The NHL's second season roared into stage two Wednesday night, presenting fans with four intense match-ups. Even with Inside the NHL's failure to pick most of last round's winners, here is a stab at conference semifinal predications.
No. 1 Buffalo Sabres vs. No. 6 New York Rangers.
The Rangers shocked everyone when they absolutely demolished the Atlanta Thrashers in round one. New York's top line of Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander and Marcel Hossa was tremendous against Atlanta, showing superior possession skills and great touch around the net.
Netminder Henrik Lundqvist was also stellar, returning to perhaps the same top form that helped Sweden win a gold medal in Torino. To complete the equation, agitator Sean Avery was at his best, notching some key points as well.
Though the Rangers were flawless in round one, the Sabres will be a strong opponent, as they proved during a 5-2 thrashing of New York in Tuesday's Game 1. As the NHL's top team during the regular season, the Sabres possess one of the most balanced attacks in the league.
With four lines posing a scoring threat, the Sabres, who will host Game 2 tonight, will surely test the Rangers' stamina on defense. In the end, the high-flying Sabres should finish this series off in six games.
No. 2 New Jersey Devils vs. No. 4 Ottawa Senators.
The Ottawa Senators played convincingly in their first-round win over a young Pittsburgh Penguins team. On the other hand, the Devils were not quite so dominant in their six-game defeat of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur seemed to find his groove at the end of the Tampa series but will have to be stellar for New Jersey to withstand Ottawa's sustained attack. Brodeur, however, looked shaky in last night's Game 1, surrendering four first-period goals on just nine shots in a 5-4 loss. New Jersey has failed to produce a steady scoring threat, something that may become even more of a hindrance against an Ottawa offense that leaves little room for opposing pressure.
In order to come out on top, the Senators' penalty kill must maintain its pace. The Devils have depended on the power play thus far and if they can't produce with the man advantage, they may have trouble generating any type of offense.
The play of Ottawa goalie Ray Emery must also remain steady. He won't need to be outstanding, but the Senators will need the occasional big save to bail them out when their offensive tendencies get them in trouble. All in all, Emery is good enough, the Devils forwards aren't, and Ottawa takes it in six.
No. 2 Anaheim Ducks vs. No. 3 Vancouver Canucks.
Inside the NHL underestimated this Anaheim team in its first-round series, which proved a big mistake. The Ducks have been a machine and their goaltending, forward play and defensive presence have all been solid.
Goalie Roberto Luongo saved his team in round one, but even he won't be able to push his squad over the hump this time around. Luongo had a hard time stopping the Ducks in Wednesday night's Game 1, as Anaheim rolled to a 5-1 victory. The Canucks have struggled to find the back of the net, which won't get any easier with the Ducks' Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer on the opposing blue line. To have a chance in this one, the Canucks must score on the power play, and even then it probably won't be enough. Anaheim moves forward with a sweep.
No. 1 Detroit Red Wings v. No. 5 San Jose Sharks.
Unlike the other semifinal series in the West, this one will be a battle. The x-factor here will be the Sharks' ability to win on the road at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Calgary Flames didn't put up much of a fight at The Joe in the first round against the Red Wings, and it sank Calgary in the end. San Jose brings a much more balanced attack than Calgary, and its power play as was stellar against the Nashville Predators as it has been all year.
Detroit is a bit stronger on the defensive end than San Jose but doesn't pack a scoring punch that matches the Sharks'. San Jose will look for more goals from stars Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, but the Sharks won without contributions from their top stars against Nashville. Detroit's legendary goalie Dominik Hasek has looked good thus far, but not as good as San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov, who stopped all 34 shots he faced in last night's Game 1, keying a 2-0 road win.
With these teams so evenly matched, this one should be a war. But in the end, someone has to win, and it'll be the Sharks in six.
