NHL Playoffs: Second Helping

The second round of the playoffs is starting tomorrow night and it’s time to take a look at the matchups. But first, let’s see how Bubba’s picks turned out for the first round.

In the East, I picked the Habs, Pens, Rangers, and Caps. In the West, my picks were the Wings, Sharks, Avs, and the Ducks. I’m happy to be wrong about that Anaheim pick! Looks like I guessed 6 out of 8 correctly. Looks like I also picked a bad month to quit gambling! Oh well, on to the 2nd round.

I think that the Habs should continue their winning ways against the Flyers. Their young goalie, Carey Price is a question mark in my mind though. He looked pretty skaky in a couple of those Bruins games. If the Canadiens do win, God help the city of Montreal.

The Rangers against the Penguins should be one heck of a series and I really look forward to watching this one. The Pens should win, but I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Rangers. Sometimes the best teams don’t win these things and I think that Lundqvist will outplay Fleury.

Out in the West we have the classic Red Wings - Avalanche matchup that everyone has been hoping for. This should also be a fantastic series, but again I’m going against conventional wisdom and I’m picking the Avs. I won’t mention any names, but I know that some readers, (Sean), won’t like that pick, but old age is bound to catch up with the Detroit netminders. Before this series is over, they will need a wheelchair to bring Ozzy or Hasek out to their position.

The Dallas Stars move on to the 2nd round for the first time in years, only to fold like a wet tent against San Jose. Can Jeremy Roenick do it again? The old-timer had 2 goals and 2 assists in game 7 against Calgary. This, after being benched in game 6. Even if lightning doesn’t strike twice with JR, the Sharks should still handle the Stars.