The Hockey News: Special Features: The Hockey News 2007-08 NHL Playoff Preview

The Hockey News 2007-08 NHL Playoff Preview - Round 2

Eight down, seven to go.

2008-04-22 22:34:10

Whether it's recent or from seasons long past, each of the four conference semifinal matchups see rivals set to do battle once more.

Detroit and Colorado rejuvenate their history from the '90s, Montreal and Philadelphia were two of the most potent franchises of the '70s, while Pittsburgh-New York and Dallas-San Jose will pick up where they left off from a division-heavy regular season schedule.

While there were upsets in both the West and the East - according to the seeds, anyway - the top two teams from each conference are still alive.

Below you'll find breakdowns on each of the four second round series and, coming off a five-for-eight performance in the opening round, THN.com's picks to move on. (See The Hockey News's Round 1 preview and predictions HERE)

DETROIT RED WINGS vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE

Season Series
Detroit – 4-0-0 (11 GF; 2 GA)
Colorado – 0-0-4 (2 GF, 11 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
Detroit - Pavel Datsyuk, 6 (1G, 5A); Henrik Zetterberg 3 (3G); Valtteri Filppula 3 (3G)
Colorado - Cody McLeod 1 (1G); Marek Svatos 1 (1G); Jeff Finger 1 (1A)

First Round MVP
Detroit - Nicklas Lidstrom. One power play goal, one shorthanded goal, one game-winner and lots and lots of ice time.
Colorado - Jose Theodore. Don’t laugh. Theodore was as good down the regular season stretch and in the first round as he was in his Hart Trophy season.

Special Teams
The Wings were 3-for-26 (9th) on the power play and didn’t allow a shorthanded goal; gave up two power play goals on 23 chances (2nd) and countered with one shorthanded tally. Colorado was respectable, too, allowing three shorthanded goals while playing shorthanded 21 times (6th) and scoring six goals on 30 power play chances (9th). Edge: Detroit

Forwards
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg came through as expected in Round 1; Jiri Hudler was a pleasant surprise with two goals and five points. The Wings' veteran Grind Line will have their hands full. Big surprise, Joe Sakic led the Avs in scoring in the first round with the ultra-consistent Andrew Brunette right behind him. Edge: Colorado

Defense
12 goals against in six playoff games is good by any standard and as long as Niklas Kronwall remains healthy, Detroit should have an edge in defense against any opponent it faces. Veterans Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei have made their mark, but will be under a lot of pressure against the speedy Wings forwards. Edge: Detroit

Goaltending
As expected, goaltending was a question mark for the Red Wings in the first round, but Chris Osgood looked solid in replacing Dominik Hasek. Keep in mind, Osgood has won a Stanley Cup. Funny, Colorado was shutout in three of four meetings between the two teams this season, but still THN likes the Avs. Theodore is the real deal and has given his team a chance to win every night. Edge: Colorado

Coaching
Detroit's Mike Babcock had his hands full against Nashville’s Barry Trotz and survived. Colorado's Joel Quenneville is a legitimate coach of the year candidate who finally has an NHL roster to work with. Edge: Detroit

X-Factor
While many will talk about the great battles these teams have waged in the past, it really comes down to newcomers like Paul Stastny of Colorado – who did not play well in the first round – and Jiri Hudler of the Wings – who did – to make the difference.

Prediction
This will not be the physical war we have seen these teams engage in previously, but will be a hard-fought battle nonetheless. One of two old-timers – Lidstrom or Sakic – will be the difference maker. Colorado in seven.

SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. DALLAS STARS

Season Series
San Jose – 4-4-0 (21 GF; 24 GA)
Dallas – 4-2-2 (24 GF; 21 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
San Jose – Joe Thornton, 10 (4G, 6A); Milan Michalek, 5 (1G, 4A); Patrick Marleau, 5 (3G, 2A)
Dallas – Mike Modano, 11 (5G, 6A); Brenden Morrow, 9 (3G, 6A); Mike Ribeiro, 7 (2G, 5A)

First Round MVP
San Jose - Joe Pavelski. the 23-year-old had three goals - including two game-winners - and seven points against the Flames.
Dallas - Marty Turco. The oft-criticized good guy has been a virtual brick wall for both this season and last season's first round.

Special Teams
The Sharks’ performance at killing penalties was abysmal in the first round, as reflected by their 16th-ranked penalty kill (72.7 percent). Their power play wasn’t much better, coming in at 10th overall (19.4 percent). The Stars also struggled when they were down a man (79.2 percent penalty kill efficiency), but their power play was stellar (26.3 percent, good for 2nd overall in the first round). Edge: Dallas

Forwards
The Sharks’ forwards have a clear size advantage over their counterparts in Dallas. Both teams have greybeards they’ll be leaning on for some offense, but San Jose’s top-end talent is simply better and deeper than the Stars’. Edge: San Jose

Defense
If Sergei Zubov does the expected and returns to action this round, he’ll give the Stars a big edge. If not, it’s nearly a toss-up – although the experience of Dallas veterans such as Mattias Norstrom, Philippe Boucher and surprising first-round offense machine Stephane Robidas could be the difference. Edge: Dallas

Goaltending
Marty Turco or Evgeni Nabokov, eh? That’s a choice many GMs in the league would love to make. Both backstoppers had phenomenal regular seasons, but Turco was arguably the best goalie in the first round. Nabokov (and his .895 playoff save percentage) clearly was not. Edge: Dallas

Coaching
Dave Tippett and Ron Wilson, two of the league’s longer-tenured bench bosses, will match wits here. And again, there’s not much difference between the two. Tippett is less of an authoritarian type than Wilson, but in the playoffs, authoritarian coaches (e.g. John Tortorella, Bob Hartley, Randy Carlyle) tend to win championships. Edge: San Jose

X-Factor
Each franchise has an American-born hockey legend (Jeremy Roenick in San Jose, Mike
Modano in Dallas) on its roster, and whichever one steps up and contributes some timely offense – the way Roenick did in Game 7 of Round 1 against Calgary – could push them and their teammates into the conference final.

Prediction
The Stars looked focused and determined in eliminating Anaheim, while the Sharks were more than a little inconsistent against a tough Flames team. However, home ice advantage could again be a mitigating factor in favor of San Jose, which faces just as much pressure to win in the second round as it did in the first. They responded well against Calgary, and could easily – ok, maybe not easily – do it again. San Jose in six.

Related Links

MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

NUTS AND BOLTS
Montreal - Home | Stats | Roster | Schedule | Transactions | Injuries
Philadelphia - Home | Stats | Roster | Schedule | Transactions | Injuries

Season Series
Montreal – 4-0-0 (15 GF; 6 GA)
Philadelphia – 0-4-0 (6 GF; 15 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
Montreal– Alex Kovalev, 6 (2G, 4A); Andrei Markov, 6 (0G, 6A)
Philadelphia – Vaclav Prospal, 6 (4G, 2A); Mike Richards, 3 (2G, 1A); five players with 2

First Round MVP
Montreal – Carey Price. Rebounded from giving up 10 goals over Games 5 and 6 to earn his second shutout of the series in Game 7 versus the Bruins.
Philadelphia – Daniel Briere. Put an average regular season behind him by blowing up with six goals and 11 points in seven games against the Caps. The man who spurned Montreal’s free agent offer last summer is about to be peppered with boos.

Special Teams
Montreal had the league’s best power play in the regular season, Philadelphia the second best. The Flyers maintained their man-advantage excellence in the opening round, while the Habs went 3-for-32 against Boston. Edge: Philadelphia

Forwards
The Flyers are deep up front and feature a good mix of skill and grit. Losing Mike Knuble to a hamstring injury hurts, but it’s nothing Philly can’t overcome with Briere, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter doing their thing. Edge: Philadelphia

Defense
There’s heavy speculation the Canadiens’ top blueliner, Andrei Markov, is hurting. The Flyers will get after him hard and make sure he isn’t feeling better anytime soon. Mike Komisarek and Roman Hamrlik have to keep pounding. Edge: Montreal

Goaltending
Carey Price had the better numbers in Round 1, but he wasn’t facing Alex Ovechkin bullets. Both goalies have just seven games of playoff experience, but the 30-year-old Martin Biron must have a few more tricks stuffed in those veteran pads. Edge: Philadelphia

Coaching
Neither Guy Carbonneau nor John Stevens is very experienced at the NHL level, but Stevens won an AHL championship with some of the same players he has now. Carbonneau played a winning hunch in uniting Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev in Game 7. The Habs sophomore bench boss likely has a couple others in his gut. Edge: Montreal

X-Factor
The Canadiens’ power play carried them all season, but they still managed to beat the Bruins when it went stone cold in Round 1. Montreal really missed Koivu through its first five games and if he can get the man advantage turned around, the Canadiens could start to chug offensively against a team that won’t be as tight as the Bruins.

Prediction
Philly had to be at its best throughout the series to beat the Caps, while the Habs survived a scare. Montreal, playing a team it didn’t lose to all year for the second straight round, is just now finding its legs. The betting is the Canadiens will gain some traction after their slip and start to more closely resemble the fast, confident team that scored the most goals in the NHL during the regular season. Montreal in seven

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS

Season Series
NY Rangers – 5-3-0 (21 GF; 16 GA)
Pittsburgh – 3-3-2 (16 GF; 21 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
Rangers – Scott Gomez, 7 (3G, 4A); Michal Rozsival, 7 (3G, 4A); Jaromir Jagr, 7 (2G, 5A)
Pittsburgh – Sidney Crosby, 8 (1G, 7A); Evgeni Malkin, 7 (5G, 2A); Marian Hossa, 6 (4G, 2A), Sergei Gonchar, 6 (2G, 4A)

First Round MVP
Rangers – Scott Gomez. Linemate Sean Avery was terribly effective, but Gomez killed his former team. He tied for the team lead in goals, logged more ice time than any other Ranger forward and led the team at plus-5.
Pittsburgh – Marc-Andre Fleury. The goaltender answered his critics in a big way and while he had plenty of offensive support, he still posted a 1.26 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage.

Special Teams
The Penguins were terrific on both sides of the special teams in the first round, but, after all, they were playing the Senators. The Rangers' power play was much better in the first round than it was during the regular season and their penalty killing was worse. Edge: Pittsburgh

Forwards
Both teams are very deep and talented down the middle, particularly with Brandon Dubinsky emerging as a go-to player on the Rangers top line with Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr. The Penguins have more talent in their top two lines, but the Rangers have better third and fourth lines. Edge: Even

Defense
Defense is a team concept with the Rangers, who are the last bastion of boring hockey remaining in this year’s playoffs. Their defense corps has turned out to be far better than originally advertised and the top tandem of Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal will have to be at their best to shut down the Penguins forwards. Edge: Pittsburgh

Goaltending
A case could be made that Fleury was the best goalie for the entire first round and appears to have shed his reputation as a goalie who cannot be counted upon in the clutch. Henrik Lundqvist was good for the Rangers, but was not forced to be great in the first round. He’ll have to be at the top of his game against the Penguins, who averaged 40.2 shots per game in the first round. Edge: Pittsburgh

Coaching
Michel Therrien of the Penguins has come a long way as a tactician, but he’s still not in the same league as Tom Renney, who has coached in everything from a gold medal game in the Olympics to the Memorial Cup to the NHL playoffs. Renney has a strong staff led by assistant coach Perry Pearn, who is recognized as one of the best assistant coaches in the league. Edge: Rangers

X-Factor
It will be interesting to watch the faceoffs in this series since both teams are putrid in the faceoff circle, each with a winning percentage less than 50. Sean Avery pretty much had his way in the first round with the Devils, but count on him getting some serious pushback from Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts if Roberts is healthy enough to play. The Rangers won both overtime games against the Penguins this season.

Prediction
Of all the teams left in the playoffs, none had an easier time in the first round than the Penguins and Rangers and both have had long layoffs. It will be interesting to see how each of them reacts to the inevitable adversity both will face in the second round. The Rangers have been very effective, but the Penguins offense will simply be too much for the Rangers to handle. Pittsburgh in six.

Enter THN’s Free Playoff Challenge for your chance to win a 2008 Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special Motorcycle. Contest closes at the start of the third round.

Comments

Keith (Posted 2008-05-05 08:55:24)
DALLAS IN SIX...SHARK MEAT FOR BREAKFAST!!!!!!

DJ (Posted 2008-05-04 20:34:51)
A payroll full of 'experts' and you guys can't even predict the series winners, let alone the number of games in which they will win. It makes me wonder what the heck the qualifications are in order to get a job with your publication!

Flyer Fan (Posted 2008-05-04 13:21:45)
BY BY MONTREAL, biron played his worst game of the series and you still got lit up thanks to hab killer umberger, who carried the flyers, after montreal went up by 2 goals and BLEW it, hopefully you play golf better today.

Octopi (Posted 2008-05-04 07:18:24)
This one is for flyer for life on his canadian hockey is so superior comment. What is the percentage of canadian players in the nhl? Look that one up first, then look up how many canadian and european players are on the american clubs each year an american team won the cup. Get back to me when you have the answer. And really I'm not anti-american or pro canadian, I just wish people would think before they try to be insulting to an entire country for no reason other than ignorance. Love your team and disrespect other teams in a fun way but save the countries stuff for the olympics. I'm a wings fan by the way since mark howe and gerard gallant was playing for them but felt that the colorado series was a cheap win. I would have loved to see them at full strength so we could see some good hockey. That being said whoever they face in the next round whether Dallas or San Jose, If they win that one than you'll be looking at the stanley cup champions no matter who wins in the east. YZERMAN/PROBERT FOR PREZ AND VP!!!! (both of which are canadian)

Jeremy (Posted 2008-05-02 23:07:14)
I also love THN's prediction of the Av's vs Wings series.... THN does it again with their brilliant predictions.... they must flip a coin to figure out how these series will turn out.

Jeremy (Posted 2008-05-02 23:05:26)
Oh! Here comes the flyers fans....all three of them. Your up 3-1...and i'm not trying to take credit from you guys because we are the ones with our backs to the wall, but the only reason that your guys are winning is because of biron and our goaltending has been brutal! We have outplayed you every game of the series except the 1st (and we won?!?! wierd) But lets not forget, you almost blew it against washington and we are the last team to come back from a 3-1 series deficit....it ain't looking pretty, but its not over till its over.

FlyerForLife (Posted 2008-05-02 15:07:40)
Hey bugs, So the flyers choke. Hmmmm, last i checked int 3-1 flyers. Biron just getting under the skin of the hab nots. garb, a lowlife, classless coach. That hit on sami kap was an obvious penalty yet he cried not fair. Please between the hab nots and the pens, they have seem to have paid the refs well, as its obvious they are both getting cheap calls, but in the end philly will prevail and the canadian people can go back to scratching there head wondering have an american team beat them because canadian hockey is so superior.

mike (Posted 2008-05-01 16:34:14)
Im almost getting sick and tired of ripping on crosby but...not yet. I cant believe people think he's the best thing for the game, those are the same people that think the shootout is a good idea. Yes, he is doing what a amazing player should do, but hes also a little cry baby. If the flood gates werent already open for the new diving trend, they will certenly be wide open if the pens win the cup. For someone that good he sure does fall a lot over the smallest pokes and checks

Chris (Posted 2008-05-01 13:08:00)
Hey Montreal, how do you like the Flyers now? Get ready to do some ice fishing, your offseason begins Sunday morning. The Orange and Black are back!!!!!

Flyers Fan (Posted 2008-04-29 20:05:35)
How are the canadians doing now and good old price is getting lit up like a christmas tree, biron is this series and umberger has 4 goals in 3 games, daniel briere has a nice goal, so much for him being scared of the habs, the only reason montreal has any chance is because the refs are horrible, plekanek and kostopulos both got away with amazing noticible cheapshots, flyers in 5 !!!

cindy the crybaby (Posted 2008-04-28 19:45:56)
Hey, did everyone see me dive in game 1 and 2? We are off to a great start up 2-0 on the Rangers! God the NHL and the refs love me! I'm going to Dive all the way until I raise the Stanley Cup! Once I rasie the Stanley Cup, Hockey will be bigger than Football and Baseball! The commisioner told me...

Kevin (Posted 2008-04-28 13:13:59)
Hey Bugs---Take a look at your comment. While two games certainly don't make a series, based on the first 2 games of the Flyers-Habs series, could you possibly be more wrong on any of your points???? Go Flyers.

Timothy J. Lankes (Posted 2008-04-28 07:15:00)
I realize that Rangers fans like to think they know something about hockey, but they continually show their ignorance with comments about Sidney Crosby. Any true hockey fan can see not only what Sidney does for the Penguins, but what he does for the NHL in general. He is a tremendously skilled player who leaves it all on the ice every shift as well as he is fan/media friendly. A true embassador of the game. Jealousy is an ugly thing people.

Detroit is Hockeytown (Posted 2008-04-27 18:43:11)
The most comments are about Detroit winning. I have been a subscriber of the hockey news for many years. But you guys are treating any team that faces Detroit like Ottawa, during the few years you thought they were going to win it all... You should think about the conference final reviews before you release them, especially the one involving Detroit.

mike (Posted 2008-04-27 16:05:51)
Fow, the Flyers(along with the Rangers) seem to be hated by the officials. With bad calls i dont see how either team can advance. Im not saying the flyers have a great shot at overcoming the habs without the bad calls. The rangers as much as i hate them are the better team but, not to sound ignorent or stating the obvious, the NHL is going to do everything to get crosby to the cup. Players like Crosby are doing more damage then good for the league by taking away the integrity of the game. GO FLYERS

Jeremy (Posted 2008-04-26 16:57:40)
Bugs is absolutley right....THN must have been drunk making these series previews up. Maybe THN should watch some TSN because Maggie the monkey is killing all of you!

Bugs (Posted 2008-04-26 10:26:14)
Fleury over Lundquist? That's funny. But not as funny as Biron over Price. That's bloody hilarious. So is Flyer offence over Habs. Habs have CONSISTENTLY slapped the Flyers down. Brière? Chokes in MTL. Good luck with that. Flyers are AFRAID of the Habs. Everyone knows this. They can't compete with Habs and will Crumble under the Pressure. Habs in 4 or 5. 11 to 25

Mike D (Posted 2008-04-26 02:53:10)
So Sharks fans...still so confident??? I'm pretty sure Dallas won tonight. But maybe I was watching the wrong game!!!

GET OUT (Posted 2008-04-25 22:37:50)
WORST CALL EVER i hate pittsburgh how do the refs call straka for interference there with 3 mins left??? wow...justwait til it comes back to msg

Luke (Posted 2008-04-25 18:02:37)
Goaltending to Pittsburgh and to Flyers ????????????????????????

chico (Posted 2008-04-25 17:10:12)
goaltending to Pittsburgh

dbart (Posted 2008-04-25 15:40:37)
Hey Sinbin, Just to confirm, Dallas does realize what the second season means. The proof of this is the fact that Dallas has acheived the goal of the 2nd season which is to WIN the final game of the 2nd season (1999 Stanley cup champions!). Just a reminder to you SJ fans, the sharks have never reached the finals and this year will not be the exception. Also to clarify, the typical Stars fan is someone that grew up in the north east and moved to the Dallas area. As such we are not only much more hockey educated than people from Northern California, we have actually played the game and still do in my case. All the pleasantries aside, the best team will win the series. Our only gauge of this is recent history, which would be each teams performance in the 1st round of the 2nd season. In my humble opinion and backed by the stats, Dallas was the better team, had the better goalie and dispatched the defending champions in six games. Go STARS!

Sinbin (Posted 2008-04-25 11:51:55)
Ah hello...Dallas??? I think the heat is getting to ya'll. All regular season means is where each team ranks and who they play in the playoffs, or not. SJ prooved that the "men" are their for the long haul, and might spot them 1 or 2 games. Maybe it hasn't reached ya down der in da sath, but they call the playoffs the "2nd Season" or in case ya just forgot. SJ is for real, the wrinkles have been ironed out & Milan will get back to his normal scoring force! Cambell will wake up, & Rismiller will be scratched the entire series if Wilson is smart. Zubov won't last, Modano will be a threat until he skates by Murray w/ his head down, & Marty, sorry but you better put sunscreen on the back of your neck! GO SHARKS!

tye (Posted 2008-04-25 11:19:05)
i went 6 for 8 last time, shoulda been 7 i dont know about the reffin in game 7 caps vs flyers but whatevs give all the credit to the flyers but eh their done now, montreal in 6, i got the rangers to upset the pens in 7, colorado to upset detroit in 7, andd san jose in 6

Nate Root (Posted 2008-04-25 10:38:56)
Richards isn't washed up. Maybe off his game, but NHLers don't lose skill. They lose the things that they weren't born with like drive, conditioning, confidence and Vinny L/St. Louis

Jordon Emans (Posted 2008-04-24 23:19:35)
Pens are going all the way, you watch. No matter what you guys say about Sidney Crosby, you're just mad he isn't on your team. Then you would be singing a VERY different tune.

cindy crybaby (Posted 2008-04-24 22:33:28)
I'm going to whine to the refs the whole series against the Rangers, and we'll be on the powerplay the whole series; so we'll get all the calls and win! Yay! Go Cindy Crybaby!!

mike (Posted 2008-04-24 22:24:50)
Detroit in 5... Detroit and Montreal Stanley cup Finals, old time hockey baby, real hockey and real fans. And very educated fans!

Steven noble (Posted 2008-04-24 20:59:45)
Avs in seven...lol, yeah right. Nice prediction. Go ahead, keep picking the other team while the wings sneak all the way to the final. I just want to point out that the last team to win the Presidents trpohy and win a cup was detroit, it doesn't always mean nothing.

Fred Bartsch (Posted 2008-04-24 20:31:13)
The N.Y. Rangers and their fans are NOT really concerned (too much) with the officiating, but they will be when CROSBY starts his WHINING to referees. Yes he is a very good player and I would like to have him on my team, but again he is lucky that his WHINING hasn't frozen his skates to the ice. Take the hits, punishment like Malkin and quit WHINING. Rangers win this series.

Bryan (Posted 2008-04-24 18:40:24)
I honestly have not heard of most of the Stars' team members and I have watched them play the Sharks 8 times throughout the season. I think that there is a reason that Tampa Bay traded Brad Richards and that is because he is washed up. Mike Modano USED to be a star player, if you will excuse the pun. Anyone who uses the last game of the season to preview this series is not very smart. That game meant absolutely squat, but if you really want to go there, I will remind you that Brad Richards did not have a very good game. Anyways, The Sharks are not going to go out and let Dallas play their " let's see if we can piss off the other team" game like they did in their last game against the Stars. The Sharks are better than that. Sharks in six.

Jeremy (Posted 2008-04-24 18:21:31)
Go Habs Go! How can you give the philidelphia the edge in forwards? We were arguably the most balanced team in the Nhl when it came to depth in our forwards. We had one big producer in Kovalev but 4 others put up over 50 points along with him. Also, goaltending...gave that too the flyers also? Price was stellar in the first round playing tremendous all but two games. Biron is known to be a siv and the potent montreal offense will have no problem exposing his weak spots. Montreal in 6....

Dee (Posted 2008-04-24 18:05:47)
I just want the Avs to win so all these detroit fans can start focusing on their golf and shut their annoying, uneducated traps.

Alex (Posted 2008-04-24 17:07:16)
Andy - many journalists have picked the Stars to miss the playoffs completely for many years in a row since their back to back trips to the Finals and it hasn't come true yet. Likewise, many journalists have picked the Stars not to advance in the playoffs, including if I remember right, many journalists during their '99 Cup and '00 return trip to the Finals. On the other hand, there seems to be a journalistic love affair with Colorado and Pittsburgh where those two teams are consistently overrated, and that's been there for many years. That's what I was referring to. What you said seems to suggest the Stars will fall apart in the second round. If you're expecting that, you're in for a rude surprise. The Stars may or may not win this series, but it won't be an easy one for San Jose.

jsk (Posted 2008-04-24 16:26:51)
i pray to god that the flyers pull this one out. if the people of montreal react to their team squeaking by an 8th seeded team in the quarterfinals by pillaging their city and torching cop cars, i can't imagine the carnage that will ensue should the canadiens make it any further in the tourney.

terrible predictions (Posted 2008-04-24 16:12:01)
Whoever does these predictions needs to be fired, when you say fluery is better than lundqvist you obviously know nothing about hockey. Lundqvist won an olympic gold medal as a rookie. The rangers have the edge in defense, solid "defense" wins championships. Jagr is going to make hal gill look so silly this series and when the penguins lose crosby will fake another injury like last time, maybe he will say he was going through his period.

Eric (Posted 2008-04-24 15:38:43)
Rangers is 6 or 7....Avs in 7...Dallas in 6...and Flyers in 7. Fleury will not be the goaltender he was in round 1. He has much more to handle this series between the Rangers 3 scoring lines and Sean Avery. Sakic and Theodore will lead the Avs and Richards will take Dallas to the conference finals. Flyers will eventually out battle Montreal physically and take that series in 7.

Habs (Posted 2008-04-24 14:07:29)
I understand that you wanted to give the Flyers the edge is some catagories to make it close, but honestly, who in their right mind would think that Philly has the edge in goaltending and forwards. We scored THE MOST goals in the league and Price is is a wall.

Martin Blowduer (Posted 2008-04-24 13:37:42)
I think we can beat the Pens. Oh, we're out of it? It's my defenceman's fault, surely not mine.

Chris (Posted 2008-04-24 13:31:32)
Avs in 7? Do you watch hockey? How can you give the edge to the Avs forwards? Do you even watch hockey? This is the same site that said Forsberg is done two months ago. Floppa will be shutdown. If Z and Dats get goin this series is over quick. Wings in 6.

Carrie (Posted 2008-04-24 10:33:39)
The Ducks dug their own grave with stupid penalties, but you've got to capitalize on the opportunities given or you go nowhere. Yes, the Sharks have been more discplined as a rule, but did you watch the final regular season game? Constant parade of Sharks to the box. They won't give any edge to any team? PLEASE! Did you watch the series with Calgary? They almost let it get away countless times and didn't play consistent. Turco was stellar in the net! He played solid and confident....I saw Nabokov look pretty shaky a few times. Really classless of you to wish a player back on to the IR...lame, really. I want it to be a tough series, but to hope someone ends his season or career, that's crap. It'll be a great series to watch- GO STARS!

Franklin Cornstalk Jr (Posted 2008-04-24 09:44:50)
Blah, Blah Blah, so many opinions about what, nothing intelligent as year in year out its the same thing overzealouswannabe emoting!!!, say something intelligent instead of using this format to lambaste each other , one of us has to have some knowledge,...like the flyers going all the way to meet their old pal Roenick in a best of 6 series. Go FLyers Ha HA HALOL any comments or are you alll to afraid?

Jordan (Posted 2008-04-24 07:36:58)
hahahahaha Colorodo in seven???!! What an Idiot! Get ready for idiot Melrose to talk about his lover surgeon hands Forsberg, "Body of a linebacker, Hands of a Surgeon". Detroit in 5

Jordon Emans (Posted 2008-04-24 05:34:45)
Ok. goal tending edge to the Rangers. So that makes you guys have, what, ONE thing? Maybe two with the coaching edge. It will still be the Pens offense scoring all over your "better" goalie. So whatever helps you guys sleep at night.

Kyle Robinson (Posted 2008-04-24 03:38:54)
Also, why is there no love for Detroit at THN and very few other hockey media syndicates? Now I'm not a rabid tweaked-out nutcase like fans from a certain NHL team 'cough' Philadelphia 'cough' but few media people are even giving them a chance to make it out of the second round. I mean I can see them not being a Stanley Cup favorite (but San Jose is? How many times will they have to lose in the post-season before Berry Melrose and various others stop picking them to win it all?) but come on... they got a damn fine hockey club that was two shifts away in Game 5 of the Conference Finals from taking a 3-2 series lead back to Anaheim last year.

Steve (Posted 2008-04-24 03:19:56)
Revision: Special Teams: Pittsburgh. Better PK, better PP, nothing else to say. Forwards edge: Pittsburgh. Two first lines and third and fourth lines that chip in pretty consistently. Defensemen edge: Pittsburgh. No GM would swap Gonchar for Roszival, Gill for Malik, or the rest of the Penguins' top six for the Rangers' top six. That having been said, the Rangers have better team-D (though Pittsburgh's no slouch in that respect either). Goaltending edge: Rangers. Regardless of how Fleury looks lately, Lundquist has three well-deserved Vezina noms in his short career. Fleury looks fantastic, but he's been streaky his entire career. Coaching edge: Rangers. Renney's a master tactician; Therrien's not. Prediction: Pens in 6. As far as Avery's concerned, he won't be much of a factor. Ruutu's been getting the best of him since before the lockout.

Kyle Robinson (Posted 2008-04-24 03:18:16)
Most of the picks I can live with...except the Wings/Avs series. I'l admit it's going to be one hell of a battle but I can't see the Avalanche taking the series. I'm thinking split after two games, then the Avalnche win Game 3 at home but Detroit evens the series again in Game 4. Detroit squeaks by with something like a 3-2 regulation win at the Joe in Game 5 and goes on to win in OT in Game 6 in Colorado. The Wings defense is just too good to fizz out now (unless, dare i say it lidstrom or rafalski go down, if there is a God please don't let this happen). In terms of offense the matchups are pretty even, with maybe a teenie tiny edge to Detroit (All four lines are rolling pretty good but I'd like to see the top line do better.) However, if Ozzie is shaky in net in the and goaltending becomes a (more) serious issue....I might be watching the rest of the playoffs in a perpetual drunken state.

Todd (Posted 2008-04-24 02:04:25)
Goal Tending Edge: PITTSBURGH???????? LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rico Corona (Posted 2008-04-24 01:35:43)
This is rediculous. Penguins have better offense, but Ranger D is light-years ahead of Fleury. Look for Avery to knock someone off their game if not a whole life, for the whole series. This review is a joke...

Andrei Kostitsyn (Posted 2008-04-23 22:26:19)
these guys are a serious joke, montreal doesn't have a good offence. hahahah seriously Montreal most goals in the regular season, Uh oh Daniel Briere scored six goals in the first round they have a better offence. Sure ryan carter is good but not as good as Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Koivu, Plekanec, Kovalev, ryder, higgins, these guys all score goals Martin Biron a better goalie, your out of your mind Carey Price is so calm and composed that he would have stopped all of ovechkins shots easily The Hockey news is right in one thing though Habs WIN!!!!!

fuhsdhfskd (Posted 2008-04-23 21:56:17)
first you say that the pens and blueshirts' offense are even and then you say that pens will win because of their offense?

Jordon Emans (Posted 2008-04-23 21:44:10)
It's not just a goalie that makes a team...look at New Jersey for that matter, or Vancouver. It's about the team IN FRONT of that goalie. Pittsburgh's defense is a lot more rounded than NY, plus they have a lot more players that can carry the puck and keep it away from the Rangers. I hate how everyone puts it down to just the goalie. Its a TEAM effort, and it will be the Penguins all the way.

Todd Kochakji (Posted 2008-04-23 21:33:17)
Goaltending Edge: Pittsburgh Are you serious? So you are telling me that you would rather have Marc Andre Fleury in net for your team than Henrik Lundqvist? That is ridiculous; and an extremely silly statement.

Mike D (Posted 2008-04-23 21:31:39)
Andy just watches clips on Sports Center and acts like he knows everything about the series. I wouldn't be so confident in the Sharks. What's so great about being an annual second round loser? Not much because in the end first round and second round losers are all the same: losers. If you think Turco was shaky in the first series take a look at San Jose. The definition of inconsistancy.

Madman (Posted 2008-04-23 20:18:15)
"Whether it's recent or from seasons long past, each of the four conference semifinal matchups see rivals set to do battle once more; Detroit and Colorado rejuvenate their history from the '90s, Montreal and Philadelphia were two of the most potent franchises of the '70s, while Pittsburgh-New York and Dallas-San Jose will pick up where they left off from a division-heavy regular season schedule." I want to mention the fact that Pittsburgh and New York do have some bad blood in its playoff meet history, like Detroit and Colorado. Athough not as close as an intense rivalry as Detroit and Colorado, Adam Graves of NY did do a two-handed chop on Lemieux's hand during the 1992 playoffs, which infuriated the Penguins - and Jagr was on Pittsburgh's team at the time. It would be interesting what Jagr might pull off on Pittsburgh, considering he single handedly beat the Rangers in game 6 to finish off NY without Lemieux. It will be an interesting series, as well as a classic Avs-Wings rematch of 2002. Consider Pittsburgh booing Jagr like mad.

jf brouillette (Posted 2008-04-23 19:57:17)
Habs in 4 or 5. Philadelphia will have NO defense against Habs power.

jeff r (Posted 2008-04-23 19:41:48)
Andy you definetly weren't watching the stars series closely b/c turco was stellar. Shutout in game 1 and had a shutout until the last 7 seconds in game 4. We got the 1st round pressure off our backs, but you still have the pressure of getting out of the 2nd round on yours. We dominated the sharks in the regular season finale and now were going to dominate them in the playoffs. Go STARS!!

John Ramacca (Posted 2008-04-23 19:29:10)
I think that Avery could easily be the X factor in the series against the Penguins just as he was against New Jersey. I don't think that waving a hand at Crosby is going to work though, he'll have to wipe boogers on Crosby's face or lick his finger and stick it in Malkins ear. That Avery sure is an offensive innovator, he'll find something that there is no specific penalty written for and use that to win the game.

Jason K (Posted 2008-04-23 19:05:14)
i have to disagree with the analysis in the nyr-pit series. Pittsburgh has the edge offensively, i dont know why they would say that the rangers having a better 3rd and 4th lines means their offense is even? then they talk about the rangers d, and then sya the pens d is better, without saying why. then say that pittsburgh has better goaltending? ridiculous, fluery is good, but one good playoff series does not convince me

Daniel David (Posted 2008-04-23 18:33:02)
The only way the New york Rangers will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals is if their young stars dubinsky, staal, and cahlalan step it up, the penguins have NO DEPTH and are a two line team and better hope there checking lines produce some goals. What should scare the rangers is not sid the kid, or malkin or hossa but MARC ANDRE FLEURY...hes the real challenge.

HENRIK HENRIK (Posted 2008-04-23 18:11:58)
When all you devil fans said they were gonna sweep the rangers in the first round i called rangers win in 5. Everyone needs to stop underestimating Henrik and the Rangers for that matter. The fact is that people are jumping on the Penguins bandwagon; how many of you penguin fans rooted for them before 3 years ago? 5? Either way, the Rangers are ready to bring the cup back to NY and soon all the hype about Crosby and the Penguins will stop. Rangers in six. by the way, there is no way that Fleury is better than Hank, so stop with the horrible arguments.

Tony (Posted 2008-04-23 18:04:02)
I love how the Rangers fans are complaining about officiating before a minute has been played. Wait a minute? A NEW YORK team complaining about BIASED officiating?? PLease. As much as the NHL would love to have Sid and Malkin advance, the Rangers would generate bigger ratings by sheer number of die hard fans. The NHL isn't as shady as the NBA. It's not like Patrick Ewing going to the Knicks. For every call Sid gets, he legitatmately gets tripped or hooked with no call about twice a game. If ANY Ranger fan woke up tomorrow and found out that Crosby was somehow with the Blueshirts, they would be speechless. They're just jealous beacuse their captain is a moody malcontent, and the Pens' is a REAL leader.

Andy (Posted 2008-04-23 18:03:20)
"the lack of respect journalists have always had for the Stars is nothing new, and keep it up!" Okay, the Stars win one series and all of sudden Stars' fans get bigheaded and start spouting off about lack of respect and how underrated they are...they earned that lack of respect by constantly LOSING in the 1st round for the last 5 years. Furthermore to say have "always" had is inaccurate, in the late 90s when the Stars were dominant they got plenty of respect from journalists. The Stars won because the Ducks played like crap and were slwo and unmotivated, anyone who watched closely clearly saw that Turco is still a shaky playoff goalie and a confident, motivated and high-scoring team like San Jose will easily expose Turco. The Stars are already content, they got the first round monkey off their back.

Michael David (Posted 2008-04-23 17:46:34)
The Rangers displayed a lot of energy from their four young guns(Dubinsky, Callahan, Staal and Dawes). Lundquist the first two games was impenetrable.The penguins will be in for a very tough fight.

David (Posted 2008-04-23 17:24:16)
Red Wings will win it all.

Jordon Emans (Posted 2008-04-23 17:23:02)
The reason the Fleury wasn't in the running for the Vezina trophy is that he was gone for MOST of the season, and yet when he DID come back, the wins piled up. As was the case in round 1. You say that Ottawa was no opponent? well that's partially true, but look at the fact that even when the top three for the Sens came back into play, nothing happened. Pens in six? I say Pens in five.

MIKE CASARIN (Posted 2008-04-23 17:21:23)
STARS IN 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO STARS GO!!!

John (Posted 2008-04-23 17:16:43)
If you want to discredit the Pens win over Ottawa, at least acknowledge that the Devils were weak down the stretch when they had a chance to win the conference, for the second year in a row Brodeur looked worn out throughout the series and stopping New Jersey's painfully inadequate offense wasn't much of an accomplishment. The Pens certainly have better skill from the defense, but I'm not sure they're better overall. Hal Gill helps, especially since he's always been effective against Jagr. The New York whine about officiating will be continuous, so get used to it.

Daniel (Posted 2008-04-23 17:15:54)
gregoriouis, I agree that Pittsburgh shouldn't have an edge in goaltending, but Fleury finished 9-1-1 when he came back from his ankle injury. If you want to call that terrible be my guest. The Pens' offense is the best in the league with Crosby healthy, while Jagr and Shanahan are slowing down no matter what anyone says. Pittsburgh should win, but they'll have to treat the Rangers with much more respect than they did the Senators.

Devin Matharu (Posted 2008-04-23 17:13:56)
goleafsgo

daddylonglegz (Posted 2008-04-23 17:10:48)
The Pens will win it all.

gregoriouis (Posted 2008-04-23 17:06:54)
hahahah, are you kidding me, how can you give Pittsburgh the goal tending edge, fleury was terrible the whole season, and he wasn't challenged enough either in the first round, henrik is much better the fleury there should be absolutely no questions about that, and defensively, rangers are much better i don't know how can can out Pittsburgh defense better and their offense worse, you have everything mixed up RANGERS in 6, you heard it from me

Kevin G. (Posted 2008-04-23 16:31:00)
Let's see if Crosby gets away with murder at the Garden again. He will draw as many calls as Marty did for the Devils...

Drive 4 25 (Posted 2008-04-23 16:27:06)
Predictions are useless. This league is to tight to predict. I bet that every playoff round is predicted wrong, that's what I'll bet on. I just know one thing, things are falling into place for the drive 4 25. You have a bunch of series set up right now where most of the teams will beat the snot out of each other. Everyone as of right now needs 12 more wins. Stats from the last series, as with the season, can be thrown out the window once again. Montreal in 6 games this time. Wings in 7 games. San Jose in 7 games. Lastly, NYR in 7 games. Montreal learned from there series with Boston, there team speed will take over now, and there tougher because of what Boston put them through. Colorado will run out of gas in this round, Detroit is just to good to lose this one, it will be tough though. San Jose will will themselves to round 3, better all around team than big "D". The Rangers will pound a young team into submission in a very long and gruelling series, don't be surprised if you see 3 overtimes here. Any takers on these??? Go Habs Go!!!

Steve (Posted 2008-04-23 16:20:24)
What is it with referee-persecution-complexes among Rangers and Flyers fans? Unlike the Montreal/Boston series, there was nothing I saw in the Rangers/Devils series that suggested any bias whatsoever. What would be the basis for such bias, anyway? The Devils are a big-market franchise with no fanbase and a boring style of play. Rigging games for the Devils doesn't help the league out one iota (particularly particularly when the opponent is the Rangers). As for the Flyers, statistically they get more powerplays than any team in the league (and were gifted a victory by officials late in game 4). Look up those PP chances, Flyer fans, you've had more than all 29 other teams. If anyone got cheated in the playoffs, it was the Bruins and Caps, but you don't see those fans raising a similar cacaphony.

Forechecker (Posted 2008-04-23 15:36:42)
When you compare two teams, aren't you supposed to mention the attributes of both? And when you compare an aspect of two teams, shouldn't you weigh and judge them equally? You give the Rangers the edge in forwards(!) yet you give the Pens the edge in D, mostly because of the might of the Pens forwards? Where's the analysis of the Pens D? How can you judge the Pens forwards as greater than the Rangers D when you just said that the Rangers forwards are better than the Pens forwards? Or is this just more Crosby Cool-Aid?

Me (Posted 2008-04-23 15:22:59)
Who writes this slop?? The Avs with the edge over the Wings at forward? Jose "second coming of Roy" Theodore over Chris "I can't hear you because my three cup rings are stuck in my ears" Osgood?? Anyone who thinks the Wavalanche will win this series obviously hasn't paid attention to anything this year. Wings "D" dominates, Ozzy is a wall, Hank and Pavs will run circles around Foote, Kronwall will make Ryan and Sakic pay, and the first time Laperriere comes NEAR Lidstrom, McCarty and Downey will do a Lemieux on him. Wings in five........

Joe (Posted 2008-04-23 14:43:22)
No, its going to be Dallas in Six!

brian w (Posted 2008-04-23 14:41:34)
U are wrong. Avs definitly will eat wings EZ. wings are not match vs avs.

Carrie (Posted 2008-04-23 14:40:46)
San Jose with the edge at forward? Get real! We have 3 solid scoring lines and one line with lots of scoring potential and a lot more depth than the team gets credit for. Our depth players showed up in round 1 and met the challenge. Apparently Dallas didn't listen to the critics in the first round and look what happened. Home ice wasn't so much an advantage for SJ during the regular season- they tanked at the tank and Turco shone on the big stage in SJ. The final regular season game set the tone for the Stars in round 1 and will pick it up right where we left off in our final game with the Sharks. It'll be physical to be sure. I agree- the big dogs need to show up, but it needs to be a total team effort. SJ hasn't shown consistency with that in their first round. GO STARS!

King Penguin (Posted 2008-04-23 14:17:16)
Marc-Andre Fleury has been THE best goaltender in the NHL since his return from a high ankle sprain. He had to win back his starting role from Ty Conklin, who had been absolutely spectacular. Get out the brooms again as the Pens will sweep the Rangers in four. So says the King Penguin!

DJ Thailo (Posted 2008-04-23 14:06:05)
Biron over Price? Are you guys out of your mind? Philly's offense over Habs? YEA OK...4 Games played this year: 15 goals for habs 6 for the Flyers. HABS finished first with the number of goals this year in the entire league. You guys are the same so called expert who put habs 13th...I don't understand you guys sometimes.

Evan Cohen (Posted 2008-04-23 13:58:13)
Fleury over Lundquist? When is the love affair with Crosby and the Penquins going to end. The Penguins faced an Ottawa team which had pretty much given up. The Rangers faced the Devils and biased referees. Most of the Devils goals were flukes. Let's hope that Sidney does not have to cross check his way to victory and earn it like everyone else.

Joe Willix (Posted 2008-04-23 13:02:48)
Fleury over Lundqvist?!?!?!?!?!? Have you seen the Vezina nominations yet? Even as a biased Rangers fan, I have a hard time seeing the logic behind picking Fleury, who faced nothing from an impotent Ottawa in the first round, over a goaltender who's proven himself in the playoffs.

Alex (Posted 2008-04-23 12:59:05)
I think you'll be surprised to find that after the Richards trade, Dallas has more offensive depth than you think. Go tally up goals by offense line and come back and try and tell me I'm wrong. I'm with Mike D, though - the lack of respect journalists have always had for the Stars is nothing new, and keep it up! The team seems to thrive on it this year.

Eric C (Posted 2008-04-23 11:41:51)
If you actually think that Fleury was better than Henke then you didn't watch the first round between the Rangers and Devils. More than half the Devils goals came on 5 on 3 or on fluke goals or illegal goals, such as the one one that his Dubinsky in the head and bounced in or the on that went off Staal's skate. More importantly, one of the Devils goals came after Zach Parise Viciously slashed Henrik's stick out of his hand just prior to a goal.

Patrick C. (Posted 2008-04-23 11:41:32)
How can you give Philly the advantage in net? I agree with MTL in 7 though!

Mike D (Posted 2008-04-23 11:23:21)
I am glad you once again have shown no respect for the stars because it seems to be good luck for them. Too bad you didn't predict them to be out in 5 like last time against Anaheim.

Pat Stewart (Posted 2008-04-23 11:00:30)
Red Wings won't lose to Colorado. I agree with the other picks.

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