NHL Week 2- Eastern Conference

Scores as of 4/17/08

Jason Bedard

 

Eastern Conference

 

            As the second week of the NHL playoffs come to an end some teams have proved themselves great under pressure and others have crumbled to the ice.

            In the Eastern Conference there is one team that is definitely in the semifinals of the playoffs.  That team is the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sidney Crosby.  They swept a very talented team the Ottawa Senators.  I predicted the Penguins would win this series but I thought it would be a lot closer than it was.  Ottawa just looked like they were burnt out and they could not handle any more hockey.  I think the Sens were too tired from keeping up their place position for the majority of the regular season.  Pittsburgh went on a tear towards the end of the season and they haven’t been stopped.  The Boston vs. Montreal series is pretty much like everyone expected, Montreal leads 3-1.  Although the games are very close, and in game 4 the Bruins only lost 1-0 in a game that could have gone either way.  The Bruins have had unfortunate penalties, bounces and tough breaks that have caused the Habs to win the games throughout the series.  The Bruins are letting up fewer than three goals a game but still there is no offense.  Phil Kessel has been in a cold streak and it would be really helpful if he could start putting the puck in the net.  It is crunch time for the Bruins, one more loss and they are out.  The Rangers Devils series is a very close and exciting series, but is led unfortunately by New York.  The Devils have not had the intensity and desire I see in New York’s play and that’s what the games have come down to.  I don’t see New Jersey coming back in this series, the Rangers have all the momentum going in their favor and I think they are going to use it.  The last series in the Eastern Conference is Washington vs. Philadelphia.  I knew from the beginning this series would be close, but the Flyers are ahead in this series 2-1.  Personally, I don’t think this means anything, the game play and scores have been so close the games could go either way.  The Flyers have done a decent job of shutting down Alex Ovechkin while scoring goals.  The Flyers great offensive work has come from the hands of Vaclav Prospal, Daniel Briere, and great defensive work by Kimmo Timonen.

            At the end of the second week in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals my predictions are self explanatory.  Obviously Pittsburgh advances like I have said before and is my pick to win the Stanley Cup this year.  I choose them because they have so many weapons for instance, there offense and goaltending is outstanding and there is defense is above average.  Plus they have been a hot streak for the past two months and I don’t see them being stopped.  Sadly, I choose Montreal over my beloved Bruins.  The Bruins have made a lot of progress this year and have made their first playoff appearance since 2003.  Montreal has continued to make a playoff appearance but have brought home no hardware.  My next prediction is still the Rangers over the Devils.  The Rangers are making their playoff push and aren’t going down easy.  The toughest prediction to make in the Eastern Conference is Washington vs. Philadelphia.  The games are so close and the bounce of the puck decides the winner.  I think the teams are evenly matched, but I pick Washington to advance.  The second week comes to an end and the playoffs are just getting more exciting.

 

NHL Week 2- Western Conference

Scores as of 4/17                    

Jason Bedard

 

Western Conference

 

            As the second week of the NHL playoffs come to an end, it is obvious who is staying and who is going home and some teams are right in the middle.

            All series in the Western Conference are close 3-2, 2-2, 2-2 and 2-1 no team is safe yet.   I will start with the incredibly odd Detroit vs. Nashville series.  I am disappointed in my Detroit Red Wings with the fact that they have the best record and team in the NHL but they can’t beat the eight seeded Nashville Predators.  They began the series like everyone expected Detroit took a quick lead in the series 2-0.  Then the Preds shocked the hockey world and have battled back to tie the series 2-2.  Detroit have made a very wise goaltending change replacing the legend Dominik Hasek who seems fatigued with too many games with the young and fresh Chris Osgood.  The Wings need to get there act together and realize they are tied with the Nashville Predators and shut them down.  Another tied series in the Western Conference is the San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames.  The Sharks have had a surprising year with a second place finish, but need to keep up that intensity in order to advance.  Calgary has the advantage because the Sharks have all the pressured being the second seeded team, the Flames need to use that in their favor and capitalize on their careless mistakes.  The Avalanche vs. Wild is another exciting series in the Western Conference.  The Avalanche has a big advantage in my opinion because they have been in the playoffs many times before and are used to this.  The Wild doesn’t have the experience like the Avs but they certainly have the skill to beat the Avs, but Colorado does have the lead and I don’t know if they can come back.  Another great series to watch is Dallas vs. Anaheim.  The Stars currently lead the series 2-1, but it is any team’s series.  The Stars came out with a commanding 2-0 lead in the series but the Ducks have battled back into it with a victory of their own.  For the Ducks to stay in this series they need to tighten up their defense.  The Stars found a way to put the puck in the net in games one and two and will find it again if Anaheim doesn’t keep it up on defense.       

            At the end of the second week of the NHL playoffs my predictions have slightly changed.  In the Detroit vs. Nashville series my decision becomes harder with the tied series, but I still choose the Wings to advance. The Wings will clean up there act and win the next two games and try to recover for the semifinals.  Next match-up is the San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames.  San Jose comes out on top by the end of this series.  The Sharks know what they have to do and watching the last game I think the Flames have nothing left in the tank.  My beloved Colorado Avalanche vs. the annoying Minnesota Wild.  The Avs aren’t out of the woods yet, they need to win the next game or else they are in big trouble going into game 7 after a loss.  Obviously to win this series and move on in the playoffs the Wild must win their next two games.  The last series of the Western Conference is the Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars.  The result of this series is Anaheim moves on to the next round, which would be an upset.  The Stars are done, and Anaheim has to recognize that and finish them off.  The second week is over and the 2008 playoffs are just getting started. 

 

 

 

NHL Week 1- Western Conference

Scores and Analysis as of 4/10

 

Western Conference

 

            The Western Conference is not as a competitive league as the East and it will take a miracle for some of these teams to move on.  The young Nashville Predators have an almost impossible task of the beating the Detroit Red Wings.  The Predators are still a young franchise and have come a long way but nowhere near the Original Six caliber Detroit Red Wings.  The Predators also just plain aren’t as good as the Red Wings; they don’t have the tools to win against them and they aren’t as talented.  It’s almost unfair; almost half of the Red Wings went to the all-star game this year.  All stars such as Henrik Zetterburg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lindstrom, Thomas Holdstrom, Dominik Hasek and more that makes this team unstoppable.   I see the Predators having a near impossible task in front of them.  I thought San Jose has an easy job with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Mike Grier and a great goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.  But the series is now tied a game a piece and it looks like its going to be much closer than I had originally thought.  Calgary hasn’t had any rhythm all season it’s been an up and down season for them they need to play team defense and get Jariome Iginla the puck.  I think Calgary has a chance in this series if they keep up the pressure and intensity.  Colorado versus Minnesota is a great series to watch the games are close and both teams are equally talented.  Colorado is the underdog in this series but could easily pull away with this series.  The Avs need to pressure the Wild more and keep the puck out of their end in order to beat them.  The Avs have great skaters on their team starting with Captain Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, Adam Foote and a fantastic goalie; Jose Theodore.  The Wild have great stars as well such as Brian Rolston, Marian Gabriek, Mikko Koivu and Martin Skoula.  It will be a very exciting and close series. The last series in the West is Dallas vs. Anaheim which is another great series.  The higher seeded Stars need to stay out of the box and score there goaltending and defense is solid.  With a veteran Captain Mike Modano, Brendan Morrow and Sergei Zubov they should be able to accomplish those tasks.  The Ducks also have some stars like bone crushing defenseman Chris Pronger, Teemu Selanne, Rob and Scott Niedermayor and net minder Jean-Sebastien Giguere.  The Ducks have the defense but I’m not quite sure if the have offense that they need to defeat the Stars.

            I predict four teams to move on to the semi-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  My first prediction is obviously the Red Wings over the Preds.  The Preds just doesn’t have what it takes to beat the Red Wings.  Then I have San Jose beating Calgary but in a close series, three games to two.  This series like I said before is very evenly matched but I predict the Avs will beat the Wild.  I say this because I think the Avalanche have more tools to win a hockey game and they have more experience in playoff situations.  My last prediction is the Stars over the Ducks.  The Stars have more talent and I think a better team then Anaheim.  Week 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs are underway!