NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Preview: Final Rounds

Amazingly, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are only half-way done. Yet only four teams remain, and this seems as good a time as any to pick the rest of the way...

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens

This was literally the only way the playoffs could have gone for Philly to have home ice. The East has blazed new trails this year, which partially excuses my atrocious 1-5 record in Eastern Conference predictions...take this one for what it is worth.

Montreal became the first eighth seed to rally from a 3-1 deficit, then became the first team to beat the President's Trophy winner and defending Stanley Cup champions in the same year. They have done so without their best defenceman and arguably most talented player, Andrei Markov.

Philadelphia became just the third team to rally from a 3-0 series deficit, and did it by rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the final game, as well.

They have even more perseverance, having done without Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Ian Laperriere, and their original top two goalies at times this spring. Then the goalie they had been using went down just after their top choice was healthy enough to return.

Both of these teams have moxie, and both are hot. Philadelphia has had less rest for this series, but also played fewer games overall; this should not be much of a factor.

The fact is, however, they got where they are as much from a Boston choke as from their own success—one or maybe even two of their Game Seven goals should have been stopped, and they did it with the benefit of another Boston too many men on the ice penalty.

Worthy teams like Montreal do not make that mistake, much less as often as Boston did...Montreal in seven.

San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

As a Sharks community leader, I have done a full preview of this series on Shark-Infested Blogger —check it out!

Stanley Cup Finals

Without revealing who my pick in the West is since I actually want you to read the preview, I can tell you that either team from the West would win the Cup over any from the East. There are several reasons for this:

1. Neither team in the East would have even made the playoffs in the West. They were only able to beat the teams they faced because they, too, were inferior.

2. The injuries the Eastern teams are struggling with make their rosters even less capable of competing.

3. The Western teams are more used to travel than the East, who never has to leave its own time zone. To beat a team in the West, they will travel three times over at least half the country.

4. The wear and tear of previous series will get the better of either Eastern Conference team unless the series is over quickly. San Jose has played 11 games thus far and had a week off; Chicago 12 with four days off. The Flyers have also played 12 games have only one day off between series, and the Canadiens have played 14—no team has ever won the Cup playing more than two seven-game series, and it is likely they will have to play at least one more.

Thus, my Stanley Cup Finals prediction, whoever is playing for either conference, is the Western Conference team in six games , and that may be more than it takes.