Remember That Time Patrick Kane Was Really Good at Everything?

Yeah, me too.

NHL Playoffs Second Round Predictions

Boyyyy HOWDY huh?! What a fuckin' first round that was eh? The Hawks Blues series gave me a heart attack almost every night, Minny pulls of the huge upset over the Av's, and the Kings come back from 3-0 down to win their series and move on. Man playoff hockey is the best. So we move on to the second round, with teams that I ALMOST called correctly (the Wild being the exception) so no perfect bracket for me this year, but the Blackhawks are still playing and that's all I really care about. THE MATCHUPS!

#1 Atlantic Boston Bruins                                            vs.                     #3 Atlantic Montreal Canadiens

This is actually a pretty interesting matchup. Detroit gave the B's all they could handle in their six game, including a ridiculous goal from Datsyuk, but the B's ultimately survived. Meanwhile the Canadiens made quick work of the Lightning and swept them in four games, mainly due to the fact that Tampa Bay was so injured. This is a classic, heated original six rivalry that's gonna give some awesome games. Price looked shaky at times in goal, but didn't need to be perfect, while Rask proved why he's most likely going to win the Vezina Trophy this year. Vanek helps Montreal's attack which could cause problems for Boston, but the B's play to tight of a game I think to have too much trouble in this series. Krejci and co. are gonna get the job done.

Bruins in 6

#1 Metropolitan Pittsburgh Penguins  

               vs.                      

                                     #2 Metropolitan New York Rangers

Another awesome rivalry in the east coast second round between the Penguins and the Blue Sweaters. The Penguins had some minor difficulties in their last series against Columbus, but found ways to score against a top goalie in the league Sergei Bobrovsky, especially when Malkin got going in the sixth game and netted 2. They're gonna have to do that again though against King Henrik and the Rangers, who when they showed up, looked good against the Flyers. The Rangers are gonna need Lundqvist to be on top of his game against the one two punch of Crosby and Malkin, and Zuccarello to play out of his mind like he did against the Flyers. I think the Rangers have a legitimate chance in this series if they play physical, but in the end, I think the Penguins are too strong on offense to make up for Fleury's weak-ass goalie issues.

Penguins in 6

 

     

                                              

#1 Pacific Anaheim Ducks                                    vs.                                #3 Pacific Los Angeles Kings                                 

This is the matchup to watch this round. The Ducks are a machine on offense while the Kings rock an incredible defense with one of the best goalies in the land in Quick. Plus, the Kings are red hot right now, winning four in a row against San Jose, who is also known for their full-throttle offense. Getzlaf took a mean slap-shot in the face early on in the Ducks' series against the Stars but looks to be relatively unfazed, while the Ducks defense and goaltending is still a major question mark. The Kings aren't known for their offense but were scoring at will on Niemi in games 4-7, so expect Kopitar and Williams to stay hot. This is the first playoff meeting between the two LA teams, and although the Ducks have the scoring talent, I think their defense proves to be too weak and the Kings move on in a series that goes all 7.

Kings in 7

  

#3 Central Chicago Blackhawks                                  vs.                        #1 Wild Card Minnesota Wild

Saving the best for last of course. The Hawks come out of a series where they were thrown all they could handle, six games, four that went to overtime, and all but one decided by one goal. They also proved, courtesy of Brent Seabrook, that if you come after us, we're gonna come right back at ya, as he sent Backes to frickin Mars. Kane and Toews looked great even though they're both coming back from injury, and I expect the offense to continue to only get better for the Hawks. Minnesota, on the other hand, is looking to play Cinderlla after knocking off the #1 seed in the Central Avalanche and are hoping to continue what could be a historic run. The Wild have one of the best D-men on their team in Suter and a great captain in Parise with a bunch of pretty good role players, but the Blackhawks should have a pretty easy matchup, especially if Crawford continues to play like the best goalie in the West. Fun fact, Crow in the playoffs in the last 2 years has beaten Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Quick, Tukka Rask, and Ryan Miller. Not a bad resume if I do say so myself. Hawks win this one with the home-ice relatively unscathed.

Blackhawks in 5

So there you have it, same Final 4 as last year. In my eyes, those four are still by far the best teams in the league. And to wrap up round 1 I give you my personal top 3 goals of the round:

Pavel Datsyuk: Game 1 vs. Bruins

Daniel Carcillo: Game 7 vs. Flyers (due to no-look backhanded assist from Zuccarello)

Andre Kopitar: Game 7 vs. Sharks (puts Niemi in another zip code)

Alright so there it is. Second round get's goin' tonight, so enjoy Puckheads. Fratellis...play me out!