In the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I'm picking...
Detroit Red Wings over Anaheim Ducks
Detroit/Anaheim is going to be a tough series. Anaheim had a strong finish to the season and took out the President's Trophy winning San Jose Sharks. The Ducks did win the Cup just two seasons ago as well. Anaheim has a great team, but I don't think they can stand up to the power-house that is the Stanley Cup defending Detroit Red Wings.
Vancouver Canucks over Chicago Blackhawks
I'd expect another quick victory by the Canucks who swept the St. Louis Blues and also finished the regular season strong. The Blackhawks are a young team without much playoff experience. Just getting to the second round is a great achievement for the Chicago franchise.
Boston Bruins over Carolina Hurricane
I think the Bruins will end this series quickly. They destroyed the Montreal Canadiens in four games and I don't think Carolina will fair much better. Boston's the most complete team. They have a Vezina Trophy finalist in Tim Thomas and a Norris Trophy finalist in Zdeno Chara. They play a great defensive system, but still have explosive scoring depth. The Hurricane are tired and worn after their seven game series with the New Jersey Devils that they just barely won.
Pittsburgh Penguins over Washington Capitals
The most exciting match-up of the second round should be Pittsburgh/Washington. Arguably the leagues top three players in Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby will be in the same series. Both teams are coming out of long first round series and this series could be just as long. I'm picking Pittsburgh because of their experience in last year's playoffs and because of the crazy one-two punch of Crosby and Malkin on different lines. The Penguins hurt bad after last season's Cup final and I think that'll give them enough push to pull past Washington.
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