Unfortunately, I remained perfect in my predictions following the Conference Semifinals of the NHL playoffs. The Red Wings came very close to pulling off the upset of the Blackhawks. I was unhappy about the Wings losing the series, but for a team that wasn't even predicted to make the playoffs, it was a great run. That said, the Conference Finals are comprised of each of the last four Stanley Cup Champions. Any of the four teams could win it this year, so I'm not feeling as confident in predicting this round.
Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins.
Overview: The Pens have 3 offensive superstars in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jerome Iginla, plus several other players having career-years offensively. The Bruins are deep at defense and are led by 6-foot-9, Zdeno Chara. Boston can get scoring from all 4 offensive lines and they lead the playoffs in goals by defensemen with 13. Pittsburgh can't afford any injuries on the blue line, since they are truly only 4 deep on defense. These teams do not like one another, so it could be a very physical series. This series will come down to the goalies. Boston has Tuuka Rask, who has been playing very well so far, but can be thrown off his game and give up some easy goals. With the offensively talented Pens shooting at him, it could happen quicker than Bruins fans would like to see. The Pens have been riding backup, Tomas Vokoun, during the last two rounds. I don't think Vokoun is a Stanley Cup Champion quality goaltender. Vokoun was fortunate to face the offensively limited Ottawa Senators last round and play two games against the top line reliant New York Islanders. If the Bruins get to him early, the Pens could be in deep trouble. However, the Penguins do have a Stanley Cup Champion goaltender sitting on their bench right now in Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is a head case. If he is on, he is near unbeatable, when he is off, I could probably score on him. He was way off against the Islanders and his confidence was no where to be found. The question will be if his time on bench helped him refocus or is he still a mess.
Players to watch: Milan Lucic for the Bruins. He is huge and will be setting up shop in front of the Penguin goalie all series. He is getting hot right now and could cause a lot of chaos. For the Penguins, Kris Letang. Letang was probably the best defenseman in the league this year. He is dangerous offensively, with a great wrist shot and strong passing ability. His defensive ability is also greatly underrated.
My Pick: Penguins in 7. Too many superstars on the Penguins.
Western Conference Final: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings.
Overview: Chicago might have gotten the scare that they needed against Detroit. They were able to face adversity and come out on top. They are getting scoring from a variety of players, including their defensemen. If their big 3 forwards, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews all play to their ability and they continue to get the secondary scoring, they are scary. The problem for Chicago lies in net for the Kings. Jonathan Quick is amazing. He is easily the best goaltender left in the playoffs. He single-handedly eliminated the San Jose Sharks last round, robbing the Sharks of several goals (look up his save on Joe Pavelski in game 7 with 5 minutes left as a reference). The Kings are the defending champions and look like they are a team that is built for playoff hockey. Timely scoring and physical play is key to the Kings. The Kings still have not a lost a home game yet in the playoffs. The Blackhawks are a little more shaky in goal. Corey Crawford was great at times against the Red Wings, but also let in some very easy goals (for reference look up Joakim Anderson's lone playoff goal).
Players to watch: Brian Bickell for the Blackhawks has been a monster. He is scoring big goals and getting big hits. Red Wing defenseman Nicklas Kronwall wasn't the same after Bickell drilled him in game 5. His biggest issue is that some times he goes a little overboard and takes dumb penalties. For the Kings, Justin Williams is the player to watch. This guy just knows how to win games. I don't know if any of his goals are not huge, timely goals.
My Pick: Kings in 6. The goalies will be the difference in the series. Quick is better than Crawford any day of the week.
No matter what the outcome, the quality of hockey has been great in the playoffs thus far. This year has truly showed what makes hockey so great. I wish everyone would've watched all of the Western Conference Semifinal games, especially Game 7 between the Wings and Hawks. I felt bad that non-hockey fans were missing out on such a spectacular display of what professional sports should be.
~Brad
