The first round of the NHL playoffs is over in the Western Conference, but not in the Eastern Conference yet. The Anaheim Ducks will face the Calgary Flames in the 2nd round, while the Minnesota Wild will play the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Ducks swept their first round opponent in 4 games, the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets ended the season hot, but were cooled down quickly by the top seeded team in the Western Conference. The Ducks actually trailed after 2 periods in the first 3 games of the series, but like they did 12 times in the regular season, they turned that deficit into a victory. Once again, the Ducks weren’t taken seriously by many, going into the playoffs. But don’t sell them short.
Calgary finished off the Vancouver Canucks in 6 games, after coming back from a 3-0 first period deficit in the final game. Former Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller will face his old teammates in the playoffs for the first time. This was the Flames’ first win in a playoff series in 11 years. Look for Anaheim to beat Calgary in 5 games, and move on to the Western Conference Finals.
The St. Louis Blues finished off another disappointing appearance in the playoffs with a 6-game series loss to the Minnesota Wild. In a series featuring no 1-goal games, the Wild broke a 2-2 series tie, winning games 5 and 6, despite 6 goals by the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko in the series.
Chicago eliminated the Nashville Predators in a 6-game series, which included double and triple overtime wins by the Blackhawks. Nashville’s Colin Wilson led the way in goal scoring with 5 in this series, but Jonathan Toews had 8 points for Chicago. I’m picking Chicago in a 7-game series over the Wild, and will face Anaheim in the conference finals.
The Eastern Conference is a lot more unsettled than the West. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens have moved on to the 2nd round, but the other 2 series are still going. The Rangers knocked out the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games. What happened to all those Stanley Cups that Sidney Crosby of the Penguins was going to win? He’s still stuck at 1.
Montreal won the first 3 games of their series with the Ottawa Senators, but after Ottawa won the next 2, the Canadiens finished them off in Game 6 on Sunday, with a 2-0 win in Ottawa. Montreal goalie Carey Price had 43 saves in the final game.
The New York Islanders forced a game 7, after beating the Washington Capitals on Saturday 3-1. Game 7 is in Washington on Monday night. The Detroit Red Wings lead their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning 3 games to 2, and will have a chance to end it at home on Monday, but if they fail, Game 7 will be back in Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
The Rangers will play the eventual winner of the Islanders-Capitals series, while the Canadiens will face the Red Wings-Lightning winner. I would like to see a New York match-up between the Rangers and Islanders, and I still think the Lightning will move on, to face Montreal in the 2nd round.
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