A Look Back at the First Round of the Playoffs and Second Round Predictions

Time to take a look back at the View's fearless first round playoff predictions and see how they stacked up against reality, dear readers, and then look ahead to the second round (predictions can be found in the April 13th blog post). Without further delay, here we go:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Predators vs. Ducks

The Pick:     Nashville in 6

Reality:        Nashville in 6

Vancouver vs. Chicago

The Pick:     Vancouver in 6

Reality:        Vancouver in 7

San Jose vs Los Angeles

The Pick:     San Jose in 7

Reality:        San Jose in 6

Detroit vs Phoenix

The Pick:     Detroit in 7

Reality:        Detroit in 4


EASTERN CONFERENCE


Washington vs New York Rangers

The Pick:     Washington in 5

Reality:        Washington in 5

Philadelphia vs Buffalo

The Pick:     Buffalo in 7

Reality:        Philadelphia in 7

Pittsburgh vs Tampa Bay

The Pick:     Tampa Bay in 7

Reality:        Tampa Bay in 7

Boston vs. Montreal

The Pick:     Boston in 6

Reality:        Boston in 7

Proving that blind hogs can occasionally find an acorn, this blind hog went 7-1, a sparkling 88% success rate. In an attempt to prove that I am not a one hit wonder, however, I am going to put my reputation on the line with some insightful second round picks...

okay, ya got me. I'm putting the names in a hat and drawing out my winners. So here we go:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Nashville vs Vancouver

Oh, you know this is a pick that everyone will say is the "homer" pick. Well as this guy might say...

Of course it's a Homer,uh, homer pick, but it is a choice that is grounded in reality. The Predators and the Canuckleheads split their season series 2-2, and the Predators have shown their ability to contain the high flying Cancuklehead offense with their rock solid defense. They will need plenty of that and they will need to see Pekka Rinne take his game up a notch to have a chance. I think they will. One of the key match ups to watch will be Mike Fisher matched against Ryan Kessler. Also critical will be the play of the second defense pairing of Kevin Klein and Jonathan Blum. If the Predators can get outstanding play from these guys, they can win the series. Should Vancouver fall behind in the series, the pressure on the team will be immense, both internally and from their fans. I think they will

My Pick:     Nashville in 6


Detroit vs San Jose

The Winged Wheels were smacked out the playoffs last year by the Sharks, and they would like nothing better than to return the favor this year. The Wings have had a good bit of time off to rest and to hone their game, courtesy of their sweep of the Coyotes, and their hope is the team will get back a relatively healthy Henrik Zetterberg who can contribute to their effort. The Sharks have demonstrated quite capably that when they want to turn it on, they are very difficult to stop. The problem for San Jose has been the consistency of their effort. Antti Niemi has looked great at times in the playoffs, and has at time been very pedestrian. Heck, you can say that about the entire Sharks team. This one is a close call, but I think that playoff experience and the hunger they are going to bring to this matchup will be the deciding factor.

My Pick: Detroit in 7


EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington at Tampa Bay

The Washington Ovechkins against the Tampa Bay Stamcavlouis' should be a pond hockey kind of series. The offensive output of these two teams could overheat the scoreboards in the Phone Booth and the Newspaper Stand. This game, in my view, comes down to the play of Dwayne Roloson and Michael Neuvirth in net, and which one can best withstand the onslaught of vulcanized rubber coming at them. I think that will be the wily veteran Roloson. This means that the Lightning are going to have to put the puck on net and make Neuvirth's life miserable to keep the pressure off Rolie the Goalie. Let Ovechkin and company play in the Lightning end of the ice and it will get ugly.

My Pick:     Tampa Bay in 7


Boston vs Philadelphia

Hide the women, children, and small animals for this one. When these two teams meet for this series, it will be a matter of who can inflict the most punishment on the other and goal scoring just might be a secondary consideration. The fact is that both teams have some quality scorers that can challenge the opposing goaltenders, and therein lies the deciding factor in this series: the netminding. Bahstan will go with Tim Thomas, while Philadelphia will counter with Sergei Bobrovsky... no, wait, Michael Leighton...uh... Bobby Brian Boucher. Hey! You, that guy sitting in Section 104. Wanna play goalie for the Flyers? The unsettled nature of the goaltending situation in Philadelphia does not lend itself to a confident group that will take the ice. But, you will say, the Flyers beat Buffalo. yes, but that was getting to be an AHL team by the end of that series because of all their injuries, and the Sabres took the Fly Boys to 7 games. This will come back to bite the Flyers in this series.

My Pick:     Boston in 7

There you have, friends. We will see if this blind hog can find another acorn in the second round.