Round One Recap - 2013 NHL Playoffs

So this is obviously a day late, and round two already started, but I didn’t watch either game last night anyway…So here’s a recap of round one of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs…

Bryan Bickell wins game one for the Blackhawks; a crushing blow to goaltender Josh Harding

Western Conference

(1) Chicago Blackhawks and (8) Minnesota Wild
Blackhawks win 4-1

My prediction – CORRECT!

Like I said to a friend of mine who’s a Blackhawks fan: Congrats Chicago! You’ve passed the President’s Trophy Stupid Test! You played strong and dominant like everyone expected. The Wild did their best but it wasn’t even close to enough; considering they were outscored by Chicago 17-7 in the series. Game one was evenly matched, but ultimately ended with an amazing lead pass by Johnny Oduya, setting up a goal by Bryan Bickell to win it for Chicago. The Blackhawks aren’t going to choke any time soon; get ready for a long playoff run.

The Red Wings celebrate Henrik Zetterberg's overtime goal in game six

(2) Anaheim Ducks and (7) Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings win 4-3

My prediction – INCORRECT!

Wow, just wow. I still can’t believe the Wings pulled this one off. Detroit never led the Ducks get away with the series, tying it three times, with overtime winners in games 2, 4, and 6. I also gave Detroit’s youth much less credit than I should have; my mind changed with Gustav Nyquist’s game two winner, and Brunner’s game four winner. It’s a shame for the Ducks, after posting the third-best record in the league this year.

(3) Vancouver Canucks and (6) San Jose Sharks
Sharks win 4-0

My prediction – CORRECT!

Called it! As I said a few weeks ago, it’s inevitable you’re going to choke Vancouver! Funny enough, it was a series between two teams that love to choke in the playoffs. As we can see, San Jose is no longer the No. 1 choking team in the Western Conference. You can’t blame Luongo and Schneider that much when the Sedin twins had no goals…

Barrett Jackman scored the winner in game two with less than a minute to go, and lit up the Scottrade Center with excitement

(4) St. Louis Blues and (5) Los Angeles Kings
Kings win 4-2

My prediction – CORRECT!
WHAT A SERIES! So many hits, so many last-minute goals, so much excitement. Every game was decided by one goal, and as Don Cherry said, it’s a shame one of these teams had to lose. You do have to give the Blues a lot of credit for their hard work and amazing plays: Alex Steen’s two-goal night in game one, Barret Jackman’s game-winner with 51 seconds to go in game two, and Pietrangelo’s game-tying goal in game five. The fans for both teams certainly got their money’s worth. The Kings prove they are still a championship caliber team, and they are valiantly defending their 2012 title. Los Angeles will thankfully advance to the second round, not following the trend of several other previous Stanley Cup champions.

Eastern Conference

(1) Pittsburgh Penguins and (8) New York Islanders
Penguins win 4-2

My prediction – CORRECT!
The Islanders, in their first playoffs since 2007, gave the Pens a run for their money. We finally got to see John Tavares and company get a shot in the playoffs! Pascal Dupuis came up big for Pittsburgh, scoring five goals in the series. Tomas Vokoun took center stage in goal for the Pens when Fleury started to falter, as usual…The Penguins are looking strong, but need to turn the heat on a little more if they want to beat more teams down the stretch…Nice to see some nationally-televised games from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum before they get rid of it…

Lars Eller lies bloodied on the ice in game one, following a hit by Eric Gryba

(2) Montreal Canadiens and (7) Ottawa Senators – Senators win 4-1

My prediction – INCORRECT!
Dangit! Now I wonder why I ever chose Montreal to win this one…Although the first two games were evenly-matched and quite exciting, Ottawa blew Montreal out in game three, and completely embarrassed them as well, with several third period scrums that only PK Subban had the guts to respond in (I got a good laugh out of him literally pinning down Kyle Turris). Montreal’s last cry was two quick goals in game four, only to see their lead controversially erased by Ottawa…The series may only be remembered by the violent hit on Lars Eller, who hopefully makes a full recovery after leaving game one on a stretcher…The first all-Canadian playoff matchup since 2004; so much action but sadly over so quick!

(3) Washington Capitals and (6) New York Rangers

Rangers win 4-3

My prediction – INCORRECT!
Well, there goes my playoff bracket…I picked the Caps to win the Stanley Cup mostly on their incredible 15-2-2 finish to the season. Washington’s only condition was that Ovechkin had to continue playing like an all-star; Ovechkin was the key component. What happened? In round one against the Rangers, Ovie registered a mere two points, a goal and an assist, and had a plus/minus rating of -2. ‘The Great 8’ obviously put in a huge effort with 30 shots, but a 3.3 shot percentage doesn’t cut it. A team that could’ve continued their surprise dominance instead became a sleeper, just like every other year…

The iconic CBC shot immediately following Boston's series-winning goal, and comeback from a 4-1 deficit. James Reimer sits in disbelief...

(4) Boston Bruins and (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston wins 4-3

My prediction – CORRECT!
The Leafs were finally back in the playoffs after nine years, and everyone, including myself, figured the series would be over after four games with Boston slaughtering Toronto. (Especially after Boston’s dominant play in game one) But the Leafs stunned everybody after game four’s overtime loss. Down 3-1 in the series, they easily could have given up, but Toronto persevered and brought Boston to their knees in game seven. As the series went along, the Leafs found out how to be a playoff-caliber team, and things came together like we haven’t seen out of the Leafs in recent memory…

And of course, it wouldn’t be Toronto without a classic blow-up in the third period of game seven, watching their 4-1 lead be erased and losing in overtime. Thanks Toronto, surprising me with solid hockey and then giving it all away at the last second; it’s like you were at a casino! I’m going to be mad for a long time about this…at least I can laugh about it though…

ROUND TWO PREDICTIONS

(1) Chicago and (7) Detroit

With how dominant Chicago was over the measly Wild, you would expect another Blackhawk prediction. But I think with how incredibly hard the Wings worked to oust Anaheim, I’m predicting a huge upset by Detroit over the Blackhawks (This assumes that the Wings are going to fight just as hard, or harder, than they did in round one). Detroit now has the experience they need to beat a President’s Trophy team. Get ready Chicago!

(5) Los Angeles and (6) San Jose

The Kings obviously just took game one 2-0 last night, but aside from that, I’m picking them anyway. It will definitely be interesting if San Jose figures out how to handle the Kings, but it’s likely just too much for them.

(1) Pittsburgh and (7) Ottawa

Pittsburgh beat the Sens 4-1 last night. Tomas Vokoun stopped all but one of 36 shots. I originally would’ve likely picked Ottawa hands down. But realistically, on the condition that the Pens decide to use Tomas Vokoun through the entire series, I pick Pittsburgh to run away with it (Am I the only one that thinks Marc-Andre Fleury is a mediocre goaltender at best?). Get excited as well! These two teams don’t like each other at all, and this is their fourth meeting in the playoffs in seven seasons.

(4) Boston and (6) New York

“Boston Strong.” Get used to that phrase if you haven’t already, because you’re going to have to keep listening to it. The Bruins are the stronger team by far, and now know they can’t sit on their series like in round one against the Leafs. Say goodbye to Rick Nash and the Rangers…oh wait, HAHA, that’s funny because Rick Nash doesn’t even have a goal yet!
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I must also commend NBC for making the decision to air EVERY playoff game on their networks. For a hockey fan, this is truly a first, and being able to watch at least two games a night was a luxury I enjoyed to the fullest. Without that, this blog post would be a lot less in depth…