I didn’t do too badly on Round Two in my opinion, I got three out of four since New Jersey was upset by Ottawa. Upset is an accurate assessment because New Jersey had scoring with their EGG line (Elias, Gomez and Gionta) along with others, solid D and Brodeur in goal. I was looking forward to a New Jersey v. Detroit rematch since those two titans only faced off in 1995 after the abbreviated season.
Still, Detroit finally prevailed last night and I get to keep my Stanley Cup beard (38 days) for another 10 days unless Disney on Ice succeeds.
Again, couldn’t find a poll from ESPN.com, as if they really care about hockey anymore.
For the East:
#1 Buffalo v. #4 Ottawa: Buffalo Sabres in six.
This is definitely the year for the Sabres. They deserved the President’s Trophy for the most points because they were the top team all season. Last year they only were defeated by the ‘Canes due to injuries. Now they’re healthy, they’re fast, their roster from last time is relatively intact and Dallas robbed ‘em in 1999. The Senators may have proven they were hungrier than the Devils last round but Ray Emery just isn’t that solid of a goalie. Ryan Miller for Buffalo is equally questionable yet he has more help from the D, the Sens have nothing after Chara fled.
For the West:
#1 Detroit v. #2 Anaheim: Anaheim Ducks in seven.
I hate to share my friend Brian’s pessimism on the Red Wings, don’t get him started on Datsuyk, yet this number one seed took too long to defeat the underwhelming Flames and the Sharks gave them a good scare. Injuries have been a problem, especially with Schneider going out for the count. Hasek’s goaltending isn’t what it used to be and Gigeure is doing better despite his lack of 50-inch pads from the 2003 run. The Ducks have stumbled more often than the Sabres on pushover opponents this season (Coyotes, Kings, Flyers) but they buckled down for the playoffs. They want it more than the Red Wings and steamrollered over the Canucks and Wild to get this far.
I would’ve preferred an all number one Stanley Cup this year and if my prediction goes through, I think I will have to defer to Buffalo even if they humiliated my Flyers this season. I don’t bear any malice for it, Philly had it coming thanks to Clarke’s miscalculations.