2008 Playoffs - Conference Semifinals

[Shoalzie]

EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Montreal vs. #6 Philadelphia
Both teams survived Game 7s and faced the possibility of blowing 3-1 series leads in the process. The Canadiens swept the regular season matchup with the Flyers in the regular season just like they did with the Bruins but it didn't guarantee any easy go of it in the first round. The Flyers aren't quite as big of a team as the Capitals but they are rugid and tough of team as there is in the league. The Bruins were able keep the Canadiens great power play under control and nearly upset them in the first round. The pressure will be on the Flyers penalty kill to do the same thing or this could be a quick series and they have to avoid taking unnecessary penalties to give Montreal extra opportunities to convert. I think Price made it through a rough patch and should be able to guide his team to the conference finals.

Canadiens in 6 games

#2 Pittsburgh vs. #5 N.Y. Rangers
I really think this is potentially the most entertaining series of this round with two of the best power plays in the playoffs facing off. The Penguins laid waste to a sinking Senators team but with the way their offense is clicking, not many teams would've beat them in the first round. Meanwhile, the Rangers were able to get under the skin of the best playoff goalie in the league in Brodeur and took out their neighbors from the south in 5 games including going 3-0 on the road. It'll be a great matchup of the young stars on the Penguins against playoff-savvy veterans on the Rangers. I see youth prevailing in this series but it'll go the distance.

Penguins in 7 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Detroit vs. #6 Colorado
It's really hard to say if the blood rivalry will ever return considering there's been so many changes since 2002. Even then, it wasn't a nasty rivalry as much as it was matchup of two teams filled with superstars and future Hall of Famers. I don't believe this rivalry will ever be as good as it once was simply because #33 isn't in net for Colorado. He kept the rivalry going after the Lemieux incident and after-effects went away. He was a great villian and the Red Wings fans really loved to hate him. Today, it's just not the same even though Lidstrom, Osgood, Sakic, Forsberg, and Foote are still there but this matchup has lost a lot of steam after the last time they played in the playoffs. The Wings have dominated the Avalanche in the regular, albeit when they were banged up and before they re-acquired Forsberg and Foote. Unlike the Wild in the last round, the Wings best players don't disappear in the playoffs...Datysuk has been their best player through one round and I expect him to have another big series. Plus, Osgood has stabilized things in goal.

Red Wings in 6 games

#2 San Jose vs. #5 Dallas
While the other three series should offer some exciting offensive hockey...this series could be for the fans of low-scoring, tight-checking hockey where the goalies will probably be the #1 and #2 stars on each night. The positive sign for the Sharks in the first round was that they got scoring out of more than just Thornton. Pavelski had 3 goals and Clowe had a team-best 4 goals against the Flames. They also got 3 from Cheechoo. Last year against Detroit in this round, it was the lack of scoring depth that killed the Sharks but it looks like that might not be as big of an issue this time around. A big key for the Sharks will be staying out of the box and containing the Stars power play which was second best in the first round. The Flames posted the best power play percentage in the first round against the Sharks and nearly lead to an early exit. I see the Sharks getting through in a tough, hard-fought series.

Sharks in 6 games

[MuchoBulls]

Late getting in, but here goes

Montreal in 6
New York Rangers in 6

Detroit in 5
Dallas in 6

[Smoked Meat]

If these 2 teams could meet in the Eastern Finals it would make one hell of a show:

Canadiens in 6
Pens in 7

I wasn't very successful with my first round Western predictions but here goes:

Wings in 5
Stars in 7

[MuchoBulls]

Pens get the early bounces in the first 2 games. Renney better get that PP going by tomorrow night. There was no reason that the Rangers shouldn't have been able to get some shots off when they had a 6 on 4 advantage.

[Laxplayer]

Not to mention the slightly early whistle on the goal that wasn't allowed. Oh well. Rangers aren't dead....yet. They've got a lot of guys in their room who have been here before and will bounce back. They need to take the next two because they certainly don't want to go back to Pitts down 3-1.

[MuchoBulls]

I'm not upset by the ref blowing the whistle there. He had no angle to see that the puck was still moving. That crap happens. I am more bent that there wasn't more made of Malkin's game winner in Game 1. I know they reviewed it, but he did turn his leg in to the puck and that goal should not have counted.

The Pens have gotten the breaks in the first 2 games, now the Rangers have to make their breaks in the next 2. You're not in trouble in a series until you start losing home games.

[Funkywhiteboy]

Sharks have dug themselves an 0-2 hole at home. Not looking good for San Jose.

Flyers-Canadiens series tied heading to Philly.

GO HABS!!!

[Laxplayer]

Well if the Rangers could stay out of the GD penalty box then they'd be alright. Not scoring on a 5-3 hurt but coming back to tie it 3-3 was great, then they go and give one up.....they need to really step it up because they had Fleury rattled there for a bit. Keep the pressure on him and quit with the penalties.

[MuchoBulls]

Real great penalty by pornstache (Hollweg) to kill all that momentum. Definitely a disappointing way to end the year after landing Gomez and Drury. I was for bringing Rozsival back, but now I am not sure I want him. He's been awful.

[Laxplayer]

Dude, that was an awful penalty. Special teams have killed them in this series. I figured the same thing with Drury and Gomez. Oh well, there's always next year.

[MuchoBulls]

Dude, that was an awful penalty. Special teams have killed them in this series. I figured the same thing with Drury and Gomez. Oh well, there's always next year.

Next year could be worse because I see some major overhauling that is going to go on in the off season.

[MickBastard]

Re: Sean Avery's hospitalization for cardiac arrest (due to a ruptured spleen, I believe) shortly after losing to the Pens last night at MSG...

You do realize that Gary Roberts manage to slice his spleen in two from the press box with one sharp glance, right?

[MuchoBulls]

Sucks for him. He's one guy willing to mix it up on a consistent basis here in the playoffs. The Rangers are a better team with him in the lineup, so hopefully Sather can re sign him in the off season.

[Shoalzie]

Of the three series at 3-0, I see the Sharks being the only team capable of pulling off the miracle comeback but it won't happen. Dallas is peaking at the right time and Zubov has been brilliant since returning.

The Avs gave the Wings a pretty good go of it last night with Forsberg back in but with Smyth out. At least Theodore was actually able to last 60 minutes. Franzen continues his red hot play...6 goals in the 3 games. It's still hard to explain his scoring touch of late...just seems to be in the right place at the right time and has shown a great touch around the net. I really don't expect this to go back to Detroit on Saturday...this should be done on Thursday.

[Shoalzie]

No excuses for the Wings to not wrap this up tonight...no Forsberg, Smyth, Stastny and Wolski. Quenneville is dressing 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Glad to see the Sharks extend the series to at least Friday.

[Screw_Michigan]

jose thedore is nothing more than an overpaid dan cloutier. both are horrible postseason goaltenders and inconsistent at best.

it will be interesting to see marty turco vs. the wings. he's played better against them and got his first win at the joe this year in 12 or so tries, but the wings are just destroying teams. i was always surprised to see turco play so poorly at the joe with all this collegiate success there. i'm sure he only lost once there in four years.

[Shoalzie]

I know it won't be this easy in the next round but still, the offensive show put on by Franzen and Zetterberg last night was very impressive. The Mule breaks the NHL record for most goals scored in a 4-game sweep and broke another record of Gordie Howe for most goals scored in a series by a Red Wings player. A few days rest may do well for guys like Chelios who sat out with an undisclosed injury and I don't know if Stuart is completely healthy after he missed the last part of the regular season with a broken finger but I hopefully the big guns don't cool off much. I can't imagine they'll play again until next Tuesday at the earliest. This team looks like a machine but I realize that Avalanche were a broken team. To the Wings credit though, they left very little doubt and didn't even give them a glimmer of hope.

[MuchoBulls]

I'll be interested to see if the league does anything to Malkin for his slew foot on Mara at the end of last nights game. He wasn't penalized on the play, but the replays were pretty clear.

Nice to see Jagr playing with so much heart all series. I wish it carried over to some other guys on the team.

[JD]

I know the Avs went through a lot of injury issues, but I guarantee you the Flames don't duplicate that patheticness had they been the ones to get to the 2nd round. Even last year in the series against the Wings that most would agree was completely one-sided, the Flames stretched it to OT of Game 6. To get swept and then obliterated 8-2 in an elimination game is just an abhorrent lack of heart by the Avs.

I would be embarrassed to be a fan of theirs this morning.

After a pretty decent first round, the second round of the playoffs has lacked any form of drama or interest. Good for the NHL that some of the bigger US markets are involved, but if there's such a lack of competitiveness, that is not what the NHL needs to portray.

Dallas vs. Detroit should be a pretty good series, but I won't put a comeback past the Sharks just yet. Let's wait and see what happens there...

[Shoalzie]

I know the Avs went through a lot of injury issues, but I guarantee you the Flames don't duplicate that patheticness had they been the ones to get to the 2nd round. Even last year in the series against the Wings that most would agree was completely one-sided, the Flames stretched it to OT of Game 6. To get swept and then obliterated 8-2 in an elimination game is just an abhorrent lack of heart by the Avs.

I would be embarrassed to be a fan of theirs this morning.

I couldn't believe I was kind of hoping the Flames would be the Sharks in that Game 7 just so the Sharks would've been out of the picture. What a gift it was to face the broken down Avalanche. The Flames would've been an even peskier and even more physical version of Nashville and Kipper would've have given up that red line goal Ellis allowed in Game 6. The Wings would've limped in the conference finals if they got through the Stars would've been the ones who had the easy road. Instead, the Stars might eliminate the Sharks anyways and the Wings hardly broke a sweat getting through their series.

[JD]

I couldn't believe I was kind of hoping the Flames would be the Sharks in that Game 7 just so the Sharks would've been out of the picture. What a gift it was to face the broken down Avalanche. The Flames would've been an even peskier and even more physical version of Nashville and Kipper would've have given up that red line goal Ellis allowed in Game 6. The Wings would've limped in the conference finals if they got through the Stars would've been the ones who had the easy road. Instead, the Stars might eliminate the Sharks anyways and the Wings hardly broke a sweat getting through their series.

Well, Nashville doesn't have game-breakers like Iginla or Phaneuf... I would like to think there's a bigger difference than just Ellis vs. Kipper!

At any rate, it's all moot as the Flames didn't even have enough to get past the Sharks in real life. But I sure like to sit here and believe part of the reason the Sharks look so flat is that the Flames took so much out of them.

Another factor about this year: This will be the first year since 2003 that no Canadian team plays in the Finals and first time since 2001 no Canadian teams make it past the 2nd round, unless Montreal turns their ship around. I anticipate a little hand-wringing about that in these parts. And the usual pessimists will come out and blather about how the lockout was supposed to help the poor small-market Canadian teams, but look what happened instead!

It's funny because I usually cheer for Edmonton and Vancouver to be eliminated ASAP, so this year was a good one in that regard... but all it's really done is kill my passion for the playoffs. I don't hate or like any of the teams left enough to pick a side!