Stanley Cup Finals

#2 Seed(West) Vs. #7 Seed(East)
Analysis: This series opens up Saturday night in Chicago and features the 2nd seed from the Western Conference Blackhawks against the 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers from the Eastern Conference. Many people had Chicago picked to be a Stanley Cup contender at the start of the season and their playoff performance showed that they are exactly that. For the Flyers however it is quite the different story, they have gone from winning a shootout in the last game of the season and just squeaking into the playoffs to having been down 3 to 0 in their semi final series versus Boston and completing one of the biggest comebacks in sports history. Not many people would have picked the Flyers to come out of the East at the start of the playoffs but they have shown that they are no joke with tough physical and mental play. Both Chicago and Philadelphia have goaltenders that many people questioned whether or not they would be able to lead a team to the Stanley Cup. While both Leighton and Boucher from Philly and Niemi from Chicago have looked shaky at points they have proven over the course of the playoffs that they have what it takes to lead their respective teams to victory. Niemi has definitely been a nice surprise for Chicago as he was the most glaring point of weakness that people associated when discussing the Blackhawks playoff chances. Both teams have a dynamite core of forwards with Richards, Briere, Gagne, Carter, and young star in the making Giroux leading the charge for Philadelphia. In Chicago their offense is sparked by Toews, Kane, Byfuglien, Sharp, Hossa, and Versteeg. Toews has been a dynamic force so far in the playoffs and this kid is looking to prove how truly legit he is by continuing to put up numbers. One of the most underrated Blackhawks is Dustin Byfuglien who has had a monster playoffs planting himself in front of opposing goalies creating havoc (Luongo past 2 years, and Nabokov) and putting up solid point totals. Both defense cores are also very strong with Pronger and Timonen being the main guys for Philly. In Chicago Seabrook, Keith, and Campbell all play big roles defensively while packing an offensive punch as well. An interesting battle to watch will be between Pronger and Byfuglien who are both massive men and Pronger’s duty will be to clear out Byfuglien from the goalies area, something which nobody has been successful at so far. Another thing to watch will be to see if the 3rd time is the charm for Marion Hossa, who has found himself on the losing end of the last 2 Stanley Cups. Expect both arenas to be absolutely nuts as both cities have been without a Stanley Cup in quite some time and are 2 of the most passionate fan bases in the league.

Prediction: I’ve got to give the Flyers a ton of credit for what they’ve accomplished this post-season especially having completed one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. However the Hawks have continued to get stronger and stronger as the playoffs have moved on and that was clear by sweeping the powerful Sharks in the Western Conference Championship. I think the Hawks will continue to roll in the Finals but I do expect the Flyers to compete hard and win at least one in their own building. With that being said my finals pick is going to be CHICAGO IN 5. Conn Smythe will be awarded to Chicago’s: Jonathan Toews

Key Players: Blackhawks: Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Keith, Seabrook, Byfuglien, And Niemi. Flyers: Richards, Carter, Giroux, Gagne, Briere, Pronger, Leighton.

Sharks Vs. Blackhawks

#1Seed Vs. #2 Seed
Analysis: This series opens up on Sunday afternoon in San Jose and features the 1st seeded Sharks against the 2nd seeded Blackhawks from Chicago. Both of these teams were competing all season for the 1st seed and it wasn’t decided until the last game of the year in favour of San Jose. Both of these teams feature high octane offences and this should be quite the exciting series. San Jose has finally advanced past the 2nd round of the playoffs and is looking to avoid further playoff disappointment and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Both teams dominated their 2nd round games against strong opponents and I think the Stanley Cup will come too whoever wins this series. Everyone knows about San Jose’s big three forwards but the real surprise has been the emergence of “little Joe” Pavelski who has been an offensive force so far in the playoffs. On Chicago Captain Jonathan Toews has been the man, with assistance coming from Pat Kane and Dustin Byfuglien. Expect Nabokov to get a nice helping of Byfuglien all series long. On defence you have Rob Blake and Dan Boyle versus Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Brian Campbell. I have to give the advantage to the Hawks on the back end. Both Nabokov and Niemi have looked shaky at points in the playoffs but showed the doubters that they are more than capable after shutting the door in round 2.

Prediction: The Hawks came this far last year and then suffered disappointment at the hands of the Redwings. Both of these teams are scary good and I could definitely see this series going either way. I think the Hawks have the confidence to get it done this year. BLACKHAWKS IN 7

Key Players: Sharks: Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau, Heatley, Boyle, Blake, and Nabokov. Blackhawks: Toews, Kane, Byfuglien, Keith, Seabrook, Versteeg, Campbell, Niemi.

Western Conference Championship

Here is my pick and analysis for the Western Conference Championship

Flyers Vs. Canadiens

#7 Seed Vs. #8 Seed
Analysis: This series kicks off Sunday in Philadelphia and features the 7th seeded Flyers against the 8th seeded Canadiens from Montreal. This is the first time in the history of the NHL that the two lowest seeds have met for the Eastern conference championship. Both of these teams basically didn’t even make the playoffs until the last day of league play, so considering how far they have made it and who they have eliminated it is quite amazing that we even have this matchup. While what Montreal has been doing has been amazing nothing compares to what the Flyers just accomplished. Everyone knows a hot goaltender can take you places in the playoffs and that is exactly what Jaroslav Halak has done. Meanwhile Philly was down 3 to 0 in their series against Boston and 3 to 0 in game 7 and arguably accomplished the greatest comeback in the history of professional sports. Simon Gagne was a major spark for Philly when he returned from injury and will continue to be in this series. Mike Richards has been leading the way for Philly all playoffs and I just don’t see him slowing down against the Canadiens. Look for Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux to continue to put up points for Philly. On Montreal the offensive force has been from two main players Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. Philadelphia is very confidant with their top 4 defence and I definitely see Pronger playing huge minutes in a shut down role against Montreal’s scorers. Watch for Pronger to put up a few offensive points as well. On defence for Montreal the story has been about Hal Gill and P.K. Subban who both have played excellent up to this point. Having Brain Boucher go down to injury kind of scares me for Philly’s goaltending but Leighton has come in and shown he has got what it takes. I’ll be watching to see how Carcillo and Asham get under the skin of the smaller Montreal players by using their physical presence and this is a battle that could definitely help decide the series.

Prediction: Montreal has been outshot in every one of their post season wins, this trend is a very dangerous one and I think that this is the series where it gets exposed. For some reason Pronger always has a knack of showing up in the Stanley Cup Finals and I think he will do it again this season. Both teams have had amazing stories during their run, but unfortunately for all the Canadiens and their fans I’m going with PHILADELPHIA IN 6

Key Players: Philadelphia: Pronger, Richards, Briere, Gagne, Giroux, Carcillo, And Leighton. Montreal: Cammalleri, Gionta, Gill, Subban, Halak.

Eastern Conference Championship

Hey everyone, here is my pick and analysis for the Eastern Conference Championship

Penguins Vs. Canadiens

#4 Seed VS. #8 Seed
Analysis: This series gets started up on Friday in Pittsburgh and features the 4th seeded Penguins against the 8th Seeded Canadiens. After a shocking collapse by the Capitals, this is a dream matchup for the Penguins. While what Montreal did in round 1 was quite impressive, I feel as if the much more composed and team oriented Penguins will be too much for the Canadiens to handle. Crosby will continue his crazy scoring pace in this round, while Malkin will not be far behind. Much of the Canadiens success was because of an awful Capitals power play. Letang and Gonchar add that backend punch that will surely see the Penguins take advantage of power play opportunities. I like that Montreal called up P.K. Subban and his youthful enthusiasm is much appreciated by the Canadiens, and this little playoff stint will give him some big experience headed into next season. Kostitsyn, Pleckanec, and Cammalleri will need to come up huge if the Canadiens have any hope of advancing. Unfortunately for the Canadiens I see this series ending much quicker than the last one. While Halak has clearly played amazing to finish the Capitals, I don’t think he can keep going on the pace that he was. Hal Gill will need to continue to block a crazy amount of shots to help out Halak. Fleury will be better than Varlamov was and thus will keep the Penguins alive.

Prediction: Crosby and the Penguins are much more team oriented and unselfish than the Capitals and this will be a huge factor. I guarantee that the Penguins will light the lamp on the power play and that you will probably see Carey Price at some point this series. I truly feel that this series could be a sweep; however taking sweeps in round 1 burned me so I’m going with PITTSBURGH IN 5.

Key Players: Pittsburgh: Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Gonchar, And Letang. Canadiens: Halak, Cammalleri, Pleckanec, Gill.

Bruins Vs. Flyers

#6 Seed VS. #7 Seed
Analysis: This series kicks off Saturday afternoon in Boston and features the 6th seeded Bruins against the 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers. The quote of this series is “Watch out for Good Teams, who have had Bad Seasons”. As both the Bruins and Flyers upset higher seeded opponents in the first round. Boston played well against the Sabres and came back and won 3 separate games when they were losing after two. Essentially I think they ran into a tired Ryan Miller after carrying a heavy workload and then the Olympics. The Flyers were even more impressive dismantling the Devils in 5 games. This series also could be focused on injuries, having Savard return could be a major boost for the Bruins, and losing Carter and Gagne is going to be tough on the Flyers. Look for Mike Richards to continue to put up points and be a key leader for the Flyers. Claude Giroux also have a very impressive first round and I’ve got faith that he will put up some much needed points for the Flyers in round 2. Watch for the battles between Danny Carcillo and Milan Lucic or any other forward that gets in his way. On defence it is the battle of the big men, Zdeno Chara and Chris Pronger. I’m giving the edge to Pronger as he has a knack of leading teams deep into post seasons and his experience will be huge for a generally young Flyer squad. For the Bruins watch for the return of Marc Savard to add some needed punch up front. You have always got to keep your eye on crafty veteran Mark Recchi as he somehow still manages to light the lamp. Tuukka Rask has had an outstanding season and I will give him an edge over Boucher although Boucher did face a tougher offensive team in round 1.

Prediction: Philadelphia dominated a strong Devils team in round 1 and I feel that they will also have success in this round. I doubted Boston in round 1 and they proved me wrong also dismantling the Sabres although I think that wasn’t entirely because of Boston being the better team. Chris Pronger will lead the Flyers physically and will contribute on the score sheet as well and thus my pick for this series is PHILADELPHIA IN 6.

Key Players: Bruins: Savard, Recchi, Bergeron, Chara, And Rask. Flyers: Richards, Giroux, Carcillo, Pronger, Boucher.