Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013: Breaking Down Most Intriguing Second-Round Matchups

After a thrilling first round of action, the race for the Stanley Cup takes a different complexion in the second round, with a number of intriguing matchups on the slate.

Both conferences experienced a number of surprise upsets in the first round, which has dramatically changed the playoff picture from what many would have predicted at the start of the playoffs.

What are the second-round matchups you simply can't afford to miss?

Read on and find out.

[5] Los Angeles Kings vs. [6] San Jose Sharks

The Kings and the Sharks certainly have confidence to make a deep run. Both are coming off winning four straight.

Los Angeles is the defending champion, and after a sluggish start to its series, it finished off the Blues in six games.

The Sharks, however, were able to sweep the No. 3 seed Canucks with dominant scoring and error-free hockey.

San Jose is a veteran team, and it might be running out of opportunities to win the Stanley Cup.

The Sharks will therefore be eager to keep their momentum going here against their divisional rival, and they will want to make sure they aren't out-muscled by their opponents here and that their offense isn't shut down by the dominance of Jonathan Quick in goals.

Both teams possess great goaltending a solid defensive rotation, and we should therefore see a very tight and close-fought series, with a number of overtime games.

Definitely a series that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Prediction: Los Angeles Kings win in six.

[1] Pittsburgh Penguins vs. [7] Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh came into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams on the ice, and when it got Sidney Crosby back, it was largely expected to waltz through the first round.

Only that it didn't quite happen like that.

The New York Islanders were very strong on the counterattack and forced the Penguins to work much harder than they would have expected.

How that will play itself out in their second-round matchup now against the No. 7 Ottawa Senators still remains to be seen, but you'd have to think that there's now some big question marks around the Penguins' chances.

The Senators found scoring relatively easy against the Montreal Canadiens, and whilst the Penguins' defense suggest that they might do the same again here, I can't see it happening like that. Pittsburgh are simply too strong and powerful across the blue line, and it should win relatively easily here.

That doesn't make this any less worth watching however, with this series definitely a turning point in the season for either the Penguins or the Blackhawks.

If Pittsburgh can get going here, it'll definitely rate its chances of toppling the best team in the league if they meet in the finals.

If it can't get going, or even drop out of the postseason all together, Chicago will seemingly be very tough to beat en route to the Stanley Cup.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins win in four.

[1] Chicago Blackhawks vs. [7] Detroit Red Wings

However, if you're looking for just one series that you can't miss this round, it has to be the showdown schedules between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings.

Chicago has shown to be the best team in hockey this season and are simply dominant going forward. The Blackhawks will be thrilled to be facing the No. 7 seed and nothing higher, but the reality is that this matchup may well be a lot closer than we've come to expect from these two teams.

Detroit barely even made the playoffs—winning its last four games just to qualify for the postseason—and then came back from a 3-2 down against Anaheim. 

The Red Wings are riding a huge wave of momentum at the moment, and given the rivalry atmosphere this one will have, they could well surprise the Blackhawks, especially given it'll be the last time they meet as conference rivals.

The Blackhawks beat Detroit 7-1 during the year, but they also had a number of close games. They had an overtime win and two shootout victories as well—showing that with a little bit of self-belief, the Red Wings may well be able to trump the conference's top seed.

I think Chicago hangs on, but it'll definitely be a series worth watching.

Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks win in seven.

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