Well the Penguins were eliminated...again. But as a half-assed hockey blogger, I feel it is my duty to keep making predictions until this thing is over. This will even be before any games are played. so there's that.
Fun fact: Once again, EA Sports' simulation of the NHL playoffs was wrong, and once again the team they picked (Boston this time) was upset in the 2nd round
One last thing...yeah, my playoff bracket is
totally busted at this point.
Anyway, without further adieu (Foreshdowing!)...
| EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Metro Champ: New York Rangers | VS | Atlantic Champ: Montreal |
This, yet another Original 6 matchup, is an interesting case. I've picked Montreal to win every round to this point, and I've picked the Rags to lose each round. On the one hand, Henrik Lundqvist deserves a cup, but Rick Nash absolutely does not. On the flip side, I LOVE how P.K. Subban plays the game, but I am not a fan at all of Carey Price...But I'm getting ahead of myself. Montreal had the tougher second round opponent, hands down. The Rangers finally seem to have woken up are playing some inspired hockey right now. I can't help but think that the extra time off, since NYR pushed it to 7 in the West will hurt New York more than Montreal. They had a lot of momentum after their second round matchup. Montreal had to claw and drag their way through a brutal series. As much as have underestimated the Rags to this point, I just don't think they will be able to beat a team that is playing well against better competition.
Montreal in 6
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| WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Central Champ: Chicago | VS | Pacific Champ: Los Angeles |
Man, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen. The representative out of the West is, once again, going to be one of the powerhouse teams. It's not a bad thing if you're a fan of one of these two, but I just don't feel like hearing the inevitable 'Dynasty' Talk that will be coming if either of these two win the cup. Anyway, as far as the matchup, you're looking at two powerhouse teams that are different sides of the same coin. Chicago has the skill and star power, as well as the big, mean defencemen to wear down opponents forwards or even pot a few goals of their own. LA has an incredibly defensive play style, lead by (somehow) underrated Anze Kopitar. The buzzword in the NHL right now is 'Heavy' and that's the Kings to a 'T.' Los Angeles has been playing a LOT of hockey lately, with two 7-game series in a row. Had they lesser competition, they might have a chance in this series. Unfortunately for them, they now draw a rested Chicago team. This series will be closer than the games-won suggest
Chicago in 5
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