2009 NHL Conference Finals: BT and Ron Burgundy Prognosticate

They say that one is the loneliest number.

There’s only one goalie, the most painful losses are by one goal, and only one team can finish a season as the Stanley Cup champion.

If that’s the case, then seven has to be the most exciting number.

In the second round of the NHL playoffs, three series went to Game Sevens. Of those three Game Sevens, two teams won them in the hardest way—on the road.

Of those two games, one went to overtime—while the other was over far earlier than the Washington Capitals would have liked.

The lone home team that won is now in a position to go for their second-consecutive Cup final and their second-consecutive championship.

Both teams facing off in the Eastern Conference final have played that team in a Cup final within the last decade.

How’s that for a “by the numbers”?

Ron Burgundy: There’s only one number that matters: Channel Four. That’s where Action News lives!!!

BT: Well… I guess that was kind of relevant.

Burgundy: What do you mean “kind of” relevant? We’re breaking news! We’re always exciting. You’re just a man. Not a super man. Not a tall man or a short man. And especially not an Anchorman! You’re boring! And boredom is a stage of irrelevance.

BT: Well, I don’t know if there’s “stages” to irrelevance, but at least Ron seems like he’s ready to get at this.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes

BT: Well, back when we previewed the second-round matchups, I said that the Carolina Hurricanes were going to be dangerous—not only because they were winning games, but how they were winning those games.

Despite a small slip-up that nearly cost them the series, allowing the Bruins to tie it at three, the ‘Canes have played gritty hockey and have been able to score timely goals on teams not known for allowing many chances.

Martin Brodeur was supposed to be rested and ready for the playoffs. While Carolina only averaged 2.5 goals a game against him, it was where, when, and how those goals were scored that got Marty off of his game and the ‘Canes into the second round.

The Boston Bruins were the only team in the NHL this season not to allow 200 goals against. The Carolina Hurricanes scored fewer goals against them (16) than they did against New Jersey (17) and ended up winning.

In other words, it’s when you score in the playoffs, not necessarily how often.

Interesting fact: Prior to the Carolina series it took Boston 10 games to allow sixteen goals against, including their four game series with Montreal. If not for a 7-5 win over Toronto in late March, it may have taken a few more games, so despite 16 not being that large of a number, it’s still an impressive feat by the Hurricanes.

Timely scoring though is nothing without one thing: Stand-on-your-head goaltending.

Needless to say, Cam Ward has provided the ‘Canes with that throughout his career—especially when the games matter big time.

Despite back-to-back games where he allowed four goals in Games Five and Six against Boston, Ward was lock-down brilliant throughout the series and these playoffs. In game two he became only the second goalie this season to shut Boston out on home ice (and only the fifth goalie overall this season).

Ward is also second amongst playoff goalies in shots-faced with 441—he and Anaheim’s Jonas Hiller (524) are the only two to have faced more than 400 shots in the playoffs.

Ward also has the fourth-best save percentage at .927 (best among active goalies) and the third-best goals-against average 2.22 (second among active goalies) in these playoffs.

While Boston had a prolific offense during the regular season though, it appears they’ll be nothing to what Pittsburgh has morphed into.

Once thought to be a dormant giant, the Penguins are back where they wanted to be—almost.

Following last year’s letdown in the finals against Detroit, the Penguins wanted to prove that they could compete year-in, year-out—and suffer no proverbial hangover.

While the Pens seemed to be hungover early on, it was Dan Bylsma’s down-on-the-farm remedy that cured what ailed Pittsburgh.

Between the playoffs and the regular season, the Pittsburgh offense has seemingly sparked. They’re scoring nearly a half-goal more per game (3.15 in the regular season, 3.46 in playoffs) and they’re power play has been nearly three percent better (17.2 percent in the regular season, 19.7 percent in the playoffs).

The Pens are also scoring 0.4 goals more than they were during last year’s playoff run when they played Detroit in the finals.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been everything the Penguins have needed them to be: Combined, they have 18 goals and 22 assists in just 13 games, and they could very-well be candidates for a ‘Co-Conn Smythe’, the likes of which no sport has seen since 2001, when Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson shared World Series MVP for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They’ve also gotten production out of Kris Letang and Sergei Gonchar on the back end, while Ruslan Fedotenko, Kris Kunitz, and Bill Guerin have helped contribute secondary scoring.

To win though, the Penguins’ Marc-Andre Fleury needs to outshine Cam Ward, and follow through where the legend Brodeur and the sentimental favorite Tim Thomas failed.

Fleury was the quietest 35-win goalie in the NHL this season, and his seemingly-high 2.72 goals-against average should drop against the Hurricanes and Eric Staal if the ‘Canes low scoring approach continues.

The banging and crashing that’s dogged Fleury though, will continue.

This series though, will come down to how Fleury and Ward play when it really matters because both these teams are prone to overtime in these playoffs (eight games between them, and both teams are 3-1).

Burgundy: I’m simply happy that Boston is out of the playoffs.

BT: What do you mean? You picked them to win last round.

Burgundy: Well…yes. But that was before I knew they were going to start that “We want it!” chant. What is “it”?

BT: I think they mean the Cup, Ron.

Burgundy: Really? Wow. I thought they were just mumbling some Spanish word and I was hoping I was mis-hearing them. I don’t speak Spanish you know.

BT: So I’ve heard. Do you have a prediction about the series?

Burgundy: Ah yes, the bear is a majestic animal. It is powerful, sleek, ingenious, and profound. The Penguin is—

BT: Ron…we’ve been over this. The Bruins are out.

Burgundy: I know! Let me finish. The Penguin is a small, weak animal. Although it dresses nicely in its tuxedo, being well-dressed is only half the battle. You have to have talent too. These Penguins have talent, but it all comes down to nature: If a Hurricane can blow a bear away, shouldn’t it be able to blow a Penguin away.

BT: So you’re going with the ‘Canes?

Burgundy: No. I’m merely throwing you off of my trail. I just was hoping to distract you with the gun show—the gun show being my brain—while I dropped the bomb.

Burgundy: Penguins in four.

Bryan: Hurricanes in six.

2. Detroit Red Wings vs. 4. Chicago Blackhawks

While all of the hockey fans who are growing up with Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby were crawling over themselves to get a look at last round’s Penguins-Capitals series, this one has got hockey historians and fledglings alike eagerly awaiting the drop of the puck.

Central Division combatants. Original Six brothers. The old, experienced hound dog taking on the challenge of the energetic young pup.

If it’s possible, this series could be better than Sid and Ovie.

While the East has Eric Staal playing Jordan Staal for the right to battle for a cup, the Western Conference has Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane—one of the most exciting young duos in the league—taking on Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, one of the most unstoppable pairings.

As you look up and down the rosters of both teams, the prospects for an all-out war are there.

Patrick Sharp has the deft ability to get to the open ice and score, while Red Wings’ captain Nicklast Lidstrom has compared Martin Havlat to Marian Hossa in the fact that each can use their size effectively on the puck and create a ton of scoring chances.

Along with that, David Bolland has risen to prominence during the playoffs after a stellar rookie season and Andrew Ladd is a thorn in the side of any opposing team.

Of course, you can’t forget Dustin Byfuglien, though. Throughout these playoffs he’s displayed his grit and his toughness while playing big minutes and playing well in those minutes long beyond his years.

To discount the defending champs—as we’ve learned this year—is nearly impossible however.

Detroit is simply a grinding, tiring force. Many thought that the tough forecheck of the Anaheim Ducks would break the Winged Wheel, but Detroit prevailed with a hard-fought, seven-game series victory.

Now, it’s up to the Wings to stop an offensive attack that can just continually roll in the open ice. But remember the Wings aren’t too shabby either when it comes to scoring in bunches.

Aside from Hossa, Datsyuk (Imagine if he were to finally come alive this series), and Zetterberg, Johan Franzen scores early and often in the playoffs. Whether it’s early on or late in the game, if the Blackhawks can contain Franzen at all, it’ll be a big win for them.

The Wings also have three guys you wouldn’t expect to be outscoring both Hossa and Datsyuk: Dan Cleary (nine points), Jiri Hudler (eight points), and Valtteri Filppula.

The defenses match up fairly well too. While Chicago will tote out Duncan Keith, Cam Barker, Brian Campbell, and Brent Seabrook to handle Detroit’s forwards, Lidstrom, Brad Stuart, Brian Rafalski, and Niklas Kornwall have all the same weapons in their arsenal: Offensive overtones to their game, along with a sound defensive presence.

The Wings and ‘Hawks are 1-2 in power play effectiveness (29.6% to 26.4%), but Chicago’s penalty kill has been slightly better these playoffs (79.6% to 72.5%).

What this series will come down to, though, are two obvious places.

First of all, defensive depth for both teams will be huge. If it wasn’t for a broken stick in Game Seven, I don’t think Jonathan Ericsson turns the puck over, and the Ducks never tie the game. Aside from that, he’s fit in about as well as a 14-year veteran on Detroit’s defense, and the same can be said for Brett Lebda.

For Chicago, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Matt Walker have been great as well. To this point neither team has faced an offensive attack as deep and deadly as the other sides’ so how those five and six defensemen play will be huge.

After that, it’s simply goaltending. Nikolai Khabibulin doesn’t have to go back to Canada for the rest of the playoffs, but after having figured out the Great White North during the Vancouver series, maybe he’s just a little disappointed.

Meanwhile, guess whose second amongst active goalies in save percentage and first in goals-against?  Chris Osgood—that guy we all doubted.

From the outset, I want to give Detroit the edge here: Chicago didn’t play their best defensively against Vancouver (allowed five goals three times in six games after the Canucks didn’t score more than three in any game against St Louis), and Detroit did a fairly good job of keeping an energetic Ducks team under wraps.

Fasten your seat belts, though. This one isn’t going to be pretty.

Burgundy: Have you ever been skydiving before?

BT: No I can’t say that I have.

Burgundy: Well neither have I. But Baxter was punted off of a bridge once. Although I was too encased in my emotions to notice him majestically flying through the air, he later told me that flying free was one of the greatest experiences of his life. Both these teams love to fly free offensively.

This could be the series of these playoffs we all remember.

Ron: Blackhawks in seven.

Bryan: Red Wings in six.

BT: Wow Ron. That was profound.

Burgundy: I know…I’m Buddha.

BT: I don’t think so.

Burgundy: Einstein?

BT: Not quite.

Burgundy: The most popular man to ever have a mustache, easily edging out Magnum P.I?

BT: Nailed it.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can email him at [e-mail], or contact him through his profile. You can also read more of his previous work in his archives.

Ron Burgundy is the lead anchor of Channel 4 news, and the gentleman lover of Veronica Corningstone.