With round 1 almost over, we're starting to see which team wants to win the Stanley Cup more than others.
My original pick for round 4 series was the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vancouver Canucks. The best player in the league (Evgeni Malkin) and the best to ever play the game (Sidney Crosby) versus the infamous Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin. We all know how these teams perfomed in the 1st round so...
Eastern Conference Winner:
In this year's playoffs, goal tending has been crucial to wining games. Tim Thomas is getting old but he's still got and the Boston Bruins have a good backup goalie. Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Ranger played well in the regular season but doesn't have a solid track record in the playoffs. Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils is just too old to cary a team to the Stanley Cup Finals. For teams such as the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers goal tending can be questionable and the team will have to outscore their oponents to make it out of the east.
My pick for the Eastern Conference: 2011 Stanley Cup winners, The Boston Bruins.
Western Conference Winner:
This conference had a wild regular season finish but the action didn't stop there. The last minute qualified playoff teams from the Pacific division are still making a push. With Jonathan Quick in the net for the Los Angeles Kings how could they go wrong? St Louis Bues have it good with two solid goal tenders, one is injured and their scoring consistency is questionable. Nashville Predators' Pekka Rinne is looking sharp as always, and the team has been re-inforced with the Russian net finder Alexander Radulov. Mike Smith is holding up Phoenix Coyotes, but Chicago Black Hawks and San Jose Sharks seem to have questionable net protection.
My pick for the Western Conference: Carrie Underwood would like this, The Nashville Predators.
Now let's see what happens in real life!