Well...alrighty then!! Wow...for a playoff round that seemed to be pretty much cut and dry, round 1 sure gave us many twists and turns and a boat load of surprises. Series that should have gone 7 games were over quick, ones that should have been quick went 7, teams that should have advanced are clearing out lockers...one unbelievable comeback / collapse...and so on. Even though my picks left me at .500 and my bracket is totally screwed...I enjoyed every moment of action!! Now taking my humbled record of 4 - 4 into Round 2...I will try to redeem myself and keep in mind that one of the beautiful things about the playoffs is that anything can truly happen. With that said...on to my Round 2 picks.
CHICAGO vs DETROIT
The Hawks rolled right through the first round just as they did during the regular season, but have now been idle waiting. The Wings just seem to always find another gear come post seasonand their top guys are leading the charge. The Hawks may get a slow start out of the gate as the Wings ride the momentum train from round 1, but look for Chicago to wake back up quickly. If this series becomes a battle of goaltenders or timely scoring give the edge to the Hawks. The train will keep rolling but they will have to clear the track of debris which won’t be easy.CHICAGO in 6
LOS ANGELES vs SAN JOSE
The sleeping giants awoke in round 1 as the defending champs came roaring back to win 4 straight. The Sharks breezed through the first round with masterful use of their depth down the middle. These two teams match up pretty evenly and this series will be a tight hard fought battle. I see no blow out games in this one...one goal decisions and plenty of overtime. Yes folks, this one could go either way, but since I didn’t expect the Kings to be here now...gotta go with the Sharks. SAN JOSE in 7
PITTSBURGH vs OTTAWA
Hmmmm...trouble brewing in paradise? Will the real M.A-F. show up? The depth guys stepping up to get you past the 8 seed? Is there really a wrench caught in the machine? Well it seems no one is talking about it...but the Sens sure hope the Pens have some inner termoil happening. Only don’t count on it my friends...no matter how you slice it, this Penguins team is stacked. Ottawa can hope for implosion all they want but they won’t find this group rolling over as easy as the Habs did for them. Even with a return of Spezza they can’t match the offenseand muckery won’t work against this club it will only open the door to more power play chances for their big guns. Anderson will perhaps steal a game or two standing on his head...but don’t bet on it. The Pens will roll. PITTSBURGH in 5
BOSTON vs NEW YORK RANGERS
This is going to be a tough series to call. Both these clubs are prone to playing well just as much as they can play poorly. Both goaltenders can shut teams down and have off nights. They each can score at will and struggle to put pucks in the net. Both are physical and play best when crashing and banging. This one could go either way, but since I have to pick one...going to have to go with the home ice team because this one could go seven...or maybe not...jeez...hate this pick...no warm and fuzzy feeling either way...ummmm...okay...damn it!! NEW YORK RANGERS in 7
