What did the whale say to the Indian? (Insert joke here)
Yours truly went a respectable 5 for 8 in his opening round predictions, only getting cheated by the Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks, and being blinded by how bad the Calgary Flames actually were. Other than those blunders I was a dead-eye. Hopefully I can run the table this round. Let’s get going shall we.
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
1. Boston vs. 6. Carolina- Very interesting matchup here. Like any series the Hurricanes play in this one will likely be the least aniticipated of the second round. Carolina played magic men in their first round series but I’m thinking their luck will run out against a superior Bruins team. Bruins in 6
2. Washington vs. 4. Pittsburgh- On paper this has everything you’d want, but the Bench Boss has noticed over the last couple of years that the Penguins are just simply not a very exciting team to watch and this series might be a little overhyped. Look for the games in D.C. to be the most exciting of the series. Flip a coin if you want cause there is really no way to decide this one. Caps in 7
Western Conference Semi-Finals
2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Anaheim Ducks- This should be a beauty to watch. The Ducks will as usual try to impose their physical will (or dirty will) on the free wheeling Wings, but they will need to keep a fine line in order to stay out of the box. They also have the hot goaltender going into the series and hot goaltenders have stymied the Wings before. My gut tells me Anaheim, my brain says Detroit. Wings in 6
3. Vancouver vs. 6. Chicago- This is the one that the Bench Boss has been licking his chops over ever since I quickly realized that the Ducks were going to beat the Sharks and make this series a reality. If their last meeting of the regular season is any inidication http://distinctkickingmotion.com/2009/03/30/playoff-preview/ this should be an all out war. Throw in the fact that the Canucks have had 8 days to recover from a first round series that was also a physical battle, and this baby should catch fire from the drop of the puck. As many of you might know the Bench Boss has a personal bias in favour of the Canucks, but in the world of prognosticating there can be no such thing…but I’m gonna pick Vancouver anwyays. Canucks in 7
