There were quite a few surprises this year in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I don't think many people expected Dallas to roll over San Jose like they did, although they did let the Sharks come back a bit after going up 3-0 in the series, but after a multi-overtime win in game 6 the Stars advanced. The other surprise was Philadelphia beating out Montreal, who towards the end of the season was looking like they had their eyes on the Cup, but Flyer goalie Martin Biron crushed those dreams early.
I was not surprised by Detroit annihilating Colorado, but to be fair, half of the Avalanche team was hurt, so it was a massacre. Pittsburgh let The Rangers take one game out of their series, but there was no way that the Rangers were any match for the young guns of Pittsburgh. That means this:
Pittsburgh VS. Philadelphia
Dallas VS. Detroit
So here's my prediction:
Pittsburgh and Philly are rivals and this series is going to test both teams dramatically. I am a little nervous though because Pittsburgh has some serious firepower, but Biron has been strong and withstood the Montreal attack quite well. However, so has Marc-Andre Fleury. If Pittsburgh is going to win the series they need to have an answer to RJ Umberger, who is originally from Pittsburgh, he has been hot in the playoffs. The Pens also need to capitalize on their power play opportunities and maintain their strong penalty killing that they have thus far. The other thing that they need to do is maintain the lead, especially if they have a 2-goal lead. This has always been a dangerous thing for them as they begin to let off on the throttle once they think that they have clinched the game. The outcome of a hockey game can be won or loss in a matter of seconds, every second counts, and more importantly, no lead is secure. The Pens need to constantly be aggressive on the attack and with their abilities, this should not be a problem. Other keys to their success in this series will be their second and third tier players making contributions, which I think is what enabled them to surpass the Rangers, players like Ruutu, Staal, and Roberts. All three of these players can dynamically change the pace of the game with their attitude and presence. Marian Hossa has also been stepping up to the plate lately and getting great chances, as is Evgeni Malkin, who has been getting lots of shots on goal. I'm thinking this series is going to challenge the young faces of Pittsburgh in many ways, probably going to 6 games, but with a Penguin win!
Detroit and Dallas is going to be a serious gunsling of a series, but that doesn't mean lots of goals as both Chris Osgood and Marty Turco have been excellence thus far, but I don't think that Detroit has been challenged that much so far, certainly not to the extent that Dallas can put forth, which might mean that this series bounces back and ultimately rests upon the goaltenders ability to keep pucks out! Turco saw 60 shots agains the Sharks in their final game and only allowed 1 goal! That's impressive against the highly gifted San Jose forwards. Keep in mind that Dallas also sent the Ducks home early, which was a huge shock for last years Cup winners to go home after one series. It wasn't even close though, Dallas destroyed them. Dallas could be the wild card in this entire playoff year as everyone has doubted them and thought they would go home by now, but this Dallas team is tough, they not only have good goaltending, but their offense is superb with Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, and Brendan Morrow leading the way, but other guys like Ott have stepped up as well, plus they have Sergei Zubov back in defense and he is making an impact for this team! I'm going to say Dallas in 7!
No comments:
Post a Comment