Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning forcing a Game 7 against Detroit, we don't yet know who will be squaring off in the 2nd round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The matchups are set out West, however, so the hotstove will be sharing their picks for who will win and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Todd Cordell
Chicago vs Minnesota: Blackhawks in 7
Minnesota is a very good team, but I think Chicago is still a notch above them. If the Hawks can get average goaltending they should be fine, because they have more scoring punch up front, and a very good blue line. There seems to be an unwritten rule where the Hawks won't bow out of the playoffs until the conference finals or later, so I like them to pull out this series in a close one.
Anaheim vs Calgary: Ducks in 5
Calgary has some high-end talent up front, but they don't have near the offensive depth that Anaheim does. I also like the Ducks blue line better, and I think Calgary is going to struggle to keep up offensively with the way Frederik Andersen is playing.
Tim Chiasson Chicago vs Minnesota: Chicago in 6
The Blackhawks are just so good. I'd love to pick against them but that wouldn't be very wise. Kane, Toews, Keith and Sharp were all on display when the Hawks dumped the Predators and those are clutch players you shouldn't bet against. One Vezina candidate down, another on the way. I just don't think the Wild can beat the Blackhawks four times in seven games.
Anaheim vs Calgary: Anaheim in 4
The Ducks are bigger, stronger and more talented than the Flames. The Ducks made quick work of the Jets and should have just as easy of a time against the Calgary Flames. Great story, those Flames, but they're still playing ugly hockey and that's not going to cut it in a seven game series against Ryan Getzlaf's Ducks.
Adam French Chicago in 6
Anaheim in 5
The Wild and Flames have shown resilience and determination in beating their higher seeded opponents. The Wild have had some excellent team games, as have the Flames. Anaheim looked close to breaking several times, but never did.
I'm picking the easy winners, because I feel Chicago has shown just how deadly they truly are. They had some shaky games from some major players, let alone the hint of a goalie controversy, but this is a Blackhawks team that has consistently competed for the Cup for half a decade now. I trust in their veteran core, especially Hossa who looks like an absolute animal again these playoffs. He's the kind of guy that won't get into the Hall of Fame but will always been known by those who saw him as a top tier player. As for Anaheim. They had some shaky moments too, but forward depth, an underrated top-5 defense core and some strong performances by Andersen have shown why they are a deadly team. It's hard to vote against the only sweeping team, even against the Flames who never seem to stop surprising to the point of questioning if we're even surprised anymore.
Recent posts