The semifinals has given us some interesting matchups to chew on for the next couple of weeks. Colorado and Detroit have a chance to renew a sorely missed rivalry that has produced some of the baddest blood in sports. Pittsburgh is up against a seasoned New York team, leaving us to wonder if experience will once again be the Penguins’ downfall. Can Montreal keep up with the dominating physical presence of Philadelphia? Who will win the battle of the goaltenders between Dallas and San Jose. Below is my analysis and picks for the next round. I’m also including Fred Beery and Alan Shields’ picks to give you some perspective from other hockey fans.
Montreal Canadiens (1) vs Philadelphia Flyers (6)
Both of these teams struggled to finish up their series in a timely manner, finally downing their opponents in 7 games. Both will also be tired, suffering from the lack of a break. Montreal, however, had an easier first round with Boston. Expect them to find a way through the gritty play of the Flyers and score a lot of goals. The one thing that will give the Flyers a chance is Montreal’s inability to quickly adapt to the play of their opponent.
Grant: Montreal in 6 Alan: Philadelphia in 7 Fred: Montreal in 4
Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs New York Rangers (5)
This is a tough series to pick. The Rangers have tremendous goaltending coming from Lundqvist, and clutch players like Gomez and Drury putting up great numbers for them. Sean Avery proved to be a nuisance to the Devils in the first round, and he’ll definitely try it again this round. The Penguins, however, have, youth, enthusiasm, and raw talent. Fleury is just as good, if not better than Lundqvist in net and gives Pittsburgh that much more confidence to compliment an incredibly deep roster.
Grant: Pittsburgh in 5 Alan: Pittsburg in 6 Fred: Pittsburgh in 6
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs Colorado Avalanche (6)
The word of this series is REDEMPTION. The Red Wings swept the Avalanche in the regular season. The Avs know that, and they also know Detroit struggled with goaltending the last round. Expect them to use these points as fuel to launch them to the conference finals. The seemingly limitless offense of Colorado will give the Avs the advantage over the aging Wings, but don’t expect a blowout in any game. With Osgood on one side and the rejuvinated Theodore on the other, this will be a battle of the goalies.
Grant: Colorado in 5 Alan: Colorado in 5 Fred: Colorado in 5
San Jose Sharks (2) vs Dallas Stars (5)
This is the first semifinal series the Stars have seen in a long while. Marty Turco will use his confidence from actually winning a series to make this an interesting second round. But can he match the prowess of Vezina candidate Evgeni Nabokov between the pipes? No, he can’t. While both goalies were shaky in the first round, San Jose will have an easier time figuring Turco who hasn’t had any playoff longevity in his career.
Grant: San Jose in 5 Alan: Dallas in 6 Fred: Dallas in 6