Canucks Advance; Detroit Faces Elimination

After last nights game, the Vancouver Canucks join the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins in the Conference Final round.  They defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 2-1 last night and take the series 4-2.

There is no doubt that Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne kept them in this series.  He had an unbelievable series for the offensively challenged Preds.  Without him, Nashville could have easily been swept.

2nd Round Match-ups Set: Our Predictions

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been completed.  In a pair of game 7's last night Tampa shut out the Penguins on Pittsburgh home ice to win the series and Boston advanced thanks to an overtime goal from Nathan Horton:

These games concluded a very exciting first round in hockey.  Tonight begins the Eastern/Western Conference Semi-Finals.  Here is mine and Adam's take.

NHL Playoffs Day 3: Defensive Collapse

Four games were played last night, all of them being game 2's of the series. Last nights games featured much more scoring than seen in the previous nights.

Tampa Bay 5 vs. Pittsburgh 1 (Game 2)

-Tampa came out firing and never looked back.  They scored on their first two shots of the game which proved to be enough.  This was an ugly game for Pittsburgh and Marc-Andre Fleury.  It will be interesting to see how they respond at the St. Pete Times Forum.

NHL Playoffs Day 2: A Reoccurring Trend

Last nights games concluded all of the game ones in the series.  The games featured two shutouts and a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. Credit goalies Carey Price and Ryan Miller with the shutouts.  Joe Pavelski scored in overtime for the Sharks.

Montreal 2 vs. Boston 0 (Game 1)

-Montreal was simply too much for Boston to handle as they go on to win 2-0.  Habs captain Brian Gionta netted both goals for Montreal and Carey Price was solid in net as he stopped all 31 shots he faced.  The win snaps Price's 8 game playoff losing streak.

NHL Playoff Predictions

With the NHL playoffs upon us, Adam and I would like to take a look at each individual matchup and our predictions. We will start with the West.


THE WEST:

               (#1 Seed Canucks)                         (#8 Seed Blackhawks)


Evan's Prediction: Canucks win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Canucks win in 6.
Our take on the series: Chicago is a huge threat, especially as the #8 seed.  Expect them to give the Canucks a run for their money or even pull out a series win.  Statistically though, Vancouver is just too good. They have to President's trophy, the Sedin twins, and Luongo.