It may be over in Boston but there is still plenty of reasons to watch the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The great match-ups that will translate into great hockey. Every game will be exciting and Bruins fans still have some connections to each series. Best of all you don’t have to listen to Jack Edwards make the call. So here are the second round match-ups.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

This heated rivalry is renewed. Reliving the battles of the late 90’s and 2000’s, this will be a sight to see. The Avs brought back some of their key contributors to the rivalry in Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg, while things welcomed Darren McCarty back to Motown.  Lots of old faces back in the mix but don’t expected the same blood bath that your custom to seeing between these two in the playoffs. Detroit is a great puck possession team loaded with skill. While the Avs do have some agitators, the series will be less physical and more strategic than a normal AvsWings match-up. The Red Wings come in with a highly skilled and deep team, while the Avalanche do have many big names on their team, Detroit’s depth will be hard to handle.

Series Difference- Goaltending vs. Depth. In net the Avs have the early Conn Smyth winner in Jose Theodore. Theodore is playing like he did in his early days as the Habs netminder, us Bruins fans know all about that. If Theodore can keep up his impressive play then Colorado can get this series to seven. Detroit’s platooning of Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek may be the Wings achilles heel. Not real confident in either of the two is why this series will be close.  Each team has its share of stars but Detroit is the deepest team in the league and in a seven game series that usually ends up playing a major factor.

Prediction- I’ll take the Avs in seven. Its tough to match up against Detroit’s depth but too many big time playoff players from the Avs including Ryan Smyth, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and the biggest factor in the series in Theodore.

Series MVP- Jose Theadore, Colorado Avalanche… Leaving haunting memories of him in a Habs sweater

Bruins Connection- Former center piece in the Joe Thornton deal, Brad Stuart is playing for the Red Wings. Also take note to watch Theodore and see if he can relive the magic he displayed against the Bruins in the playoffs. Keep a watchful eye on Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles, who happens to be a free agent after the year. Liles is the type of puck moving D-man that the B’s definitely need.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars

This is a classic series of will versus skill. The Sharks may have the best roster left in the playoffs. They have size, speed, and can put the puck in the net. When they want to play they cant be beat. The Stars have been one the hardest working teams in the NHL all season long. The out willed the defending champs last series. Dallas won the regular season series against the Sharks but dropped the last two. This series of divisional foes will be hard hitting and tight. Both teams will play in-your-face hockey.

Series Difference- Joe Thornton. I have a feeling this will be Jumbo Joe’s playoff break through. No longer will he have to be matched up shift for shift against Robyn Regehr and Dion Phanuef of the Flames. He has the ability to take over games. Too much skill to be a playoff bust his whole career. I don’t really see anyone on Dallas who can match up against his size and skill. I expect the Stars to role out Stephane Robidas and/or Trevor Daley to log most of the  time when Thornton’s line is on the ice.  The challenge facing the Stars will be to how to take away Thornton’s space and trying to stay out of the box. Thornton is a powerplay whiz. 

Prediction-I have to go with the Sharks in six. I like the way Dallas plays and they are very deep down the middle with the addition of Brad Richards. However, too may weapons on the Sharks not to win the series. With Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov being a wash. The series will come down to the Sharks matching the Stars effort.

Series MVP-Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins…. whoops!! I’m mean San Jose Sharks

Bruins Connection- Look no further than Jumbo Joe. Seven points in seven games vs. Calgary last series, Thornton will make us all sick and be a force in this series. And somewhere Mike O’Connell will be punching himself in the nuts. Brian Campbell of the Sharks is also a free agent and will look great with a spoked B on his chest next season.

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Ah yes. The series we love to hate. Those bleeping Canadiens vs. the team the sent Patrice Bergeron into la la land for the remainder of the season. Is it possible for both teams to lose? Bruins fans wont watch this series and if they do they wont like it. This series shows the hottest player in league in Daniel Briere who already has 6 goals and 11 points in the playoffs matched up against the well balanced score attack of Montreal. Look to see a lot of goals and lead changes in this series. Both teams can score, especially on the powerplay.

Series Difference-Refs and Price. The Habs benefited with a lot of questionable calls against the B’s in the first round. For some reason the Canadiensalways seem to get these calls and with the number one powerplay in the league, they will score. The Bruins exploited the Canadiens weaknesses but just couldn’t take advantage of it. They shut down their powerplay, limited Alexei Kovalev, and were extremely physical. Montreal is a great skating team but they used their quickness to avoid hits. This is a good match up for the Flyers because they too are a good skating but a more physical team. They will be able to exploit those same weaknesses and unlike the Bruins, they can score. Carey Price was good against Boston, he will have to be great against the Flyers because I’m not sold on the Canadiens as a good team. Without that 17-4 down the stretch or an 8-0 regular season mark against the B’s, they are just a mediocre 5th or 6th seed.

Prediction-I’ll say that they both knock each other out and the winner of the Pittsburg New York series plays for the cup. Cant do that? Darn. I’ll reluctantly pick the Habs in six. I don’t quit hate Carey Price yet and i’ll take him over Flyers’ goalie Martin Biron. Philadelphia just gives up too many goals to trust them. You cant out score teams in the playoffs. At some point you need to keep the puck out of your own net. Besides not only will Philadelphia have to play the Canadiens, the Flyerswill have to deal with th refs.

Series MVP-The referees…… OK OK you get it.  Carey Price (only because I don’t quit hate him yet)

Bruins Connection-If you don’t see a connection between Boston and these two teams then you aren’t a Bruins fan. The Canadiens are hockey’s Yankees, nuff said. Speaking of baseball. The Boston Red Sox and NESN are the reason why Bergeron got hurt. If they hadn’t move the Bruins game to earlier in the day because of the Sox playoff game, Bergeron would have been playing. Different time and different circumstances, I’m just saying. Oh yeah and the real reason why Bergeron was out, Randy Jones, who will be playing for the Flyers. Also see former Bruins Mike Knuble (Phi) and Bryan Smolinski (Mtl).

(2) Pittsburg Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers

This should prove to be the most exciting playoff series. The Rangers may be the lower seed but the blue shirts are 5-3 vs. the Pens in the regular season withthree of the wins coming in March alone. The Stanley Cup winner just may come out of this match-up. This series showcases the stars of today/yesterday withthe stars of the today/tomorrow. The Rangers have worlds of experience up front, with prime time playoffs performers. New acquisitions Chris Drury and Scott Gomez were signed to help the Rangers in these types of games. Bothhave won the cup. Add them with previous Cup winners Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shannahan, now you have plenty of playoff experience to go around. The Penguins are blessed with young, emerging talent like Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby may just be the best player in the game and he is getting healthier. Having miss significant time due to injury will help Crosby in this series as he is fresher than any other player. This series could go either way both teams have a lot of fire power.

Series Difference- Goaltending. This series features Henrik Lundqvist against Marc Andre Fleury. Lundqvist is a proven big game winner after winning the Gold for team Sweden in the Olympics, but has yet to bring that success in a Stanley Cup finals. Fleury was a high draft pick and has yet to live up to the expectations. He did play well in the first round and this will be a true test on just how far he has developed. Each goalie has the capability of stealing this series. Bothteams can score and will score. The two powerhouses have good but not a shut down defense. There is too much talent up front on both sides and this series will come down to which goalie plays better. 

Prediction- I’m torn on this one. I think it will go the distance with the Ranger coming out on top. There is just too much experience on the Rangers’ roster and Lundqvist gets the edge over Fleury. Although the Pens have extraordinary young talent, I’ll still think they are a year away from winning it all. At this point of the season I’ll take the experience over youth, but not by much. Perhaps my biggest reason why I’ll take the Rangers is the persistence of Mike Collette and love for the Rangers. It would break his heart if I picked otherwise.

Series MVP- Chris Drury, New York Rangers… He’s good for at least a couple overtime winners

Bruins Connection-Hal Gill still plays? He’s on the Penguins blue-line, as a trade deadline deal rescued him from the dismal Toronto Maple Leafs. Gill’s importance in this series is major, as he will be looked upon to shut down Rangers’ star Jaromir Jagr. Gill had a lot of success in doing that when he was here in Boston. Two other  defensemen who had a brief cup of coffee in Boston will be playing, Paul Mara of the Rangers and Sergei Gonchar of the Pens. Bobby wasn’t the only Orr who wore the B’s sweater. Colton Orr spent a brief part of his early career here. Don’t know how much he’ll play but he definitely has a great last name. And last but not least, keep your eye on Marian Hossa. This soon to be free agent would look great in a B’s uniform. Look for Boston to pursue him in the off season.

So there you have it. I have given Bruins fans a few reason to watch after the heart breaker against the Habs. I even threw in some predictions. I could be way off with my picks. I may not even come close. But that’s that beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs, is its unpredictability. Any series will be fun to watch. These teams are so evenly match that sheer will, a hot goalie, or a lucky bounce could win or lose the series. So from the words of TO, “get your popcorn ready” and enjoy the rest of the playoffs.

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