What a great game last night between the Sharks and the Red Wings. This is going to be a great series. Here are the hockeyleaks.com predictions for the second round.
East
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Montreal
Very few had the Habs picked to go to the second round of the playoffs. The fact that the fourth seeded Penguins now are the top seed in the East shows how full of upsets the first round was. Can the Habs do it again? With Halak in net, anything is possible and the Habs have shown that they cannot be counted out. I think the Penguins will take this series, but it could go the distance. With that said, i dont think it will. Penguins in six.
(6) Boston vs. (7) Philadelphia
The Bruins are already winners as they have the #2 pick in the NHL draft. The Flyers showed heart in their first round knock off of new jersey, but Savard coming back is huge for the Bruins and should give them the boost they need. Goaltending is going to be key in this series, with both Rask and Boucher very unproven at this stage in the game. Bruins in six.
West
(1) San Jose vs. (5) Detroit
The Sharks took game one, but that game could have gone either way. The Wings are famous for playing their best hockey at this time of year while the Sharks are famous for failing to show up in the post-season. The Sharks had a great first round while Detroit had an up-and-down series with the Coyotes. I think the Wings lack of rest and inexperience in net could be their downfaill. Sharks in seven.
(2) Chicago vs. (3) Vancouver
This is the best series of the second round, with both teams picked by many to win the Stanley Cup. The Hawks have arguably the best offense in the game while the Canucks have the best goaltender. I firmly believe the Sedins are at the point where they can elevate the Canucks to the next level, but the biggest question of this series is the play of Chicago's goaltending. At the deadline I felt that both Chicago and Washington needed to address their goaltending, and they didnt. We saw how that turned out for Washington, and I think the Blackhawks could suffer a similar fate. Canucks in seven.
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