Oh yeah... The NHL Playoffs are going on as well - Preview: Round 2

Honestly... I missed hockey initially, but gradually I ended up watching more basketball and began to watch full baseball games. Before I knew it I had forgotten what it felt like to make my Saturday night plans around Hockey Night in Canada. So when the NHL lockout came to an end and the 2005-2006 season was ready to get underway I had no idea what to expect. Suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised with the new and improved product but the jury is still out on the use of the shootout to decide the end of a tied game. As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan the shootout was our enemy for the most part but it did help solve the problem of "sporting events should never end in a tie." The "new" NHL as the media tagged it, is fast paced and the new rules implemented greatly benefit the offensive skilled players as with more open ice to work with we have seen scoring averages go up all around from previous years. At seasons end I decided to ask people around me what they thought of the new and improved NHL and most of them were pleased with the game as it definitely has added more excitement for the fans. With Sidney Crosby as the poster boy for this new NHL, parity between teams with the new salary cap and a new TV deal with OLN (Outdoor Life Network) the league boasted record level attendance numbers around the league for the regular season.
Dominik Hasek hasn't started a playoff game for the Ottawa Senators, the Detroit Red Wings got eliminated in the 1st round for the 3rd year in a row, Jaromir Jagr was injured in game 1 and effectively took out the Rangers from contention... yes the NHL playoffs are underway. The first round is over and in the west it was all about the underdog and in the east it came down to goaltending.

Western Conference: The Underdog comes out on top
The top 4 teams in the west were all eliminated in the first round including the Detroit Red Wings who held the best regular season record in the NHL.


When you mention the names Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton you automatically think of a high powered offense. Add in a Patrick Marleau and you are looking at a lethal powerplay which might be the difference in this series. In the Nashville series the two main offensive players were shut down but others were able to step up, but to get past a very deep Edmonton Oilers team, the Sharks will need their big guns to step up and should hope for a solid contribution from role players like Alyn McCauley and Mark Smith. In the first round against the Nashville Predators the defense stepped up for the Sharks and not just on offense, the San Jose sharks entire defensive unit boasted a plus rating and they received solid goaltending from Toskala who will have to remain consistent against a very well balanced Oilers team. The first round was a tough matchup for Edmonton but players like Fernando Pisani and Ales Hemsky elevated their game to bolster the offence headed by Ryan Smyth and Defensive Unit led by Chris Pronger. The Edmonton Goaltending situation was a big question mark but Dwayne Roloson stepped up and is a major reason the Oilers are still alive going into the second round. In the regular season the Oilers were victorious 3 of the 4 times these two teams faced each other but this is the first time the teams are meeting in the playoffs. This years playoffs have been a display of power play skills and the team that can stay out of the penalty box in this series most probably will be the one going on to the Western Conference finals.
Prediction: San Jose Sharks in 6


The Anaheim Mighty Ducks were the only team that had to go to a 7th game in order to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They were able to do this on the strength's of the defence led by Scott Niedermayer and superb backstopping of rookie goaltender Ilja Bryzgalov. My initial reaction when watching a game between Calgary and Anaheim was: "WHO??? Where is Jean Sebastian Giguere??" but looking at his stats Bryzgalov is their guy with a 2.29 GAA and even managed to get a shutout in the first round. Teemu Selanne had an outstanding regular season and with an Olympic silver medal to boot he has been leading this Anaheim team with toughness and offensive contributions. This team is very well rounded and will be a bit of a challenge for the Colorado Avalanche who will be relying primarily on offence to take them through to the next round. 2 Months ago Jose Theodore was sitting on a couch Montreal with a broken foot and now he is in net for the Av's while the Montreal team is already on the golf course. All season long the Avalanche remained one of the top scoring teams in the league and the first round of the playoffs was no different with Joe Sakic, Alex Tanguay, Andrew Brunette and Milan Hejduk on the roster.The saying goes Offence wins games but defence wins championships" and this is going to prove important for the Avs to consider they are going to need their defensive unit to step up if they want to get to the next round. Regular season has the Ducks in front winning 3 of the 4 games against the Avs but this is the post season and the experience on the Colorado Avalanche roster will most definitely be a factor. Selanee will be playing against his old team which might give him an extra boost and Jose Theodore has a chance to prove that Montreal made a mistake by shipping him out.
Prediction: Colorado Avalanche in 7

Eastern Conference: 3 Rookies and Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has more playoff experience than all the other 3 goaltenders in the eastern conference semi-finals.


Ottawa Senators window is closing on them. When they signed Dominik Hasek they believed he was the final piece they needed to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Things did not quite work out that way as during the Olympics Hasek was injured and they had to rely on a young goaltender in Ray Emery to take them as far as possible. The Buffalo Sabers on the other hand were probably one of the most surprising teams in he NHL this season. Their fast paced style of play worked well with the new rules enforced in the league and this series promises to be an offensive delight. For the Senators they finally have their lineup healthy and are very deep on offence with players like Daniel Alfreddson, Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza and Danny Heatly being just some of the names on their roster. Heatly found a new life in Ottawa who had a rough year before the lockout season and has been a great compliment to the other offensive players already in a Senators uniform. Havlat only played 18 games all season but looks healthy now and through the first round the Senators managed to score at will as they eliminated the defending Stanley cup champions in 5 games. The blue line for the Sen's is solid as they have two all-star caliber defencemen in Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden who are very effective on the power play. The senators are not a very big muscle type team but probably more so than the Sabres who have won a lot of their games during the season with their lightning quickness on the ice. They managed one of the better road records in the regular season and so home ice advantage tot he Senators might not be much of a factor in this series. The Sabres scored the most goals from all the teams in the first round of the playoffs as their offensive unit is led by players like Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. The Sabres much like the Senators got through the first round with the help of a rookie goaltender as Lindy Ruff went with Ryan Miller for all the games against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Senators were the top team in the east for the regular season and were fairly dominant over the Sabres during that time winning their series 5-3 but as mentioned before its a whole different ballgame in the post season. This series will come down to the battle of the rookies in net and the powerplay. The Senators were one of the best power play teams and the Sabres one of the best penalty killing teams. Bottom line.. Will it be Emery or Miller who can handle the pressure of an offensive barrage, stand tall and carry their team to the next round.
Prediction: Buffalo Sabres in 7


The New Jersey Devils head into this series on the heels of a 15 game win streak which included a 1st round sweep of the new York Rangers. Martin Brodeur has ample big games and playoff experience under his belt and he will look down the sheet of ice at a rookie in Cam Ward who was put into net for the Carolina Hurricanes after they lost their first two games of their series against Montreal. Carolina was solid through the season but went into the playoffs on a losing skid but after shaking off the first two losses against Montreal coach Laviolette took a chance by putting the rookie in net and he helped get the team 4 straight wins to get to the next round. The Hurricanes also have one of the young stars of the NHL playing on offence as Eric Staal has had an All-star type season and he was complemented with veterans like Rod Brind'Amour and Mark Recchi. The New Jersey Devils have the most experienced goaltender in the playoffs and Martin Brodeur only allowed the New York Rangers to score 4 goals through the 4 games they played. Playing in front of him the Devils have a team with plenty of playoff experience and a few Stanley Cup rings. Patrik Elias leads the charge on offense and is helped by Jamie Langenbrunner, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. The Devils also have John Madden on their roster who is one of the best two way players in the game. His defensive style of play and the likes of Brian Rafalski on the blue line make them a very tough team to beat and Carolina will need to have all their lines clicking in order to get past the Devils who can adjust their style of play as they have so many weapons on the team. The hurricanes will also have to improve their penalty kill in order to give them a chance against one of the better power play teams in the NHL. These two teams split the season series but this is a lot of pressure for a young goaltender who will be facing his childhood idol in Martin Broduer and if the Hurricanes come out slow the way they did against Montreal I don't think they have a chance as the Devils will pounce on them and the series will be lost.
Prediction: New Jersey Devils in 5