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On to Round Two!

May 14, 2013, 12:43 PM ET [12 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Conference semi’s are set, but before we go to those, let’s see how I did on my predictions…

#1 Pittsburgh vs. #8 New York IslandersMy Call - Pens in 4 / Actual – Pens in 6 - I have to admit, the islanders put up more of a fight than I expected, they did the Penguins a favor in pushing them to six fairly difficult games. That should help Pittsburgh going forward, but questions in goal have got to worry the Pens. I was right on the series winner, wrong on number of games.

#2 Montreal vs. #7 OttawaMy Call - Sens in 6 / Actual – Sens in 5 - Montreal was ripe, and once they had to go to their backup goaltender, they were toast. The surprising part was the way the Habs lost their discipline and Ottawa made them pay. The Senators are a dangerous team that is a very bad draw for Pittsburgh. Woo-Hoo… 2-0 on series winners.

#3 Washington vs. #6 New York RangersMy Call - Caps in 7 / Actual – Rangers in 7 - I expected more of a fight from Washington in last night’s game 7, the Rangers play as a team with series stealing goaltending. Combine that with a complete lack of offense from the capitals when they needed it… and you get the Rangers moving on. Oh well… nobody’s perfect, 2-1.

#4 Boston vs. #5 Toronto - My Call - B’s in 6 / Actual – Bruins in 7 - What a scintillating series, this one had it all and ended up being the best series in the first round. Toronto’s epic meltdown last night is the latest in Leaf Nations legacy of pain. Blowing a 4-1 lead with 11 minutes to play… simply brutal. Give full marks to Boston, they never gave up. This made my predictions 3-1.

Meanwhile… in the West;

#1 Chicago vs. #8 MinnesotaMy Call - Hawks in 4 / Actual – Hawks in 5 - Chicago did not play the kind of hockey expected, but certainly had enough talent to overcome the Wild. Injuries were a factor for Minnesota, but even if they stayed fully healthy they did not have the lineup to skate with the Blackhawks. Chicago moves on with knowledge that even if they aren’t playing their best, they still have enough. The mark goes up to 4-1.

#2 Anaheim vs. #7 DetroitRed Wings in 6 / Actual – Red Wings in 7 - What is it with the seven seeds this year? Detroit’s stirring series win sets up an original six semi in the West. The Red Wings were the better coached team, and it showed in crunch time. Anaheim is left to figure out what went wrong while Detroit moves on. My prediction record moves up to 5-1


#3 Vancouver vs. #6 San Jose - My Call - Canucks in 5 / Actual – Sharks in 4 - I said before and I will say it again, I didn’t see this one coming at all… usually Vancouver melts down in the second round, but give credit to San Jose, they played a perfect series in sweeping the Canucks and setting up a fascinating NoCal/SoCal showdown in the semi’s. My record slips to 5-2.

#4 St. Louis vs. #5 Los Angeles - My Call - Kings in 6 / Actual – Kings in 6 - I didn’t see this one playing out like it did, you have to wonder if Ken Hitchcock’s message is beginning to sour in St. Louis, especially after the news broke of the kerfuffle between Hitch and goaltender Jaroslav Halak. LA’s cup winning playoff run from last season is experience being leveraged well. Yahtzee!!! Got ‘em both here… My prediction record finishes at a fairly repectable 6-2

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There’s no rest for the weary… round two begins tonight, here’s my take on the conference semi-finals, first the East…

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators - These two teams have gotten to know each other well in the playoffs, facing each other four times in the last seven years. Pittsburgh dominated the season series, but throw that record out. The Penguins hold a significant advantage at forward and on special teams… Give the Senators an advantage on the blueline and between the pipes. Coaching is a pick’em. Penguin fans have to be a little unsettled about the team’s entitled attitude in round one, that could be deadly against a hard working team like Ottawa. Might as well go big here… Hard work and better goaltending is the difference, I’m calling the Senators in 6.
The schedule…
TUES, May 14, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, CBC, RDS
FRI, May 17, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, CBC
SUN, May 19, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, CBC, RDS
WED, May 22, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*FRI, May 24, 2013 7:30 P.M. NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*SUN, May 26, 2013 TBD CBC, RDS
*TUES, May 28, 2013 TBD CBC, RDS

#4 Boston Bruins vs. #6 New York Rangers - Both teams are coming off brutal, seven game first round matchups, a O6 matchup that should be a lot of fun. For the first time in over 40 years, these two storied franchises meet in the playoffs. Two towns that don’t like each other, two teams that, quite frankly, have a lot of hatred in their history… this one is going to be a blast to watch. I give Boston the slight nod up front, on paper Boston is better at the blueline, but the Rangers got a lot out of their d-men in round one. Definite advantage in net to New York as Henrik Ludqvist seems to be on a mission and I believe he steals this series for Blueshirts, Rangers in six.
The schedule…
THURS, MAY 16, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, TSN, RDS
SUN, MAY 19, 2013 3:00 p.m. NBC, TSN, RDS
TUES, MAY 21, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, TSN, RDS
THURS, MAY 23, 2013 7 p.m. CNBC, TSN, RDS
*SAT, MAY 25, 2013 TBD TSN, RDS
*MON, MAY 27, 2013 TBD TSN, RDS
*WED, MAY 29, 2013 TBD TSN, RDS

And in the West…

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings - So many subplots and back stories on this one. These two O6 franchises, meeting for the last time as Central Division rivals, the old guard vs. the new guard, Sugarhill Gang vs. Wiz Kalifa… pick your analogy, but to this observer… this is the most compelling series on the four semi-finals. I have to think that this was the one matchup Chicago didn’t want. The teams are even in goal and even on the blueline, Chicago holds an advantage at forward… an underreported stat in round one? Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews went scoreless… and the Hawks still advanced easily. Those two won’t be held down again. The chess match from the two bench bosses may be the most interesting part of this series as two of the best coaches in the league are going head-to-head. An X-Factor in this series is that Chicago had very easy travel in round one, Detroit racked up the frequent flyer miles with three west coast trips in round one. Tough call on this one… but I say Chicago in a potentially epic 7 games.
The schedule…
WED, May 15, 2013 8 p.m. DETROIT at Chicago NBCSN, CBC
SAT, May 18, 2013 1 p.m. DETROIT at Chicago NBC, CBC
MON, May 20, 2013 7:30 p.m. NBCSN, CBC
THUR, May 23, 2013 8 p.m. NBCSN, CBC
*SAT, May 25, 2013 TBD CBC
*MON, May 27, 2013 TBD CBC
*WED, May 29, 2013 TBD CBC

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks - For only the second time in their history, these two teams meet in the playoffs, Silicon Valley vs. La-La Land. LA holds a definitive advantage at forward, they have a lot of firepower up front. The bluelines are fairly even, each goaltender in this series has a cup under his belt. Coaching may be the determining factor in this series as both coaches are experienced, but Kings coach Darryl Sutter has a cup already and has this team calm, cool, and collected. The X Factor in this series may be the one week layoff San Jose has to deal with… there’s a fine line between rest and rust. This one should be difficult to call… but it isn’t… I think it is going to be the Kings in five.
The schedule…
TUE, May 14, 2013 10 p.m. NBCSN, TSN
THUR, May 16, 2013 10 p.m. NBCSN, TSN
SAT, May 18, 2013 9 p.m. NBCSN, TSN
TUES, May 21, 2013 10 p.m. NBCSN, TSN
*THUR, May 23, 2013 10:30 p.m. NBCSN, TSN
*SUN, May 26, 2013 TBD TSN
*TUE, May 28, 2013 TBD TSN

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Random Notes

- We will continue our full playoff coverage on this week’s SlapShot Radio… Wednesday at 7pm central on 102.5 the Game and the SlapShot Radio Network.

- Bobby Butler and Craig Smith are certainly making an impact for Team USA at the Worlds, giving the team a solid chance as they head into the elimination round, despite dropping a 4-1 decision to a desperate Slovakian team this morning.

- Another day… another rejected owner for the Coyotes. Sheesh, when will this side show end?

- The family of Derek Boogaard has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the NHL. The family had filed a case against the NHLPA, but that was dismissed earlier this spring after a judge ruled the family didn’t act quick enough in filing their issue.

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