My Abridged NHL Playoff Predictions

The Pittsburgh Penguins will win the Stanley Cup. Why? It is too damn easy to pick the Red Wings. It seems like the Detroit Red Wings have been the favorites to win the cup for the entire year. Truthfully, they have and they deserve it. However, with Sid the Kid healthy and Marc-Andre Fleury playing well, my pick is the Penguins

Since I have submitted my first round picks in my playoff preview blog, I will skip ahead to the second round.

Conference Semi-finals

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (5) New York Rangers

I am going to go out on a limb and take the Rangers in 6 games.

Not only have the Rangers beaten the Canadiens 4 out of 5 this year, but the Rangers can combat the leagues #1 power play with the leagues #6 penalty kill.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) Washington Capitals

This is the matchup the entire hockey world wants to see, Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin. This one will be highly entertaining but realistically Washingtons defense (231 goals against, tied for 17th in the league) is not a match for Pittsburghs Offense.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) Anaheim Ducks

I like this matchup alot, if there is any defense in the league that can shut down Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk its the Ducks. With that said I think the Red Wings will advance in 5 games.

The season series was a 2-2 draw, but I do not hold much hope for Anaheim's offense even with Teemu Selanne back. Look for Niklas Lidstrom to have his boys on their A game.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

One factor hangs over Colorado's head like a guillotine, a 14.6% power play (28th) and a 81.4 % penalty kill (T20). This spells trouble for a team against the 9th best powerplay and the league leading penalty kill. My heart wants to say Sakic and Forsberg will lead the Avs to the conference finals, but my brain has more reason.

Sharks advance in 6 games.

Conference Finals

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers

I will take the Penguins in 7 games.

This is a very good matchup. Pittsburgh boasts the leagues 7th best offense while the Rangers counter with the 5th best defense. The fact that the Rangers power play is 22nd in the league is balanced by the Penguins 23rd rank penalty kill.

Overall, a better matchup than people might think. If Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr can play well they have a fighting chance.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) San Jose Sharks

The Red Wings will advance in 7 games. The theme of this matchup will be, "anything you can do I can do better." The Sharks boast a strong defense, and special teams, but the Red Wings match them in all areas. The Sharks have the 3rd best defense in the league, while the Red Wings are #1 in the league. The Sharks have the 9th best power play but the Red Wings have the 8th best penalty kill. The Sharks only trump card is the leagues best penalty kill, while it would seem like an advantage the Red Wings still have the 3rd best power play.

This will be a great defensive battle, but the offense of the Red Wings will prove to be too much for the Sharks to swallow

Stanley Cup Finals

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins

This series can go either way. The Red Wings are most likely the favorites here. I will still choose Pittsburgh in 6 games. Why? I believe Marc-Andre Fleury has the fundamentals to hold off the superior attack of the Red Wings.

The Penguins are dependent on a solid performance from Sergei Gonchar or I will look foolish.

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