It will be very, very, difficult for the second round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs to match the opening round's drama and excitement.
When someone who has witnessed as many Stanley Cup battles as legendary CBC broadcaster Bob Cole declares "I don't recall any playoff year which had as exciting a first round as this one has" you know it's something special.
Consider that 4 out of the 8 series went the full 7 games. Consider that 2 of those game 7's went into overtime, with Vancouver advancing to fight another day, and Montreal falling to their longtime rivals from Boston.
The point being, that the table is set for the fun to continue into the next round.
So here we go with the matchups.
Western Conference Semi-Finals
Vancouver vs. Nashville
This is the story of two teams at opposite ends of the fan awareness spectrum. At least as far as Canadian fans are concerned.
Most of us know all about the Canucks. We know about their history with the Chicago Black Hawks. We know about the questions that have always existed about Roberto Luongo's ability to lead a team deep and his perceived (fairly or otherwise) shakiness in big games. We know Henrik and Daniel Sedin. We know Burrows, Kesler and Bieksa.
We don't know a lot about the Predators. Quick! Name five Predators. No peeking at the roster...
Well for one, the Nashville Predators have amongst their ranks quite possibly the best defenceman in the NHL right now. Shea Weber. Listed at 6'4" 235 lbs and fresh off last year's Olympic Gold Medal win, the 25 year-old is just now reaching his prime.
Blessed with size and skating ability, and the owner of one of the best slapshots in the game, look to him to lead the way for a Nashville team that is participating in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
You can also look for Jordin Tootoo to continue his remarkable return to the game after spending some time away dealing with alcohol abuse issues.
Tootoo was dynamite in the series against the Anaheim Ducks, displaying the combination of grit, determination and skill that the Nashville brass has always known he possessed.
But at the end of the day, talent usually wins it, and the Canucks have loads of that. First in the NHL in goals scored. First in the NHL in goals against. Vancouver just has too much firepower for the Predators.
And now that the Canucks have slayed the Chicago dragon, the self-doubts that seem to have inhabited their club for the past few years, may be replaced by growing confidence. Maybe.
It will be tough, but:
Call: Vancouver in 6
San Jose vs. Detroit
It's spring so it must mean another Sharks-Wings playoff meeting.
In fact this is a rematch of last year's second round. The Sharks jumped out to a 3-0 lead before finishing the job in 5 games.
The Detroit Red Wings seem to match up very well to San Jose's talent laden forward lines, so on that front it seems to be pretty much a wash.
Where the balance seems to tilt in the Red Wings favour is on the blueline and between the pipes. Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, considered the top two defencemen for the Sharks had below average opening round performances and Antti Niemi hasn't seemed to able to find consistency, which heading into a series against the Detroit Red Wings, is not a good omen.
Call: Detroit in 6
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Washington vs. Tampa Bay
You can't have a series that involves players like Alexander Ovechkin, Martin St-Louis, Alexander Semin, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos and not expect some fireworks. It's a fair bet that there will be more than a few highlight reel goals coming from this series.
On the Tampa Bay side of things, we have a team which hasn't been this deep in the playoffs since they won the Stanley Cup back in 2004. The arrival of General Manager Steve Yzerman and coach Guy Boucher has revitalized a team which has had to deal with sub-par play on the ice and front office uncertainty over the course of the last few years.
But perhaps the most important addition has been that of veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson. The 41 year old was nothing short of brilliant against the Penguins in the first round and there is no reason to believe he won't keep it going in round 2.
He will have to. Because the Capitals are hungry, confident, and their top player, possibly the best player still involved in the playoffs, Alexander Ovechkin is healthy and focused, and seemingly determined to do whatever it takes to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
So, while the Lightning were impressive against Pittsburgh, it's important not to forget that the Penguins were without Crosby and Malkin. And as impressive as the Pens were without their two superstars, the reality is that you couldn't really expect them to go deep into the playoffs without Gino and Sid.
So even though my heart is with the Lightning due to the obvious Quebec ties...
Call: Washington in 6
Philadelphia vs. Boston.
Both the Flyers and the Bruins saw their opening rounds go the full seven games. The Bruins eked out an overtime win, while the Flyers ran Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller out of the game on their way to an impressive 5-2 win.
The Bruins were involved in a classic confrontation versus their perennial rivals from Montreal. Their big man on defence Zdeno Chara had to deal with dehydration issues at the beginning of the series and although he played well enough as the series wore on, you couldn't help but get the feeling that he's not 100 percent healthy.
The play of Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly and Nathan Horton was impressive, but David Krejci, who managed only one goal against Montreal, and Milan Lucic, who never quite seemed to get comfortable in the series, has to be worrisome to B's coach Claude Julien.
The Flyers on the other hand stumbled down the last stretch of the regular season and faced the hottest team heading into the playoffs. And while the Sabres put up a valiant effort, in the end the experience, depth and goaltending, (yes goaltending), of the Flyers stole the day.
The Bruins just don't seem to have the horses to compete with a Flyers roster that includes players such as Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Daniel Brière, Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger.
And don't give me this stuff about the Flyers not having goaltending. They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season with essentially the same personnel and it worked for them in the first round this year.
Call: Flyers in 5
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree?
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