Thankfully, the Vancouver Canucks, my other Stanley Cup finalists, are still alive. I did go 3-1 with my picks in the Eastern Conference and 2-2 in the Western Conference, but just as the Habs' comeback and monumental upset of the heavily favored Capitals surprised a lot of people, I'll live and learn. Who could have predicted that three of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference would go down as well?
With those lessons learned, here are my second-round picks.
Eastern Conference
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens
There is one lesson that seems to be taught every spring in the NHL playoffs: goaltending wins. A hot goaltender can make an average team look like Stanley Cup champions, and that is what Jaroslav Halak (4-2, 2.46 GAA, .939 save percentage) did for the Habs with an amazing first-round performance. In Games 6 and 7, he stopped 94 of 96 shots to help the Habs achieve the improbable and come back from a 3-1 series deficit over the Capitals.
The Penguins almost got caught by surprise as well, losing Game 1 to Ottawa and then losing a possible clincher in Game 5 in triple overtime, but they survived to beat the Senators in six games. A series like that can build mental toughness, but someone who didn't look like the mentally-tough goalie he was last spring was Marc-Andre Fleury, who had a pedestrian .890 save percentage and 2.75 GAA in the first round. Yes, the Pens are loaded up front with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the Caps were loaded up front as well. Goaltending wins.
Prediction: Canadiens in 6
No. 6 Boston Bruins vs. No. 7 Philadelphia Flyers
The Bruins finally found their grit, their resilience, their power play (6-for-22 in the first round) and, of course, got an amazing performance out of rookie Tuukka Rask, who went 4-2 with a 2.18 GAA and .927 save percentage in his first career playoff series. The Bruins fed off that performance and finally saw their whole gameplan come together in a brilliant first-round showing. Now, the B's must carry that momentum through into the second round against a team that mirrors them in terms of the way the season and playoffs have gone.
The Flyers, like the Bruins, overcame tons of injuries and lackluster performances in the regular season, but got their acts together and are riding a hot goaltender into the second round. But while the Bruins are getting back their biggest offensive weapon in Marc Savard, the statuses of key offensive weapons like Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne remain unclear, giving the Bruins the edge.
Prediction: Bruins in 6
Western Conference
No. 1 San Jose Sharks vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings
The Sharks have silenced their critics for now, making it out of the first round by beating the Avalanche in six games despite their big guns like Joe Thornton (four assists) and Dany Heatley (three assists) struggling. The Sharks got great performances from young talent like Joe Pavelski (eight points) and an amazing turnaround between the pipes from Evgeni Nabokov, who was 4-2 with a 1.76 GAA and a .926 save percentage against Colorado.
But this series won't be any easier for the Sharks as they face the rejuvenated Red Wings, who are motoring after a 6-1 rout to beat the Coyotes in seven games. The Wings' big guns are rolling, with Henrik Zetterberg (11 points) and Pavel Datsyuk (eight points) finding their game again. Captain Nick Lidstrom proved doubters wrong with six points in the first round, and rookie and Calder Trophy candidate Jimmy Howard was solid with a 4-3 record, 2.59 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Experience and goaltending are huge in the playoffs, and both teams have that here — but the Wings have to tire out at some point after two straight trips to the finals and seven games in the first round, don't they? No, they don't.
Prediction: Red Wings in 6
No. 2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No. 3 Vancouver Canucks
Yes, Antti Niemi had a great first round with two shutouts, going 4-2 with a 2.15 GAA and a .921 save percentage. The Blackhawks will need him to continue that if they hope to beat Vancouver. Roberto Luongo battled the puck a bit in the first round and finished with un-Luongo like stats at 4-2 with a 2.92 GAA and .893 save percentage.
The Hawks will need the defense in front of Niemi, led by the likes of Brent Seabrook (four points) and Norris Trophy candidate Duncan Keith (two points) in order to contain Hart Trophy candidate Henrik Sedin (eight points), brother Daniel (ten points) and Mikael Samuelsson, who leads the team with 11 points.
The Canucks also need to worry about a potent offense led by Jonathan Toews. The captain, as always, is coming up in the clutch and leads the Hawks with eight points.
This will be a battle, but I'm going against my original pick of the Canucks, and I'm taking the rookie Niemi over a shaky Luongo.
Prediction: Blackhawks in 6
