Miss any action? Here's the best of round 2.
Just four teams remain in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Which big time player will step up and lift his team to glory? Which no name player makes a name for himself? It’s the battle of Pennsylvania with the #2 Pittsburgh Penguins and #6 Philadelphia Flyers. The best of the west meet as the #1 Detroit Red Wings face the #5 Dallas Stars.10 of the top 11 scorers in the playoffs remain as Jaromir Jagr, the leader with 15 points, is the only one missing. Johan Franzen exploded last series for an NHL record 9 goals in a four game series. He has 14 points while teammates Datsyuk and Zetterberg each have 13. While Sidney Crosby was held scoreless in the previous series, he assisted on six goals as he and Malkin have 14 points apiece. Brendan Morrow scored some big goals against San Jose, but his 11 points are second on the Stars to Ribeiro’s 14. Meanwhile, RJ Umberger broke out for 8 goals against the Canadiens and Danny Briere only recorded 3 points, but still leads the team with 14.
On the defensive side of the puck, Chris Osgood (Det) is 6-0 with a 1.52 GAA. Marty Turco (Dal) follows with a 1.73 GAA while Marc-Andre Fleury (Pit) and his 8-1 record has a 1.76 GAA. Marty Biron (Phi) brings up the rear with a 2.72 GAA. Each goaltender has recorded a shutout in the 2008 playoffs, with Fleury the only one of the four to record two shutouts. No doubt that the goalies playing the best will end up facing each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Recapping the Second Round:
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEWS
Eastern Conference:
.jpg)
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers
For only the fourth time in Stanley Cup Playoff history, we see an in-state conference finals matchup, this time between the Penguins and Flyers. The Flyers were able to take the season series from Pittsburgh on a 5-3 record. Each time these teams met, both teams took a lot of PIM. This may pose a potential problem to Philadelphia, who has not only taken the most penalties in the playoffs but is 12th of 16 teams in penalty killing. Pittsburgh is second on the penalty kill and fourth on the power play, one percentage point less than the Flyers.
Marc-Andre Fleury has certainly silenced any critics after coming back in early January from an injury. He by far is playing the best hockey of his career and leads the playoffs with a .938 save percentage. However, his counterpart for Philadelphia, Marty Biron, has allowed a playoff high 34 goals against. But Biron has made the most saves of any goalie in the playoffs. In order for Philadelphia to win this series, keeping the puck off the sticks of Malkin, Sykora, and Hossa will be key to make sure they get no chances.
But that will prove to be harder than it sounds when Sidney Crosby is the one feeding them the puck. The Flyers defense, the worst of the remaining for teams, is definitely going to have trouble with the potent Penguin offense. The Flyers tough guys may prove to be most valuable if they are able to rough up Pittsburgh’s stars and frustrate them. The same can be said for Pittsburgh, as Georges Laraque will be leading the way for them. Stopping Danny Briere and hometown player RJ Umberger will be no easy task. It will get even harder if veteran Mike Knuble can return from his injury. Overall though, I think it’s going to be the Penguin offense against the Flyer’s defense. Too many shots leads to more and more goals.
My Pick: Penguins in 6
Western Conference:
#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #5 Dallas Stars.jpg)
While Detroit is back to the conference finals for the second consecutive year, it’s the first time for Dallas since they lost to New Jersey in the Cup Finals in 2000. We start off here with goaltending again, and for one gigantic reason: Marty Turco has never beaten Detroit in Joe Louis Arena. A place he used to love playing at in college with the University of Michigan has turned into a nightmare for him as a pro. Furthermore, he only has 2 career wins in 17 games against the Red Wings overall. However, he has been stellar so far in the playoffs, which includes a franchise record 61 saves against San Jose. Turco has the 3rd best save percentage and is second in overall saves. Not to be outdone, Detroit’s Chris Osgood is 6-0 since taking over for Hasek. He is second in the playoffs with a .937 save percentage.
The Red Wings boast three defensemen with 7+ points, by far the best of any playoff team. Niklas Kronwall has not yet scored but has recorded 8 assists while Lidstrom and Rafalski each have 7 points. Stephane Robidas has stepped up as the Stars top defensemen, but don’t forget about Sergei Zubov, who has 4 points in 5 games since returning from injury. Detroit has the edge on defense though. They have more depth than Dallas does as one of the following guys, Chelios, Lebda, Lilja, or Stuart, are forced to sit as a healthy scratch each night.
One of the best things Detroit can boast about is the ability of their forwards to get back and play defense. The top 5 of 6 six players in the playoffs in +/- rating are all from Detroit. Taking the first lines head to head, I give a slight edge to Datsyuk and Zetterberg over Morrow and Ribeiro. I haven’t even mentioned Johan Franzen yet, who plays on Detroit’s second line. Its going to be tough for the Stars to stop all the is offense all while going up against the Wings defense. The way the Stars played the last three games against San Jose, Detroit will sweep them just as they did Colorado, but I’m quite that the Stars will give a little better effort. They may take a game in Detroit, but it definitely will not be the first two, as it has been against Anaheim and San Jose.
My Pick: Detroit in 6
Other News:
Don Cherry is set to join ESPN and Barry Melrose to break down the conference finals. He will do his gig on Sportscenter following the wrap up of Hockey Night in Canada, who is taking the show on the road and following the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series. Side note: Barry Melrose will no longer have the best suit.
Don Cherry is set to join ESPN and Barry Melrose to break down the conference finals. He will do his gig on Sportscenter following the wrap up of Hockey Night in Canada, who is taking the show on the road and following the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series. Side note: Barry Melrose will no longer have the best suit.
Nathan Gerbe has left Boston College forgoing his senior year and signed with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Paul Maurice.
In Halifax, the Qualification Round of the IIHF World Championships is underway. Surprise! Canada is leading so far. Here are the standings.
Barry Melrose and Linda Cohn are horrible at predicting playoff series winners.
more
