Monzo Minor: A Glance At The NHL Semifinals
By Brian Monzo
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I know. I went 3-for-8 in my Quarterfinal predictions. Not great. Not even good. But I gave you the Lightning in 7, they made you nervous going down 3-1, but they came back and got it done. The Blackhawks were down 3-0 to the Canucks before making a great comeback to tie the series. They may have lost Game 7, but it will go down as one the best hockey games in recent times.
A few tidbits from the Quarterfinals (thanks to a note from the NHL):
-Three of the eight series ended with an overtime goal.
-The 14 total overtimes were the most since the record 15 in 2001.
-Road teams posted a winning record (26-23), one victory short of the most
ever in the first round.
Very entertaining hockey. We move onto the Semifinals. 16 now are 8.
We will start out in the West:
Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Nashville Predators (5)
I picked both these teams not to make it out of the first round. Both teams played long series. I didn't love what I saw out of Vancouver. They came out on fire then blew a 3-0 lead. Not a good sign. They were very back-and-forth and their goaltending was OK at best.
The Predators took a potent Ducks offense and shoved it right back in their faces. Defenseman (and Norris Trophy candidate) Shea Weber and goalie Pekka Rinne (Vezina Trophy nominee) are their best players and they've played like it. Look for their momentum to continue. Predators in six.
San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Detriot Red Wings (3)
Was I ever wrong about the Red Wings. How dumb am I to count them out? They came out and made short work out of the Coyotes. And all without their best player - Henrik Zetterberg. With Zetterberg back, Pavel Datsyuk healthy and Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski on the blueline, the Wings are poised to make a run.
The Sharks did what they needed to do the beat a banged up team in the LA Kings. Joe Thornton stepped up and had a great series. The Sharks have the weapons, but I am not as bullish on their goaltending. I've learned my lesson. Red Wings in seven.
Here in the East:
Washington Capitals (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5)
Against the Rangers, I don't think Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth was overly tested. When he was, he wasn't great. He made some good saves, but was by no means dominant. Regardless, Alex Ovechkin and the Caps fought hard and were able to eliminate the Rangers. The scary thing about the Caps is that Nicklas Backstrom had a bad series. They will expect a lot more out of him here.
The Lightning showed a tremendous amount a heart after trailing the Penguins 3-1, then taking it to seven and winning the series. Unfortunately for Vinny Lecavalier, Hart Trophy nominee Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos, I think they will be a bit beat up against the Caps. I also fear 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson running out of steam in net. Caps in five.
Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs. Boston Bruins (3)
This is a classic matchup of two hard-nosed, rugged teams. The Flyers continue to find themselves deep in the playoffs every season. They have battled injuries. Chris Pronger is just getting back and Jeff Carter's status questionable for the series. The Flyers have the edge in coaching with Peter Laviolette, but what will hurt them will be their goaltending. They used three goalies (Brian Boucher, Michael Leighton and Sergei Bobrovsky) against the Sabres.
The Bruins have Tim Thomas, who is very unorthodox, but is as solid as it gets. I like the Bruins. They find ways. Someone will step up, whether it is Nathan Horton, Rich Peverly, hard hitting Milan Lucic or those two defenseman, Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle. My thought is that the forwards and defenseman are a wash, but the goaltender is overwhelmingly better for the Bruins. This will come back to hurt Philly. Bruins in seven.
So there it is. How about the fact that both conferences have the first seeds playing the fifth seeds and the second seeds playing the third seeds? Strange, but true.
If the Semis are anywhere near as entertaining as the Quarters, it should be an excellent portion of the best playoff tournament in all of sports.
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