And now we're down to four. While a San Jose - Chicago final is no surprise, no one would have ever predicted that the seventh place Flyers and the eighth place Canadiens would be the two Eastern Conference finalists. And yet, here we are.
So, here are my predictions for the third round. As with the previous two rounds, get your own predictions in and the winner gets bragging rights and a blog post for the final.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Montreal was the serious underdog against Washington, and they were again against Pittsburgh. Oddly enough, taking down those two teams may have made them the favourites against a team that was, at the beginning of the season, predicted to go all the way.
Montreal is actually less banged-up than Philadelphia at this point. Down for the Flyers are Jeff Carter, Ian Laperriere, Ray Emery and Brian Boucher. That hurts them - Michael Leighton has been playing well but to be without Carter and Laperriere robs them of a top scorer and a heart-and-soul player.
Montreal is without Andrei Markov (and Paul Mara), but there is word that Markov could be back before the end of the series. Montreal defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions without Markov, so maybe it doesn't hurt them as much as that.
Clearly, Jaroslav Halak > Michael Leighton. Halak is the reason that Montreal has gotten as far as they have. But Philadelphia's defense is bigger and stronger than Montreal's, and the Canadiens' small forwards could have some trouble with them. Some have commented, though, that Philadelphia is virtually playing with only four defensemen, with their top guys logging 30 minutes apiece. They can't do that forever.
And as for their offense, Montreal has Michael Cammalleri and his 12 goals. Philadelphia doesn't have anyone who is on a roll like that, and Montreal has been getting scoring from all its lines.
Montreal has overcome much more than Philadelphia has to get where they are, and after two long series they are the ones who got the extra day off. I think Halak will continue to play great, Cammalleri will continue to be opportunist, and the dream won't end here.
Montreal in seven.
San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
I haven't followed this series as closely, so I don't have as much to say about it. The Sharks are without injury, as are the Blackhawks. So these teams have full complements.
The Sharks' defense corps isn't playing very well, however, and Evgeni Nabokov has been struggling. But Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton are finally playing up to their abilities.
Chicago is playing much better at this point, with Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp on a roll. Duncan Keith, Brian Campbell, and Brent Seabrook are playing great. Antti Niemi has answered the questions about his play, and while a rookie can always fall apart in the playoffs, Nabokov isn't exactly money in the bank.
Despite how young Chicago is, they are actually the more experienced - they were here last year. San Jose has the pressure on them, we all expect them to choke sooner or later. Chicago is a better team than they were last year, and I hate San Jose.
Chicago in six.
That leaves us with a Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks series. An Original Six Final!
Get your predictions in soon, because the San Jose vs. Chicago game starts at 3pm.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
2010 NHL Playoffs - Second Round Results
Wow! So the Philadelphia Flyers were down in the series 3-0, and then scratched their way back, forcing a Game Seven. Then they fall behind Boston 3-0 in the first period, but scratch their way back to win the game 4-3 and the series 4-3!
In NHL history, only two other teams have accomplished what Philadelphia has: the 1942 Maple Leafs and the 1975 Islanders. No team has done it in the NBA, and only one team in the MLB. So, a historic night.
Of course, more important was the Montreal Canadiens beating the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the first time they've done that since 1993. Do you remember what the Canadiens also did in 1993?
My predictions were hit and miss. Going with my heart, I chose the Canadiens in seven and I was amply rewarded. I also chose the Phildelphia Flyers over Boston in six instead of seven.
I was very wrong about the Detroit Red Wings and the Vancouver Canucks. Instead, Chicago and San Jose will advance.
As for the contest, let's start from the bottom.
Commenter 49 Steps went 0 for 4 in his predictions.
Next was last round's winner, AJR79, who was 1/4.
Commenters p3 and Earl, along with yours truly, was 2/4.
Which means the winner was commenter Ira, who was 3 for 4 in his predictions. The only one he got wrong was that he chose Vancouver over Chicago, but since he's a Canadian we can forgive him for that.
I'll make my predictions for the third round on Sunday, and anyone who wants to make their own predictions for the third round can do so in response to this post or my post on Sunday.
Also, as the winner of the third round, commenter Ira gets to write up his predictions in a blog post of his own, with a small political commentary to go with it.
Ira, please email me your post at the address that can be found on the right of this page.
The Conference Finals will be between the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks in the West, and the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers in the East. Should be a blast!
In NHL history, only two other teams have accomplished what Philadelphia has: the 1942 Maple Leafs and the 1975 Islanders. No team has done it in the NBA, and only one team in the MLB. So, a historic night.
Of course, more important was the Montreal Canadiens beating the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the first time they've done that since 1993. Do you remember what the Canadiens also did in 1993?
My predictions were hit and miss. Going with my heart, I chose the Canadiens in seven and I was amply rewarded. I also chose the Phildelphia Flyers over Boston in six instead of seven.
I was very wrong about the Detroit Red Wings and the Vancouver Canucks. Instead, Chicago and San Jose will advance.
As for the contest, let's start from the bottom.
Commenter 49 Steps went 0 for 4 in his predictions.
Next was last round's winner, AJR79, who was 1/4.
Commenters p3 and Earl, along with yours truly, was 2/4.
Which means the winner was commenter Ira, who was 3 for 4 in his predictions. The only one he got wrong was that he chose Vancouver over Chicago, but since he's a Canadian we can forgive him for that.
I'll make my predictions for the third round on Sunday, and anyone who wants to make their own predictions for the third round can do so in response to this post or my post on Sunday.
Also, as the winner of the third round, commenter Ira gets to write up his predictions in a blog post of his own, with a small political commentary to go with it.
Ira, please email me your post at the address that can be found on the right of this page.
The Conference Finals will be between the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks in the West, and the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers in the East. Should be a blast!
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