Round 2 Matchups
April 23rd, 2008 by Jason CEAST
1 Montreal vs. 6 Philadelphia
- An intriguing match-up, as both teams just came off grueling 7-game series. The key to this match-up for the Habs of course is still Carey Price. He bounced back with a shutout in Game 7 to eliminate the Bruins, and with the exception of Games 5 and 6 he has been outstanding. This match-up pits the league’s two best regular season powerplays against each other, and special teams will be a major factor in deciding the winner. The Habs swept the season series 4-0, but the Flyers had been plagued with injuries all season long and the Bruins showed everybody that Price and the Habs aren’t invincible.
Key player: Carey Price, Montreal; Dan Briere, Philadelphia. Prediction: Habs in 7.
2 Pittsburgh vs. 5 NY Rangers
- The most dangerous offense will try to solve Henrik Lundqvist in the second round, who was recently nominated for the Vezina Trophy. Both teams are well-rested, as the Pens swept the Sens and the Rangers beating the Devils in 5. The Rangers must be disciplined against this offensive team. The Rangers boasted the league’s sixth best PK, but it would be worthwhile for them to stay out of the penalty box, as the Pens’ offense should not be given a chance to explode. Michal Rozsival and Marek Malik must hold the Pens’ forwards in check, although that is ultimately easier said than done. Chris Drury and Scott Gomez must continue to provide timely scoring while Brandon Dubinsky and Jaromir Jagr look to continue their solid play. The season series was split evenly down the middle, 3-3-2, so it looks like it’ll be a tight series. Sean Avery must continue to do what he does best, as Marc-Andre Fleury has thus far been one of the major reasons to the Pens’ success. Key player: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh; Sean Avery, NY Rangers. Prediction: Penguins in 6.
WEST
1 Detroit vs. 6 Colorado
- The rivalry continues as the Avs and Wings face familiar foes. With Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Adam Foote in the lineup, it’s once again shades of the 1990s when the two teams were bitter rivals. The Wings had some trouble disposing of the eighth seed Predators, but that was mostly due to the excellent work of Dan Ellis. If Jose Theodore continues to play at the same level he did against Minnesota, the Wings might be looking at a lengthy series again. The two teams are evenly matched, with great depth up front and key veterans on defense. The only worry that Joel Quenneville and Mike Babcock have will be in net. Theodore is obviously Quenneville’s go-to guy, while after Dominik Hasek floundered in the Games 3 and 4 Chris Osgood has taken over and will start the next round. The key to winning for the Wings is firing enough shots on Theodore and hoping that he’s off his game. The Wings led the league in shots for and they would want to test Theodore early. The key to winning for the Avs is taking advantage of Detroit mistakes, and there aren’t many. The Wings have allowed the least shots against per game this season and they’re anchored by one Niklas Lidstrom, who rarely makes any mistakes. Key players: Chris Osgood, Detroit; Jose Theodore, Colorado. Wings in 7.
2 San Jose vs. 5 Dallas
- Another interesting match-up, pitting the two Pacific Division rivals against one another. San Jose comes off a tiring series against Calgary, while the Stars are well-rested after finishing off the defending champs Ducks in 6. Yet another goalie duel, Marty Turco has been outstanding in the playoffs dating back to last season and Evgeni Nabokov has been recently announced as a Vezina finalist. The Stars held the edge during the season with a 4-2-2 record, but the two teams are evenly matched regardless. The Stars may have more balanced scoring, but the Sharks have Joe Thornton who’s 67 assists in the season led the league. The two teams are the two best PK teams in the league, and the Sharks have to watch out for Dallas’ excellent powerplay so far. They have to keep out of the box, unlike the Ducks, and the Stars’ defense will have to make sure Thornton doesn’t have any room to make any plays. They’re still missing Sergei Zubov, but the team did a nice job of shutting down Anaheim’s offense and it shouldn’t be too hard to stump this one either, considering Milan Michalek, who was second in Sharks scoring this season, has yet to register a point. The Sharks however, are more talented and having Brian Campbell to make outlet passes to pierce through the Dallas defense is key. Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi are coming off strong Game 7 performances and will be counted on to score timely goals once again. Key players: Steve Ott, Dallas; Milan Michalek, Sharks. Sharks in 6.
2 Responses to “Round 2 Matchups”
By Marco on Apr 23, 2008
I’ll make a prediction on one of them that I disagree with….Phili over Montreal.
why?
Montreal really struggled with the physical Boston Bruins, Phili can bring that same physicaility, maybe more so and they have some offensive punch, something Boston was lacking without Bergeron, not that it made much difference, Boston is still a little shallow in terms of offense.
By Jason C on Apr 23, 2008
I think the series can go either way, but I gave Montreal the edge for having home ice advantage. The Flyers are much tougher to play against the Bruins and they now know that Carey Price can be beat.
Behind the bench Guy Carbonneau and Kirk Muller are amongst the best in the league, and Martin Biron I still don’t think is good enough to carry the Flyers. The Habs can play a physical game as well, they’re a bit undersized but they can play big when they want to. Their puck possession and passing game could be too much for Philly’s less mobile defensemen.