificent in the first round and Boston is still the best of the East.  Boston in 6.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

Wait, Crosby hasn’t scored a goal yet and the Penguins advanced past the first round?  Oh yeah, they’ve got plenty of scorers.  The Rangers survived against Philly even though they were maddeningly inconsistent.  The team who plays better defense will most likely win the series.  Fortunately for Pittsburgh, they have a larger margin of error.  A lot rides on the stick of Rick Nash for New York but Sid and the rest of the Penguins should win out.  Pittsburgh in 6

Western Conference

Minnesota Wild vs.  Chicago Blackhawks

Well, so much for seeding.  I’m still trying to figure out how Minnesota improbably rallied down 3-2 to beat Colorado in overtime last night.  So much for being cannon fodder.  Wait, I take that back.  They will be second round cannon fodder this year against the Blackhawks, instead of first round cannon fodder.  The Hawks rallied back from a 2-0 hole and beat the Blues four straight to move on and in this round they have home ice.  Anyone know who has been the best goaltender in the playoffs so far?  Well, its Rask, but Corey Crawford is a close second.  He stole game 3 for the Hawks and it looks like the Hawks forwards remembered how to put the puck in the net in game six.  Hawks in 5.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings

The series will the least amount of travel.  I never wavered in my belief that the Kings were going to beat San Jose, not even while down in a 3-0 hole.  The Ducks were trailing by two goals with less than three minutes left when they stunned the Dallas Starts by scoring twice to send the game to OT then winning early in the OT.  It’s going to be a long off season if you are a Sharks fan or a Stars fan.  This is the first post-season meeting between these two teams.  Two deep teams who are good on both offense and defense.  This will be a great series, but it will come down to goaltending and Jonathan Quick is the man.  Kings in 7.

Here are the expert's predictions.

Series	Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown	Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken	Throb Longpenis	Mike Smolarek
Round 2
Eastern Conf
NYR vs Pittsburgh	Rangers in 7	Pittsburgh in 7	Pittsburgh in 6	Pittsburgh in 6
Boston vs. Montreal	Boston in 6	Boston in 6	Boston in 6	Boston in 7
West Conf
Anaheim vs. Los Angeles	Anaheim in 7	Anaheim in 7	Anaheim in 6	Los Angeles in 7
Chicago vs. Minnesota	Chicago in 5	Chicago in 5	Chicago in 5	Chicago in 6