EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Montreal Canadiens versus 6. Philadelphia Flyers

Dave: Yes, Montreal is going to be a tougher task for the orange and black than the Washington Capitals were, but they play a very similar style of offense. I think the Flyers breathe a sigh of relief that they no longer have to shadow one excellent player but now they have to deal with a team with more depth. The Habs won the season series 4-0 between the two teams but hey, Boston lost the season series to Montreal 8-0 and pushed the series to game 7. I think the Flyers will be able to do the same and win the extra game. PHILADELPHIA in 7

Jeff: Both of these teams survived Game 7 to get to this point. This should be a great series, as both arenas have great atmospheres. Carey Price has proven his worth in the first round, showing why he is and will be the starting goaltender for the Habs for years to come. I see this series coming down to depth, and Montreal has that. Philadelphia does not have to try and shut down one player this time around. Instead, they get to try to shut down Alexei Kovalev, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, and you cant forget about Saku Koivu. Too much balance all around for Philadelphia to handle. MONTREAL in 6

Aaron: This series is surprising in 2 different ways. First, I was shocked it took Montreal 7 games to finish off Boston; I thought the Habs would be dominant..sweep style. Also, I am shocked, slightly less this time, that the Flyers are rolling into the second round here. Just one year removed from a 56 point season, that’s an incredible turnaround. The Flyers are so deep and can get scoring from so many places. Losing Knubs hurts a lot, and Biron has to be really good each game, which he hasn’t proven yet. I like Montreal, they’ll prove a bit too much as they march towards the Cup. French and Canadian…I don’t hate many things more. Still a success of a season for the Flyers though, big things next year. MONTREAL IN 6

2. Pittsburgh Penguins versus 5. New York Rangers

Dave: The Penguins have proven they can win in the playoffs after sweeping a poor Ottawa Senators team. On the other side Henrick Lundqvist was stellar for the Blueshirts, getting the better of future hall-of-famer Martin Brodeur. Neither of these teams are known for their defense, so it will be interesting to see how two high powered offenses mesh with two great goal tending performances in the first round. All in all I think Pittsburgh has more depth, so I give the series to them. PITTSBURGH in 6

Jeff: This series will have great match-ups all around. Sidney Crosby/Chris Drury, Evgeni Malkin/Jaromir Jagr, Marc-Andre Fleury/Henrik Lundqvist. This will probably be the marquee match-up of the second round. Both of these teams are very hot coming into this series; Pittsburgh sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers beating the Devils 4-1. Just like the Montreal/Philadelphia series, it will come down to depth, and Pittsburgh has that AND MORE. Look for Evgeni Malkin to continue his great play and for others to step up their game (like Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa).PITTSBURGH in 6

Aaron: The reason the Rangers are doing so well, even while knocking off Brodeur and Co., is Henrick Lundqvist. Goaltending is the most important part of playoff hockey and they have it going right now in net. Obviously he’ll have a lot to deal with against captain cry baby and Malkin, but the Rangers got hot at exactly the right time. They finished the season strong and I like them to keep rolling. Should be an entertaining series. RANGERS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Detroit Red Wings versus 6. Colorado Avalanche

Dave: Classic series. The mid to late ’90s match-ups between these two teams were epic and I think more of the same will come here, but in the end Detroit is the stronger team. They got a great performance from Chris Osgood. He was around for those old school battles, and it seems Colorado just rebuilt that team with the same players so advantage Detroit there. DETROIT in 7

Jeff: These two bitter rivals from the 90’s are back at it in the second round. The problem is that Colorado is playing with all of those players from the 90’s. If Detroit can keep Chelios from dying on the ice, they should be able to handle Avs pretty easily. I look for Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk to have a great series against an over-matched Colorado team. DETROIT in 6

Aaron: What ever happened to the good old days when these teams had bench clearing brawls every game? Oh well, but this should still be a pretty good match up. Colorado played great against Minnesota, they got contributions from all over, a very steady and balanced team. Detroit did what great teams do, they faced a tough challenge when the Preds took a few games, bounced back and won the series. If they start Osgood, this could be over fast. DETROIT IN 5

2. San Jose Sharks versus 6. Dallas Stars

Dave: The Sharks had a long series against the Flames, sure, but I still think this is the year of the Shark. They have so much depth, and with the acquisition of Brian Campbell, this team is scary. My sincerest of apologies to the Stars for underestimating them. Great series with awesome play between the pipes from Marty Turco. Sergei Zubov rejoins the Stars in practice this week but it’s still not enough. I don’t think it will be easy, but look for the Sharks to play physical and outlast the Stars. SAN JOSE in 6

Jeff: So, I should’ve stuck with my original pick of the Stars beating the Ducks in 6. Ugh! Thanks Dave for getting me to change during our little chat. But, this round, I will not be switching. San Jose just got done with a 7 game series that probably took a lot more energy than anyone could have planned for. Behind veteran leader Mike Modano, and with the addition of Brad Richards, Dallas will come out well prepared to play this goal-scoring Sharks team. If Dallas is going to win, they will have to match the Sharks’ physical play and they will need Marty Turco to play great. I think it could and will happen in a hard fought battle going the distance. DALLAS in 7

Aaron: This is my favorite match up of the conference semi finals. These are 2 of the hottest teams down the stretch in the entire NHL. So many parallels too. Both teams are getting fantastic goaltending. Both teams have veteran centers who have been here before. Either of these teams is capable of winning the Stanley Cup in my opinion. In the playoffs it’s usually about who’s hot. San Jose showed their muscle in game 7 against Calgary, but Dallas really flexed early and often swatting away the defending champs. I really like how they’re playing. Turco always gets beaten up late in the playoffs, and hasn’t been able to put together a Cup run yet, I think this is his coming out series. DALLAS IN 6