Round 2 Preview

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. It seems like forever since the Bruins last played. I went 7 for 8 in Round 1 with my predictions which isn't to bad considering nobody picked San Jose to lose.

As for the Bruins and their matchup. I'm really excited about who they are playing. Their record versus Carolina this season is 4-0-0 and the Bruins have outscored the Canes 18 to 6. I know that the playoffs are "a new season" and you can throw regular season numbers out the window but let's take a look at the playoff comparison between the two teams.

Playoff Numbers Comparison (courtesy of ESPN.com)
GP - Goals - Goals Against - SOG - SOGA - Save % - PIM - PIMA - PP% - PK%
Boston 4 17 6 32.5 27.8 .946 72 103 25% 100%
Carolina 7 17 15 34.1 34.6 .938 77 91 8% 91.3%

It's a small sample size and Carolina has played 3 more games than us so the numbers aren't an exact science. What is telling to me is that against a very stringent New Jersey defense, Carolina only scored 17 goals in 7 games. The Bruins are the best D in the league and if they couldn't score against NJ, they won't score against us. They also let up 35 shots/game which is extremely high. Onto the Powerplay and Penalty Kill. Bruins were on fire against Montreal at 25% and perfect on the other end, not allowing a power play goal. That was a huge defining factor in the series. Carolina couldn't muster anything on their PP against Jersey and if they can't get that going against the Bruins, they are going to have a really tough time.

Overall, the Bruins are a much better team than Carolina. We have better goaltending even though Cam Ward has looked great and can be a show stopper, top D in the league, and 4 strong offensive lines. I really don't see anyway that Carolina can beat us in a 7 game series unless the Bruins come out completely flat or take them lightly. What I can see happening is Carolina coming into the Garden and stealing game 1 because they have some momentum and Bruins have been off for over a week. I'll say Bruins in 6.

Other Matchups:

Detroit (2) v Anaheim (8)
-This is a tough series to dissect because both teams are coming in on fire. Who would have though Anaheim could have dominated the Sharks the way that they did. Detroit rolled in 4 over Columbus which wasn't a huge surprise although I thought it would be more competitive. I think Detroits offense led by Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, and Hossa will be to much for the Ducks to handle. The only way the Ducks win is if Hiller continues his outstanding netminding and Osgood looks like Chris Osgood from the regular season (3.09 GAA, .887 Save %). I like Red Wings in 6

Vancouver (3) v Chicago (4)
-This should be an outstanding battle. Both teams like to play physical and they both have scoring and veteran leadership between the pipes. Home ice for Vancouver could be a huge factor should this series go 7 games. I love the Toews, Kane, and Sharp combination up front for Chicago but how can you not like the Sedin Twins and Kesler on the top line for Vancouver. Defensively, Chicago is strong w/ Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook but the real key is going to be Brian Campbell. He scored his first goal in 51 games during game 6 and Chicago is going to need his puck moving ability to get on track to have a shot v. Vancouver. I have Chicago in the Stanley Cup so I'm not going to be against them. I'm taking them in 7.

Washington (2) v Pittsburgh (4)
-This is probably the best series of the Semi's. How happy is the NHL to have Crosby and Ovechkin going head to head? I think Washington is lucky to even be playing anymore and I don't see them going into round 2 as cocky as they did in round 1. I really cant' stand the Capitals even though Ovechkin is my favorite player in the NHL. The Rangers gave the Penguins a nice blueprint on how stop slow down the explosive offensive of the Capitals. I think that will help but how comfortable are you Pittsburgh with Hal (dump the puck) Gill one your #1 Defensive pairing? The Capitals are lightning quick and can score in a hurry so Pittsburgh is going to have to clog the middle and keep the the Cap's to the outside. From the Penguins perspective, you have 2 of the top 3 offensive players in the game today in Crosby and Malkin. The additions of Kunitz and Guerin and a completely healthy Gonchar really make this team strong. Defensively I worry about them stopping Washington but if they can find a way, they will be ok. I picked Washington initially and I'm going to stick with it very unwillingly....Washington in 7 games.

That's all for now, more after Game 1 on Friday Night!

Go B's

Vig