The second round is here and wow what a first round we had! Three seven-game series! I had the pleasure of covering the Habs-Bruins series and experiencing two great hockey atmospheres. Yes that’s right! Both Boston and Montreal provided some of, if not the best sporting environments this humble scribe has witnessed and been a part of!

It was a joy to be in Boston when the Bruins finally found their way back on to the Boston sports landscape with a spirited comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and an exhilarating win in Game 6 before a raucous TD Banknorth Garden that for once had Bruins fans cheering louder than the Habs fans! The Bruins may have lost the series but they showed that the future is bright and finesse and grit can co-exist on a Bruins team as they did during the glory years of the Big Bad Bruins and up until the real Boston Garden was torn down.

As for the aforementioned Habs fans, well just go to the link below and you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that the Bell Centre is by far the best arena to watch a hockey game:

Combine that with the many adventures to and from Montreal that I had and what an experience it was! Thanks again to the folks at Team 990, the Canadiens, the Bruins, the Bell Centre, the TD Banknorth Garden, the Four Points Sheraton Centerville and Hyatt Regency in Montreal, McKibbin’s on Bishop St., Mesa 14, Brutopia and L’Ptit Bar, and of course the wonderful border patrol workers at the Phillipsburg, QC-Vermont border!

So only two teams that I picked to advance are out of the playoffs. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks fell to the Dallas Stars in 6 in what had to be considered an upset and the Capitals lost a Game 7 heart-breaker in overtime to the Flyers. At least I had the number of games right there, but man, an Ovechkin-Crosby/Malkin series would’ve been nice, eh?

So here were the picks for the first round:

Canadiens in 6
Penguins in 5
Capitals in 7
Rangers in 6
Red Wings in 5
Sharks in 7
Avalanche in 7
Ducks in 5

Now on to round 2...

Montreal vs. Philadelphia

The Canadiens definitely got more than they bargained for against the Bruins in the first round but in the end it may have been just what the doctor ordered for this relatively inexperienced playoff team. After blowing a 3-1 lead, the Habs answered the bell and more specifically, rookie sensation Carey Price (how was he not nominated for the Calder?), answered another challenge as he did in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs and World Junior Championships on his way to championships in both tournaments.

Price was 4-3 with two shutouts, 2.09 goals-against average and .925 save-percentage in the first round. But his calmness and ability to shrug off two mediocre games was huge and that’s why this kid truly has “it”. He will be the x-factor in this series. Not to discredit the spectacular performance of Martin Biron in Game 7 and through most of the series against the Caps, but Price is in the midst of another special spring playoff run.

Up front, I think the main obstacle for the Habs will be to answer the physical play of the Flyers and they proved against the Bruins that they can do that. Look for the line of Tom Kostopoulos, Bryan Smolinski and Steve Begin to match the toughness of the likes of Scott Hartnell and Derian Hatcher.

Canadiens sweep

Pittsburgh vs. New York Rangers

This should be one heck of a series folks! The Rangers dominated the Devils and figured out how to rattle Martin Brodeur and the Devils disciplined system. Obviously Sean Avery was a major factor in the annoyance game, but the Rangers as a whole played tough hockey and matched the physical style of the Devils. Combine that with their balanced scoring and veteran playoff experience and you have a legit Stanley Cup contender on Broadway.

But while the Rangers may have balanced scoring and the “pest” element going for them, how then do we describe the combination of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Jarkko Ruutu, and Gary Roberts? What those five players bring is reminiscent of the Oilers’ dynasties with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Esa Tikkanen.

That’s why I see this series going the distance, but in the end, experience pays off and the Rangers simply have more of it! The goaltending duel of Henrik Lundqvist vs. Marc-Andre Fleury will be fun to watch but it will be “King Henrik” advancing to the conference finals.

Rangers in 7

Detroit vs. Colorado

If you’re a hockey fan you had to be psyched to see this match-up for the second-round! That’s because these two teams formed the last true rivalry of the NHL in the mid to late-nineties. Well, buckle-up because this series is about to take you back in time to the excitement of those battles we saw then!

The Avalanche are one of the feel good stories of the season, battling injuries, re-uniting those aforementioned teams from the past and winning an exciting six-game series over the Wild in round one. Former Hart and Vezina Trophies winner Jose Theodore is looking like the goalie that led the 2002 Canadiens to the second round, while Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg haven’t missed a beat since being reunited around the trade deadline.

On the opposite side of the rink, the top-seeded Red Wings have switched back to the goalie that led them through the first half of the season. Chris Osgood took over for Dominick Hasek and has been a wall between the pipes. Since replacing Hasek in Game 4 against the Nashville Predators, goalie Chris Osgood has yielded just one goal while facing 54 shots, for a 0.30 goals-against average. He also has a .981 save-percentage.

Up front Pavel Datsyuk is finally showing up in the playoffs with five points thus far. Jiri Hudler also has five points.

This should be a barn-burner. The band is back together and I’m going to stick with my earlier pick of the Avalanche taking it the distance and stealing one in Detroit to advance.

Avalanche in 7

San Jose vs. Dallas

Before I get into this series, I’d like to congratulate Marty Turco for finally breaking his playoff jinx and getting to the second round. Interestingly enough, this current playoff success for Turco comes on the ten-year anniversary of Turco carrying the Michigan Wolverines to the NCAA title.

That being said, Turco is going up against two other players that have been labeled “playoff failures”, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. Thornton (7 points, one game-winner) and Marleau (6 points) are shaking that label and seem to be on a mission to prevent this Sharks roster from being blown up, which it will unless they reach the Stanley Cup Finals!

Both teams are also getting solid performances from other players. Sharks forward Ryan Clowe has been a force with eight points, as has Mike Ribeiro for the Stars who also has eight points.

Turco’s counter-part in net Evgeni Nabokov has shown why he is a Vezina candidate going 4-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average.

I’m sticking with the Sharks as my Western Conference Champion.

Sharks in 6