April 24, 2008 – 17:42
The second round of the NHL Playoffs is about to start, so here are my predictions. In the first round I was correct in who I thought would win for 5 of the 8 series, but the teams I wanted to win took 6 of the 8. Not very impressive, but maybe this time around I will nail them all.
Eastern Conference
1. Montreal Canadiens vs. 6. Philadelphia Flyers
Who I Want to Win: Montreal
Who Will Win: Montreal
Number of Games: 6
Prediction: If Round 1 for each of these teams tells us anything, it’s that this series is likely to be full of surprises. No one thought the Boston Bruins would be playing a game 7 against the heavily favored Canadiens (probably not even the Bruins themselves), but there it was. Most people expected the explosive Ovechkin and Co. from Washington to be too much for the Flyers’ D to handle, and while AO put up decent numbers in the latter half of the series, it was Philly’s Danny Briere who stole the scoring show. However, I don’t think the Flyers will fare so well this time around. Montreal is a much more well rounded team than the Captials, with more guys contributing offensively, and in net Carey Price has shown that he can carry his regular season prowess over into the playoffs. Philadelphia will put up a decent fight, but will ultimately fall short.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5. New York Rangers
Who I Want to Win: Pittsburgh
Who Will Win: Pittsburgh
Number of Games: 7
Prediction: I think this is the most evenly matched of all the conference semifinal series. Both goalies have been playing great and the guys who are expected to rack up points for each team (Jagr and Gomez for NY, Malkin and Crosby for Pittsburgh) are doing so. Even though Pittsburgh’s offense walked all over Ottawa in the first round, they’re going to run into a lot more resistance from the Ranger defense and Vezina-candidate goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist. If New York’s offense doesn’t sputter, this should be a long series. However, I just don’t think the Rangers can match Pittsburgh’s firepower.
Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 6. Colorado Avalanche
Who I Want to Win: Detroit
Who Will Win: Detroit
Number of Games: 6
Prediction: I know, I know. The Avs didn’t have Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, Peter Forsberg, or Adam Foote for a large chunk of the season, and Adam Foote totally neutralized Marian Gaborik in the first round. BUT… The fact remains that in their four meetings this year, Detroit has embarrassed the Avs. Three of the four were shutouts, and the total goal differential among them was 11-2. The series will be a lot closer than the regular season would lead one to believe, but still – it’s not 2001, when the bulk of Colorado’s top offensemen were still in their prime. Adam Foote might be able to effectively cover Zetterberg OR Datsyuk, but he can’t handle both of them (not to mention Thomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen). I think Detroit’s deep offense will be too much for even Avs’ goalie Jose Theodore to handle, and Wings’ goalie Chris Osgood will play as well as he needs to for his team to win.
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 5. Dallas Stars
Who I Want to Win: San Jose
Who Will Win: Dallas
Number of Games: 7
Prediction: As much as the Sharks deserve a long playoff run, I think they are in trouble. Calgary proved to be a lot more problematic than they should have been for the hottest team in the NHL leading up to the playoffs. Dallas showed in the first round that its late season lull was just that, as they came out swinging against the defending champs in Anaheim. If Dallas’ defense can keep guys like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau from closing in on the net, goaltender Marty Turco should be in good shape. Sharks’ goalie Evgeni Nabokov will be a tough nut to crack, and though Dallas’ forwards have been stepping it up thus far (namely Ribiero, Morrow, and Modano) they will need to go all out in order to win. This should be another long one, but if San Jose wavers at all like they did against Calgary, Dallas will make them pay.
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For reference, Round 1 Predictions and Results:
Eastern Conference
1. Montreal Canadiens vs. 8. Boston Bruins
Who I Wanted to Win: Montreal
Who I Thought Would Win: Montreal
Predicted Number of Games: 4
Who Won: Montreal
Actual Number of Games: 7
2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7. Ottawa Senators
Who I Wanted to Win: Pittsburgh
Who I Thought Would Win: Pittsburgh
Predicted Number of Games: 6
Who Won: Pittsburgh
Actual Number of Games: 4
3. Washington Capitals vs. 6. Philadelphia Flyers
Who I Wanted to Win: Philadelphia
Who I Thought Would Win: Washington
Predicted Number of Games: 6
Who Won: Philadelphia
Actual Number of Games: 7
4. New Jersey Devils vs. 5. New York Rangers
Who I Wanted to Win: New Jersey
Who I Thought Would Win: New York
Predicted Number of Games: 6
Who Won: New York
Actual Number of Games: 5
Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Nashville Predators
Who I Wanted to Win: Detroit
Who I Thought Would Win: Detroit
Predicted Number of Games: 5
Who Won: Detroit
Actual Number of Games: 6
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 7. Calgary Flames
Who I Wanted to Win: San Jose
Who I Thought Would Win: San Jose
Predicted Number of Games: 6
Who Won: San Jose
Actual Number of Games: 7
3. Minnesota Wild vs. 6. Colorado Avalanche
Who I Wanted to Win: Minnesota
Who I Thought Would Win: Minnesota
Predicted Number of Games: 7
Who Won: Colorado
Actual Number of Games: 6
4. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5. Dallas Stars
Who I Wanted to Win: Dallas
Who I Thought Would Win: Anaheim
Predicted Number of Games: 7
Who Won: Dallas
Actual Number of Games: 6
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The day after Thanksgiving, I took advantage of some great Internet deals and got myself a new unibody Macbook Pro. I opted for one with only 2GB of RAM and also ordered two 2GB sticks of Crucial RAM from Newegg, since it’s much cheaper to buy and install them yourself as opposed to buying a Mac with 4GB already installed.
